Tag: Jo Stevens

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to eradicate new psychoactive substances across the prison estate; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous

We take a zero tolerance approach to drugs in prison and there are already a range of robust measures in place to detect drugs, including the use of search dogs and intelligence-led searches. More than 300 dogs have received specialist training to detect NPS. We recently introduced tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including new psychoactive substances, face up to two years in prison. Those who involve themselves in the distribution of drugs in our prisons should know that they will face prosecution and extra time behind bars.

We have begun a pilot to test for the use of psychoactive substances, and in April 2016, we plan to introduce widespread mandatory drug testing of prisoners for psychoactive substances. Those who are found to have used psychoactive substances will face sanctions under prison rules, including by having days added to their time in custody.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions a judicial officer has not imposed a victims surcharge or any other fine following a request to do so in each of the last three years.

Mike Penning

Courts are required to impose the victim surcharge on all offenders convicted of any offence, however those who receive an absolute discharge or a Hospital Order under the Mental Health Act 1983 are exempt from the surcharge.

In respect of fines, the sentence imposed in a particular case is based on the details of the offence and the offender, within the maximum penalties set out in statute and with due consideration to sentencing guidelines. The court is obliged to follow any sentencing guidelines unless it is contrary to the interests of justice to do so. If a court imposes a sentence outside the range indicated in the guidelines, it must state its reasons for doing so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drones have been intercepted operating over prisons in England and Wales (a) in 2015 and (b) from January 2016 to date.

Mr Sam Gyimah

There were 33 incidents relating to drones reported by prisons in 2015. This includes finds, interceptions and sightings of drones in and around prisons in England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice intends to routinely publish information on prison drone incidents in the future and 2016 data will be provided in due course as part of the publication schedule.

We remain vigilant to all incidents involving drones and take the threat they pose to prison security very seriously. A range of methods to counter the threat posed by drones are being trialled and evaluated for their effectiveness across the prison estate. We have already introduced new legislation to further strengthen our powers, making it illegal to land a drone in prison or to use a drone to drop in contraband. Anyone found using a drone in an attempt to get contraband into prisons can be punished with a sentence of up to two years imprisonment. We take a zero tolerance approach to smuggling of contraband into prisons and work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure those caught are prosecuted.

Note: All figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on (a) IT systems and (b) cyber-security in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14, (v) 2014-15 and (vi) 2015-16 to date.

Justin Tomlinson

The available information is set out below:

(a) IT costs which can be found in the published DWP Annual Report and Accounts, are summarised as follows:

£ (to nearest 1,000)	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16 to September
Total IT	960,572,000	926,912,000	1,111,308,000	802,134,000	732,352,000	327,006,000*

*Please note that the figure for 2015/16 to September has not yet been audited for accounts.

(b) DWP has tracked all core aspects of expenditure on cyber security, apart from in specific IT systems, since April 2015. The current estimate up to September 15/16 is £5.6m, with further significant investment planned for the second half of the year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) young offenders and (b) staff the Youth Justice Board recorded as injured in each young offender institute in each of the last eight years; how many such injuries to (i) young offenders and (ii) staff were recorded as serious injuries; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning

The number of (a) young offenders and (b) staff the Youth Justice Board recorded as injured in each young offender institute in each of the last eight years is set out in the attached table.

The table includes information on injuries, including severe injuries, relating to Restrictive Physical Intervention (RPI), self-harm and assaults. The number of staff and visitors severely injured as a result of an assault is not included as obtaining these figures would incur disproportionate costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 23824, whether any staff in young offender institutions are (a) qualified speech and language therapists, (b) registered with the Mental Health and Care Professions Council and (c) qualified social workers.

Andrew Selous

The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

The Youth Justice Board is responsible for the commissioning and oversight of the secure youth estate. The Youth Justice Board funds dedicated social workers at each under-18 Young Offender Institution (YOI). All young people undergo a health and education assessment upon arrival into custody, whilst all staff undergo training in child and adolescent development and safeguarding.

Under-18 YOI providers should ensure that they meet the needs of all detained persons including those with Special Education and Needs (SEN) requirements, and that all staff are suitably qualified to support young people and make referrals to other specialist support where this is appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33485, in what capacity those polygraph examinations have been conducted; and for what reasons polygraph examinations have been so used to examine sex offender behaviour.

Andrew Selous

The legal basis for the polygraph scheme is in the Offender Management Act 2007. Sections 28 to 30 enable a polygraph licence condition to be added to the release licence of certain sex offenders. In January 2014, following a successful pilot, the condition was introduced nationally.

Polygraph testing has proven to be a valuable additional tool for National Probation Service offender managers in the management of certain sex offenders in the community. It increases the chance that those sexual offenders will make critically significant disclosures relevant to their management, supervision, or risk assessment. Furthermore, it has increased the likelihood of preventative actions being taken by offender managers to protect the public from harm, such as warnings and recall to custody.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-10-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Cardiff Central constituency and (b) Cardiff County local authority area have had a tax credit claim stopped by Concentrix; and how many such claims were subsequently reinstated by HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Ellison

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold data broken down specifically by constituency areas.

HMRC is currently focussed on resolving the outstanding cases but will be preparing regional analysis, which will be available in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2015-10-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on (a) IT systems and (b) cyber-security in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14, (v) 2014-15 and (vi) 2015-16 to date.

Mr David Gauke

Reference to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spending on IT systems can be found within its Annual Report and Accounts, under the Chief Digital and Information Officer Group. For the 2014/15 Annual Report and Accounts, this is on page 145.

HMRC’s spending on cyber security work is incorporated within the headline IT expenditure figure.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-01-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question HL324 from Baroness Masham of Ilton, when the additional four weeks of training for prison officers will be introduced; and whether training on suicide and self-injury prevention will be included in that training.

Andrew Selous

The new Prison Officer entry level training began on 25th January 2016. The training includes an additional 4 weeks of content relevant to the role. Reducing the risk of suicide and self-harm are included in the training.