Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to announce a new preferred bidder for the national contract for electronic offender-monitoring technology.
Answered by Andrew Selous
The competition to select the providers of next-generation electronic monitoring services in England and Wales has now concluded.
On 15 July the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice announced the award of contract to four companies who together will deliver the new Electronic Monitoring service. British company Steatite will develop and manufacture the equipment. Capita will manage the overall service, Airbus Defence and Space will provide satellite-mapping and Telefonica will supply the network.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the value is of the contract awarded to Capita for the continuation of electronic monitoring contracts on an interim basis.
Answered by Andrew Selous
The contract with Capita to manage the existing electronic monitoring service on an interim basis, until the new service comes into operation, will cost a total of £67.1m up to December 2014.
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.
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 31 March 2014, to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central, Official Report, column 528W, on electronic tagging, whether the anticipated roll-out of satellite tagging by the end of the year will be on a full or pilot basis.
Answered by Andrew Selous
I have previously announced that we will begin using the new tags with satellite technology by the end of the year with offenders subject to release on temporary licence from prison. This will be initially on a limited basis as the new tags become available, and will allow us to undertake assurance testing prior to wider rollout.
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 introduce individual case reviews following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda into magistrates' courts in England and Wales.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Government has not yet decided on the future of the provision for case reviews. We have no plans to introduce specialisation in magistrates' courts. However, the Government is currently undertaking a review of the role of magistrates with a view to ensuring that the magistracy remains the cornerstone of our justice system. A public consultation paper will be issued later in the year. We are engaging with the magistracy and sentencers to ensure they are fully informed about the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms.
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 introduce specialisations in magistrates' courts in England and Wales following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Government has not yet decided on the future of the provision for case reviews. We have no plans to introduce specialisation in magistrates' courts. However, the Government is currently undertaking a review of the role of magistrates with a view to ensuring that the magistracy remains the cornerstone of our justice system. A public consultation paper will be issued later in the year. We are engaging with the magistracy and sentencers to ensure they are fully informed about the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance he has given magistrates in England and Wales on the introduction of the risk of serious recidivism tool into the National Probation Service following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation model in England and Wales.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The new Risk of Serious Recidivism (RSR) tool will be used to inform the allocation of cases to either the National Probation Service (NPS) or a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC). We have begun the roll out of the tool to all Trusts, and have ensured that it is designed to minimise unnecessary bureaucracy so that staff working in the NPS or a CRC can spend more of their time managing and rehabilitating offenders.
The RSR tool is an aid for probation staff and we have not issued magistrates with specific guidance on it. However, the Department engages regularly with the magistracy about the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms via the National Sentencer Probation Forum, as well as through other regular communication channels. Our intention is to ensure that the magistracy and sentencers more widely are fully informed about the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. Training for the magistracy and any sentencing guidelines relating to the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 is a matter for the independent Judicial College and the Sentencing Council respectively.
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 introduce training for magistrates and legal advisers following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda in England and Wales.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Responsibility for judicial training lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary, and is exercised through the Judicial College, an independent body. The Ministry of Justice is keeping the Judicial College informed of implementation plans for the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 and wider Transforming Rehabilitation reforms to enable the College to deliver training as it sees fit.