Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Tuesday 21 February 2023 · 14 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 8 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Prison officers command great respect, and their retirement age issue will not be revisited but discussions are always welcome.
  • Increasing number of incentivised substance-free living units from 25 in 2022 to 100 by March 2025, investing in drug recovery wings, and stopping illegal drugs from entering prisons.
  • Published response to Bellamy review and criminal legal aid independent review, implementing reforms including 15% uplifts to most legal aid fee schemes, with criminal legal aid spend expected to be 1.2 billion a year.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mary Foy Lab City of Durham
Justice & Courts Standards & Ethics
Context

The Justice Committee received testimony highlighting the dangerous and degrading conditions for prison officers working until retirement age.

Question

Testimony illustrated just how cruel, degrading and utterly dangerous it is to make prison officers work on landings until 68. Would Minister want his own grandparents to restrain violent young prisoners? Will he open negotiations with POA over the retirement ages of officers?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Of all public servants, prison officers command great respect. In pandemic times, their job was difficult. Retirement age issue will not be revisited but I am always willing to discuss matters with prison officers and the POA.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Negotiations over retirement ages were avoided despite being explicitly asked about

How: We Are Not Going To Revisit The Retirement Age Issue

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Q2 Mary Foy Lab City of Durham
Justice & Courts
Context

A critical part of reducing reoffending is getting prisoners off drugs.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that getting prisoners off drugs is a critical part of reducing reoffending? Can he set out the work his Department is doing to ensure prisoners leave prison drug free?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Increasing number of incentivised substance-free living units from 25 in 2022 to 100 by March 2025. Investing in drug recovery wings. Big thing is stopping illegal drugs getting into prisons and weaning offenders off heroin and methadone.

Answered
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Q3 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Brexit Benefits & Welfare
Context

The Justice Secretary needs to act or thousands of part-time judges will face massive pension rights losses.

Question

Does the Lord Chancellor give a clear commitment today that his Department will fix this issue by retaining relevant regulations?

Answer from Dominic Raab

As retained EU law Bill goes through, we will consider significant issues. Important for UK laws tailored to circumstances of UK. Hon. Gentleman should support that.

Not addressed: The specific pension commitment was avoided by shifting the focus to supporting the bill's objectives

How: We Will Consider Significant Issues

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Q4 Stuart McDonald SNP
Children & Families
Context

The Government have been reviewing the presumption for some time, and it can put children at risk when applied.

Question

Can my right hon. Friend publish that review as soon as possible?

Answer from Mike Freer

Government want to get this sensitive issue right and will be publishing the response to that review very soon, as soon as we can do so.

Answered
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Q5 Kate Kniveton
Justice & Courts
Context

The nearest special provision, welfare advice, and mental health legal aid centre is far away, highlighting the inadequacy of 13 years of Conservative government.

Question

After 13 years of Conservative government, that is not good enough. What is the Minister going to do to improve access for all?

Answer from Mike Freer

Published response to Bellamy review and criminal legal aid independent review, implementing reforms including 15% uplifts to most legal aid fee schemes. Criminal legal aid spend expected to be £1.2 billion a year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Improvement in access was not explicitly addressed despite being the main concern of the questioner

How: We Are Doing The Right Thing

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Q6 Mike Amesbury Lab
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

The target is recruiting 20,000 more police officers but prison officers often receive less attention.

Question

What are we doing on prison officer recruitment and retention?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Number of full-time prison officers increased by 3,677 from end of 2016 to 2022. Recruitment programme is bearing fruit.

Answered
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Q7 Virendra Sharma Lab
Justice & Courts Housing Standards & Ethics
Context

Ealing Law Centre, which serves the MP's constituency, is turning away eligible clients due to capacity issues. Legal aid pays an average of £74 per case and has not increased since 2010.

Question

Ealing Law Centre, a fantastic practice in my constituency, is forced to turn away people eligible for legal aid because it is at capacity. Legal aid pays an average of just £74 per case, and civil legal aid fees have not increased since 2010. As people struggle during the ongoing housing crisis, my constituents risk losing their homes. Does the Minister think that that sum is enough, and that his Department is doing enough to prevent unnecessary home loss in court?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Legal aid needs more money, which is why we are increasing spend by up to £138 million a year, taking the expected criminal legal aid spend next year to £1.2 billion.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address whether £74 per case for civil legal aid is sufficient or if it's preventing unnecessary home losses in court.

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Q8 Katherine Fletcher
Justice & Courts
Context

HMP Garth and HMP Wymott are successful prisons that do great work rehabilitating prisoners, but the Ministry of Justice has plans to put a third prison on the site.

Question

HMP Garth and HMP Wymott are successful prisons that do great work rehabilitating prisoners, but the Ministry of Justice has plans to put a third prison on the site, almost doubling the number of prisoners there. I know my hon. Friend will have concerns, as she does, about the impact it might have on local transport infrastructure and residents' quality of life.

Answer from Damian Hinds

She could not be faulted for the strength and consistency with which she has campaigned on behalf of her constituents on these matters. She knows this, because there are already two prisons there, but a new prison delivers hundreds of construction jobs locally, hundreds of ongoing jobs and a whole range of roles and careers, with a very significant boost to the local economy.

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address concerns about expansion's impact on transport infrastructure or residents' quality of life.

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Q9 Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Between 2021 and 2022, nearly 5,000 reports of spiking incidents were recorded by the National Police Chiefs' Council. Only 40 convictions for spiking occurred between 2017 and 2021.

Question

In just one year, between 2021 and 2022, nearly 5,000 reports of spiking-related incidents were recorded by the National Police Chiefs' Council. The Ministry of Justice recently confirmed that in the four years between 2017 and 2021, there were just 40 convictions for spiking-related offences. Does the Secretary of State agree with the assessment of the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, the hon. Member for Derbyshire Dales (Miss Dines), that there are no gaps in the law relating to spiking, and if so, how can this low conviction rate be explained?

Answer from Dominic Raab

The challenge is less gaps in the law and more evidential difficulties in bringing prosecutions, but I share the hon. Lady's aim to do everything we can with new technology to ramp up the number of prosecutions.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address why there are only 40 convictions for spiking-related offences despite numerous reports.

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Q10 Sarah Atherton
Justice & Courts
Context

HMP Berwyn is piloting an MOJ employment board to equip prisoners with meaningful employment ahead of release via work academies.

Question

HMP Berwyn in Wrexham is piloting an MOJ employment board, chaired by John Murphy of J. Murphy and Sons and the governor, Nick Leader. The board brings together businesses and agencies to equip prisoners with meaningful employment ahead of release via work academies that certify them in logistics, construction and hospitality, while addressing issues for reoffending. I sit on the board, and I know that the Justice Secretary has not visited the UK's newest and largest prison, so will he visit, please?

Answer from Dominic Raab

How could I resist such a tantalising offer? My hon. Friend makes the case powerfully.

Not addressed: The Minister did not confirm whether he will visit HMP Berwyn, only indicated interest without commitment.

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Q11 Gregory Campbell DUP East Londonderry
Standards & Ethics
Context

Concerns raised about the lack of transparency regarding successful applications for legal aid by the same person on similar or the same issues.

Question

On the availability of legal aid, does the Secretary of State agree that where successful applications for legal aid are made by the same person successively on similar or the same issues, it is important that freedom of information requests tabled by Members of Parliament are answered, and the full cost of such legal aid is made available to the public?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I certainly support the hon. Gentleman's pursuit of maximum transparency. If he is having problems, he can feel free to drop me a line and I will see what I can do, but the FOI Act sets out clearly prescribed limits.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not explicitly state support for making FOI requests more transparent regarding legal aid costs.

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Q12 Andy Carter
Justice & Courts
Context

Around a year ago, the Minister set out a plan to recruit an additional 4,000 magistrates.

Question

Around 12 months ago, the Minister set out a plan to recruit a further 4,000 magistrates. Can he give us an update on how that is progressing? What steps is he taking to retain the most experienced presiding justices?

Answer from Mike Freer

There are a couple of things we are doing to achieve our target of 1,000 additional judicial vacancies this year, which is on track.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific steps for retaining experienced presiding justices or detailed progress on recruiting the full 4,000 magistrates.

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Q13 Barry Sheerman Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

There are nearly 1,000 young people in prison with long sentences for joint enterprise.

Question

Is the Secretary of State aware that probably the greatest scandal in the justice system at the moment is joint enterprise? I believe that there are nearly 1,000 young people in prison with long sentences for it. He should take this cause to his heart. I will be here every time he is in the House, reminding him about joint enterprise, until he talks to the senior judiciary and gets something done about it.

Answer from Mike Freer

I am meeting the hon. Member for Edmonton (Kate Osamor) tomorrow to discuss this issue, and I am about to be briefed on the announcement that the Crown Prosecution Service made over the weekend on this subject.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to talking with senior judiciary directly but mentioned meetings and briefings related to joint enterprise.

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Q14 Bob Neill Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The Legal Education Foundation is establishing Justice Lab, a new dedicated research centre in the field of justice data.

Question

The Secretary of State will know the importance of good, reliable data in driving justice policy and will recognise the work done by the Legal Education Foundation and its director Dr Natalie Byrom in this regard. Will he welcome its establishment of Justice Lab, a new dedicated research centre in this field, which is being launched in Dining Room A in this House tomorrow?

Answer from Dominic Raab

As always, the Chair of the Justice Committee draws our attention to critical developments in the criminal justice system. Data and that initiative are incredibly important.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not explicitly welcome the establishment of Justice Lab but noted its importance.

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