Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the (a) cause and (b) impact of the power cut affecting the HMP Berwyn estate in October.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
HMP Berwyn experience a power failure that affected the internal electrical system. The cause of the incident was a breakdown between the mains electrical system and the generator which meant that when the power cut occurred the generator did not activate.
The impact on the staff and prisoners was minimised by the speed at which the power was restored. The health and safety of all concerned was preserved through the use of contingency measures and a back-up solution had been agreed in the event that the matter could not be resolved.
The Senior Management Team and Facilities Services provider secured an Engineer to site and there was a resolution just after 3:00pm the same day.
The permanent solution for this matter is in progress at the establishment and we do not envisage further issues once this and the residual systems reset required following the incident are complete.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent power outages at the HMP Berwyn estate.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
HMP Berwyn experience a power failure that affected the internal electrical system. The cause of the incident was a breakdown between the mains electrical system and the generator which meant that when the power cut occurred the generator did not activate.
The impact on the staff and prisoners was minimised by the speed at which the power was restored. The health and safety of all concerned was preserved through the use of contingency measures and a back-up solution had been agreed in the event that the matter could not be resolved.
The Senior Management Team and Facilities Services provider secured an Engineer to site and there was a resolution just after 3:00pm the same day.
The permanent solution for this matter is in progress at the establishment and we do not envisage further issues once this and the residual systems reset required following the incident are complete.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which facilities were affected by the power cut at HMP Berwyn in October 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
HMP Berwyn experience a power failure that affected the internal electrical system. The cause of the incident was a breakdown between the mains electrical system and the generator which meant that when the power cut occurred the generator did not activate.
The impact on the staff and prisoners was minimised by the speed at which the power was restored. The health and safety of all concerned was preserved through the use of contingency measures and a back-up solution had been agreed in the event that the matter could not be resolved.
The Senior Management Team and Facilities Services provider secured an Engineer to site and there was a resolution just after 3:00pm the same day.
The permanent solution for this matter is in progress at the establishment and we do not envisage further issues once this and the residual systems reset required following the incident are complete.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prisoners housed in England were offenders with a fixed home address in Wales in (a) September 2023 and (b) each of the last three years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Please see the tables attached. Please note that where a given number is 5 or fewer, it has been redacted to prevent the release information that could possibly to lead to identification of the individuals concerned.
It is not possible to infer from an address in Wales that an individual considers themselves Welsh/English. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot identify English and Welsh prisoners. Someone with an address, for example in London, may consider themselves to be Welsh, while someone with an address in Wales may not. UK nationals have a nationality of British. Therefore the data shown are not necessarily representative of those who identify as English or Welsh. The results are sorted by origin address (home address on reception into custody) and not nationality. English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish are not captured on our database as separate nationalities.
HMPPS is committed to ensuring, where practicable and appropriate, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where prisoners have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders with a fixed home address in Wales were housed in English prisons during (a) September 2023, and (b) each of the last three years per prison.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Please see the tables attached. Please note that where a given number is 5 or fewer, it has been redacted to prevent the release information that could possibly to lead to identification of the individuals concerned.
It is not possible to infer from an address in Wales that an individual considers themselves Welsh/English. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot identify English and Welsh prisoners. Someone with an address, for example in London, may consider themselves to be Welsh, while someone with an address in Wales may not. UK nationals have a nationality of British. Therefore the data shown are not necessarily representative of those who identify as English or Welsh. The results are sorted by origin address (home address on reception into custody) and not nationality. English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish are not captured on our database as separate nationalities.
HMPPS is committed to ensuring, where practicable and appropriate, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where prisoners have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders with a fixed home address in Wales were housed in prisons in England in (a) September 2023 and (b) each of the last three years, by prison.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Please see the tables attached. Please note that where a given number is 5 or fewer, it has been redacted to prevent the release information that could possibly to lead to identification of the individuals concerned.
It is not possible to infer from an address in Wales that an individual considers themselves Welsh/English. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot identify English and Welsh prisoners. Someone with an address, for example in London, may consider themselves to be Welsh, while someone with an address in Wales may not. UK nationals have a nationality of British. Therefore the data shown are not necessarily representative of those who identify as English or Welsh. The results are sorted by origin address (home address on reception into custody) and not nationality. English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish are not captured on our database as separate nationalities.
HMPPS is committed to ensuring, where practicable and appropriate, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where prisoners have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prisoners housed in Wales were offenders with a fixed home address in England in (a) September 2023 and (b) each of the last three years.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Please see the tables attached. Please note that where a given number is 5 or fewer, it has been redacted to prevent the release information that could possibly to lead to identification of the individuals concerned.
It is not possible to infer from an address in Wales that an individual considers themselves Welsh/English. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot identify English and Welsh prisoners. Someone with an address, for example in London, may consider themselves to be Welsh, while someone with an address in Wales may not. UK nationals have a nationality of British. Therefore the data shown are not necessarily representative of those who identify as English or Welsh. The results are sorted by origin address (home address on reception into custody) and not nationality. English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish are not captured on our database as separate nationalities.
HMPPS is committed to ensuring, where practicable and appropriate, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where prisoners have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received a custodial sentence for assaulting (a) an emergency worker and (b) a police officer in the course of their duties in each year since 2019.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 created an aggravated offence of common assault or battery when committed against an emergency worker acting in the exercise of their functions as an emergency worker, including a police constable. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 increased the maximum penalty from 12 months to 2 years’ imprisonment for any offence committed on or after 28 June 2022.
The Police Act 1996 includes an offence of assault of a constable in the execution of his duty, with a maximum penalty of 6 months imprisonment. This offence remains on the statute book as it has broader application than the assaults on emergency workers offence and includes the wilful obstruction of a constable, or the assault of a person assisting a constable. However, there may be circumstances in which this offence remains to be used for an assault on a constable.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of offenders sentenced and the average custodial sentence length for both offences in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022, using the following HO codes:
While improving our data processing in 2022, a data mapping issue was discovered in the Courts Proceedings Database whereby an estimated 1,301 convictions (227 in 2019, 530 in 2020 and 544 in 2021) for the offence ‘00873 – Common assault or battery of an emergency worker’ were not correctly mapped to this offence at Crown Court, therefore were not presented in the published data. We are exploring ways to add these convictions to the Outcomes by Offence data tool in future publications. This mapping was corrected in data for 2022 and therefore all data going forward will present correct figures.
There are also several other assault offences which may be charged depending on the level of harm caused including actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, and grievous bodily harm with intent. These are not specific to emergency workers or police officers. However, the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 created a statutory aggravating factor where such offences are committed against an emergency worker
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority have been made by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties in each year since 2019.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The GB-wide Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) provides state-funded compensation to victims of violent crime who cannot pursue compensation or redress from other routes. Payments are available for physical or psychological injuries resulting directly from a crime of violence, as defined in Annex B of the Scheme.
Under the Scheme, any emergency worker who is assaulted while working, including serving police officers, will be considered as a direct victim of an intentional crime of violence in the same manner as any other victim group, with the same eligibility criteria being applied. An applicant who was not the direct victim of an intentional crime of violence may also be eligible for an award if they are injured whilst taking an exceptional and justified risk in the course of limiting or preventing a crime under paragraph 5 of the Scheme.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which operates the Scheme, does not hold data on how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful claims have been made by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties or the most common reason for claims by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties not succeeding. CICA does not request or record information relating to the occupation of applicants for criminal injuries compensation.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most common reason is for claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority by a serving police officer injured during the course of their duties not succeeding.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The GB-wide Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) provides state-funded compensation to victims of violent crime who cannot pursue compensation or redress from other routes. Payments are available for physical or psychological injuries resulting directly from a crime of violence, as defined in Annex B of the Scheme.
Under the Scheme, any emergency worker who is assaulted while working, including serving police officers, will be considered as a direct victim of an intentional crime of violence in the same manner as any other victim group, with the same eligibility criteria being applied. An applicant who was not the direct victim of an intentional crime of violence may also be eligible for an award if they are injured whilst taking an exceptional and justified risk in the course of limiting or preventing a crime under paragraph 5 of the Scheme.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which operates the Scheme, does not hold data on how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful claims have been made by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties or the most common reason for claims by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties not succeeding. CICA does not request or record information relating to the occupation of applicants for criminal injuries compensation.