Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the sharing of information between the two Departments to inform decisions on recall following breach of licence conditions.
Answered by Robert Buckland
Probation services supervise offenders on licence and, if offenders breach their conditions, the Offender Manager will assess their level of risk and, if the conclusion is that the offender cannot be safely managed in the community, will recall the offender to prison. Officials in the Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) will then formally revoke the offender’s licence. Public protection is our priority.
HMPPS engagement about information sharing is primarily with the Police as it is the Chief Constable of each police force who is responsible for operational policing decisions. Police officers will sometimes receive or obtain information about an offender on licence which is relevant for the purposes of determining whether the offender has breached his licence conditions. I have asked my officials to work with the Police to ensure that police officers have a sound understanding of the system of licensed supervision and of the importance of sharing information with probation services as soon as possible whenever an offender on licence comes to their attention.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) probation services and (b) community rehabilitation companies on the use of algorithms in relation to recall decisions following a breach of licence conditions.
Answered by Robert Buckland
All probation providers must adhere to the published Policy Framework on Recall, Review and Re-Release of Recalled Prisoners, including on the steps Responsible Officers must take to satisfy themselves that a recall request is appropriate. The Policy Framework also contains the ‘Recall Best Practice Guide: Working with Recalled Prisoners’ for use by all probation and prison staff involved in the recall process.
The Policy Framework is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recall-review-and-re-release-of-recalled-prisoners
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what process is used by his Department to monitor the use of algorithms by community rehabilitation companies.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Ministry of Justice assesses the quality of alternative risk assessment tools proposed by Community Rehabilitation Companies and sets a number of conditions for approval including a requirement for ongoing research and evaluation to ensure the tool is fit for purpose. Under our proposals for future probation arrangements responsibility for undertaking risk assessment processes will sit with staff in the National Probation Service.
We are still at the early stages of using algorithms in the criminal justice system, primarily as decision support tools to aid professional judgement. We have internal process in place to ensure we develop and roll-out algorithmic models appropriately and responsibly and are working with The Alan Turing Institute to make sure use of these models is ethical, safe and fair
These tools are one element of a number of measures for assessing the risk of re-offending: offender managers make robust risk assessments based on their professional expertise. The most complex cases, and those with the highest assessed risk of re-offending or causing harm, will attract the most intensive intervention. In all cases, the professional judgement of the offender manager is a key factor in deciding what measures are needed to manage an offender and prevent re-offending.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract for the Transforming Rehabilitation scheme agreed with Working Links in Wales.
Answered by Robert Buckland
Details for the contract Transforming Rehabilitation contracts with Working Links in Wales are published on Contracts Finder;
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) community rehabilitation companies and (b) the Probation Service on the use of algorithms in the probation system.
Answered by Robert Buckland
Algorithmic tools are used both by the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies to support decision making and aid professional judgement in assessing the level of risk posed by offenders. We have internal processes in place to ensure we develop and roll-out algorithmic models appropriately and responsibly and are working with The Alan Turing Institute to make sure the use of these models is ethical, safe and fair. These tools are one element of a number of measures for assessing the risk of re-offending: In all cases, the professional judgement of the offender manager is a key factor in deciding what measures are needed to manage an offender and prevent re-offending.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the Press Recognition Panel was added to his Ministerial responsibilities; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that decision on the work of the Panel.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Royal Charter establishing the Press Recognition Panel sets out the responsibilities of the Lord Chancellor. Other than in his role as Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Justice does not have any ministerial responsibilities in respect of the Panel.
HM Treasury determined that the Press Recognition Panel should fall under the Ministry of Justice Departmental Boundary for Estimates and Accounts purposes, this is purely an administrative action. There is no charge in terms of the Lord Chancellor's responsibilities as set out in the Royal Charter, and the Panel remains outside the Secretary of State's responsibilities.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions for criminal offences were committed in North Wales for each (a) category and (b) offence in each of the last five years.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The number of offenders convicted in North Wales, broken down by (a) offence group, and (b) offence, can be found in the ‘Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017
To produce the data requested, click anywhere on the table to open the ‘field list’ and then re-create the following steps:
Other categories of interest can be found in the ‘filters’ section of the pivot table.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding he has allocated for the construction of custody provision at Wrexham Magistrates Court; on what the timetable is for the start of that construction.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Funding approval has been given to the cost of a new custody suite reported to officials in September 2017 at a total project cost of £3.5m. The cost, in part due to increased planning constraints, has continued to increase. Officials are currently working with professional advisers to understand the costs and timeframes associated with the design to deliver the programme. A revised funding requirement will be subject to internal governance consideration, once a deliverable costed scheme is finalised.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences have been prosecuted in (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown Courts in North Wales for the last five years for which information is available.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The number of defendants prosecuted in the last five years in North Wales at (a) magistrates’ courts was 89,363 and (b) in the Crown Court was 5,435.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the start of building work to construct new custody provision at Wrexham Magistrates Court.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
We do not currently have a date for the building work to start.