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Written Question
HMP Hewell: Crimes of Violence
Wednesday 17th December 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults by prisoners on (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff were recorded at HMP Hewell in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Please see the attached table showing the number of incidents of assault on (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff at HMP Hewell in each of the last five years, and accompanying notes.


Written Question
HMP Hewell: Staff
Tuesday 16th December 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the employee (a) vacancy and (b) turnover rates were at HMP Hewell in each of the last five years by (i) prison staff and (ii) prison officers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The latest published workforce statistics for HM Prison & Probation Service cover the period up to 30 September 2025 and contain figures for the last five years for working days lost, average staff and average working days lost for each public sector prison and for different grades, but not by prison and grade combined. The published figures are for the 12 months to 31 March each year and latest figures are for the 12 months to 30 September 2025. These figures for HMP Hewell, split by band 3-5 prison officers and other prison staff, are given in the table below.

Working days lost to sickness absence, for HMP Hewell, by band 3-5 prison officers and other staff – for 12 months to 31 March 2021 to 2025 and for 12 months to 30 September 2025.

(Full Time Equivalent)

12 months to given date

Band 3-5 prison officers1

Other prison staff

All staff at HMP Hewell

31-Mar-21

4,344

2,189

6,532

31-Mar-22

4,392

2,677

7,069

31-Mar-23

3,706

2,158

5,864

31-Mar-24

3,801

2,266

6,067

31-Mar-25

4,701

2,103

6,803

30-Sep-252

5,073

2,736

7,809

Notes

  1. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (including specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
  2. Figures relating to the most recent 12 months are provisional, and may be subject to change in the future

A comparison between target staffing levels and staff in post can be found in the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691da96221ef5aaa6543ef83/annex-prison-and-probation-officer-recruitment-Sep-2025_final.ods.

Internal management information has long been used for workforce planning to monitor vacancies and other resource monitoring purposes. However, target staffing and parallel staff in post data has only been produced for the purpose of official statistics for the last few years. As a result, the full historic time series is not available in a consistent format for the grade breakdowns requested.

Turnover rates1 at HMP Hewell for (i) band 3-5 officers2 and (ii) all other prison staff, in the 12 months to 31 March 2021-2025 and in the 12 months to 30 September 2025

12 months to given date

Band 3-5 prison officers (%)

Other prison staff (%)

All staff at HMP Hewell (%)

31-Mar-21

13.6

11.9

12.9

31-Mar-22

14.4

9.8

12.6

31-Mar-23

15.0

11.7

14.0

31-Mar-24

14.2

8.0

11.6

31-Mar-25

13.8

10.4

12.4

30-Sep-25

14.6

8.9

12.2

Notes:

1. Turnover rates include all reasons for leaving and include both permanent and temporary staff.
2. Band 3-5 officers include: Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers

3. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time and is dependent on staff completing the details correctly. The database itself is dynamic and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, or are incorrect then these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate and may not match local data.


Figures relating to the most recent 12 months are provisional, and may be subject to change in the future.


Written Question
HMP Hewell: Staff
Tuesday 16th December 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time equivalent days were lost to sickness absence at HMP Hewell in each of the last five years by (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The latest published workforce statistics for HM Prison & Probation Service cover the period up to 30 September 2025 and contain figures for the last five years for working days lost, average staff and average working days lost for each public sector prison and for different grades, but not by prison and grade combined. The published figures are for the 12 months to 31 March each year and latest figures are for the 12 months to 30 September 2025. These figures for HMP Hewell, split by band 3-5 prison officers and other prison staff, are given in the table below.

Working days lost to sickness absence, for HMP Hewell, by band 3-5 prison officers and other staff – for 12 months to 31 March 2021 to 2025 and for 12 months to 30 September 2025.

(Full Time Equivalent)

12 months to given date

Band 3-5 prison officers1

Other prison staff

All staff at HMP Hewell

31-Mar-21

4,344

2,189

6,532

31-Mar-22

4,392

2,677

7,069

31-Mar-23

3,706

2,158

5,864

31-Mar-24

3,801

2,266

6,067

31-Mar-25

4,701

2,103

6,803

30-Sep-252

5,073

2,736

7,809

Notes

  1. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (including specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
  2. Figures relating to the most recent 12 months are provisional, and may be subject to change in the future

A comparison between target staffing levels and staff in post can be found in the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691da96221ef5aaa6543ef83/annex-prison-and-probation-officer-recruitment-Sep-2025_final.ods.

Internal management information has long been used for workforce planning to monitor vacancies and other resource monitoring purposes. However, target staffing and parallel staff in post data has only been produced for the purpose of official statistics for the last few years. As a result, the full historic time series is not available in a consistent format for the grade breakdowns requested.

Turnover rates1 at HMP Hewell for (i) band 3-5 officers2 and (ii) all other prison staff, in the 12 months to 31 March 2021-2025 and in the 12 months to 30 September 2025

12 months to given date

Band 3-5 prison officers (%)

Other prison staff (%)

All staff at HMP Hewell (%)

31-Mar-21

13.6

11.9

12.9

31-Mar-22

14.4

9.8

12.6

31-Mar-23

15.0

11.7

14.0

31-Mar-24

14.2

8.0

11.6

31-Mar-25

13.8

10.4

12.4

30-Sep-25

14.6

8.9

12.2

Notes:

1. Turnover rates include all reasons for leaving and include both permanent and temporary staff.
2. Band 3-5 officers include: Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers

3. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time and is dependent on staff completing the details correctly. The database itself is dynamic and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, or are incorrect then these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate and may not match local data.


Figures relating to the most recent 12 months are provisional, and may be subject to change in the future.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Tribunals
Wednesday 3rd September 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2024 to Question 763, on Special Educational Needs: Tribunals, if she will update the table given in that Answer for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

The table below sets out the number of appeals to the SEND Tribunal against decisions made by Birmingham City Council for the academic years 2021 to 2023 (the latest period for which data are available); and the numbers of those appeals that were (i) determined in favour of the appellants, (ii) determined in favour of the local authority, (iii) withdrawn, (iv) conceded before the hearing, and (v) still awaiting a hearing.

Appellants would include appeals made by parents and young persons.

Academic year

Total appeals registered(1)

Total appeals determined in favour of the appellants

Total appeals determined in favour of the local authority

Total appeals withdrawn

Conceded before the hearing

Awaiting a hearing date (4)

2021(2)

547

367

31

48

89

1

2022

525

365

10

52

84

12

2023(3)

642

410

22

46

144

18

1. Appeals registered and appeals concluded will not tally due to spanning over academic years.

2. Appeal data are only available for three years due to the Tribunal’s record retention and disposal policy.

3. The latest period for which data have been published.

4. This figure includes appeals with a consent order or a hearing has been vacated awaiting a new hearing date.


Written Question
Marriage: Reform
Thursday 24th July 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42776 on Marriage: Humanism, what progress she has made on reviewing the recommendations of the Law Commission's report on marriage reform, published in July 2022.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government appreciates the importance of this issue and will provide an update in due course.


Written Question
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: Standards
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50727 on Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: Standards, what proportion of the respondents to that paper survey selected (a) very good, (b) good, (c) average, (d) poor and (e) very poor in 2023-24.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Of the respondents to the paper survey in 2023-34, (a) 53.2% selected very good, (b) 31.0% selected good, (c) 10.0% selected average, (d) 3.3% poor and (e) 2.5% selected very poor.


Written Question
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: Standards
Monday 12th May 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Table 9, on page 19 of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's Annual Report and Accounts, published on 24 July 2024, what the wording of the question that measured overall satisfaction was; and what the response rate was to that question.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

When issuing decision letters by post at both first and review decision stage, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority includes a paper survey form that applicants can complete and return. The wording of the question used to measure overall satisfaction was “Overall how did you feel about the service you received throughout the claims process”. In response applicants can select very good, good, average, poor and very poor. In 2023-24, the response rate to this question was 5.6%* (2326 surveys returned).

*The survey is issued at both first and review decision stage meaning the same applicant may be asked to complete this more than once. The survey is not issued again for cases which are appealed to the First-tier Tribunal.


Written Question
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Thursday 13th February 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2012 to Question 124834, on Criminal Injuries Compensation, if she will uprate the figures given in that Answer to 2024 prices.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The following table sets out the value of each of the tariff bands in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) along with how much each of the tariff bands would be worth in 2012 and 2024, if they had increased by the rate of inflation since 1996 using each of the indices (a) RPI and (b) CPI:

Band

Tariff amount [1996]

(a) Inflated amount (RPI) [2012]

(b) Inflated amount (CPI) [2012]

(a) Inflated amount (RPI) [2024]

(b) Inflated amount (CPI) [2024]

1

£1,000

£1,540

£1,358

£2,532

£1,946

2

£1,250

£1,925

£1,697

£3,166

£2,433

3

£1,500

£2,310

£2,036

£3,799

£2,919

4

£1,750

£2,695

£2,376

£4,432

£3,406

5

£2,000

£3,081

£2,715

£5,065

£3,892

6

£2,500

£3,851

£3,394

£6,331

£4,866

7

£3,300

£5,083

£4,480

£8,357

£6,423

8

£3,800

£5,853

£5,159

£9,623

£7,396

9

£4,400

£6,777

£5,973

£11,143

£8,563

10

£5,500

£8,472

£7,467

£13,928

£10,704

11

£6,600

£10,166

£8,960

£16,714

£12,845

12

£8,200

£12,630

£11,132

£20,766

£15,959

13

£11,000

£16,943

£14,933

£27,857

£21,408

14

£13,500

£20,794

£18,327

£34,188

£26,274

15

£16,500

£25,415

£22,400

£41,785

£32,113

16

£19,000

£29,265

£25,793

£48,116

£36,978

17

£22,000

£33,886

£29,866

£55,713

£42,817

18

£27,000

£41,587

£36,654

£68,375

£52,548

19

£33,000

£50,829

£44,799

£83,570

£64,225

20

£44,000

£67,772

£59,732

£111,426

£85,634

21

£55,000

£84,715

£74,665

£139,283

£107,042

22

£82,000

£126,303

£111,319

£207,658

£159,590

23

£110,000

£169,430

£149,330

£278,566

£214,084

24

£175,000

£269,548

£237,571

£443,173

£340,589

25

£250,000

£385,069

£339,387

£633,104

£486,555


Written Question
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Thursday 13th February 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the expenditure of her Department's criminal injuries hardship fund has been in each year since its creation.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The below table shows the compensation spend under the Hardship Fund in each financial year. It does not include the running costs of the Hardship Fund. The Hardship Fund opened on 27 November 2012.

Financial Year

Amount Paid

2012/13

£883.03

2013/14

£1,116.05

2014/15

£1,475.85

2015/16

£312.68

2016/17

£313

2017/18

0

2018/19

0

2019/20

0

2020/21

0

2021/22

0

2022/23

0

2023/24

0


Written Question
Fines: Surcharges
Thursday 13th February 2025

Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funds have been raised through the victim surcharge in each year since its creation.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The surcharge (often referred to as the victim surcharge) was first introduced in April 2007 and changes were introduced on 1 October 2012, 1 September 2014, 8 April 2016, 28 June 2019, 14 April 2020 and then again on 16 June 2022.

When a court passes a sentence, it must also order that the relevant surcharge is paid. The amount of the surcharge depends on the sentence and whether at the time the offence was committed the offender was an adult or a youth (under 18 years of age), or if the offender is an organisation.

Revenue raised from the surcharge provides a contribution towards Ministry of Justice-funded victim and witness support services.

HMCTS accounts for the amount of victim surcharge imposed and collected in the annual HMCTS Trust Statement. The Trust Statement was introduced in 2010-11, prior to that the data was not collated centrally. The table below illustrates the amounts imposed and collected each year since April 2010. The amounts collected will include receipts for amounts imposed in prior years.

Financial Year

Victim Surcharge Imposed £000

Victim Surcharge collected £000

2010-11

12,552

10,516

2011-12

11,234

10,165

2012-13

14,331

10,518

2013-14

30,970

19,548

2014-15

35,203

24,569

2015-16

37,866

28,307

2016-17

44,785

31,029

2017-18

46,603

35,022

2018-19

45,521

33,529

2019-20

44,424

39,689

2020-21

36,647

35,039

2021-22

46,654

37,852

2022-23

65,270

41,314

2023-24

104,032

65,496