Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of long-term potential impacts of the mandatory disclosure of criminal records on access to (a) employment and (b) education for offenders.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We recognise the importance of removing barriers to employment for ex-offenders. Employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points in the year following release, and a similar percentage point reduction for prisoners who take any form of learning activity. The criminal record regime has a role in this process, striking a balance between providing employers with the information they need to make safer recruitment decisions, while enabling ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.
We recognise that disclosure requirements and the approach of employers and learning institutions can have a significant impact on an individual’s employment opportunities and access to education. This is also an area that Sir Brian Levenson’s recent independent review of the Criminal Courts highlighted. The Deputy Prime Minister confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 2 December 2025 that we are considering Sir Brian’s recommendation, including opportunities to simplify the regime to ensure it is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of requiring disclosure of offences committed by children once they reach adulthood.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We are committed to supporting children to turn their lives around and recognise that having a criminal record can have a significant impact on children and adults who offended as a child. Sir Brian Leveson, in his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, noted the importance of ensuring that the impact of a criminal record is proportionate to the offending.
In response, the Deputy Prime Minister committed to exploring opportunities to reform the criminal records regime, particularly in relation to childhood offences, so that it is clear and proportionate, while continuing to prioritise public safety. We will set out our plans for doing so in due course.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of AI-generated intimate images.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.
Our VAWG strategy will be published this year and will include joint steps to tackle image-based abuse across England and Wales and protect victims. We are delivering on our manifesto commitment to ensure that perpetrators who create a deepfake intimate image of someone without their consent face prosecution, and criminalising asking someone to create an intimate image deepfake for you, regardless of where that person is based or whether the image is created. In addition, under our new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill, anyone who takes or records intimate images without consent or installs equipment with intent to do so will face up to two years’ custody.
In the year 2024/25, the Home Office increased the amount of funding provided to the Revenge Porn Helpline from £150,000 to £210,000, to provide free, high-quality support and advice to adult victims of intimate image abuse. This funding has been increased for the year 2025/26. The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for vital victim and witness support services that includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including victims of intimate image abuse, to cope and recover.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 expanding the remit of legal aid to enable eligible individuals to receive advice on (a) social housing allocations and (b) disputes over the allocation of social housing.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Legal aid is available for possession, evictions, homelessness, and disrepair claims (when there is a serious risk of illness or injury) subject to a financial means test and a merits test. This includes when someone is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, in relation to the allocation of social housing.
Additionally, the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service provides free early legal advice on housing matters, council tax reduction schemes, debt, and welfare benefits problems from the moment someone receives notice of possession or eviction, regardless of their financial situation.
At present there are no plans to expand eligibility in this area.
The Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt legal aid fees, which when implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year. This would increase overall spend in housing & debt legal aid by 24% and improve access to legal advice for people facing unfair housing battles or who are at risk of losing their home. We are currently reviewing consultation responses and will publish the Government’s response in due course.
Applicants for social housing have the right to request information from the local authority about the decision that has been made in respect of their application and to ask for an internal review of any decision taken about the facts of their case. The local authority must notify them of the outcome of the review and the grounds for it.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers at Pentonville Prison attended their shift on 17 July 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds
On 17 July 2023, 1,179 prisoners were held at HMP Pentonville. 83 Band 3 Prison Officers were on duty in the prison on that day. Staffing levels were above the minimum staffing level required by the prison’s Regime Management Plan to deliver a safe and decent regime.
Other staff were not in attendance for the following reasons:
It should be noted that these figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
The data is collated to reflect individuals that attended throughout the day, this will be culmination of varying shifts throughout the period.
The numbers who were on duty includes all staff that attended for all/part of a shift in the establishment, including any additional payment shifts & night duties. Those recorded in the category of ‘Other absences’ can include staff on Medical Appointments, Restricted Duties, Phased Return, Secondment, Maternity leave, Jury Service, Official Duty, Parental Leave, Suspension, Bedwatch, working at a different grade, time off in lieu and remote working.
We have taken a series of measures to increase the prison workforce. Despite a challenging labour market, the 12 months ending 30 June 2023 saw an increase of 701 Full Time Equivalent Band 3-5 prison officers. This means we now have 4,000 more prison officers than in March 2017. We are committed to recruiting up to 5,000 prison officers across public and private prisons by the mid-2020s.
We recently increased the pay of the vast majority of frontline officers by 7 per cent. Combined with other pay rises, this means starting pay for prison officers has increased since 2019 from £22,293 to £30,902 (on the basis of a national rate, 37 hour week with unsocial hours) or £23,529 to £32,851 (on the basis of a national rate, 39 hour week with unsocial hours).
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were held at Pentonville Prison on 17 July 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds
On 17 July 2023, 1,179 prisoners were held at HMP Pentonville. 83 Band 3 Prison Officers were on duty in the prison on that day. Staffing levels were above the minimum staffing level required by the prison’s Regime Management Plan to deliver a safe and decent regime.
Other staff were not in attendance for the following reasons:
It should be noted that these figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
The data is collated to reflect individuals that attended throughout the day, this will be culmination of varying shifts throughout the period.
The numbers who were on duty includes all staff that attended for all/part of a shift in the establishment, including any additional payment shifts & night duties. Those recorded in the category of ‘Other absences’ can include staff on Medical Appointments, Restricted Duties, Phased Return, Secondment, Maternity leave, Jury Service, Official Duty, Parental Leave, Suspension, Bedwatch, working at a different grade, time off in lieu and remote working.
We have taken a series of measures to increase the prison workforce. Despite a challenging labour market, the 12 months ending 30 June 2023 saw an increase of 701 Full Time Equivalent Band 3-5 prison officers. This means we now have 4,000 more prison officers than in March 2017. We are committed to recruiting up to 5,000 prison officers across public and private prisons by the mid-2020s.
We recently increased the pay of the vast majority of frontline officers by 7 per cent. Combined with other pay rises, this means starting pay for prison officers has increased since 2019 from £22,293 to £30,902 (on the basis of a national rate, 37 hour week with unsocial hours) or £23,529 to £32,851 (on the basis of a national rate, 39 hour week with unsocial hours).
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Independent Monitoring Board entitled Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Pentonville, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds
HMP Pentonville was most recently inspected by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in July 2022. The inspectorate’s report was published on 18 October 2022. It can be viewed here: HMP Pentonville (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk).
Following consideration of matters highlighted in the recently published report by the prison’s Independent Monitoring Board, HM Prison and Probation Service has scheduled a Living Conditions Audit to be undertaken at HMP Pentonville and will be able to report its findings in due course.
HM Prison and Probation Service carries out a programme of audits across the prison estate, to ensure adequate operational standards are being maintained within individual establishments. This includes an audit of living conditions, which assesses whether the establishment provides safe, clean and decent living conditions that are in a good state of repair and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of living conditions inside Pentonville Prison.
Answered by Damian Hinds
HMP Pentonville was most recently inspected by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in July 2022. The inspectorate’s report was published on 18 October 2022. It can be viewed here: HMP Pentonville (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk).
Following consideration of matters highlighted in the recently published report by the prison’s Independent Monitoring Board, HM Prison and Probation Service has scheduled a Living Conditions Audit to be undertaken at HMP Pentonville and will be able to report its findings in due course.
HM Prison and Probation Service carries out a programme of audits across the prison estate, to ensure adequate operational standards are being maintained within individual establishments. This includes an audit of living conditions, which assesses whether the establishment provides safe, clean and decent living conditions that are in a good state of repair and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the recommendations in the report by Women in Prison entitled The Value of Women's Centres, published on 7 October 2022, if he will provide ring-fenced funding for specialist services led by and for (a) Black women, (b) women from other ethnic minorities, (c) deaf women, (d) disabled women, (e) LBTQ+ women and (f) women with other protected characteristics.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Government understands the important role women’s centres and women’s community sector organisations play in supporting women to address the underlying causes of their offending behaviour and to turn their lives around. This is why the Ministry of Justice is investing up to £21 million grant funding in women’s community services between 2022 and 2025. Organisations applying for grant funding are required to explain how they would deliver effective support to women with protected characteristics, particularly how they would address any barriers to engagement. Funding will be confirmed in early 2023.
In addition to the current grant funding, we have invested almost £46 million in women’s Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) contracts since June 2021, which will deliver bespoke and specialist support to women in probation and is tailored to individual needs, including protected characteristics, to address their offending behaviour.
The Probation Service has also launched the CRS General Grant Scheme to provide support, including provision for people on probation or in prison with protected characteristics or shared experiences. Grants within this theme can be for a value between £8,000 - £150,000 per year for a period of up to three years per grant award. The first competition under this scheme was launched in September and was targeted at services for people from an ethnic minority background who are on probation.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have been held in prison on remand in each of the last three years, by (a) alleged offence type and ethnicity and (b) length of remand period and ethnicity.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The requested information can be found in the attached data file.