Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
If he will make it his policy to return the probation service to the public sector.
Answered by Rory Stewart
We have been clear that probation needs to improve and have taken decisive action to end current CRC contracts and develop more robust arrangements to protect the public and tackle re-offending.
We have seen examples of good and innovative work from CRCs. In Cumbria, adapting probation to a rural setting and in London, working with the Mayor’s Office on programmes to rehabilitate offenders involved in knife crime.
I still believe that public, private and voluntary organisations all have a role to play. The reforms we are making are crucial to better integrate the system so that different providers can work more effectively together. We will set out our proposals later this year.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals in relation to access rights to grandchildren by grandparents; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Government is keen to take steps wherever possible to reduce conflict within families when relationships come to an end. In that context, the Government’s current priority is to reform the law on the process for obtaining a divorce.
I am separately considering what measures Government could take to help more grandchildren maintain contact with grandparents following parental separation and will make an announcement about the Government’s plans in due course.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential risks associated with privatising waking night cover in approved premises.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The new arrangements for night cover will promote the health and safety of those who live and work in Approved Premises and of the community at large. Under previous arrangements in some Approved Premises, only one member of staff was required to be awake during the night hours. The new contracts require two staff to be on duty and awake during the night in all Approved Premises. This model has been in operation for many years in certain parts of the country and has provided an effective service.
The new contracts make appropriate provision to protect the health and safety of staff, service users and members of the public. Services must be delivered in full compliance with statutory obligations and the Health & Safety Executive’s Approved Codes of Practice. Suppliers must be able to provide professional advice to their own staff, sub-contractors and the client where required.
The National Probation Service is monitoring the contracts carefully. It is working with contractors to address issues that arise and to consolidate the processes to ensure effective delivery of night cover.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in tribunal fees in people with protected characteristics.
Answered by Oliver Heald
We routinely publish Equalities Statements alongside consultation papers and Government responses to consultation on changes to courts and tribunals fees, which set out our assessment of the impact of those changes in relation to characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have died in each prison in each of the last six months.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
The number of deaths in custody has increased in recent years, as the prison population and the proportion of older prisoners within it have increased.
The table attached shows the number of prisoners who have died in each prison in each of the last six months for which annual data has been published. The annual information on deaths in each prison is published in the Safety in Custody statistics available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2014-and-annual
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths in custody are under investigation by police as suspected homicide.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
Every death in custody is subject to investigation by the police. The decisions as to whether or not to treat a particular death as a suspected homicide, and what information to disclose about the status of each ongoing investigation, are matters for the relevant police authorities in each case.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many homicides in prison have taken place in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
This information is published in the Safety in Custody statistics available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2014-and-annual
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce reoffending.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
Despite investment, reoffending rates remain stubbornly high. We are fundamentally reforming rehabilitation services by opening up the market to new providers and incentivising them to focus relentlessly on reducing reoffending. For the first time in recent history virtually every offender released from custody will receive statutory supervision and rehabilitation in the community. We remain on track to deliver these key reforms by 2015.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on its contract for offender electronic monitoring in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
The table below sets out the amounts spent on electronic monitoring services provided by G4S and Serco for the years requested.
2011-12 | £116,906,087 |
2012-13 | £107,684,810 |
2013-14 | £36,987,915 |
The 2013-14 figure is significantly lower as we withheld payment in 2013 once we became aware of long-standing anomalies in the billing arrangements on these contracts. We have since recovered all money owed on the contracts from the suppliers.
In April 2014 Capita took over the management of the electronic monitoring service, on an interim basis until the new service comes into operation. Under these interim arrangements, G4S and Serco no longer have a direct role in delivering the service on the ground – and we have far greater oversight of costs and charging than previously, with direct access to the suppliers’ systems. We continue to manage these arrangements robustly.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 398W, on electronic tagging, what progress he has made on involving police and crime commissioners in the stakeholder group for offender electronic monitoring technology; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
Following the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice’s announcement on 15 July 2014 of the award of contracts to four companies to deliver the new electronic monitoring service, I am keen to work closely with Police and Crime Commissioners, police forces and other key stakeholders across the criminal justice system to ensure that opportunities to make use of the capability offered by the technology are fully exploited. We will be taking action over the coming months to engage with stakeholders.