:00:07. > :00:20.Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Justice.
:00:21. > :00:24.Kevin Foster. Question number one. Mr Speaker, the court and Tribunal
:00:25. > :00:32.service is evaluating all responses to the consultation and no decisions
:00:33. > :00:35.have been made. Announcements on the future of Torquay Magistrates' Court
:00:36. > :00:42.will be made in due course. I thank the Minister for his answer. At the
:00:43. > :00:49.end of this month, a successful team at the building is due to be
:00:50. > :01:03.evicted. Is this a sign that the decision has not yet taken and... ?
:01:04. > :01:09.I'm grateful to clarify the issue. No decisions have been taken. The
:01:10. > :01:12.arrangements for the turnaround integrated offender management team
:01:13. > :01:18.using the building was always due to end of this month. Alternative
:01:19. > :01:21.arrangements have been made for them to continue to provide valuable
:01:22. > :01:30.services locally. Question number two. The Conservative election
:01:31. > :01:36.manifesto included a commitment to introduce a new victims' law and
:01:37. > :01:42.enshrined the rights of victims including the right to a personal
:01:43. > :01:45.statement before prisoners are considered for release. I believe in
:01:46. > :01:54.the importance of giving victims a voice. I thank him for the answer.
:01:55. > :02:00.And Forbes, his son was murdered by five men in Corby in 1993, has this
:02:01. > :02:05.year had to read out three of these victim statements. This has taken a
:02:06. > :02:09.toll on her family and her health. Will he meet with us to discuss the
:02:10. > :02:15.role of victim statements and how they can work better for victims and
:02:16. > :02:19.their families? The whole idea of a victim statements is for the victims
:02:20. > :02:25.to fuel that they are part of the process and not for it to be a
:02:26. > :02:32.burden. I will meet with them to see how her experiences could improve
:02:33. > :02:39.the situation. The average time taken from charging to Crown Court
:02:40. > :02:48.trial is close to one year. That is lamentable for victims. What is the
:02:49. > :02:55.justice in that -- what is the Justice Minister going to do? I
:02:56. > :02:58.agree that this length of time should be improved and the whole
:02:59. > :03:05.experience for victims must be improved. The Justice Secretary has
:03:06. > :03:11.announced measures to increase the process and more will be coming
:03:12. > :03:15.forward shortly. Victims always remain victims were as criminals
:03:16. > :03:18.eventually served their sentence in full so will the Minister insurer,
:03:19. > :03:26.especially in cases of violent crimes, parole is rarely given? This
:03:27. > :03:29.is a matter for the Parole Board but my honourable friend is absolutely
:03:30. > :03:36.right that victims are victims for life, which is why the support the
:03:37. > :03:46.Government intends and continues to give to victims is important. One of
:03:47. > :03:54.my constituents'. Was murdered and her body was never found. The
:03:55. > :04:00.killer, whilst reviewing to review the whereabouts of her remains, is
:04:01. > :04:07.being considered for parole. Can he ensure cases like these are never
:04:08. > :04:11.released? I would like to meet the constituent is possible to make sure
:04:12. > :04:16.we can help her and her family as much as possible, but it is
:04:17. > :04:24.imperative that I think that where victims feel like they can and want
:04:25. > :04:29.to, their statements are taken into account. When are the wider
:04:30. > :04:36.community going to get a say on parole hearings? Violent crime might
:04:37. > :04:40.affect a whole community. When will they get a say alongside presentence
:04:41. > :04:50.reports so they are represented and their voices heard regarding the
:04:51. > :04:54.impact violent crime has an people? He raises an important point. But we
:04:55. > :04:58.must be careful that we do not take away from the individual victims
:04:59. > :05:02.feeling they are part of the process which is something that everyone in
:05:03. > :05:10.this House has been trying to do for years. We must also be careful we
:05:11. > :05:16.did not create a vigilante situation. I understand his point
:05:17. > :05:25.but we must make sure the criminal justice system works for every body.
:05:26. > :05:28.Question number three. Crime is falling and the female prison
:05:29. > :05:34.population is consistently under 4000 for the first time in ten
:05:35. > :05:37.years. Last year over 70% of women successfully completed their
:05:38. > :05:40.sentence in the community that we want to do more so in partnership
:05:41. > :05:47.with the Government equalities office we are making a ?200,000
:05:48. > :05:52.grant available to support local areas and pilot multi-agency
:05:53. > :05:55.approaches to female offending. It remains that across the UK the
:05:56. > :06:02.number of women in prison has doubled since 2000. Many are mothers
:06:03. > :06:07.serving six months or less for minor offences and this car as irreparable
:06:08. > :06:11.damage to family life. Will the Minister follow the example of the
:06:12. > :06:16.SNP Scottish Government on working harder to reduce the number of women
:06:17. > :06:25.in prison and get community services were possible? -- sentences? This is
:06:26. > :06:30.what these pilot schemes are about. Female offenders often have complex
:06:31. > :06:36.needs, are more likely to self harm or be victims of abuse than male
:06:37. > :06:45.counterparts. This pilot will help to divert women away from it pathway
:06:46. > :06:48.into prison. These are schemes which recognise sending them to prison can
:06:49. > :06:53.have a devastating effect on them and their dependents and children.
:06:54. > :06:58.Will the Minister confirm that for every single category of offence, a
:06:59. > :07:02.man is more likely to be sent to listen than a woman, for longer, and
:07:03. > :07:10.will serve more of their sentence in prison than a woman? In this age of
:07:11. > :07:13.gender equality that the Government believes in, what possible
:07:14. > :07:17.justification can there be for further releasing women from prison
:07:18. > :07:26.rather than men and what assessment as she made as to whether or not
:07:27. > :07:31.that breaks discrimination law? I am happy to answer this. Obviously
:07:32. > :07:38.sentences are on the individual offence and male offenders will come
:07:39. > :07:40.to knew to be supported through existing processes to address their
:07:41. > :07:50.needs but let's not forget our prison and privation service were
:07:51. > :07:56.designed with men in mind because that is 95% of the people. What
:07:57. > :08:00.levels of support are being considered for the dependents of
:08:01. > :08:11.those women, many who are young children. An excellent point. In our
:08:12. > :08:19.women's prisons we have made an effort to engage with families and
:08:20. > :08:24.children. Some prisoners have the opportunity to hold overnight visits
:08:25. > :08:30.with their children. These pilots are about recognising behaviour
:08:31. > :08:35.early on so we can divert women and bring in local authorities to divert
:08:36. > :08:43.women from ending up in prison. Question number four. The Government
:08:44. > :08:48.is committed to the residence test and plans the next steps following
:08:49. > :08:52.success in the Court of Appeal. Individuals should have a strong
:08:53. > :08:56.connection to the UK to benefit from the legal aid scheme. The Minister
:08:57. > :09:03.was forced to admit last year that there were no precise figures for
:09:04. > :09:08.savings from this. It was also criticised by the joint committee on
:09:09. > :09:12.human rights and is subject to further Supreme Court legal
:09:13. > :09:19.scrutiny. Is it not time he gave up the ghost on this? Given the
:09:20. > :09:23.judgment of the Court of Appeal when they sided with the Government, we
:09:24. > :09:29.have no intention of giving up. People who seek to benefit from UK
:09:30. > :09:32.taxpayers should show connections to the country and it is reasonable
:09:33. > :09:38.that people should have a continues to month residency in the UK before
:09:39. > :09:44.the benefit from tax payer money for legal aid. When the Minister
:09:45. > :09:48.considers legal aid and potential for change, as he thought of the
:09:49. > :09:54.disparity between one parent to abuses of legal aid to get an upper
:09:55. > :10:01.hand in contact cases with their children, against another parent who
:10:02. > :10:06.has to self finance? There are rules and regulations as to who qualifies
:10:07. > :10:10.or not and I can't comment on individual cases but the legal aid
:10:11. > :10:22.agency choice to make sure only those who qualify tried to make --
:10:23. > :10:26.get access. He criticised the two nation justice system but by
:10:27. > :10:32.restricting legal aid according to residency time, it widens the gap
:10:33. > :10:38.between those afforded access to justice and not. The residence test
:10:39. > :10:58.would have denied justice to the family of John Charleston Jean
:10:59. > :11:07.Charles De Menezes. It is right that British people in their millions say
:11:08. > :11:13.they have some connection before they are given access. It has gone
:11:14. > :11:17.to the processes and the Court of Appeal and if it goes further than
:11:18. > :11:18.this government will object robust leader defend its on the residence
:11:19. > :11:38.test. Question five. Thank you, Mr
:11:39. > :11:41.Speaker. We will be reviewing the entire structure and purpose of the
:11:42. > :11:50.orders handed down by the courts to offenders. Reviewing similar options
:11:51. > :11:55.for further improvement. Objections have been raised, in light of those
:11:56. > :12:02.concerns I decided to pause while the wider review is carried out.
:12:03. > :12:06.May I take this opportunity to congratulate the secretary of state
:12:07. > :12:10.for scrapping yet another proposal which was put forward by his
:12:11. > :12:16.predecessor. May I remind him that his cheap weapon at the time did
:12:17. > :12:22.vote for the policy? Individuals have incurred high levels of
:12:23. > :12:27.personal debt because of this cost. Bearing that in mind, will be
:12:28. > :12:32.secretary of state reveal and waive the outstanding payments which do
:12:33. > :12:36.nothing but blight our finances and our justice system and place an
:12:37. > :12:43.administrative cost on the taxpayer? I'm grateful for the kind words...
:12:44. > :12:49.LAUGHTER While I was not an unprecedented
:12:50. > :12:52.success as Chief Whip I did manage to vote with the Government for the
:12:53. > :12:57.majority of time while I was in that post.
:12:58. > :13:04.It is the case that people will pay penalties under this charge, that
:13:05. > :13:06.will be the law until the 24th of December, after which people will
:13:07. > :13:10.not be paying the criminal courts charge.
:13:11. > :13:13.Members on both sides of this house will be pleased at the fixed charge
:13:14. > :13:18.will no longer apply from this month. But does the secretary of
:13:19. > :13:26.state agreed that it is right that criminals should contribute not only
:13:27. > :13:30.towards supporting victims but also towards the costs?
:13:31. > :13:34.My honourable friend makes an important point. One of the ways in
:13:35. > :13:42.which we are reviewing the system is that there is a triple purpose.
:13:43. > :13:48.Remedies need to be paid, those that cross the threshold of a lonely to
:13:49. > :13:52.be punished, but there should also be a motion to the support of
:13:53. > :13:57.victims. Until the 24th of December,
:13:58. > :13:59.magistrates will be forced to impose watches now a discredited charge
:14:00. > :14:07.which has caused many of them to resign. What finances will the
:14:08. > :14:11.Secretary of State give to those people in the meantime?
:14:12. > :14:17.It is my responsibility to uphold the rule of law. We will take steps
:14:18. > :14:21.after the proper review of the criminal courts charge and after the
:14:22. > :14:27.spending review to suspend the charge. 21 days after this statutory
:14:28. > :14:34.instrument was laid, that is the 24th of December, then will be no
:14:35. > :14:42.further imposition of the charge. Can I also welcome the Lord
:14:43. > :14:47.Chancellor's fifth or sixth U-turn. Will he now clean up the mess he has
:14:48. > :14:59.made rather than walking away from it? When will the Chancellor deal
:15:00. > :15:03.with legislation was Mack? Will the Chancellor tell us the cost of this
:15:04. > :15:07.debacle and how it adds to the 15 million he has already wasted on the
:15:08. > :15:13.advertising and of the secure college?
:15:14. > :15:17.That was something of a multifaceted question. I think we can rely on the
:15:18. > :15:24.secretary of state to respond with his customary elegant simplicity.
:15:25. > :15:28.Thank you, Mr Speaker. There was more questions in that particular
:15:29. > :15:37.Sally then in a multiple-choice GCSE maths paper. I hesitate to say what
:15:38. > :15:42.the mark would be. I suggest we move as expeditiously as possible to
:15:43. > :15:45.suspend the charge, the advice of the legal department was that this
:15:46. > :15:49.was the most effective way of relieving magistrates of the
:15:50. > :15:57.obligation to impose it. Question six, Mr Speaker.
:15:58. > :16:02.With permission, I wish to group this with numbers ten and 17 as
:16:03. > :16:10.well. I'm delighted we have secured many millions of pounds of funding.
:16:11. > :16:14.We have enacted a plan to reform our court system to deliver swift and
:16:15. > :16:22.fairer justice to everyone in England and Wales at a lower cost.
:16:23. > :16:28.Mr Speaker, my constituents face the close of their two local courts in
:16:29. > :16:35.Pontypridd and Bridgend. Can I ask the Minister Howley responds to the
:16:36. > :16:41.president of the Law Society when he responds when reductions in court
:16:42. > :16:48.fees and legal aid, many of these closures will serve to deepen the
:16:49. > :16:52.inequalities in the justice system. How does you respond to that?
:16:53. > :16:56.What I would say to the honourable gentleman is that it is important
:16:57. > :17:02.that we recognise in the 21st-century that of the justice
:17:03. > :17:07.buildings we have, one third are used less than 50%. Many of these
:17:08. > :17:12.buildings are not fit for purpose. They are listed, they are not in
:17:13. > :17:16.compliance with equalities legislation, the cost of running
:17:17. > :17:19.them is phenomenal. We need to make sure we have a reformed and
:17:20. > :17:27.up-to-date modern court system which will, I can assure you, provide
:17:28. > :17:30.access to justice for all. I thank the Minister for that
:17:31. > :17:37.answer. Does he agree with me that it is high time in the 21st-century
:17:38. > :17:41.that we update our outdated court practices, particularly in regard to
:17:42. > :17:49.those with the way those with learning disabilities are treated?
:17:50. > :17:52.Absolutely. Can I just say to my honourable friend that as a
:17:53. > :17:57.consequence of the ?700 million investment that we received in the
:17:58. > :18:00.spending review, we have a once in a generation opportunity to create and
:18:01. > :18:09.what, user focused Courts Tribunals Service. The form of this
:18:10. > :18:13.service is crucial to provide better access for all, critically those
:18:14. > :18:17.with learning difficulties. We want to make sure everyone has access to
:18:18. > :18:26.all the facilities that are public facilities offer.
:18:27. > :18:29.As part of the Government's operation Cheltenham and Gloucester
:18:30. > :18:35.Magistrates' Courts can expect to receive cases from across the
:18:36. > :18:39.region. What steps will be taken to make sure this Court has the
:18:40. > :18:45.staffing resources they need? It is already the case that all
:18:46. > :18:51.Magistrates' Court work in Gloucestershire is heard at this
:18:52. > :18:55.Court. Should more work be moved into Cheltenham following the
:18:56. > :18:58.outcome of the consultation, then the Courts Tribunals Service will
:18:59. > :19:04.continue to assess the resources available at the court to make sure
:19:05. > :19:11.the meat operational requirements. I should emphasise that no decisions
:19:12. > :19:14.had been made for this Court as yet. My constituents in Stockport would
:19:15. > :19:21.probably understand where the Minister is coming from. Where they
:19:22. > :19:25.are Court has knocked down for closure. It is one of the busiest in
:19:26. > :19:29.Greater Manchester, refurbished as recently as 2010, and it has
:19:30. > :19:34.specialist facilities for witness support and protection. Isn't this a
:19:35. > :19:41.short-sighted moved by the Ministry of Justice? Will he now save
:19:42. > :19:45.Stockport courthouse? There is a think short-sighted about
:19:46. > :19:48.is to make sure that people such as is to make sure that people such as
:19:49. > :19:54.the honourable gentleman and his constituents can have their say and
:19:55. > :19:57.make a contribution, and try to persuade us that, perhaps after all
:19:58. > :20:01.things are being considered, the court should be retained. As I said,
:20:02. > :20:07.no decisions have been made so far, we are very careful and considering
:20:08. > :20:14.also missions that are made. I listen to stories MPs and
:20:15. > :20:19.ministers -- Tory MPs and ministers talking about localism. How can this
:20:20. > :20:25.be a form of localism when people, in order to get justice, are having
:20:26. > :20:32.to travel 50 and 60 miles instead of going to the local courts? It
:20:33. > :20:37.nothing but hypocrisy. Mr Speaker, I have utmost respect
:20:38. > :20:40.for the honourable gentleman. May I just gently bring him into the
:20:41. > :20:47.21st-century, which he may not be familiar with, on the basis that
:20:48. > :20:50.with modern technology, such as video conferencing, telephone
:20:51. > :20:55.facilities, people will actually be able to have access to justice
:20:56. > :20:58.without having to go to court. Having access to justice doesn't
:20:59. > :21:04.simply mean attending a court and the physical building that it
:21:05. > :21:08.represents. I fully realise the rationale for
:21:09. > :21:11.court modernisation which will help create a more streamlined and
:21:12. > :21:15.responsive justice system, whilst also generating substantial savings
:21:16. > :21:19.to the taxpayer. I'm grateful to the Minster for a meeting with me to
:21:20. > :21:29.discuss the proposed closure of Stockport court. Can he provide any
:21:30. > :21:33.update on this Court's situation, and can he confirm that any
:21:34. > :21:40.considerations which may make the court Bible had been considered?
:21:41. > :21:44.In this proposed closure of 91 courts I have tried to make myself
:21:45. > :21:48.available to as many colleagues are possible. As far as I'm aware I have
:21:49. > :21:51.met with every single person has wanted a meeting. As virus this
:21:52. > :21:59.proposal is concerned, I'm seriously considering them. -- as far as these
:22:00. > :22:07.proposals. With permission, Mr Speaker I want
:22:08. > :22:13.to groupies with questions 12 and 13.
:22:14. > :22:20.It is designed to make it easier to get prisoners learning and working.
:22:21. > :22:30.At the employers Forum for reducing reoffending I have works to increase
:22:31. > :22:37.opportunities. A telecom firm in Pendle are working
:22:38. > :22:43.to increase unemployment opportunities. Will my honourable
:22:44. > :22:46.colleague Johnny and welcoming this work to rehabilitate offenders and
:22:47. > :22:55.region just into society? I'll heartedly join the honourable
:22:56. > :23:00.member. As many as 90% of companies have expressed an interest in
:23:01. > :23:08.employing ex-offenders. I hope the example of the employer in this
:23:09. > :23:12.constituency will inspire others. With my right honourable friend
:23:13. > :23:16.agree with me that it makes moral sense to give these people who wish
:23:17. > :23:20.to turn their lives around an opportunity? Does he is agree with
:23:21. > :23:29.me that it makes sound business sense that these people are often
:23:30. > :23:33.hard-working, very loyal employees? My honourable friend makes a very
:23:34. > :23:37.powerful point. It is both economically sensible to make sure
:23:38. > :23:41.that ex-offenders are in work. Something like 22% of those in
:23:42. > :23:45.receipt of out of work benefits are ex-offenders. It also makes moral
:23:46. > :23:51.sense to give people dignity and a chance to redeem themselves.
:23:52. > :23:58.My right honourable friend will be aware of my interest in the Cascade
:23:59. > :24:05.foundation who do amazing work in rehabilitating them -- ex-offenders
:24:06. > :24:11.with learning difficulties. I wonder if you might meet with me to explore
:24:12. > :24:19.ways they may further improve? I would be delighted to meet the
:24:20. > :24:26.honourable lady and her constituent. There are many outstanding firms
:24:27. > :24:30.which are doing more and more to employ offenders, but we do need to
:24:31. > :24:34.reduce the bureaucratic burden standing in their way.
:24:35. > :24:40.When I was part of the justice Select Committee earlier in the
:24:41. > :24:46.summer I visited Holloway prison. There was a licence scheme allowing
:24:47. > :24:50.women to carry out jobs. Well that worked out extremely well and
:24:51. > :24:54.Holloway, what can this secretary of state do to make sure this is
:24:55. > :25:01.consistently good across all the women's prisons in the UK?
:25:02. > :25:05.It is not just women's prisons, I would like to see this expanded
:25:06. > :25:10.across the whole prison estate. We need to make sure there is a
:25:11. > :25:21.appropriate assessment of the risk protest in releasing prisoners in
:25:22. > :25:26.this way. -- risk posed. Can I take the Secretary of State
:25:27. > :25:36.not to forget the past and ask him to look to the experience of a
:25:37. > :25:42.cluster of companies working in Reading prison - which I believe is
:25:43. > :25:44.due to close - the employment rate was a great success, let's make sure
:25:45. > :26:00.that model is not forgotten. In my open... Own constituency, we
:26:01. > :26:08.worked with offenders to work again. What specific measures are
:26:09. > :26:12.being put in place to reduce the bureaucracy that companies have too
:26:13. > :26:19.overcome in order to employ offenders? The first thing we must
:26:20. > :26:24.do is give governors a greater sense of freedom to invite employers in
:26:25. > :26:27.and ensure they can make use of prisoners while they are still on
:26:28. > :26:32.the prison estate and employ them through the gate and the specific
:26:33. > :26:38.reforms we hope to bring forward will give more of that freedom and
:26:39. > :26:42.flexibility. Does he agree that key to improving employment in prisons
:26:43. > :26:48.is giving more power to governors and control over what goes on in
:26:49. > :26:50.prisons and giving them in Camden ability -- accountability and
:26:51. > :27:00.control to make sure the quality is appropriate. Many members will be
:27:01. > :27:10.aware of a restaurant social enterprise. It has expanded and Parc
:27:11. > :27:12.prison is also part of the initiative, because of great
:27:13. > :27:22.governor 's leading institutions, which we can learn from. Question
:27:23. > :27:27.number eight. The Government is determined to help all offenders
:27:28. > :27:29.including ex-Armed Forces personnel in the criminal justice system to
:27:30. > :27:37.turn their lives around away from crime. I was surprised when I took
:27:38. > :27:43.over as the veterans Minister that we do not ask prisoners if they have
:27:44. > :27:50.served in the forces and we are now doing that. The vast majority of
:27:51. > :27:55.military personnel successfully transition back into civilian life
:27:56. > :28:01.however veterans represent the largest single cohort in our
:28:02. > :28:06.prisons. Will he join me in praising the excellent work of care after
:28:07. > :28:12.combat, whose project Phoenix aims to reduce reoffending rates by
:28:13. > :28:21.mentoring veterans in prison and upon release? We should praise the
:28:22. > :28:31.entire voluntary sector which help, particularly with veterans. Project
:28:32. > :28:37.Phoenix, which was started by care after combat seems to be very
:28:38. > :28:52.successful. They were successful in getting ?1 million from the libel or
:28:53. > :28:58.fund -- Libor fund. Can we help with reducing reoffending rather than
:28:59. > :29:09.dealing with it in prison, by identifying the causes? It is a good
:29:10. > :29:14.and important point. I served in the armed forces and I left early and
:29:15. > :29:23.the support was minimal. We must support them because they have
:29:24. > :29:27.fighting for us. A similar sort of question but will the Secretary of
:29:28. > :29:30.State work with this victory as it for defence and the MOD to review
:29:31. > :29:37.the transition process so we understand why so many are going
:29:38. > :29:41.into prison? One of the reasons this government brought in the military
:29:42. > :29:49.covenant act was exactly this sort of situation and I have the honour
:29:50. > :30:01.of sitting on that committee sought these discussions take place
:30:02. > :30:08.regularly. Number nine. We are interest in using sports -based
:30:09. > :30:12.initiatives. We have part funded initiative called the national
:30:13. > :30:16.alliance of support for the assistance of crime which will
:30:17. > :30:23.provide evidence for whether and how sport may assist. The often troubled
:30:24. > :30:27.people who fall prey to extremist ideology, instead of having their
:30:28. > :30:38.anger on strike directed elsewhere, are to be pitied. Is the Minister to
:30:39. > :30:41.be aware of the success of boxing in rehabilitation and will he look at
:30:42. > :30:49.piloting noncontact boxing schemes in more prisons and for more
:30:50. > :30:52.categories of fender? I thank her for question and she has been
:30:53. > :30:57.persistent on this issue and she is right there is promising evidence
:30:58. > :31:07.for the positive influence of sport in rehabilitation. Across the UK we
:31:08. > :31:13.have 183 programmes, although not in all reasons. I will be very happy to
:31:14. > :31:20.meet with my honourable friend to speak further about these
:31:21. > :31:28.initiatives. I am not convinced that teaching potential jihadists table
:31:29. > :31:40.tennis or boxing will form part of anti-radicalisation programmes. But
:31:41. > :31:48.an officer should monitor radicalisation. We will proceed
:31:49. > :31:53.according to the evidence of what we find for the initiative we have just
:31:54. > :31:57.launched. He will know the Secretary of State has launched an independent
:31:58. > :32:02.review of extremism across the prison estate. I met with the former
:32:03. > :32:12.governor who was conducting that review yesterday and we will report
:32:13. > :32:15.in due course. I'm afraid there is a widening chasm between what the
:32:16. > :32:21.Secretary of State and the Minister says about what is happening in
:32:22. > :32:26.prisons, and the reality. I do not doubt that he is sincere in his
:32:27. > :32:31.belief that improvements are happening but when in most prisons
:32:32. > :32:36.exercise in the fresh air that the honourable lady wishes to see is
:32:37. > :32:40.limited to half an hour and purposeful activity outcomes are at
:32:41. > :32:46.the lowest level inspectors ever recorded, due to understaffing, how
:32:47. > :32:58.can he suggest there is anything other than a crisis in prisons? What
:32:59. > :33:02.I can say to that is that we have been successful in getting more
:33:03. > :33:12.prison officers onto the landings in the country. A net increase in 540
:33:13. > :33:16.prison officers which means less restricted regimes, more activities,
:33:17. > :33:24.and we will carry on recruiting at that number to the end of March next
:33:25. > :33:32.year when we seek an additional 1700 to 2000 officers. The Government
:33:33. > :33:35.believes it is a modern for children and young people to have access to
:33:36. > :33:39.justice and that is why we made sure legal aid funding is available for
:33:40. > :33:47.the highest priority cases, including many related to children.
:33:48. > :33:54.It is said many children are relying more on the advice and support of
:33:55. > :34:07.their security guard them legal term. What steps are being taken to
:34:08. > :34:15.help children? We are closely impacting any changes. We have this
:34:16. > :34:17.constantly under review and would be concerned if vulnerable children
:34:18. > :34:25.were not getting the help they needed. Number 14, please. In the
:34:26. > :34:31.past five years we have taken action to put country's finances back on
:34:32. > :34:35.track, while rejecting legal aid for those who need it most. It remains a
:34:36. > :34:39.vital part of the justice system and we should make sure it is
:34:40. > :34:47.sustainable and fair for those who need it. I am pleased the recent
:34:48. > :34:53.spending review led to no further reductions in criminal legal aid. I
:34:54. > :34:59.thank him for the response. All victims of domestic violence must be
:35:00. > :35:05.fully supported. Does the Minister agree that it is vital we continue
:35:06. > :35:11.to maintain full access to justice for victims of domestic violence all
:35:12. > :35:19.the way through the legal system? Yes, I agree. We have made sure that
:35:20. > :35:24.legal aid remains available for victims of domestic violence who
:35:25. > :35:29.need it. We have made recent changes to make it easier to obtain legal
:35:30. > :35:33.aid when domestic violence is a factor and once it is granted no
:35:34. > :35:39.further applications need to be made for the duration of the case.
:35:40. > :35:43.Chester is a centre for the legal industry and I am told numerous
:35:44. > :35:47.criminal legal aid solicitors have been forced out of business or to
:35:48. > :35:54.amalgamate with large firms and barristers are being forced to
:35:55. > :35:57.subsidise the access to justice of legal cases because they are not
:35:58. > :36:02.being paid enough through the current legal aid system. Will the
:36:03. > :36:13.Minister review changes to legal aid and deal with it by reversing these
:36:14. > :36:21.disastrous changes? We have a legal aid budget of 1.6 billion pounds,
:36:22. > :36:25.one of the largest in the world. In terms of other common law due
:36:26. > :36:28.restrictions like Australia, Northern Ireland, Canada, we have
:36:29. > :36:33.double the expenditure per inhabitant. We have started a
:36:34. > :36:37.process and will see it through and I can assure him that those who are
:36:38. > :36:50.in need of legal aid will be able to have it where necessary. Number 15.
:36:51. > :36:57.We can't rule out ever withdrawing from the EC HR but our proposals are
:36:58. > :37:04.focused on remaining within the convention which retains a
:37:05. > :37:08.common-sense list of rights. A constitutional court could
:37:09. > :37:12.potentially have primacy over Strasbourg decisions and that should
:37:13. > :37:19.be a part of further consultation? He makes a powerful point. We
:37:20. > :37:21.respect that the convention includes a common-sense list of rights and
:37:22. > :37:25.wants to make sure we have the proper interpretation of those
:37:26. > :37:32.rights and a Supreme Court that remains supreme. It should also be
:37:33. > :37:39.said that where the goals posts are shifted, it ought to be this House
:37:40. > :37:43.who has the last word. It was reported last week that the
:37:44. > :37:48.consultation on government plans to scrap the Human Rights Act will not
:37:49. > :37:52.be published until the New Year. Can the Secretary of State confirm when
:37:53. > :37:56.he intends to them for a British bill of rights and will he commit to
:37:57. > :38:03.ensuring there is full consultation and adequate time will be given to
:38:04. > :38:08.consider and answer responses? We have made clear that the proposals
:38:09. > :38:14.will be brought forward in the New Year for full consultation. We want
:38:15. > :38:20.to look at the impact of the jurisprudence of the Court of
:38:21. > :38:24.Justice in Luxembourg as well as a Strasbourg but I can reassure her
:38:25. > :38:29.that we will take the Scottish views very seriously. I have met with the
:38:30. > :38:38.Scottish Justice Minister and a range of practitioners and NGOs. In
:38:39. > :38:42.June, the Secretary of State assured this House that in his view human
:38:43. > :38:46.rights were a reserved matter. However last week he told the House
:38:47. > :38:54.of Lords Constitution offers admitted that legislation is about
:38:55. > :39:02.human rights are not there reserved nor devolved -- night reserved nor
:39:03. > :39:07.devolved. Would a Bill of Rights require the consent of the Scottish
:39:08. > :39:13.Government and is here where there is no question of such consent being
:39:14. > :39:18.given? Revising the Human Rights Act can only be done by the UK
:39:19. > :39:25.Government but implementation of human rights is devolved. SNP policy
:39:26. > :39:29.suggests Westminster is attacking human rights but the SNP agree that
:39:30. > :39:35.they do not want to give prisoners the vote. After the Scotland Bill
:39:36. > :39:43.becomes law, the Scottish parliament will be able to decide who votes in
:39:44. > :39:46.Scottish elections so the only way they can continue to back prisoners
:39:47. > :39:54.is by relying on Westminster legislation. She has no
:39:55. > :40:00.responsibility to confirm anything. He engages in rhetorical
:40:01. > :40:08.pyrotechnics but we did not need a treat as an SNP party matters. The
:40:09. > :40:14.Government policy of bringing in a British Bill of Rights I'm sure will
:40:15. > :40:17.be welcome across the whole house. With the Minister confirm that
:40:18. > :40:23.rather than rushing it we get it correct and bring it forward so
:40:24. > :40:29.everyone has had their say and we get it so it will stand the test of
:40:30. > :40:33.time? He is right. We make no apology for thinking through tricky
:40:34. > :40:41.constitutional issues and if only the Labour government has done them
:40:42. > :40:49.the same -- had done the same. Tony Blair is said he had opted out from
:40:50. > :41:01.the EU chartered only to find it looked like a sieve. -- leak. I
:41:02. > :41:10.think we nearly missed the honourable gentleman.
:41:11. > :41:16.Your very kind, Mr Speaker. I returned to Scotland. Clarity on
:41:17. > :41:21.this issue is now extremely important. Will the Minister say
:41:22. > :41:25.quite clearly that the deputy leader of the house was wrong when she said
:41:26. > :41:30.human rights were, a reserved right for the UK Parliament. Would you say
:41:31. > :41:35.she was wrong? I have made very clear the position.
:41:36. > :41:40.We have consistently made clear that revising the Human Rights Act can
:41:41. > :41:49.only be done by the UK, Mack. It is very clear. -- UK Government.
:41:50. > :41:55.Question 16. The Government is monitoring
:41:56. > :42:00.caseloads. It is too early to draw any firm conclusions at this stage.
:42:01. > :42:04.We will continue to keep the impact of any changes under review. We
:42:05. > :42:08.realise the changes are not popular, but at every stage we have moved to
:42:09. > :42:12.protect the most honourable by making sure they will not have to
:42:13. > :42:17.pay new and higher fees. In the current climate it is only right
:42:18. > :42:24.that we are taking any opportunity to raise fees.
:42:25. > :42:30.In March 2015 the Court issued fee for a ?200,000 claim was raised by
:42:31. > :42:34.over 600%. Does the Minister appreciate the impact that has an
:42:35. > :42:40.small, start-up companies, many of which are in my constituency? Will
:42:41. > :42:45.he assure them they will not be a further rise after the consultation?
:42:46. > :42:48.It is important that the honourable gentleman appreciates the court
:42:49. > :42:51.system needs to be properly funded. We also need to have an effective
:42:52. > :42:57.admission system so that people cannot afford, do not pay those
:42:58. > :43:01.fees. I should also state that the honourable gentleman should remember
:43:02. > :43:07.that the court fees are a tiny fraction of the total fees incurred.
:43:08. > :43:13.Topical questions. Number one, Mr Speaker.
:43:14. > :43:19.With your position to their schmo and permission, Mr Speaker, I hope
:43:20. > :43:22.that the whole house will agree that we are on the date of prison
:43:23. > :43:29.officers who will work over the Christmas period. I wish to
:43:30. > :43:33.congratulate the newly elected leader of the prison officers
:43:34. > :43:36.Association, and my department will work with them to improve their
:43:37. > :43:40.situation and support them in every way we can.
:43:41. > :43:49.Can I associate myself with the Justice Secretary's remark. Court
:43:50. > :43:54.charges and similar matters, millions of pounds wasted so far.
:43:55. > :43:59.Could the Justice Secretary lay before the house the full cost of
:44:00. > :44:02.these changes in policy, and which minister is responsible for the
:44:03. > :44:09.waste of public money? The honourable lady started any
:44:10. > :44:14.admirable way in a bipartisan manner. The by-product of each of
:44:15. > :44:19.the policies she mentioned is that we take the decision in the best
:44:20. > :44:27.interest of the taxpayer. Paul gamba Cheney, Jim Davidson,
:44:28. > :44:31.Jimmy Tarbuck have all talked of the appalling trauma and stress of
:44:32. > :44:35.having an investigation following allegations being conducted in the
:44:36. > :44:39.full glare of publicity. And then for the case to be closed with no
:44:40. > :44:47.further action, never mind the inclusion of the BBC over the
:44:48. > :44:49.investigation of Cliff Richard. Has the Government given any
:44:50. > :44:54.consideration to turning the clock back to where it used to be, so that
:44:55. > :44:59.these investigations could be conducted with no publicity until
:45:00. > :45:05.charged? I absolutely take account of the
:45:06. > :45:10.very important point raised. It is the Government's position that there
:45:11. > :45:14.should be a right to anonymity before the point of charge. The
:45:15. > :45:19.decision to release the details of the suspect in an investigation is
:45:20. > :45:24.one for the police to take. We should not interfere in the
:45:25. > :45:29.independence of the police, but the points raised is an important one. I
:45:30. > :45:35.think it is vitally important that we recognise the right to be
:45:36. > :45:38.regarded as innocent is an important one, and one that should be
:45:39. > :45:48.respected by everyone involved in the administration of justice.
:45:49. > :45:51.Briefly, if I may, working links which run rehabilitation companies
:45:52. > :45:58.in Wales and the West of England, are announcing redundancies of up to
:45:59. > :46:01.44% of staff, some 600 jobs. If these redundancies go ahead, what
:46:02. > :46:05.will the Secretary of State do to make sure the standard us service
:46:06. > :46:09.and safety of the public is maintained?
:46:10. > :46:14.The reforms introduced in the last Parliament have enhanced the quality
:46:15. > :46:18.of probation support that offenders enjoy, and we need to make sure that
:46:19. > :46:23.the improvements that have been made or built upon. Each of the community
:46:24. > :46:33.rehabilitation companies will make their own decisions on the Nexus
:46:34. > :46:36.staff in order to those decisions. These decisions are made in the
:46:37. > :46:42.interest of safety. The Lord Chancellor has seen the
:46:43. > :46:53.outrageous treatment reported today... Article eight of the ECHR
:46:54. > :46:57.was breached by an NHS Trust which reached a -- placed a do not
:46:58. > :47:03.resuscitate order against the wishes of the family. Is it not time, in
:47:04. > :47:08.the week where we celebrate European human rights Day, for the Chancellor
:47:09. > :47:12.to do another esteemed U-turns and keep the Human Rights Act?
:47:13. > :47:16.The case the honourable gentleman raises is indeed a very serious one,
:47:17. > :47:22.and I cannot imagine any human rights legislation that any of the
:47:23. > :47:25.parties in this house would subscribe to that were in any way
:47:26. > :47:33.countenanced the sort of behaviour that he has described.
:47:34. > :47:42.A recent report revealed that nearly 400 legal travelling campers across
:47:43. > :47:44.Warwickshire in the last four years. These are costing the taxpayer
:47:45. > :47:50.hundreds of thousands of pounds. Previous Justice Secretary 's pledge
:47:51. > :47:53.to deal with this issue, so will my honourable friend agreed to meet
:47:54. > :48:01.with me to discuss the progress that has been made?
:48:02. > :48:09.Mr Speaker, illegal encampment is cause a real worry too local
:48:10. > :48:13.residents. I will meet with the honourable gentleman. Local
:48:14. > :48:18.authorities have substantial powers already. There was a situation in
:48:19. > :48:27.Harlow that has been completely resolved because of some backbone in
:48:28. > :48:30.the local government they are. Many magistrates resigned over the
:48:31. > :48:34.fees which the secretary of state has now reversed because they felt
:48:35. > :48:38.that people were pleading guilty when they were innocent, because the
:48:39. > :48:45.fees would otherwise be excessive. What estimate has the Secretary of
:48:46. > :48:48.State made while making this decision of how many innocent people
:48:49. > :48:54.pled guilty in this time? I take account of the point. I think
:48:55. > :48:59.in certain circumstances we have to let the judgments of those courts
:49:00. > :49:02.rest, but every single magistrate who felt for whatever reason he
:49:03. > :49:07.could not sit on the bench because of that policy, I would invite to
:49:08. > :49:11.reconsider. Wimbledon is the home of one of
:49:12. > :49:16.London's provision services resource centres. There is a focus on
:49:17. > :49:21.providing ex-offenders with education. Given the importance of
:49:22. > :49:31.education skills to rehabilitation, does my friend agree that the
:49:32. > :49:37.rehabilitation service need someone can bring a concentration on that?
:49:38. > :49:45.I agree with my honourable friend. He will be aware of the importance
:49:46. > :49:56.of improving education in prayer the Leigh prisons, as highlighted in the
:49:57. > :50:03.review. I work in the pointy made. Mr Speaker, further to my earlier
:50:04. > :50:06.intervention, could I remind the Minister of the tens if not hundreds
:50:07. > :50:14.of thousands of pounds that had been spent in recent years on the courts
:50:15. > :50:18.in the Pontypridd and Bridgend. When they consider the upgrades, they
:50:19. > :50:22.have been upgraded, do not close them.
:50:23. > :50:29.What I say is that access to justice comes in very spawns. Can I say one
:50:30. > :50:34.thing to him that an African Chief Justice said to me earlier this
:50:35. > :50:37.year? He said that he wanted to see a justice system whereby the people
:50:38. > :50:41.living in the villages outside the capital city could access their
:50:42. > :50:44.courts through their mobile phones. That is how the world is
:50:45. > :50:50.progressing, and we have to make sure we keep pace with it as well.
:50:51. > :50:53.Will keep the majesty of the court building for those serious cases
:50:54. > :50:56.which require it, but we need to recognise that modern technology
:50:57. > :51:06.requires different forms of unification, and accessed to justice
:51:07. > :51:11.is not what it was in the past. The statement last week was welcome
:51:12. > :51:16.on a number of counts, in particular the reference to problem-solving
:51:17. > :51:19.courts in New York which the Justice Select Committee has looked at in
:51:20. > :51:25.on the disgust the Leigh discussions on the disgust the Leigh discussions
:51:26. > :51:34.he is having and how we take this process forward? -- the discussions.
:51:35. > :51:44.We are hearing from the chair of the justice let committee,... Secretary
:51:45. > :51:47.of State. I think it was the case that Lord
:51:48. > :51:53.Woolf when he was Lord Chief Justice and David Blunkett agreed that it
:51:54. > :51:59.was important to exploit the potential of probable scoring
:52:00. > :52:06.courts, to -- problem-solving courts. I know that the Justice
:52:07. > :52:14.Select Committee has highlighted certain work in America and will
:52:15. > :52:19.make announcements of decisions... The Government's own figures
:52:20. > :52:23.revealed the number of serious crimes committed by violent and sex
:52:24. > :52:30.offenders after leaving prison has risen by more than 28%. 222
:52:31. > :52:35.offenders under supervision in community were charged with crime
:52:36. > :52:42.including murderers, manslaughter and sexual offences in 2014. This
:52:43. > :52:47.has been said this is partly due to the privatisation, so that
:52:48. > :52:51.information exchange between agencies is not quite enough. Will
:52:52. > :52:54.the Minister explain what urgent steps he's taking to address this
:52:55. > :53:01.issue? The honourable Lido is right that
:53:02. > :53:05.serious offences are serious matters from which we must learn every
:53:06. > :53:11.possible lesson to make sure there is now repeat. But I do not agree
:53:12. > :53:14.with her that the rehabilitation reforms are in anyway responsible
:53:15. > :53:21.for a degradation of the probation service. I would remind her that
:53:22. > :53:24.there are 45,000 criminals who are now receiving probation supervision
:53:25. > :53:36.who did not get it before, because the last government brought in a
:53:37. > :53:40.system where they did not receive probation after being in prison for
:53:41. > :53:48.less than a year. Will the Minister's Department be
:53:49. > :53:53.giving full consideration for the case for Lowestoft magistrate court
:53:54. > :53:57.to remain open? I had to beat it with my honourable
:53:58. > :54:00.friend, and I can assure him that we are giving very serious
:54:01. > :54:03.consideration to all that he and his colleagues have given in regard to
:54:04. > :54:11.his local court. Has the Minister read the recent
:54:12. > :54:19.Locked Out report by Barnardos would say that improvements to a scheme
:54:20. > :54:26.mean that a child's right to see his father being eroded. Does the
:54:27. > :54:31.Minister think this is a good thing for the children whose fathers are
:54:32. > :54:34.in jail? I have met with Barnardos on a
:54:35. > :54:37.number of occasions and pay tribute to the work they do in this area.
:54:38. > :54:41.The secretary of state and I maintain the highest importance on
:54:42. > :54:46.maintaining family links for prisoners. You will continue to look
:54:47. > :54:53.at this policy and all policies which threaten family relationships.
:54:54. > :54:59.On the 27th of November, a transgender prisoner killed herself
:55:00. > :55:05.while serving in a male jail. What is the Government banning to do to
:55:06. > :55:12.address concern of another tragic death by a member of this honourable
:55:13. > :55:16.group of people? We take absolutely every death in
:55:17. > :55:20.custody very seriously. The management and care or transgendered
:55:21. > :55:24.people in prison is very complex and something we take seriously. We are
:55:25. > :55:29.currently undertaking a review of the relevant instruction to make
:55:30. > :55:33.sure that it does provide the correct balance between the
:55:34. > :55:39.individual and responsibility to safeguard all prisoners. This will
:55:40. > :55:46.be widened today to see what provision we can make across all
:55:47. > :55:50.areas of UK prisons. This review will engage with relevant
:55:51. > :55:58.stakeholders, and in addition, Peter Dawson from the Prison Reform Trust
:55:59. > :56:08.and a Dr from Gendered Intelligence which will be completed next year.
:56:09. > :56:18.I say kindly to the Minister that sometimes they may trim the official
:56:19. > :56:24.jargon which is written for them by others. The prison at Wrexham is
:56:25. > :56:29.extremely welcome but has the Minister had a chance to look at
:56:30. > :56:38.concerns made by the First Minister about the health care costs falling
:56:39. > :56:42.on the Assembly? I visited Wrexham a couple of weeks ago and I can tell
:56:43. > :56:48.the House the prison is progressing well and it has excellent work
:56:49. > :56:51.facilities. I am aware of his point and we will continue negotiations
:56:52. > :57:01.with the Welsh government. That is all I can say at this time. Our
:57:02. > :57:09.court system not only provides effective justice but it is also the
:57:10. > :57:17.choice of four for foreign litigation. Will he ensure our
:57:18. > :57:20.courts are not only effective for the resolution of domestic
:57:21. > :57:27.litigation but also international dispute resolution? It is a good
:57:28. > :57:33.point but she should bear in mind that the reason people come to
:57:34. > :57:38.Britain for legislation is not because of fees but expertise and
:57:39. > :57:43.the fact that UK law is used by large part of the world as well. How
:57:44. > :57:52.is transforming rehabilitation in Wales likely to achieve targets if
:57:53. > :57:59.operations are to move to Middlesbrough, making 200 staff
:58:00. > :58:05.redundant? I would say that these reforms give us the opportunity to
:58:06. > :58:09.bring down reoffending rates which have been high for a long time. We
:58:10. > :58:14.are tracking the performance very closely and we will continue to do
:58:15. > :58:19.so and in time I think we will see significant results from these
:58:20. > :58:24.reforms. I wrote to the Lord Chancellor and received on
:58:25. > :58:35.uncharacteristically noncommittal reply. Witty agree that the maximum
:58:36. > :58:39.tariff for child could take -- child cruelty, ten years, is to walk, and
:58:40. > :58:51.whether they will raise its 214 years? -- to 14 years? I'm afraid I
:58:52. > :59:01.will have to retain the enigmatic prevarication which characterised my
:59:02. > :59:07.previous communication with him. The High Court ruling of the 26th of
:59:08. > :59:12.November regarding the benefit cap applies to disabled people and their
:59:13. > :59:18.carers. What advice will he get to the secretary site for work and
:59:19. > :59:27.pensions in light of that? I will discuss it with him later. Order.
:59:28. > :59:54.Will the member wishing to take his seat please come to the table?
:59:55. > :00:06.Raise the Bible in your right hand. I swear by Almighty God that I will
:00:07. > :00:07.be faithful and bear allegiance to Queen