Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many tents prisons have provided to people leaving prison in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24 to date.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There is no official policy to issue tents as part of releasing people from prison, therefore the Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the number of tents issued. As such no information can be provided.
Our Prisons Strategy White Paper set out our plans to reduce reoffending, including improving prison leavers’ access to accommodation. This includes delivering our transitional accommodation service, known as Community Accommodation Service – Tier 3 (CAS-3), which provides up to 84 nights of basic temporary accommodation for prison leavers who would otherwise be homeless.
CAS-3 launched in five initial probation regions in July 2021. The service was expanded to Wales in June 2022, with expansion to the remaining six probation regions in England by the end of the year, to support the thousands of offenders who leave prison homeless.
Between 01 July 2021 and 31 March 2023 5,796 individuals, who would have otherwise been homeless, were accepted on to CAS-3.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the Victims Funding Strategy is effectively communicated to the relevant authorities.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Since publication of the Victims Funding Strategy (VFS) in May 2022, officials within the Ministry of Justice have had regular engagement with Police and Crime Commissioners’ (PCC) offices to embed its principles of funding the sector more strategically, removing barriers to access, and implementing clear and consistent outcomes.
This engagement includes recently established PCC forums, which bring groups of PCC officials together to discuss local commissioning and share best practice to improve commissioning standards.
In addition, Ministry of Justice officials have also regularly communicated the VFS principles and its implementation with the Local Government Association and with NHS England, to ensure the VFS is considered by local authorities and clinical commissioners as part of their victim support strategy planning. Other government departments continue to be engaged extensively on VFS implementation in their role as national commissioners.
In the VFS, we committed to reviewing and refreshing the Victim Services Commissioning Framework. This work is currently in development, and will be a positive step to ensuring that the principles of the VFS are reflected in commissioning decisions across all local commissioners. The refreshed framework will be published next year.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to help ensure that victims of (a) financial crime and (b) corruption in (i) the UK and (ii) other jurisdictions are recognised as victims for compensation purposes.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime, in England and Wales, all victims who have suffered harm, including economic harm, as a direct result of a crime are entitled to information about compensation and, where eligible, to be told about how to claim compensation.
Relevant compensation will depend on the circumstances of the crime. For example, if the defendant is convicted, they may be ordered by the court to pay the victim compensation. Outside of the criminal justice system, there is also the possibility of civil compensation. For victims of fraud specifically, the government has just legislated to give the Payment Systems Regulator the powers it needs to make payment service providers reimburse victims of authorised fraud (where the victim is deceived into making a payment). This will come into effect in 2024. There are also arrangements in cases where an organisation is being prosecuted for fraud, bribery or other economic crimes where organisations can agree to a number of conditions, including paying compensation, in order to make reparations without a conviction (Deferred Prosecution Agreements).
For potential overseas victims, (whether individuals, organisations or governments), the Serious Fraud Office will consider at an early stage whether compensation may be appropriate as part of the sentencing or resolution, and through which route that may be achieved.
Development of a new UK Anti-Corruption Strategy is underway with publication expected in 2023 and will outline the UK response to strengthen resilience against corruption and illicit finance in the UK and internationally.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has an agreement in place with the Government of the United Arab Emirates to allow British nationals sentenced in the United Arab Emirates to serve their sentences in UK prisons.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Prisoner Transfer Agreement between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates was signed on 24 January 2013 and entered into force on 2 February 2014. The agreement provides for the voluntary transfer of a sentenced prisoner and requires the consent of both governments involved, as well as that of the prisoner concerned.
The full text of the agreement is available online on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ts-no332015-ukuae-transfer-of-sentenced-persons
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total expenses claimed by UK judges relating to their service in the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal were on (a) flights, (b) accommodation, (c) subsistence and (d) any additional expenses relating to their service on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2021.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The flights and other expenses incurred by UK Supreme Court justices for their sittings on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal are settled directly by the Hong Kong Court. The UK Supreme Court holds no information about expenses related to justices sitting in Hong Kong, nor do they have information about fees or expenses for retired UK judges that sit on the Hong Kong Court.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what sum the UK Supreme Court received in fees from the Hong Kong authorities for the service of UK judges sitting on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Serving justices of the UK Supreme Court receive a salary and do not receive any additional fees when sitting on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal pays a fee to the UK Supreme Court.
In 2019 the UK Supreme Court received £31,913.70 for sittings undertaken by justices.
No fees were received in 2020 as no justices sat on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.
The total fees the Supreme Court will receive for the justices’ sittings in 2021 have not yet been confirmed.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases UK judges served on for the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021; and what proportion of those cases related to (i) criminal, (ii) civil and (iii) commercial offences.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The two serving Supreme Court judges who sit in the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal heard cases as follows:
2019: Lord Reed heard two criminal cases in September.
2020: No serving UK Supreme Court judges heard any cases.
2021: Lord Reed heard two criminal cases (he sat remotely from 31 August to 3 September). Lord Hodge heard two criminal cases (he sat in Hong Kong between 23 and 26 November 2021).
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2021 to Question 76700 on Remand in Custody, when the Government plans to reach a conclusion on its review of the use of the power in the Bail Act 1976 to remand an individual for their own protection.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Following a commitment from the Government earlier this year, MoJ is reviewing the use of the power in the Bail Act 1976 which allows a court to remand a defendant for their own protection. This work is ongoing, and we are on track to complete our review into uses of the power by the end of the year.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to provide alternative accommodation for people placed in prison for their own protection under the Bail Act 1976.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Community accommodation is already available for defendants who may otherwise be remanded into custody. Approved Premises and the Bail Accommodation Support Services both provide a community-based alternative to custody for specific cohorts of individuals who are unconvicted or unsentenced. For high risk bailees, Approved Premises provide temporary accommodation with enhanced supervision and rehabilitative support.
The court’s decision to remand an individual in custody for their own protection is used as a last resort and out of concern for the defendant, where circumstances are such that a defendant would come to harm if released into the community and there is no other suitable option available to the courts.
Following a commitment from the Government earlier this year, MoJ is reviewing the use of the power to remand for own protection. This work is ongoing.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has central funding for support services for people who have been placed in prisons for their own protection under the Bail Act 1976.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not provide central funding for support services specifically for individuals who have been remanded into custody for their own protection under the Bail Act 1976.
Individuals remanded into custody (including those remanded for their own protection) have access to standard support services within prisons which may be relevant to their needs, such as the keyworker scheme and the Samaritans Listener scheme. Prisoners on remand also have additional rights and privileges beyond those afforded to sentenced prisoners, including being able to send and receive additional letters, to access additional visits and, within reasonable expectations, to have limited contact with convicted prisoners, including not sharing a cell with a sentenced prisoner, unless they choose.
Following a commitment from the Government earlier this year, we are reviewing the use of the power in the Bail Act 1976 to remand an individual for their own protection. This work is ongoing.