Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce reoffending rates in (a) Bournemouth East constituency and (b) the South West.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Prison and Probation service in the South West published their joint Reducing Reoffending Plan for 2022–25 on 9 August 2021, which sets out our priorities to reduce reoffending, prevent victims and keep communities safe. Both the Plan and the Annual Update for 2023 update can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regional-reducing-reoffending-plans.
Alongside taking forward the priorities in the regional Reducing Reoffending Plan, Dorset Probation, which includes Bournemouth East, is engaged with the local Community Safety Partnership which brings together key partners in the area to work together to reduce crime and offending.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow living individuals to keep the ashes of cremated limbs that have been amputated.
Answered by Mike Freer
I have asked my officials to look into this issue. I will write to the Right Honourable member for Bournemouth East in due course with an update.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average processing time of probate applications (a) digitally and (b) on paper was in the latest period for which data are available.
Answered by Mike Freer
Despite record level of receipts in 2022, the average median length of time taken for a grant of probate, following receipt of the documents required, during October to December 2022 is:
Digitally 4 weeks
Paper 17 weeks
HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand following an increased number of estates requiring probate and is further increasing resourcing to further bring down overall timeliness on digital and paper applications.
Average waiting times for probate grants, are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to December 2022.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the length of sentences for knife-related offences.
Answered by Edward Argar
Tackling knife crime is a priority and this Government is determined to do all it can to break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families and communities. I welcome the consultation published by the Home Office this week which contains proposals to tackle the use of machetes and other bladed articles in crime.
While sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, this Government introduced measures through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to ensure that, when sentencing for threat with or repeat possession of a knife, the courts must pass at least the minimum sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Since 2010, the average custodial sentence length for knife possession has increased by almost 20%.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of community sentences for tackling the underlying drivers of offending.
Answered by Sarah Dines
This Government is committed to tackling the underlying drivers of offending and to keeping our communities safe by addressing the complex issues that lead to offending, while also strengthening the supervision of offenders in the community. Since 2009/10, the proven reoffending rate for adults serving a sentence in the community (i.e. a community order or suspended sentence order) has fallen by 7.2 percentage points (from 36.2% in 2009/10 to 29.0% in 2019/20).
Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. Community sentences can and should be tailored to address the individual needs, as well as to punish offenders and provide reparation to the community. Evidence suggests that community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending than short custodial sentences.
In September 2020 we published the Sentencing White Paper which set out our plans for tougher, better monitored and more effective community sentencing options which can tackle offending by providing punishment, addressing the underlying drivers of offending, and offering support for those who want to turn their lives around. We have delivered many of these reforms in the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022. This includes our problem-solving courts pilot, closer supervision of certain offenders, and the option for more robust and flexible use of electronically monitored curfews. The rollout of the Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement last year provides an option to directly tackle alcohol related offending, imposing an alcohol ban for up to 120 days; on 97% of the days monitored the ban was complied with.
The Government is also investing an additional £93 million to increase Community Payback delivery, with a particular focus on delivering more outdoor projects that improve public spaces and allow the public to see justice being done, whilst also providing more opportunities for offenders to give back to their local communities and gain further skills.