The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the report evaluating the pilots of section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.
Mike Penning
Pre-trial cross-examination under Section 28 of the YJCEA 1999 was piloted in three Crown Court centres. A report will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase employment opportunities for people (a) on community sentences and (b) released from prison.
Andrew Selous
Prisons should be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn and for prison staff to prioritise education and work. Dame Sally Coates’ review of education in prisons published on 18 May sets out a clear blueprint for reform of education, with Governors given the tools to ensure education provision meets the needs of their prisoners
Supporting offenders into meaningful employment is a vital aspect of the Government’s approach to rehabilitation. We already work with a wide range of employers in prison through One3One Solutions and engagement by prison Governors. We want Governors to do more and so we are putting the tools to drive this change in the hands of those at the frontline who best know what works. We are keen to increase the number of employers who can provide valuable vocational work for offenders while in prison and who are able to offer them support in preparation for release and employment opportunities following their release. I regularly meet businesses across the country including at a number of successful roadshows across the estate. New businesses are now coming on board as a consequence. The Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending brings together employers willing to employ offenders and we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the involvement of more businesses. The Prime Minister has announced changes to recruitment practises across the civil service to ensure that people are considered on their merits and not on their criminal conviction and we want to encourage more employers to do the same.
Our reforms to probation services mean that virtually all those sentenced to less than 12 months now receive support both in custody and on release. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) were created as part of these reforms and manage low to medium risk offenders, including those serving community sentences. CRCs have been given the flexibility to do what they think works to reduce reoffending, which should increase opportunities for offenders to turn their lives around.
Offenders serving community sentences can access services available in the community such as education and training courses; mental health provision and support to obtain employment and accommodation. Where an offender is subject to an unpaid work requirement, they have the opportunity to give back to their local community.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Dowd on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s consultation on fee proposals for grants of probate, whether the proposed fees will reflect the (a) actual cost of administration of the Probate Registries and (b) amount of time expended by staff in the Probate Registries.
Dominic Raab
The information requested can be found in the consultation document, published at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/fee-proposals-for-grants-of-probate/consult_view
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Dowd on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s consultation on fee proposals for grants of probate, what safeguards his Department plans to provide to enable applications to be filed for grants of probate in respect of estates which do not have sufficient liquid funds to enable payment of the fee before a grant has been issued.
Dominic Raab
The information requested can be found in the consultation document, published at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/fee-proposals-for-grants-of-probate/consult_view
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Dowd on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s consultation on fee proposals for grants of probate, how fee income in excess of the costs of providing the Probate Registries service will be used.
Dominic Raab
The information requested can be found at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/fee-proposals-for-grants-of-probate/consult_view
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the guardianship of the property and affairs of missing people.
Dominic Raab
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton on 9 March 2016, which can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-03-01/29212/.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women who were remanded in custody (i) before conviction and (ii) after conviction did not go on to receive a custodial sentence for each offence type in the last year for which information is available.
Mike Penning
The number of sentenced offenders who were remanded in custody at the Crown Court before and after their conviction, and the proportion who did not receive a custodial sentence, by gender and offence group, in 2015, can be viewed in the attached table.
The number of sentenced offenders who were remanded in custody at magistrates’ courts before their conviction, and the proportion who did not receive a custodial sentence, by gender and offence group, in 2015, can be viewed in the attached table.
Data for post-conviction remand at magistrates’ courts is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) fast and (b) standard delivery pre-sentence reports were prepared for offenders with each band number of previous convictions in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
Andrew Selous
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders were (a) remanded in custody and (b) released on court bail after being charged with an offence of (i) common assault, (ii) actual bodily harm, (iii) grievous bodily harm and (iv) assault in the latest year for which information is available.
Mike Penning
The number of defendants remanded in custody and released on court bail, at magistrates’ courts and at the Crown Court, for the offences listed, in 2015, can be found in the prosecutions, convictions and remands data tool, at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015
Aggregate remand figures (i.e. across both courts) cannot be provided because defendants committed to the Crown Court have separate remand decisions in both the magistrates’ and Crown courts. Defendants who have a remand decision made at both the Crown Court and magistrates’ court would be counted twice in totals.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the petition entitled Introduce Helen’s Law, published on the change.org website, what steps his Department is taking to encourage prisoners to reveal information about the crimes they have committed.
Andrew Selous
Staff in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) work with individual prisoners on a daily basis to address their risks and needs. A vital part of that activity is encouraging prisoners to acknowledge their responsibility for all their previous crimes.
NOMS staff will also take appropriate action where prisoners disclose information either of additional offences or of aspects of their offences that were previously unknown.
The Parole Board already takes into account offenders’ co-operation in identifying the location of a victim’s remains when determining whether they should be released; however, Ministers have asked the Parole Board to consider whether its guidelines in this area should be strengthened.