Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timeline is for tabling an amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 which would grant legal aid to unaccompanied and separated children.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We have committed to lay legislation to bring non-asylum immigration matters into the scope of legal aid for separated migrant children. Subject to parliamentary time allowing we will be laying this legislation in the coming months.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a record is kept of restraint for good order and discipline during detained children’s escort to and from (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We do not hold or collect specific data on whether restraint was used for good order and discipline on detained children during escort to and from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs).
Prior to July 2016, data in relation to the reasons for the use of restraint during escorts to and from Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children Homes (SCHs) was not collected. Data that is held and which has been collected since then is not broken down between STCs and SCHs and there have been no recorded incidents after this period.
The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Every incident of restraint is reviewed individually by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) staff, this includes the review of any incident forms and in-vehicle CCTV footage to consider whether any lessons can be learned for the future.
In addition, Charlie Taylor has been asked to review the Department’s policy on the use of pain-inducing techniques in the restraint of young people in the secure estate, including when they are under escort, to ensure that our approach remains appropriate for the youth estate and in line with the latest research. He is due to report back to Ministers with his findings in Summer.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest level of Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) technique, low, medium, high or pain-inducing, was for each MMPR use of force incident during the escort of detained children to and from (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We do not hold the data as requested. Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) has been specifically developed for use by staff working with young people in custody. It was introduced in May 2016 and provides a greater emphasis on managing challenging behaviour without resorting to restraint and also stresses the importance of accurate reporting to enable the ongoing analysis of its effectiveness. It also includes restraint techniques which have, for the first time, been assessed by an independent panel of medical and behaviour management experts (the Restraint Advisory Board).
I have, however, provided below a table which sets out incidents requiring restraint techniques for escorts to and from Secure Training Centres (STCs), Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs) and Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) from 2016 to 2018
| SCH and STC [1] | YOIs [2] |
2014 | Not held | 85 |
2015 | Not held | 105 |
2016 | Jan to Jun = Not held Jul to Dec = 6 | 112 |
2017 | 19 | 131 |
2018 | 12 | 126 |
More specific data in relation to the level of restraint used on children during journeys to and from STCs and SCHs is not held or collected. However, such scenarios are rare with only 12 incidents taking place in 2018. HMPPS review each of these incidents individually, considering any incident forms and in-vehicle CCTV footage to consider whether any lessons can be learned.
The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Every incident of restraint is reviewed by the establishment, this includes looking at whether any lessons can be learned for the future.
In addition, Charlie Taylor has been asked to review the Department’s policy on the use of pain-inducing techniques in the restraint of young people in the secure estate, including when they are under escort, to ensure that our approach remains appropriate for the youth estate and in line with the latest research. He is due to report back to Ministers with his findings in Summer.
[1] Data for Use of Force on journeys to and from STCs and SCHs broken down by sector is not collected or held. Data on Use of Force in escort journeys to and from STCs and SCHs broken down between MMPR and non-MMPR techniques is not collected or held.
[2] MMPR does not currently apply to YOI journeys
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many use of force incidents occurred during the escorting of detained children to and from (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes in each of the last five years; and what proportion of these involved the use of (i) Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) and (ii) non-MMPR techniques.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We do not hold the data as requested. Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) has been specifically developed for use by staff working with young people in custody. It was introduced in May 2016 and provides a greater emphasis on managing challenging behaviour without resorting to restraint and also stresses the importance of accurate reporting to enable the ongoing analysis of its effectiveness. It also includes restraint techniques which have, for the first time, been assessed by an independent panel of medical and behaviour management experts (the Restraint Advisory Board).
I have, however, provided below a table which sets out incidents requiring restraint techniques for escorts to and from Secure Training Centres (STCs), Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs) and Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) from 2016 to 2018
| SCH and STC [1] | YOIs [2] |
2014 | Not held | 85 |
2015 | Not held | 105 |
2016 | Jan to Jun = Not held Jul to Dec = 6 | 112 |
2017 | 19 | 131 |
2018 | 12 | 126 |
More specific data in relation to the level of restraint used on children during journeys to and from STCs and SCHs is not held or collected. However, such scenarios are rare with only 12 incidents taking place in 2018. HMPPS review each of these incidents individually, considering any incident forms and in-vehicle CCTV footage to consider whether any lessons can be learned.
The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Every incident of restraint is reviewed by the establishment, this includes looking at whether any lessons can be learned for the future.
In addition, Charlie Taylor has been asked to review the Department’s policy on the use of pain-inducing techniques in the restraint of young people in the secure estate, including when they are under escort, to ensure that our approach remains appropriate for the youth estate and in line with the latest research. He is due to report back to Ministers with his findings in Summer.
[1] Data for Use of Force on journeys to and from STCs and SCHs broken down by sector is not collected or held. Data on Use of Force in escort journeys to and from STCs and SCHs broken down between MMPR and non-MMPR techniques is not collected or held.
[2] MMPR does not currently apply to YOI journeys
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many warning signs and injuries occurred during the restraint of detained children being escorted to and from (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Information in relation to complaints on the Use of Force by custody escort staff for young people escorted to and from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) is not held or collected.
Since July 2016, there have been no complaints on the Use of Force by custody escort staff for young people escorted to and from Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs). Prior to July 2016, whilst complaints from young people escorted to and from STCs and SCHs were recorded, the data was not broken down to indicate whether such complaints were specifically in relation to Use of Force.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complaints on the use of force by custody escort staff have been made by, or on behalf of, detained children escorted to and from (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Information in relation to complaints on the Use of Force by custody escort staff for young people escorted to and from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) is not held or collected.
Since July 2016, there have been no complaints on the Use of Force by custody escort staff for young people escorted to and from Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs). Prior to July 2016, whilst complaints from young people escorted to and from STCs and SCHs were recorded, the data was not broken down to indicate whether such complaints were specifically in relation to Use of Force.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff in his Department reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work in the most recent Civil Service People Survey.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Bullying and harassment has no place in any workplace, including the Civil Service. In our most recent People Survey 11% of respondents, on average, told us that they'd experienced bullying or harassment at work in the 12 months preceding the survey.
While this figure has remained stable since 2016, we recognise that some staff are more like to say they have experienced this type of unacceptable behaviour than others. This includes those with long-term limiting conditions who, in the vast majority of departments and agencies, were more likely to say they'd been bullied or harassed in the last 12 months than staff members with no long-term limiting conditions.
We are strengthening the routes for all staff to report bullying and harassment to ensure that they are fully supported throughout the process, and to ensure cultures are positive and inclusive.
The high level People Survey results for each organisation, including reported rates of bullying and harassment, were published last December on gov.uk.
Each spring the Cabinet Office conducts and publishes a range of further analysis on the People Survey responses, including the results by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and health status. Similar analysis will be conducted again this year and made available on gov.uk.
The results for the 2017 survey are summarised below with the organisations that make up the MoJ highlighted. A copy of this table has been placed in the House.
Civil Service People Survey 2017: results by organisation and health status
Long-term health status is captured in the People Survey through questions J04 and J04A. J04 asks if the individual has a "long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability?" and, if they answer yes, J04A asks whether their condition, illness or disability has an impact on their daily activity or the work they can do.
Results are aggregated in to two broad categories: "No long-term limiting condition", combining those who answer “No” to either J04 or J04A; and, "Long-term limiting condition", those who answer “Yes” to J04 and who answer that their condition limits what they can do either "a little" or "a lot" at J04A.
Answered “Yes” to the question “During the past 12 months have you personally experienced bullying or harassment at work?” | No limiting long-term illness | Has a limiting long-term illness |
Acas | 8% | 21% |
Accountant in Bankruptcy | 4% | 0% |
Animal and Plant Health Agency | 10% | 23% |
Attorney General's Office | 4% | .. |
Cabinet Office | 9% | 19% |
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science | 7% | 22% |
Charity Commission | 10% | 22% |
Civil Service HR | 13% | 22% |
Companies House | 4% | 11% |
Competition and Markets Authority | 11% | 33% |
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority | 8% | 31% |
Crown Commercial Service | 10% | 20% |
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service | 10% | 35% |
Crown Prosecution Service | 8% | 21% |
Defence Electronics and Components Agency | 17% | 38% |
Defence Equipment & Support | 10% | 25% |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | 6% | 15% |
Department for Communities and Local Government | 6% | 19% |
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | 4% | 12% |
Department for Education | 7% | 17% |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 7% | 16% |
Department for Exiting the European Union | 6% | 25% |
Department for International Development | 10% | 20% |
Department for International Trade | 10% | 17% |
Department for Transport | 6% | 14% |
Department for Work and Pensions | 8% | 20% |
Department of Health | 6% | 9% |
Disclosure Scotland | 9% | 27% |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency | 6% | 16% |
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | 17% | 37% |
Dstl | 10% | 27% |
Education Scotland | 19% | 36% |
Estyn | 5% | .. |
FCO Services | 9% | 37% |
Food Standards Agency | 16% | 27% |
Food Standards Scotland | 8% | 7% |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office | 12% | 22% |
Government Actuary's Department | 7% | .. |
Government Internal Audit Agency | 9% | 21% |
Government Legal Department | 8% | 11% |
Health and Safety Executive | 10% | 21% |
HM Courts and Tribunals Service | 8% | 21% |
HM CPS Inspectorate | 31% | .. |
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services | 20% | 23% |
HM Prison and Probation Service HQ | 10% | 14% |
HM Revenue & Customs | 9% | 22% |
HM Treasury | 7% | 20% |
Home Office: Border Force | 14% | 40% |
Home Office: HM Passport Office | 11% | 25% |
Home Office: Immigration Enforcement | 13% | 28% |
Home Office: Policy and Enablers | 9% | 21% |
Home Office: UK Visas and Immigration | 9% | 20% |
Intellectual Property Office | 7% | 10% |
Land Registry | 6% | 14% |
Legal Aid Agency | 5% | 16% |
Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 14% | 42% |
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency | 9% | 23% |
Met Office | 8% | 21% |
Ministry of Defence | 10% | 26% |
Ministry of Justice HQ | 7% | 18% |
MoJ Arms Length Bodies | 6% | 18% |
National Crime Agency | 11% | 26% |
National Records of Scotland | 5% | 12% |
National Savings & Investment | 7% | 45% |
Office for National Statistics | 9% | 18% |
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets | 7% | 11% |
Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation | 7% | 6% |
Office of Rail and Road | 12% | 20% |
Office of the Public Guardian | 15% | 26% |
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator | 15% | .. |
Ofsted | 5% | 15% |
Public Health England | 11% | 19% |
Registers of Scotland | 7% | 5% |
Revenue Scotland | 7% | .. |
Rural Payments Agency | 10% | 25% |
Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland Offices | 7% | 15% |
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service | 7% | 19% |
Scottish Government | 8% | 17% |
Scottish Housing Regulator | 5% | .. |
Scottish Prison Service | 15% | 40% |
Scottish Public Pensions Agency | 13% | 23% |
Serious Fraud Office | 9% | 20% |
Student Awards Agency Scotland | 8% | 16% |
The Insolvency Service | 6% | 13% |
The National Archives | 5% | 21% |
The National Probation Service | 10% | 25% |
The Planning Inspectorate | 4% | 11% |
The Prison Service | 13% | 28% |
Transport Scotland | 9% | 17% |
UK Debt Management Office | 7% | .. |
UK Export Finance | 16% | 7% |
UK Hydrographic Office | 8% | 17% |
UK Statistics Authority | 15% | .. |
Valuation Office Agency | 6% | 17% |
Vehicle Certification Agency | 12% | .. |
Veterinary Medicines Directorate | 6% | 27% |
Welsh Government | 7% | 18% |
Wilton Park | 8% | .. |
Note: ‘..’ indicates value supressed due to small sample size |
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Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Ofsted's Freedom of Information request datasets 2017: Residential education provision as at 16 November 2017, published on 9 January 2019, when the most recent Ofsted inspection of the residential education provision at Rainsbrook Secure Training centre took place; and what the effectiveness grade was of that assessment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is provided in the table below.
Secure Training Centre (STC) | Date of latest published inspection | Date report published | Assessment score (‘The achievement of young people’) |
Medway | 26 February – 21 March 2018* | 11 May 2018 | Requires improvement |
Oakhill | 5-15 June 2018 | 6 August 2018 | Requires improvement |
Rainsbrook | 2-12 October 2018 | 27 November 2018 | Good |
Notes
- Assessments are made on a four-point scale: Outstanding; Good; Requires improvement to be good; Inadequate.
- The Ofsted inspection framework may consider more than just education in the ‘achievement of young people’ section of their reports, however this is the section where education is best represented.
- *Medway STC has recently been inspected by Ofsted and their report is expected to be published shortly.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Ofsted's Freedom of Information request datasets 2017: Residential education provision as at 16 November 2017, published on 9 January 2019, when the most recent Ofsted inspection of the residential education provision at Oakhill Secure Training centre took place; and what the effectiveness grade was of that assessment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is provided in the table below.
Secure Training Centre (STC) | Date of latest published inspection | Date report published | Assessment score (‘The achievement of young people’) |
Medway | 26 February – 21 March 2018* | 11 May 2018 | Requires improvement |
Oakhill | 5-15 June 2018 | 6 August 2018 | Requires improvement |
Rainsbrook | 2-12 October 2018 | 27 November 2018 | Good |
Notes
- Assessments are made on a four-point scale: Outstanding; Good; Requires improvement to be good; Inadequate.
- The Ofsted inspection framework may consider more than just education in the ‘achievement of young people’ section of their reports, however this is the section where education is best represented.
- *Medway STC has recently been inspected by Ofsted and their report is expected to be published shortly.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Ofsted's Freedom of Information request datasets 2017: Residential education provision as at 16 November 2017, published on 9 January 2019, when the most recent Ofsted inspection of the residential education provision at Medway Training centre took place; and what the effectiveness grade was of that assessment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested is provided in the table below.
Secure Training Centre (STC) | Date of latest published inspection | Date report published | Assessment score (‘The achievement of young people’) |
Medway | 26 February – 21 March 2018* | 11 May 2018 | Requires improvement |
Oakhill | 5-15 June 2018 | 6 August 2018 | Requires improvement |
Rainsbrook | 2-12 October 2018 | 27 November 2018 | Good |
Notes
- Assessments are made on a four-point scale: Outstanding; Good; Requires improvement to be good; Inadequate.
- The Ofsted inspection framework may consider more than just education in the ‘achievement of young people’ section of their reports, however this is the section where education is best represented.
- *Medway STC has recently been inspected by Ofsted and their report is expected to be published shortly.