Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he will request a Royal Commission on the performance of the Probation Service.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The government does not intend to request a Royal Commission into the performance of the Probation Service. We are aware of the challenges faced by the service and are committed to driving improvements urgently.
On 26 June, the Probation Service was reformed to create a unified service that is responsible for managing all offenders which is being delivered through an additional investment of £155 million. This resource is being used to recruit and retain a strong and diverse workforce to address the high workloads and improve the overall performance of the Probation Service, as public protection is our highest priority.
The performance of the Probation Service is closely monitored by both internal and external scrutiny bodies including His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) who provide independent scrutiny of Probation Services in England and Wales. They focus on the quality and impact of the Probation Service, providing authoritative and evidence-based judgements and guidance leading to improved outcomes for individuals and communities. The Probation Service also undergoes regular audits completed by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Operational and System Assurance Group. This regular scrutiny means that the issues are identified and swift action is taken to address them, for example record recruitment was achieved in 2021 with over 1,500 trainee probation officers enrolled, helping to fill recruitment vacancies.
Regular feedback on probation performance is received from HMIP who inspect every Probation Delivery Unit on a three-year cycle and provide thematic inspections on specific areas. HMIP also undertake reviews of serious further offences as directed by the Secretary of State for Justice, which provides greater impartiality on the performance and state of the Probation Service.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many probation officers have been employed by HM Prison and Probation Service in each year since 2010.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication covers staffing information.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an estimate of the costs of psychiatric assessments in relation to cases where victims of domestic violence are required to prove capacity to make their own choices, having previously surrendered power of attorney, under duress, to their abusers.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We do not collect this data.
Any instance of abuse involving Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) would be concerning, and the Mental Capacity Act presumes that everyone has capacity unless it is proven otherwise. The Office of the Public Guardian can investigate any reports made to it regarding an LPA being made under duress. We recently consulted on modernising LPAs to improve safeguards during the registration process and intend to publish the response this spring.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with representatives of charities that specialise in support for victims of domestic violence since March 2020.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises the important role domestic abuse charities play in providing vital support to victims and sharing their expertise to help improve our response to this horrific crime. This is why ministers meet regularly with a range of sector organisations, as well as with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, who works to ensure that views of victims and the support sector are conveyed to the Government.
Details of ministerial meetings, including with domestic abuse charities, are published proactively on gov.uk. The most recent release for the Ministry of Justice can be found at https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?parent=%2Fgovernment%2Fgovernment-efficiency-transparency-and-accountability&topic=f3f4b5d3-49c4-487b-bd5b-be75f11ec8c5&organisations%5B%5D=ministry-of-justice&order=updated-newest. Updated information will be published shortly.
In March 2020, the Ministry of Justice also established the Victim and Witness Silver Command Group as a Covid-19 crisis management group to identify and respond to developing risks and issues likely to impact on victim and witness strategy, policy or operational effectiveness. The Group includes representatives from a range of domestic abuse organisations and continues to meet on a fortnightly basis.
We are determined to do more to protect victims and recently announced £40m for specialist rape and domestic abuse support services, on top of an extra £125m for local authorities to help provide safe accommodation for victims and their children. On 15th March, the government announced an additional £11m to recruit more Independent Domestic Violence Advisors and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors over the next two years.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase domestic violence victims’ access to legal aid in response to increasing levels of domestic violence during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime and we are determined to protect and support the victims of abuse and their children and bring perpetrators to justice.
The legal aid scheme is designed to target funding at those that need it most, and this government has always been clear that publicly-funded legal advice is available to victims of domestic abuse in family proceedings, subject to certain criteria being met.
Legal aid is and remains available for the purpose of obtaining urgent protection, such as non-molestation orders, without any evidence requirements and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has the power to waive all upper financial eligibility limits. Victims of domestic abuse are also eligible for legal aid when applying for indefinite leave to remain or for residence cards, subject to the statutory means and merits tests.
We recently widened the evidence requirements for domestic abuse victims, making it easier for victims to obtain and provide the evidence they need to access legal aid.
We are currently conducting a review of the means test, where we are specifically considering the experiences of victims of domestic abuse. The review is scheduled to conclude in Spring 2021, at which point we will publish a full consultation paper.
We have also committed an extra £76 million to support the most vulnerable during the pandemic, including survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. We’re also providing £3 million that will go to specialist services for children who have both been directly and indirectly affected by domestic abuse.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What steps he is taking to ensure that private (a) prisons and (b) probation contractors are taking appropriate measures in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Some contracted prisons are among our best performing establishments and I would like to thank Directors of private prisons for their resolute cooperation during this challenging time. All public and private prisons are aligned and working together during the COVID-19 pandemic, which gives testament to the good function of a mixed economy in prisons.
As with prisons, contracted probation services are running more streamlined delivery models, aligned with the models used by public probation services during the COVID-19 crisis. And we must not forget the good work of other contracted services such as the Electronic Monitoring Service and Prisoner Escort and Custody Service.