Live Justice Questions House of Commons

Good morning and welcome to BBC Parliament's live coverage of the

Commons. In an hour, an urgdnt question is being asked abott the

Battle of Orgreave, it follows yesterday's decision by the Home

Secretary not to grant an inquiry into events. Today, the Homd Office

Minister, Brandon Lewis, is replying to the urgent question. Then, the

Culture Secretary, Karen Br`dley, will be making a statement to MPs on

press matters. The main bushness of the day in the Commons is

consideration of changes made in the House of Lords to the investigatory

powers Bill. Peers supported an amendment making financial support

available for people who have phone hacking complaints against the

press. Don't forget to join me for a round-up of the day in both Houses

of Parliament at 11 o'clock tonight. First, it's questions to thd Justice

Secretary Liz Truss and her ministerial team.

THE SPEAKER: Order, order. Puestions to the Secretary of State for

Justice. Victoria Prentice. Number one, please, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker,

with your permission, I would like to group questions one, 12 `nd 6.

Last week's violent statisthcs show the serious issues we have hn our

prisons, including a 43% rise in the number of attacks on officers. This

is unacceptable and I'm detdrmined to tackle it. I've already `nnounced

an investment of ?14 million in ten of our most challenging prisons and

I'll be saying more in the launch of the White Paper shortly.

THE SPEAKER: Just before we take the question, I'm very pleased to

announce that today we are joined by the Prime Minister of the Thbetan

government in exile. It's a pleasure and privilege, Sir, to welcome you

to the House of Commons. Victoria Prentice? Thank you, Mr Spe`ker and

what an honour that is. Mr Speaker, we welcome the commitment of the

Secretary of State to prison reform, but we are concerned by the recent

statistics that she mentiondd, not just in relation to safety of prison

workers, but also in relation to vulnerable prisoners. Could she tell

us what steps she's going to take to improve assessment and scredning so

that those people can be iddntified at the beginning of their sdntence?

I thank my right honourable friend for her question and she's

absolutely right. I'm extrelely concerned about the level of

self-harm which is particul`rly high in the women's estate. We know that

the first 24 hours are absolutely vital and we are already taking

steps to provide prisoners with immediate mental health support and

next year we'll bringious a strategy on women offenders.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given the level of violence in Lewis prison

over the weekend, could the Secretary of State update the house

on what steps have been takdn to increase staffing levels and

prevention for this happening again? The incident has been resolved and

the prison remains secure whth no threat to the public. My right

honourable friend, the prisons minister, spoke to the Governor

offering him support and thd staff support and we are going to make

sure we do have sufficient staff in that prison and I'll have more to

say about staffing when we launch the White Paper.

Helen Jones? The number of frontline prison officers has fallen by over

30% under this Government. Her own department statistics show `

correlation between those ctts and increased levels of violencd in

prison. Does the honourable lady now accept that what she has announced

goes no way to solving thosd problems and there needs to be a

thorough investigation into the safe levels of staffing required in our

prisons? I thank the honourable lady for her

question and I have acknowlddged that we do have a serious issue I

think we have to recognise there have been a number of causes. The

prison and probation ombudslan said that the emergence of dangerous

psychoactive stances was a game-changer. We are also t`king

measures to put in proper tdsting for that. We announced that in

September. But I do acknowlddge there is an issue with staffing

which is why I've already t`ken steps in ten of the most ch`llenging

prisons to increase the levdls of staffling and that's why we are due

to do more in the White Papdr. Thank you, Mr Speaker. If in

addition to the staffing cuts my right honourable friend has

mentioned, there's also the problem of prison officer detention. The 400

staff she's indicated she's going to increase the numbers by are being

lost by the number of peopld leaving because we have experienced staff

leaving and experienced prisoners now running prisons. I thank the hog

for his question -- the honourable gentleman for his question. He's

right. As well as recruiting prison officers, we have to retain our

fantastic prison officers. Dvery prison I visit I meet fantastic

people who've come into the service to turn people's lives around. I

want to encourage more people to become prison officers. That's why

we launched a programme abott the former armed services personnel

coming into the service and we are going to be announcing more about

recruitment shortly. Part of taking the important steps, the Select

Committee's recommendation hs that we should be able to transp`rently

measure performance by publhshing and making available the kex data on

disorder, staffing and turnover and reasons for turnover, the n`tional

offender management service ratings, including those for the indhvidual

prisons and activity, the alount of time each prisoner is out of cell or

in cell and what they are doing I thank the chairman of the Sdlect

Committee. He's absolutely right. We need clear transparent data and

metrics to be able to understand what is happening in our prhson

system. I'll be outlining more detail when we launched the White

Paper. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Suichde in

prisons are at record levels. Self-harm and violence is soaring.

The situation in female prisons is now worse than it was a dec`de ago.

The Government's own statistics show that death in prison, England and

Wales has risen to almost one a day, a record high of 324 in the last 12

months. Does the minister rdcognise that cutting staff and prison

budgets whilst a number of people behind bars grows unchecked, has

created a toxic mix of violdnce death and human misery?

What I do agree with the honourable lady on is that we do need to act on

these very problematic stathstics and particularly the high ldvels of

suicide and self-harm. One of the ten prisons to which we havd given

additional money to staffing is a woman's prison and we are looking

more widely at how we make sure women offenders get the support they

need. Many come into prison with mental health issues, many have

suffered abuse in the past `nd I want to make sure that thosd

offenders get the proper support they need to be able to turn their

lives around. I hear what the Secretary of State

has to say about the funding for the ten prisons, but Pentonvilld just

last week had a stabbing and two persons injured, they were not

covered in the ten prisons, so can I ask her, in light of the evdnts in

the prison at the weekend, `nd what the Prison Governors' Assochation

have said, that we need mord than the 400 extra officers in tdn

prisons, that will she listdn to the prison Governors and officers

association about the failing on prison staffing? Well, I colpletely

agree with the honourable l`dy that we do have a serious issue with

violence and levels of suichde which I'm absolutely determined to

address. It's my number one priority and may I express my sincerd

condolences for the family of Yamal Mahmood who unfortunately dhed in

Pentonville. We do need to `ddress the issues. That is why I'vd made an

immediate start in ten of the most challenging prisons and I'll be

outlining more in the White Paper. I think we all need to recognhse that

this is a serious issue that has numerous causes, including the rise

of Sako active substances. Ht's going to take time to turn the

situation around. It takes lonths to train up prison officers, btt we

have developed and are going to be launching a comprehensive strategy

to address that. I want our prisons to be places of safety but `lso

places of reform where we address reoffending and make our society as

a whole... THE SPEAKER: Extremely gratdful to

the Secretary of State. Fiona Mactaggart? Number two, Mr Speaker.

G4S have operated court custody suites in England and Wales since

2011. I ask this question bdcause in dust disuites, very vulnerable

people are held, many have committed suicide and that translates into

their presence in prisons where there have been more deaths in

custody than there have been more many years as the Secretary of State

has just acknowledged. Incltding a higher number of women killhng

themselves than at any time since the Report. What I would like to

know is, where we know what's gone wrong, through reports of coroner's

courts or through the Report that's just come out, why aren't things

happening, have the Reports been read?

THE SPEAKER: We are slow, wd need to make progross. They are all fully

investigated by the independent probation and prison only bounds man

and subject to a coroner's hnquest. With regards to women prisoners as

the Secretary of State rightly pointed out, there are a nulber of

women in prison who've been victims of crime themselves and are

incredibly vulnerable peopld in society. In addition to moddrnising

the women's estate, we are `lso looking at diversion tactics to make

sure that they do not end up in the criminal justice system in the first

place. Which country in the world has the

fewest deaths in custody and what lessons are we learning frol them?

I'm afraid I cannot answer the exact country with the fewest deaths in

custody but what I can say hs that in this country we do work to have

decent and humane prisons, we are part of the UN protocols and that's

what we work on. The Secret`ry of State's rightly pointed out that the

rise in deaths in custody is too high, that's why we are bringing

forward a safety and reform plan in our White Paper very shortlx.

Number three, Mr Speaker. Sdcretary of State? I share my honour`ble

friend's concerns about what's happened to HMP Chelmsford, I can

confirm it's one of the ten prisons for which we are training up

additional officers. This whll provide a 30% increase in officers

to help tackle the scourges of bullying and drug abuse.

Simon Burns? I welcome that answer, particularly it's crucial that more

is done to eliminate bullying in the prison. On the question of drug

abuse, can the minister confirm are sniffer dogs being used on ` regular

basis, not only on the inmates in the prison, but also all types of

people entering and leaving the prison?

I thank my honourable friend for the question. I can confirm it hs

happening. We have trained `t the 300 sniffer dogs to be able to

detect new psychoactive substances on the testing has been rolled out

across the prison estate in September. I do say gently to the

honourable member that I'm sure his constituency has many magnificent

merits but it's a long way from Chelmsford.

The coalition government promised parts one and two of the legal aid

sentencing and management of offenders act, and we remain

committed to undertaking th`t review. We are grateful to the

Courts Minister. The honour`ble learner gentleman wishes to take it

with number 15? -- learn it. Well it is very good of him to be whlling to

do what he asked me for perlission to do. Extraordinarily grachous of

the honourable gentleman. I thank the Minister of his answer but the

report this October raised concerns that it acted as a barrier to access

to justice for victims of domestic violence. The regulations are

restricted and narrow and h`ve led to a 16% drop in application and a

17% drop in applications gr`nted. Is it not time the Secretary of State

admitted that it is denying access to justice for thousands and it

should be offended. It is ilportant that legal aid is available for

victims of domestic violencd, particularly those seeking

protection through injunctions. As far as the evidence requirelents, in

April we more than doubled the time limit on evidence from two tp to

five years and we have introduced a provision to allow the legal aid

agency to grant legal aid if satisfied that an application

demonstrates financial abusd, so this is something important and

something that has been raised in the light of experience over the

last two or three years and it's something we will continue to

monster -- monitor. Access to justice and legal aid are phllars of

the welfare state and almost one third of legal aid areas in England

and Wales have one or no hotsing advice providers, including the

legal aid area covering my constituency. One provider hs not

enough. So what steps will the government take to ensure that there

are at least two providers for each area? It's important to recognise

that this is an area which has legal aid and is in with them -- within

the scope, housing cases whdre a home is at risk. As far as the Law

Society raising concerns about this, as the honourable gentleman will no,

there are some parts of the country in the country where there `re few,

so what we have done, through the legal aid agency, we have m`de sure

of adequate provision of advice around the country. There are some

places where one firm is providing a range of offices and functions

across quite a number of clhents, and other areas where the

circumstances only really rdquire that they should be something like a

telephone hotline, which thdre is. The provision being made is what is

needed. There seems to be conflicting reports as to the

government position on raishng the cost of personal injury clahms from

?1000 up to ?5,000 and I'd be grateful to hear the governlent

position. I'm grateful to mx honourable friend for raising what

is an important point and hd will know that the government has been

looking at the issue. I don't think we've made a formal announcdment on

it yet, and therefore I will write to him giving him the latest

position. What assessment h`s the Minister made over the recent report

from Amnesty International which has found that insufficient resources

for legal aid is creating a two tier judicial system. It is important we

should have legal aid avail`ble in the most serious cases, and the most

serious cases are those where life or liberty is involved and cases

where a person's home is at risk and where there is domestic violence and

cases involving children. C`ses where perhaps they are taken away

from their families and that is what the legal aid provision is, the one

that we have here. As far as the honourable ladies concerned, she

claims that is a two tier sxstem but we claim it is one targeted on need.

I want to declare an indirect interest as my wife is a legally

aided solicitor and part-tile judge. The previous Lord Chancellor

promised a review last time, but frankly it has not worked and is a

complete and utter shambles. It needs a review urgently, and when

will it be properly reviewed? As the honourable gentleman knows, a

promise was made that it wotld be reviewed within three years and five

years of implementation. Within that period starting at three ye`rs and

then up to five years, and that has literally started and an

announcement will be made in due course. Exceptional case funding was

introduced as part of this to make sure that without cases in

exceptional circumstances would have access to legal aid. Between 20 3

and 2016 there were 4032 applications but June of thd

stringency of criteria, staggering the 3081 campaign -- applic`tions

were not considered. Can thhs be increased so more people can have

the safety net and increase access to justice for those who nedd it

most? I think the honourabld lady raises an important point. The

number of cases which are bding applied for and granted is rising.

But it is also a question of making sure that people who might need this

funding are aware of it, so I think that is an important part of the

picture. But in terms of exceptional needs funding it is a vital part of

the picture and something that we will keep under review, and if she

has particularly detailed points she wants to raise about how its

operating I would be happy to discuss it with her.

We will set out our proposals for a bill of rights in due coursd and

number seven. There is something number seven. There is something

so sorry, Mr Speaker, and m`ybe with so sorry, Mr Speaker, and m`ybe with

your leave I could answer qtestions seven. -- questions seven in the

same way. We are no closer to a time frame of plan and theme in how we

will this. Earlier this year, the Council of Europe human rights

Commissioner said the delay was causing anxiety and concern to the

administrations, so can the Minister tell us when the consultation on

this matter will be brought forward? The government was elected with a

mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework. There are

good reasons for that. We h`ve a proud tradition in respect of human

rights and the government is also considering the overall

constitutional landscape and how this fits in following Brexht, but

it is something we are commhtted to. The Commissioner has also s`id that

his impression is that the data over the Human Rights Act in Westminster

is not a true reflection of the debate outside England. Does the

Minister appreciate there is no support for the plans in Scotland

and the impact of any attempt to repeal the Human Rights Act would

provoke a constitutional crhsis It is important, the issue of human

rights, in all parts of the UK and we accept that. And we will fully

engage with the devolved administrations on this question.

But I think many feel that there is a need for a British jurisprudence

to emerge on the European Court of Human Rights and the convention

Surrey, on the European Convention of human rights, and also to assert

certain ancient rites which we have in Britain, such as jury trhals In

welcoming my honourable fridnd's statement, come -- can I asked him

to a card of the military aspects of this. Those risking their lhves for

us on military operations are being overshadowed by what is going on

with the pursuit under Brithsh law of people who were our enemhes of

human rights cases. Of course, my honourable friend makes an hmportant

point and he will be aware of the announcement which is being made

about derogation which would mean that there were occasions previously

where there could be industrial scale allegations made, manx of

which proved later to be false and that will change once the ddrogation

process is in place but he does raise a very important point. Would

the Minister agree with me that it's been reported that 28 terrorists

have used the Human Rights @ct to avoid deportation, no doubt using

legal aid as well. Isn't it time to scrap the act and start thinking

less about the human rights of terrorist and foreign-born criminals

and more about the human rights of law-abiding members of the British

public. It is right that thd house will be aware that there ard

concerns amongst the British public that there have been barriers to the

deportation of criminals whhch shouldn't have been there. @nd also

that there is a need for Brhtish conditions, British jurisprtdence in

this area and it is something which has been called for over many years

by the Conservative Party, `nd something which the governmdnt is

very alive too. Crime is falling and fewer women are entering thd justice

system with a female prison population now consistently under

4000. The women who commit crimes are often some of the most

vulnerable in society and this is why we are developing a str`tegy for

women that we will set out hn the New Year. We want to see fewer women

in custody and to promote a greater focus and earlier interventhon,

diversion and multi-agency `pproach to make sure the justice agdncy can

take proper needs into accotnt for women. There are many victils of

domestic violence in the justice system with many multiple and

complex needs, who are mostly women. What is the government doing about

the perverse impact of genddr neutral commissioning Cutting women

only specialist services. I am committed to making sure victims of

crime get the support they need Specialist services for domdstic

abuse are emissions globallx by police and clawing commissioners and

it's important that provisions are in place to meet the diversd needs

of domestic abuse victims and the government's new violence against

women and girls strategy sets out the by the end of parliament all

victims of abuse get the support they need. We have pledged hncreased

funding of ?80 million betwden now and the end of Twenty20. 50$ of

women sentenced to prison sdntences are convicted of non-violent crime.

Isn't it time the government had across department agenda whhch

focuses on early intervention so women employed -- we can avoid

locking women up? I'm aware of the complex problems that women

offenders often exhibit, thd mental health problems, substance lisuse,

and I'm actively engage with other departments to bring forward that

strategy in the New Year. Both boys and girls have to wear uniforms at

school, both men and women have to wear uniforms equally in thd

workplace, but convicted men have to wear uniforms in prison, but

convicted women don't. Does the Minister agree with that, and if he

does agree with that, what does the word equality mean to him? Ly

honourable friend has a rich track record in this area that I `m aware

of. What I would say on this is that women are twice as likely to report

exploitative abuse as a child and more likely than men to be primary

and sole carers of their chhldren and more likely to display lental

health problems and class a drug use. I think it is important that we

have a gender specific approach to women, and if that involves

different uniforms, then so be it. The last justice questions hn

September saw the Parliamentary undersecretary say that he was not

going to make any commitments about what he or the department wdre going

to do to address and adequately support the thousands of people in

our prisons with a mental hdalth condition, including so manx women.

Since then, the latest figures show another increase in suicide in our

prisons. One person every three days is taking their life in our prisons.

That is since the Secretary of State took office, the highest level in 25

years. Is the Parliamentary undersecretary ashamed of the

figures and will he now comlit to ensure that paying to cut crime in

the country should never me`n paying with your life? I do recall

answering the question of the last justice questions and my pohnt was

that the development of this, the cause, is very complex and H'm very

much aware of the suicide lhst. We have had increased suicides,

particularly in the women's system since early this year, and one

particular case in the north-east is particularly shocking and the

honourable lady can be assured I'm looking very closely at that

particular case but there h`ve been others. In terms of dealing with

this, not only am I trying to work on a winning strategy to brhng

forward in the New Year I'm also looking at mental health across the

entire system. Will the minister commit to work

with other agencies. There hs an at ternive to prison -- altern`tive to

prison that work with women. I've already met with Mrs Sugden and I

expect to meet with the othdr devolved agencies and I'm vdry happy

to meet and discuss with thdm. The continued cuts to legal aid fund

mean there is a rising numbdr of litigants in person. Many women have

to face abusive partners in court with no assistance on how to

approach the complexities of the law. More needs to be done to

protect women in the legal process. What steps are being taken to ensure

justice can truly be done whth this? I thank the honourable lady for her

question. Women do need addhtional support, not just in going through

the legal process but in terms of housing, many different isstes, both

before, during and after thdir time in prison. I've already vishted a

project in Hackney and was `ctually struck by how effective that

approach has been in terms of helping the vulnerable women. With

regards to the specific questions, we are working on it but I'll be

happy to write to her with ` more detailed response. The Government's

reform programme is intended to deliver a simpler, fairer jtstice

system that works for everyone. We are reforming our courts to make

them more modern, open, swift and accountable and since January 2 15

we have invested 3.5 million to provide more support to lithgants in

person. The Government has ttterly undermined access to justicd for EU

citizens and other migrants with its incredible 500% increase in

immigration tribunal fees. Will the minister at least closely monitor

the drastic impact this ridhculous increase is going to have and

respond accordingly when evdrything the Government's been warned about

comes to pass? The Government takes a markedly different view to the

honourable gentleman about this The fact is that these tribunals cost

money and there are people laking applications to them who're not in

the category where they need help with fees. And so where thex do need

help with fees, of course, we have a remissions scheme, but wherd they

don't, how can it be wrong that therked pay for the costs of the

system? That's only right -, they should pay for the system. @s the

minister's mentioned, an important element of improving access to

justice is reform of the cotrts system. Would he like to sax a bit

more about the modernisation of the court system and particularly where

the Lord Justice Briggs concept of an online court court is gohng to be

introduced? Yes, he's prepare add report which has been revolttionary

but also extremely helpful hn the modernisation process and I would

like to pay tribute to his work We do intend to introduce a new online

procedure for lower value chvil money claims. The online procedure

will be a mix of new technology conciliation, judicial resolution

and will provide a simple dhspute resolution process. We intend to

also create a new rules comlittee to design the simpler rules thhs will

require. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The linister

says that the Government's taking a markedly different view on tribunal

fees from my right honourable friend, the member for Cumbdrnauld.

However, when the justice committee published their review of the

tribunal and court fees earlier this year, their excel listen ch`ir

person, the honourable membdr for Bromley and Chislehurst who of

course is a backbencher of the minister's party, said "where

there's conflict between thd objectives of achieving full cost

recovery and preserving accdss to justice, the latter must prdvail".

Does the minister agree with this statement? Yes, and can I p`y

tribute to my right honourable friend for the work he does chairing

the committee so ably. Therd's no question that you do need a

mitigation system as we havd for fees. But having said that, I

welcome the justice committde's report which goes into a wide range

of issues and we will respond to it shortly.

Employment tribunals are an additional pressure on people who've

been relieved of their employment in appropriate circumstances and create

a real restriction on access to justice with those that are

vulnerable. A group has said that since the introduction of the fees

there,'s been a 40% drop in claims for pregnancy related detrilent or

dismissal. Why doesn't the Government follow the example of the

Scottish Government and comlit to scrapping employment tribun`l fees?

The principle should be that if you are not somebody that can p`y and

mitigation is required, there should be a system of mitigation of fees.

But if you are able to pay, given that this costs the country a huge

amount of money, why shouldn't people who're using these f`cilities

make a contribution? Thank xou Mr Speaker. In our country, it's a

corner stone of access to jtstice that there should be equality of

arms in court. I was therefore shocked last week to hear the

Minister for Courts and justice tell us in the add journeyment ddbates on

the Birmingham pub bombings that "only an element of equalitx of arms

is necessary". Can the minister therefore come to the despatch box

and either reassure us that this was a mere slip of his well-trahned

legal tongue or alternatively, admit that his Government is reducing not

defending, access to justicd? It comes a bit rich when at that

debate I was able to announce that the families had got a legal aid

certificate through the leg`l aid agency and so, for him to now talk

semantics, I was saying the element that's needed of equality of arms

was being met in accordance with the rules of the agency. And whdn it

comes to Labour politicians talking about cuts and concerns abott legal

aid, it's worth remembering why it was necessary to make the ctts

because of the mismanagement of the economy which the Government

inherited in 2010. And on that subject of the debate of

last Thursday, Lynn Bennett died... I won't give it up. Lynn Bennett

died aged 18 in the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974. Her father,

Stanley Bennett and her six per Claire Luckman, are still sdarching

for the proof. They refused to fill in the legal aid forms. Thex believe

the state is forcing them to in effect beg for access to justice.

Will the Justice Secretary today agree to go back to the Homd

Secretary and ask her to reconsider this so that Stanley and Cl`ire can

have access to justice on bdhalf of Lynn? As the honourable ladx will

know, the legal aid agency, which is independent, has considered two

applications for legal aid. One has been granted and on the othdr case,

it's been, as was pointed ott in the debate, a way has been describe and

set out in which it would bd possible for those families to have

legal aid too. So there is no question that the families can be

and will be represented. But I would accept that the Birmingham pub

bombings were the most dreadful incidents of a generation. H said in

the debate, I remembered as a young student the powerful effect on the

whole country of the worst bombing incident since the Second World War

where 21 people died, 222 wdre injured and all our thoughts in this

House will be with the families their loved ones and those who had

their lives affected. In terms of the debate about how we deal with

these very difficult inquests in these very special category of

cases, I made it clear in the debate that the Home Office and thd

Ministry of Justice are working on that, looking at the preceddnce of

what happened with Hillsborough waiting for bishop James Jones'

report and also will look at all the matters which have been discussed in

that debate. Question number 9, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, we know that getting prison, into employment is key to

reducing reoffending. While there are some excellent initiatives in

the Prison Service, there is still no coherent system that links

working side with education and training and employment

opportunities on the outsidd and that's why I'll bring forward a plan

early in the New Year to boost offender employment.

Some offenders are still struggling to secure employment upon their

release as highlighted by one of my constituents recently. What more is

being done and can be done to ensure that the qualifications unddrtaken

by inmates whilst in prison are both relevant and acceptable to potential

employers? The honourable mdmber describes a situation that hs all

too familiar in our Prison Service where prisoners undertake courses in

prison that bear no relation to the outside world or the abilitx to get

a job. What we'll be saying in our White Paper which will be ptblished

shortly is how we can improve that education system. We have already

accepted the principle reforms announced by the review and how we

can help Governors work with prisoners in the Lowe local labour

market to help boost this. There is a well established link

between employment and reoffending and we are now five years on from

the Government's reoffending revolution. -- rehabilitation

revolution. Can the minister let us know whether the latest reoffending

statistics show an increase or decrease in reoffending ratds.

Well, it is still the case, as it has been for decades in the UK, that

roughly a third of people that leave our prison system reoffend. The

honourable member mentions ` record of this Government. I do not

recollect the last Labour Government ever talk about rehabilitathon and

reform in our prisons. My rhght honourable friend, the Secrdtary of

State, will be bringing forward plans that will give Governors real

power on the front line so that they can act as the ring masters working

locally to deliver real reform. Would the minister agree to visit

jobs, friends and houses whhch not only get ex-offenders into

construction jobs but helps find them somewhere to live, gets them

off drugs and provides them with a group of friends. Such a good

project and we are aiming to set it up in Bedfordshire as well. The

member mentions an excellent scheme that I definitely support whth other

schemes going on in the Prison Service and some great employers

like Timpsons, Gregs and Halfords. What we'll do in our employlent

strategy is making sure that this works throughout the system rather

than having a few bright spots here and there.

An important follow-up to that was the impediment national instrance

payments cause for somebody who s left prison. The member for

south-west Bedfordshire was seized of this issue and pursuing good work

in that regard. Can I ask the Minister for An update on progress

with insurers and whether hd'll continue the good work?

I agree with the honourable gentleman that there are a number of

barriers for employers in t`king ex-offenders, some of it around

trust, some of it around sthgma and some real hard issues like the

insurance issue will be looking at all of the issues and reduchng those

barriers so employers are incentivised the take on

ex-offenders. What is interdsting is that those who do like Timpsons say,

some of the most loyal employers are those that have come out of the

prison system. With the publication of the Government's excellent green

paper yesterday on halving the disability employment gap and the

recognition that autistic pdople need specific person help, what

contribution will the department be making to ensuring that awe dustic

offenders find employment upon release? The issue is not jtst

autistic offenders. We know that many of the people in the youth

justice system and also the prison population as a whole, have special

educational needs and very low levels of literacy. One of the key

steps that this Government has taken is that we've moved the education

budget from the Department for Education to the Ministry of Justice

and what we'll be dog is delegating the budgets to prison Governors so

they can spend appropriatelx on the needs of each prisoner to hdlp them

get the right education so they can get employment.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, question Number 10.

Mr Speaker, I've had no such discussions on this issue, prisons

are a devolved matter and responsibility from HMP. It lies

with the Department of Northern Ireland justice.

I was hoping that we wouldn't always two back to devolved, that we are

now all pulling together more as a union, but this is a vital latter

that we have got to move on with and will the minister have disctssions

with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Justice

Minister to look at how we get a level playing field, how we change

the system that we've got and even more importantly, make sure there

are no on the run letters in the system? The honourable membdr raises

the issue of on the run are letters which is a vital issue, norlally an

issue for the Northern Irel`nd office and, as the previous

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set out I think in her

statement to the Commons in 201 , the so-called on the run

administrative scheme established by the previous Labour Governmdnt is at

an end. The government is very much aware of

the concerns expressed about sentencing for driving offences and

committed to making sure th`t the courts have sufficient powers to

deal with driving offences there are people in this as

you have seen people who have seen people lost by driving offences and

the announcement came from the department to a half years `go which

should have concluded by now, and three Secretary of State is later we

are told there will be constltation this year. It's not good enough Can

he give a clear date to this house when we will finally have this

review published and more jtstice for victims of criminal driving I

am aware that the honourabld gentleman has had a constittent

being knocked down by a drink-driver and I would like to offer mx

condolences to that constittent Parliament says the penaltids and

driving offences are the most serious cases that result in death

should have a result by the end of the year. Would the minister

reassure me that part of thhs will be reconsidering whether thd greater

use of the charge of manslatghter can be made so those who have

behaved so recklessly Angkor somebody's death get that s`me type

of penalty that they get for doing it with anything else but their car.

We can charge a person with manslaughter when we can support the

charge and where it is in the public interest to do so and there is a

reasonable prospect of convhction. But in many driving cases, that

behaviour, which might be hhghly irresponsible, means the car might

not have been used as a deadly weapon or that the standard of

driving was part of the judgment. I'm aware that there has bedn an

amendment tabled extending to Northern Ireland the provishons

tabled by Lord Sharkey in rdspect of England and Wales on this issue

Northern Ireland has legisl`tive powers over matters relating to

justice and policing. I thank the Minister, but given the unipue

equality legislation in Northern Ireland, would he see a problem with

this being introduced in a province? If legislation is to be introduced

and extended, and the Turing pardon, that would be a vision for the

Northern Ireland assembly to take. Were it to be extended to Northern

Ireland, a motion, by convention, would be required. The Ministry of

Justice is leading work on future arrangements with the EU for civil,

family and commercial law. We are also working closely with the Home

Office on EU criminal justice measures. I'm determined to make

sure that UK legal services which contribute ?26 billion per xear to

the economy continued to thrive once we leave the EU. Official fhgures

showed that between 2010 and 20 5 the UK made 1000 requests under the

European arrest warrant, as a result of which 916 successful arrdsts were

made. Can I ask the Secretary of State to confirm whether or not

access to the system will continue when the UK leads the EU? As I've

said, the Home Office is le`ding on criminal justice matters and we are

working very, very closely with them and we want to preserve those

beneficial policies where wd can deal with criminal justice latters,

but also with civil justice matters so we can make sure that we have the

best possible legal services in the world. English law, particularly

English commercial law, is respected around the world for its qu`lity.

We'll Secretary of State confirm that her department will usd Brexit

as an opportunity to spread it around the world? -- will the

secretary of State confirm? I agree and I know my honourable frhend has

a background in commercial law at one of the top city firms and I had

a roundtable to talk about how we can promote those legal are`s as

well as all of the practices right through the UK, including those

practising in Scottish law `s well, because I think we have a bhg

opportunity to promote it more widely and we are using this

campaign as a vehicle to do that. Firstly, I'd like to express my

deepest sympathy for the falily and friends of Jamal, who died hn

Pentonville in October. We need to address the major issue of violence

in our prisons and that is why I have been conducting a compdtency

review of the system. I will shortly launch a White Paper on how I plan

to transform visitors into places of safety and reform and I've `nnounced

an immediate investment of ?40 million to increase staffing lessons

in the most challenging prisons -- ?14 million. Incidents in domestic

site -- violence are sharplx unsuccessful prosecutions are up,

which is good, but referencds to the CPS are down. What is the Mhnister

's take on the anomaly and do we need positive feedback from the

courts to the police? I thank the honourable gentleman for his

question. We put in extra mdasures, and particularly in the law on

coercive behaviour, which h`s been very important. What I'm determined

to do is make sure the court system treats vulnerable witnesses and

victims as well as possible to encourage more people to cole

forward. Can smuggling into prisons by drones be stopped? A verx pithy

question. The new threat by drones is a game changer, not just for

prisons but other parts of government which is why I al working

with ministers across government to engage with drone manufacturers to

find a solution to the problem. I'm keeping a close eye on what is

happening internationally, particularly in Holland where they

are using Eagles to stop drones and I'm sure we will find a solttion in

the UK that will take. Hopefully the Secretary of State is aware that the

Scottish Government are going to grant aid pardon to men who were

convicted of historic same-sex sexual offending is -- offences

including parties over the `ge of 16. Will she follow the Scottish

Government example and commht to a pardon which covers a living as well

as the dead? The government is intent on delivering on its historic

manifesto commitment to grant a pardon to all those convictdd of

archaic gay laws. I know thd Scottish Government has announced

its plans but I know that even in the plans of the Scottish

Government, they are talking about a disregard process just in the same

way as the UK Government has announced. We have a disreg`rd

process that will ensure th`t people who are guilty of crimes th`t are

still a crime do not accidentally get pardon. I think that is

absolutely right, to have an appropriate safeguard you do not

write a wrong by creating another injustice. I noticed that the Prince

of the pithy question was about to leave the chamber. I thought it

should be noted. What action is the government taking to protect

vulnerable witnesses when they testify in court? I thank mx

honourable friend for her qtestion. We want to make sure that vtlnerable

witnesses, including childrdn, who have to go in front of an open court

at the moment and testify and also be cross examined, will be `ble to

be cross-examined in advancd, pre-trial and pre-recorded. This is

much less intimidating and H think will encourage more victims to come

forward. One of the Secretary of State's for departmental prhorities

is to build a one nation justice system for all citizens whatever the

background. What impact she think yesterday's Orgreave announcement

will have on ordinary peopld's confidence in the justice sxstem? My

honourable friend, the Home Secretary, made it absolutely clear

why she made that decision. It's very important that people have

access to justice and we have a country that works for everxone The

Lord Chancellor in her role as head of the judiciary has oversight of

all legal action that continues in this country. Today there is an

abuse of power where we are seeing soldiers facing effectively double

jeopardy through the Iraqi historic allegations tribunal. I unddrstand

the Ministry of Defence is leading on this, but as the chief jtdicial

officer of the land, could she please comment? Our Armed Forces

make huge sacrifices and it's plainly the case that no current or

former serving member should face unwarranted investigation. However,

where there are credible, sdrious allegations of criminal beh`viour

they must be investigated and I think everyone in the milit`ry world

understands that. It is important to make rapid progress with thd Iraqi

historic allegations team c`seload. The team expects the caselo`d to

have reduced from the original 300 cases down to around 250 by early

January. Plans to rebuild Sunderland's courts complex have

been on hold since 2010. Despite raising the issue numerous occasions

we have still not a decision. Will he meet with me and my honotrable

friend, the member for Sunddrland Central, as a priority to Sdve we

can make any progress? -- to see if we can make. I would be extremely

happy to meet with my honourable friend. Given that 20% of the prison

population have spent some time in care, could the ministers ottline

what steps the government is taking to prevent children in care ending

up in the prison system? I thank my honourable friend the questhon and

she's absolutely right. We're working very closely with the band

of education and we will shortly produce our paper on youth

offenders, and we will talk about how we intervene earlier before

people end up with custodial sentences. My constituent lost her

son Robert tragically when he was serving honourably at an English

monetary base. The family c`nnot gain closure as there is no

automatic inquest by jury, `nd they are understandably distraught. Will

the Minister meet with Mrs fleeting and myself to discuss the c`se and

access to justice for the l`te Robert Fleeting. I'd be mord than

happy to meet the honourabld lady and her constituent. The reforms to

family justice included in the children and families act 2014

implemented by the coalition government are bold and inv`luable,

however, as the president of the family division recently colmented,

care applications are rising and high conflict divorce cases linger

too long in the system and cost far too much money. What steps hs the

government taking to resolvd this outstanding issue? Verifications are

only made where the child is suffering or may suffer considerable

harm. The rising care applications requires a cross agency response and

we are working with partners to mitigate the operational impact

Conflict during divorce is often focus on children and the dhvision

of assets and mediation can be a quick alternative to court `nd legal

aid is available to eligibld parties. Recognising the significant

flexibility recently given to the governor of one prison in

rehabilitation matters, can I propose to the prisons minister that

we conduct a joint visit to maximise local and national support? With

trepidation, I accept the invitation for the joint visit, and I'l very

grateful that he appreciates that reform, and given to the prhson

governors, can make a real difference. We will learn more about

the opinions of a vast miscdllany of matters from the honourable member,

that he can be assured. The Justice Secretary will be aware that in the

past couple of years considdrable progress has been made in tdrms of

allowing UK lawyers to practice in India. Would she kindly upd`te the

house in terms of progress so far, particularly given that the Prime

Minister will be visiting India in the next few days? Can I colmend my

honourable member on the work he did in the department to promotd those

legal links with India, and I'm pleased to say they are being taken

forward and the Prime Minister will visit India this month to p`ve the

way for UK lawyers to practhce their, which will help improve our

international business and trade. English law is a massive asset that

we can leveraged for wider business negotiation.

How many of the inquest report is on deaths in custody, self-inflicted

deaths, has the minister re`d, and what process and actions has he

taken as a result of the recommendations of inquests which

have caused real distress to families? Every death in custody is

a tragic event. As the minister responsible for prisons who has been

in for four months, I take dvery of them seriously and I look at all

reports and I actually sign many of the responses to the reports where,

for example, the IMB is rel`ted and we have plans to make sure we

deliver on these. Does the Secretary of State agree we need bold reform

to cut reoffending and that must mean giving prison governors the

powers and accountability to innovate, particularly when it comes

to skills training and drugs rehabilitation in the prisons they

run? My honourable friend is nothing but bold, and I absolutely `gree

with him. We need to change the way we are doing things because the fact

is we have not -- we have a persistently high reoffending rate

and almost half the people hn prison will reoffend within a year and that

is not acceptable. We need to give governors the power to turn lives

around, to get people off drugs and to get them into work.

The ministry's review into the care and management of transgenddr

offenders was due to be concluded in the spring, but almost a ye`r since

the review was first announced, a report is yet to be publishdd. Can

the Secretary of State update the House today as to when we c`n expect

to see that report? The Govdrnment is firmly committed to ensuring the

transgender offenders are treated fairly, lawfully and decently and

their rights respected. A mhnistry justice led review concluded that

treating offenders in the gdnder in which they identify is the lost

effective starting point for safety in reducing reoffending where an

assessment of all known risks can be considered alongside the offenders'

views. Mary, not her real n`me, but a constituent of mine, went to

Benidorm on a hen-do, had hdr drink spiked by a British man and was

raped. It's six months sincd the offence and the Spanish polhce are

no closer to taking the offdnce seriously. Would my right honourable

friend agree that the ability to bring a case to trial in thhs

country when a sexual offence occurs overseas to Britain is vital for

justice when the country dodsn't take it seriously? Yes, I do agree.

The Istanbul convention which the UK signed in June 2012 requires

ratifying states to assume jurisdiction over offences of this

sort when committed by our nationals overseas. We do need to makd changes

to primary legislation to introduce this, because at the moment existing

law only applies where the rape involves a person under 18 xears of

age. Could ministers update the House

with the guardians Bill. Parents of Claudia who went missing seven long

years ago. I will write to ly right honourable friend because this is a

subject on which we'll be s`ying something shortly.

The illicit use of mobile phones in prisons is a pernicious isste that

must be tackled. Can the Secretary of State update the House on what

more the Government is doing to make sure that we are using a technology

solution to deal with this. The honourable member's right.

Technology is the problem hdre. We believe technology is the answer and

we are working very closely with mobile network operators to develop

a solution to stop the illegal use of mobile phones in our prisons

THE SPEAKER: Finally the ch`ir of the justice Select Committed, Mr

Robert Neal. I'm very grateful. Does the Secretary of State shard my

concern that the 40% increase in suicides in 2015-16, amongst

offenders undergoing supervhsion in the community and will she therefore

expedite the department's rdview for the effectiveness of the

transforming of the rehabilhtation programme.

I thank the committee chairlan for his question. I do share his concern

about this issue. We do recognise that there are benefits frol the

transforming rehabilitation programme, for example, 45,000

people who previously weren't being supervised with sentences for less

than a year with now being supervised. However, the minister is

conducting a review, as we do with all new legislation, that's one

aspect that will be looked `t. THE SPEAKER: Order. Urgent puestion.

Andy Burnham. Thank you, Mr Speaker. To ask the

Secretary of State for The Home Department, if she'll make `

statement on the process shd went through and the papers she

considered before reaching her desession not to proceed with an

inquiry into the events at Orgreave in June 1984.

THE SPEAKER: Mr Brandon Lewhs? Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Home Sdcretary

announced her decision by w`y of a written ministerial statement

yesterday. She explained her main reasons for deciding against

investigating either a statttory instigated inquiry or an independent

review into the events at Orgreave. She's also written