Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of converting decommissioned prison facilities to (a) schools, (b) hospitals, (c) housing and (d) other public uses.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
We are committed to exploring all options for prison build and the expansion and maintenance of the prison estate. Where facilities are not currently suitable or in use as part of the prison estate, we aim to work collaboratively with other Departments to establish a viable next step for the sites.
At this time, we have two decommissioned prison sites, HMP Camp Hill and HMP Blantyre House. A decision has not yet been made on the future of these sites.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the comparative annual cost per head of (a) incarceration and (b) military service for non-violent offenders.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
We have no current plans to introduce military service as an alternative to custody. Therefore, no comparative cost analysis has been undertaken.
Research indicates that sentences with a military focus do not reduce re-offending. The evidence shows that it is the intervention to address offending behaviour which makes a difference, not the military regime and physical toughness.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing structured military service as an alternative sentence for non-violent offenders serving sentences of less than 25 years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
We have no current plans to introduce military service as an alternative to custody. Therefore, no comparative cost analysis has been undertaken.
Research indicates that sentences with a military focus do not reduce re-offending. The evidence shows that it is the intervention to address offending behaviour which makes a difference, not the military regime and physical toughness.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many unoccupied places there were in prison wings for transgender prisoners only on 5 June 2025.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The separate unit for transgender prisoners, E Wing at HMP Downview, has 16 cells. There are currently seven prisoners being held in the unit.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing sentences for knife crime perpetrators.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Tackling knife crime is a priority and this Government is determined to do all it can to break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families, and communities. It is important that those who commit violent crimes receive appropriate, proportionate and robust sentences.
It is the function of the independent courts to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any guidelines that may be laid down by the Sentencing Council or the Court of Appeal. We have a robust legal framework in place to respond to knife crimes, with the maximum penalty for carrying a knife or threatening with an offensive weapon being 4 years imprisonment.
Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that the offender may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, up to life imprisonment.
The Government has launched an Independent Review of Sentencing chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke. The Review aims to ensure that the sentencing framework is consistent, protects the public and that there is always a place in prison for violent offenders.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to reduce waiting times for appeals through special educational needs and disability tribunal hearings.
Answered by Heidi Alexander - Secretary of State for Transport
Although the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) has responded well to the significant increase in appeals it has experienced in recent years, we acknowledge that more needs to be done to reduce the time parents and young people have to wait to have their appeals determined. An additional 70 judges have been recruited for this jurisdiction and will begin sitting from September 2024, with further recruitment scheduled.
I look forward to working with my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and her Ministerial team to consider ways to reduce the demands on the tribunal so that the outstanding caseload, and the time within which the tribunal can determine appeals, can be brought down.