Live Justice Questions

:00:09. > :00:18.Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the Commons. Alistair

:00:19. > :00:21.Carmichael will be asking an urgent question concerning the UK's

:00:22. > :00:25.membership of the European Convention on Human Rights. The main

:00:26. > :00:31.business in the Chamber is continued debate on the Government's Policing

:00:32. > :00:35.and Crime Bill. It allows Police and Crime Commissioner is to take over

:00:36. > :00:41.responsibility for Fire And Rescue Services in England and Wales. Join

:00:42. > :00:47.me for a round-up of the day in both Houses of Parliament at 11 o'clock

:00:48. > :00:50.tonight. First, questions to the Secretary of State for Justice,

:00:51. > :00:56.Michael Gove and his ministers. First question today from Jeff Smith

:00:57. > :00:57.concerns that provision within the criminal justice system for people

:00:58. > :01:26.with mental health issues. Order, order. Questions to the

:01:27. > :01:31.Secretary of State for Justice. With your permission I would like to

:01:32. > :01:35.group this question with numbers ten and 14. Mental health is taken

:01:36. > :01:38.seriously across the criminal justice system. Mental health

:01:39. > :01:43.services are commissioned by NHS England and local health boards in

:01:44. > :01:47.Wales and are based on locally assessed need. We are working with

:01:48. > :01:54.health partners to improve services in both custody and in the

:01:55. > :01:56.community. Liaison and diversion services are important to ensure

:01:57. > :02:00.ensuring people with mental health issues get the help they need and

:02:01. > :02:05.the expansion of the programme is welcome. Half the country isn't

:02:06. > :02:12.covered and there has been a long way for the business cake to -- case

:02:13. > :02:20.to get to 100%. Can she confirm when all areas expect to have liaison and

:02:21. > :02:25.diversion services in place? We have developed liaison and diversion

:02:26. > :02:32.services in agreement with other departments. Through this system

:02:33. > :02:37.clinicians access and referred those that have mental health needs to the

:02:38. > :02:41.treatment they need. This happens at the earliest possible contact with

:02:42. > :02:45.the criminal justice system. It is working very well. It is a joint

:02:46. > :02:50.Government programme which is why I would like to see it rolled out at

:02:51. > :03:05.its earliest convenience. We will keep the honourable gentleman

:03:06. > :03:09.updated. The mental health charity, Mind, they have said there is impact

:03:10. > :03:15.on their ability to access justice. The refusal to conduct a full review

:03:16. > :03:20.into the effects of their harsh legal aid cuts and the damaging

:03:21. > :03:27.effect they are having on the most vulnerable. He will know we are

:03:28. > :03:32.spending ?1.6 billion which is one of the most generous legal aid

:03:33. > :03:35.systems in the world. It is right that vulnerable people should be

:03:36. > :03:43.supported through the criminal justice system and at every point of

:03:44. > :03:47.access into the justice system. That is why the judiciary are trained to

:03:48. > :03:55.be able to assist them and the changes to the court system will

:03:56. > :03:58.support this. There has been an increased number of survivors of

:03:59. > :04:03.domestic abuse who forced to represent themselves in the family

:04:04. > :04:08.courts as litigants in person. A survey found 25% of the woman had

:04:09. > :04:13.been directly questioned by their perpetrator in court. The mental

:04:14. > :04:17.distress caused to a woman being cross-examined by their perpetrator

:04:18. > :04:21.who may have beaten and raped them is undoubtedly causing mental

:04:22. > :04:24.distress. What is the minister doing to improve access to legal aid for

:04:25. > :04:32.victims of domestic abuse as the current system is clearly not

:04:33. > :04:38.working? She is right to raise this issue. The Government is committed

:04:39. > :04:41.to supporting all vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, especially

:04:42. > :04:46.those that have been subject to a domestic abuse and give them the

:04:47. > :04:50.best evidence and to see the offenders are brought to justice. We

:04:51. > :04:59.have put measures in place that gave them the ability to give evidence

:05:00. > :05:03.via a screen across the court roared -- call room, via a video link or a

:05:04. > :05:07.location away from the core building. Following the Court of

:05:08. > :05:10.Appeal's judgment, we are taking immediate action to change our

:05:11. > :05:14.arrangements and we are now more than doubling the original

:05:15. > :05:22.time-limit of evidence from two to five years for domestic violence and

:05:23. > :05:27.also looking into financial abuse as well. Could the Minister outline how

:05:28. > :05:32.the Government's prison reform plans by giving or greater autonomy to

:05:33. > :05:37.prison governors will be able to tailor mental health help for the

:05:38. > :05:41.benefit of all prisoners? We are moving towards full co-commissioning

:05:42. > :05:44.of mental health services for governors and NHS in England. Prism

:05:45. > :05:48.readers can have more say in defining the kind of services that

:05:49. > :05:53.prisoners need and how the available budget is used. This will begin in

:05:54. > :06:01.reform cousins and it successor will apply nation wide from 2017.

:06:02. > :06:06.Rehabilitation and treatment will be at its very core. The criminal

:06:07. > :06:10.justice systems, Kay enough, whether you have mental health issues or

:06:11. > :06:14.not. Will the Minister ensure that for victims of crime who have mental

:06:15. > :06:20.health issues, they are given the help they need to submit victim

:06:21. > :06:28.impact statements to the court in the proper way? This is fundamental

:06:29. > :06:33.supporting people through their individual circumstances and stop we

:06:34. > :06:38.are looking at this in the Justice department at the moment. Judges are

:06:39. > :06:43.trained to support vulnerable witnesses and victims at every

:06:44. > :06:48.stage. The issue between mental health and addiction is, can the

:06:49. > :06:55.Minister shall be when these matters are dealt with at court about

:06:56. > :06:58.referrals to effective treatment? There was evidence that there were

:06:59. > :07:03.some local authorities that did have drug treatment for youth offenders

:07:04. > :07:09.but other authorities did not have the provision. Can we ensure there

:07:10. > :07:13.is uniform provision for these people? This is a crucial point.

:07:14. > :07:18.We're working to bring together my temple -- mental health and drug and

:07:19. > :07:24.alcohol treatments at every stage alongside police, courts, prisons

:07:25. > :07:29.and probation. This includes making sure appropriate treatments are

:07:30. > :07:34.available if they are made as part of sentences with mandated health

:07:35. > :07:38.interventions. Charities like the Langley house trust of a specialist

:07:39. > :07:43.mental health support to businesses when they -- people when they have

:07:44. > :07:47.left prison. They have acquired a property on Milton Street. We do

:07:48. > :07:50.support Michael for them to meet with the town council this evening

:07:51. > :07:58.to reassure the local community fears and make sure that commuters

:07:59. > :08:06.can work together? I would very much like to look at the circumstances

:08:07. > :08:08.the honourable lady has suggested. Our transforming rehabilitation

:08:09. > :08:15.changes have put in the support that sometimes people whom have short

:08:16. > :08:22.circuses have never had before. They may be some sport that the company

:08:23. > :08:26.can give on matters well. The jury has given their verdict at the

:08:27. > :08:29.inquest into the death of 96 fans at the Hillsborough disaster and today

:08:30. > :08:33.is a hugely important day for all those who seek to protect and

:08:34. > :08:36.promote justice and in particular our thoughts are with those families

:08:37. > :08:41.who have fought for almost 30 years to establish the truth of what

:08:42. > :08:48.happened on that day. The number of suicides in prison between 2013 and

:08:49. > :08:52.2015 was 53% higher than over the previous two years. It amounted to

:08:53. > :08:58.one person tragically taking their life every four days. 40% of those

:08:59. > :09:04.who died had been identified at risk under the assessment, care and

:09:05. > :09:08.custody and teamwork process. Can the Minister explain why so many

:09:09. > :09:12.vulnerable prisoners are not being identified in the first place when

:09:13. > :09:20.they are, why so many are not getting the help that they need? The

:09:21. > :09:27.honourable lady is right to draw attention to the Hillsborough

:09:28. > :09:31.report. Every self-inflicted death in prison is an absolute tragedy and

:09:32. > :09:34.we are committing to reduce the self-inflicted deaths in prison.

:09:35. > :09:39.There has been no more than there was last year but every single one

:09:40. > :09:42.of those is a tragedy. We will overhaul how mental health was

:09:43. > :09:46.treated in prison is giving governors are much greater say over

:09:47. > :09:54.what services their prisoners need and how the available budget is

:09:55. > :09:57.used. It was Labour's inexplicable refusal to introduce waiting times

:09:58. > :10:01.as the same time they reduced physical health care which has set

:10:02. > :10:04.back the cause of mental health Assembly years. In some cases saw

:10:05. > :10:09.people being sentenced to prison in order to access the support that

:10:10. > :10:12.they couldn't get in the community. I'm disappointed the Secretary of

:10:13. > :10:17.State is insisting at the heart of his missed a real team. I heart -- I

:10:18. > :10:20.hope the right honourable gentleman isn't looking uncharacteristically

:10:21. > :10:33.in the shadows. We wouldn't want that. I will answer questions two

:10:34. > :10:38.and six together. We want prisons to be places of hard work and high

:10:39. > :10:42.ambition which is why we will give governors more autonomy and hold

:10:43. > :10:45.them to account by publishing employment outcomes for prisoners so

:10:46. > :10:52.that we can compare results between prisons. We know how beneficial and

:10:53. > :10:56.employment is for the rehabilitation of young adult offenders in

:10:57. > :11:00.particular. Can my honourable friend buys the House on specific plans

:11:01. > :11:06.that he has two increase employment in this cohort? I know how seriously

:11:07. > :11:11.my honourable friend takes this issue and she is right to do so. The

:11:12. > :11:15.area I would point her two for young offenders is construction where

:11:16. > :11:19.there are huge opportunities. The National Grid young offenders scheme

:11:20. > :11:24.has a 10-year reoffending rate of less than 7%. I was with Balfour

:11:25. > :11:27.Beatty in a prison in North Yorkshire and they are employing

:11:28. > :11:33.young ex-offenders. I can tell how is that we have two non-security

:11:34. > :11:38.construction academies comprising dry lining, scaffolding and tumbling

:11:39. > :11:49.and I am assured that these last two activities have been risk assessed.

:11:50. > :11:57.What it was the representative the honourable gentleman is of this

:11:58. > :12:01.Government. Is the Minister aware of outstanding

:12:02. > :12:05.pathfinder project in North Wales in my constituency that offers holistic

:12:06. > :12:10.support to women offenders in line with recommendations in the Corston

:12:11. > :12:16.report. Witty journey in urging the Government tit insurer provision for

:12:17. > :12:24.rehabilitation of women offenders, to avoid the cost of thing Caceres

:12:25. > :12:30.and from relatively minor offences? I'm very grateful to my honourable

:12:31. > :12:34.friend for drunk the house's attention to this rehabilitation

:12:35. > :12:41.centre. The Government is committed to supporting vulnerable women to

:12:42. > :12:48.turning their lives around. Can I remind the Minister and

:12:49. > :12:55.secretary of state that one of the real problems we face - and it is

:12:56. > :13:00.wild autism week this week- is that when prisoners go into prison they

:13:01. > :13:05.aren't assessed properly. Could we have a system where autism is

:13:06. > :13:10.important, many people who go to prison are on the autism scale?

:13:11. > :13:14.I'm absolutely delighted to have this issue raised. I can tell the

:13:15. > :13:24.honourable gentleman I'm extremely proud the UK has the first autism

:13:25. > :13:28.prosody of risen -- autism positive prison. I want to see more prisons

:13:29. > :13:36.going and he is right to raise the issue.

:13:37. > :13:40.The Minister has two laudable objectives- work in prison and

:13:41. > :13:43.reducing offending outside prison. But could he tell me how he intends

:13:44. > :13:50.to do that when staffing is under such severe pressure due to the

:13:51. > :13:54.number of officers? And when did he intend to produce the guidance to

:13:55. > :13:59.governors on reoffending in their own prisons.

:14:00. > :14:04.I can tell the right Honourable gentleman that we are carrying on

:14:05. > :14:10.recruiting prison officers at full throttle. Last year we recruited 50

:14:11. > :14:19.2000. I am optimistic about the employment agenda, as more and more

:14:20. > :14:28.employers... Will provide governors with all the guidance they need.

:14:29. > :14:33.Will the Minister support employers coming into prisons to offer

:14:34. > :14:37.training so that offenders can be better placed to find a job when

:14:38. > :14:42.they believe risen, more likely to stay out of prison in future?

:14:43. > :14:45.My honourable friend is absolutely right. I can tell him that more and

:14:46. > :14:54.more unemployment road shows around the

:14:55. > :15:03.country, I mentioned Balfour Beatty, they were in Durham prison last week

:15:04. > :15:08.where prisoners were offered jobs. I recently met a Glasgow lady who

:15:09. > :15:14.started up her own enterprise introducing reusable sandwich

:15:15. > :15:22.wrappers. The manufacturing was done by inmates at, neck prison, a skill

:15:23. > :15:30.which helps their rehabilitation. -- Kilmarnock prison. What provision is

:15:31. > :15:35.being made to introduce such schemes?

:15:36. > :15:43.Self-employment and enterprise are as important as employment. Loans

:15:44. > :15:49.can be drawn down and the challenge Day in Durham was also about the

:15:50. > :15:55.self-employment rate. I do hope the Minister can insure

:15:56. > :15:59.the house that prisoners were given their tunnelling skills after prison

:16:00. > :16:02.and not as a means of departure. Have they possibly looked at some

:16:03. > :16:06.form of apprenticeship programme within the prisons to give

:16:07. > :16:12.vocational skills to those who need them?

:16:13. > :16:17.I'm very keen to develop the Avenue my honourable friend takes me down.

:16:18. > :16:21.We could certainly look at a traineeship within prisons, which is

:16:22. > :16:28.a first step to apprenticeship. I am meeting with officials shortly to

:16:29. > :16:32.take the sport. With the Minister hold discussions

:16:33. > :16:41.with Justice ministers in devolved legislations so that best practice,

:16:42. > :16:46.particularly in prisoners in my constituency can do that productive

:16:47. > :16:50.work which leads to lowering reoffending rates?

:16:51. > :16:54.I will seek to learn from that best practice. Perhaps the honourable

:16:55. > :17:01.gentleman could write to me with details of that, I will certainly

:17:02. > :17:05.look at it. Another day, and another critical

:17:06. > :17:14.report is published by the Chief Inspector of prisons. This time from

:17:15. > :17:18.Lewes prison. Inspectors at Willis found prisoners routinely kept in

:17:19. > :17:22.the cells for 23 hours per day. This follows the report at one with

:17:23. > :17:26.scrubs, which is described as continuing to fall short of expected

:17:27. > :17:33.standards. At time of their inspection, there is little cause

:17:34. > :17:37.for optimism -- Wormwood Scrubs. Reoffending rates are at an all-time

:17:38. > :17:41.high. The Justice Secretary has been in his job for a year now, and we

:17:42. > :17:44.have heard a lot of talk about reform. Isn't it time for him to

:17:45. > :17:50.stop talking and start doing something?

:17:51. > :17:55.The Government recognises that we have a long way to go to improve our

:17:56. > :17:59.prisons, which is why the secretary of state has laid out a full reform

:18:00. > :18:02.programme. I went to Wormwood Scrubs last week, and I can tell heard

:18:03. > :18:07.there were a number of jobs fair is in the prisons, which lead to jobs.

:18:08. > :18:12.There is a good governor there, and we can look forward to improvements.

:18:13. > :18:17.I have seen the report on Lewes prison, there are some positives

:18:18. > :18:21.there, not least the relationship between the prison and communicate

:18:22. > :18:32.reevaluation. reevaluation.

:18:33. > :18:40.Speaker, as you can see I have a talented team of ministers. They are

:18:41. > :18:42.the equivalent of the Oxlade-Chamberlain, the latter, the

:18:43. > :18:51.total of this Parliament, so I am very pleased to be on the subs bench

:18:52. > :18:55.for this time. Dame Sally Coates has been leading a review of education

:18:56. > :19:03.in prisons. A report made clear that prisoners should be able to choose

:19:04. > :19:10.the service that they give. With my right honourable friend

:19:11. > :19:21.agree that it is imperative that the conditions of the review...

:19:22. > :19:25.I agree with my honourable friend. Leaks may note that as well as being

:19:26. > :19:28.a distant which Member of Parliament, he has also written for

:19:29. > :19:34.the prisons newspaper on the need to improve education. He has experience

:19:35. > :19:40.in music and education, equipping him to make the point. Education

:19:41. > :19:45.should not be about just gathering skills, but also opening minds to

:19:46. > :19:51.art and culture and new horizons. We have heard that better education

:19:52. > :19:55.slows the revolving door between crime and incarceration. Could my

:19:56. > :19:58.friend there for update the house on the announcement made by the Prime

:19:59. > :20:05.Minister for a teach Ivan first style scheme in prisons?

:20:06. > :20:13.One of my former colleagues is leading work along with a formidable

:20:14. > :20:17.social entrepreneur who had worked with teach first to establish a new

:20:18. > :20:22.charity. The runway more details about both government funding and

:20:23. > :20:26.how we propose to recruit a generation of talented graduates to

:20:27. > :20:32.work on our prisons. I understand the average age of

:20:33. > :20:36.reading among prisoners is just 11. What plans does my right honourable

:20:37. > :20:44.friend have to ensure that people, when they beat prison, can read and

:20:45. > :20:48.write and be off drugs? The honourable friend strikes at the

:20:49. > :20:53.heart of the principal problems prisoners face. It is very often

:20:54. > :20:58.that prisoners had had a poor educational experience, one of the

:20:59. > :21:05.reasons why they are drawn into criminal activity. We need to screen

:21:06. > :21:08.every prisoner when the arrive in custody so we can ascertain the

:21:09. > :21:14.skills they have, and judge risen is on the skills that the ad. As for

:21:15. > :21:20.the problem of substance abuse, that is a huge problem that we return to.

:21:21. > :21:25.Stead's annual report highlighted that learning skills and work within

:21:26. > :21:29.the present state of some of the worst available in the sector.

:21:30. > :21:33.What's more is the secretary of state doing to ensure that this

:21:34. > :21:40.vital part of the rehabilitation of prisoners is brought up to scratch

:21:41. > :21:42.as it should be? The chief inspector has been

:21:43. > :21:49.brilliant, and he is absolutely right. There is some outstanding

:21:50. > :21:52.examples, but sadly too few. One of the problems has been that a small

:21:53. > :21:56.group or providers have been responsible for providing education

:21:57. > :21:58.in prison, large and inflexible contracts have meant they haven't

:21:59. > :22:03.been as responsive to individual needs as they should have been. One

:22:04. > :22:08.thing that one change is the amount that we spent on education, that has

:22:09. > :22:12.been ring fenced. I would like to check if there are

:22:13. > :22:16.any formal links between the prison service itself and the further

:22:17. > :22:21.education colleges to develop those apprenticeship schemes we heard

:22:22. > :22:24.about earlier? I'm very anxious to expand

:22:25. > :22:27.apprenticeships within prison. I been working with the

:22:28. > :22:31.apprenticeships minister to do just that. One of the challenges we have

:22:32. > :22:35.is that the current further education providers within prison-

:22:36. > :22:43.the do have excellent examples of best practice, it is not the case in

:22:44. > :22:45.every case. Can the Minister assure the house

:22:46. > :22:51.that progress in prisons will form one of the metrics of the new league

:22:52. > :22:55.tables for prisons? My honourable friend is right to say

:22:56. > :23:00.that if we give people greater autonomy, they have to be held to

:23:01. > :23:03.account. It is absolutely vital that they are held to account for

:23:04. > :23:09.educational performance and the value they add.

:23:10. > :23:16.The Secretary of State's personal commitment to this is clear from

:23:17. > :23:21.this excellent article in Inside Time. Will he accept that one of the

:23:22. > :23:26.biggest obstacles is the fact that listeners in the current state are

:23:27. > :23:35.locked up for great length of time, and it is difficult to achieve this.

:23:36. > :23:43.Any assurers that new properties will be integral to the review?

:23:44. > :23:48.It is simply not good enough that prisoners are in the cells to 23

:23:49. > :23:52.hours at a time. Time out or sell as a key indicator of how effective a

:23:53. > :23:56.prison is run. Not the only one, but it is very important. I honourable

:23:57. > :24:00.friend is absolutely right to point out that when we think of new prison

:24:01. > :24:07.design we should concentrate on time outside a cell. I visited a prison

:24:08. > :24:13.outside of Berlin where prisoners spend much more time outside the

:24:14. > :24:20.cells than in this country. We can learn a lot from the Germans in this

:24:21. > :24:22.case. The Government remains concerned

:24:23. > :24:28.about the number and cost of whiplash claims, in particular the

:24:29. > :24:34.risk of an meritorious claims that push up premiums for customers. We

:24:35. > :24:46.will consult in due course and an impact assessment will be released.

:24:47. > :24:48.The still seems to be no independent confirmation of this fraudulent

:24:49. > :24:56.claim epidemic as the reason to raise claims. What independent

:24:57. > :25:03.evidence has the Minister had for fraud culture? And would it not been

:25:04. > :25:06.more effective to legislate to stop the ambulance chasing claims

:25:07. > :25:09.companies making unsolicited calls rather than deny justice to those

:25:10. > :25:13.who have been injured through no fault of their own?

:25:14. > :25:17.We should certainly address both particular angles. The Chancellor

:25:18. > :25:21.has already announced proposals for the right to claim damages for very

:25:22. > :25:26.minor claims and to increase small claims limit to ?5,000, which is

:25:27. > :25:31.important, because that will help us cut the cost of resolving cases.

:25:32. > :25:34.Critically, it will save the insurance industry ?1 billion

:25:35. > :25:43.annually, and they are committed to passing the savings to customers.

:25:44. > :25:46.Does the Minister share my concern that car insurance premiums are ?93

:25:47. > :25:52.per year higher than they need to be, thanks to fraudulent claims, and

:25:53. > :25:58.the claims are orders of magnitude higher than Europe. Will these

:25:59. > :26:04.measures go way to combating this practice?

:26:05. > :26:07.The key thing for us as we move forward to the consultation is that

:26:08. > :26:12.all the evidence is to make sure that is proper access to justice.

:26:13. > :26:19.But also to make sure we cut the cost to consumers for insurance

:26:20. > :26:23.premiums. If these reforms are so positive,

:26:24. > :26:26.why does the Minister think it is that the president of the Law

:26:27. > :26:31.Society is gravely concerned that they undermined the rights of

:26:32. > :26:37.ordinary citizens to obtain compensation for negligence?

:26:38. > :26:41.I think the losses IT protects the pressure at all interests of their

:26:42. > :26:45.members. -- Law Society protects the professional interests. We need to

:26:46. > :26:47.take into account everything rather than just what the lawyers think.

:26:48. > :26:57.take into account everything rather than just what the lawyers think.

:26:58. > :27:04.Given the court has the power to strike out fraudulent claims, why

:27:05. > :27:11.should the majority be penalised because of the potential criminal

:27:12. > :27:17.behaviour of the few? Reforms are precisely aimed at weeding out

:27:18. > :27:23.frivolous or trivial claims, making sure we preserve access to justice

:27:24. > :27:30.for the important claims but at the same time making sure the whole rest

:27:31. > :27:35.of people paying their insurance premiums year in, year out, aren't

:27:36. > :27:44.being penalised by people taking the system for a ride. The Government is

:27:45. > :27:47.committed to making sure we have robust and consistent punishment for

:27:48. > :27:51.those who are killed or seriously injured on our roads. We will

:27:52. > :28:06.consult on further personas oils and we intend to do so later on this

:28:07. > :28:09.year. I ask on behalf of one of my constituents are 21-year-old man

:28:10. > :28:13.Alex Jeffrey was killed by a dangerous driver, the sentence was

:28:14. > :28:18.only four years and three months. It will end up being less than that.

:28:19. > :28:24.Will we reach a time when death by dangerous diving sentences are the

:28:25. > :28:30.same for murder? A car can be the same as a weapon in the same hands.

:28:31. > :28:36.I am aware of the tragic case and our deepest sympathies go to his

:28:37. > :28:43.family. Since 2010, the custody rate for causing death by dangerous

:28:44. > :28:49.riding -- driving has written -- has risen to 61%. We will look again at

:28:50. > :28:55.this area and she is right that there should be consistency with the

:28:56. > :29:05.sentencing for homicide offences. They review -- the review into

:29:06. > :29:10.sentencing was decided in 2014. Can the Minister gave us a clear date

:29:11. > :29:17.and will he say that we will look at ending the charge of careless death

:29:18. > :29:21.driving which simply denies families justice? We will consult this year

:29:22. > :29:26.and look at the full range of driving offences. It is important to

:29:27. > :29:31.make sure there is proper accountability but also consistency

:29:32. > :29:34.between the offences and the bespoke offences and sentences we have in

:29:35. > :29:41.this area with a wider sentencing around homicide offences. One of the

:29:42. > :29:45.key drivers of deaths on the road and all dangerous driving offences

:29:46. > :29:50.is alcohol. Given the enormous success of the powers in Croydon

:29:51. > :29:59.with 93% compliance and evidence from the US, will the Minister

:30:00. > :30:03.consider alcohol orders as a mandate of a punishment for those convicted

:30:04. > :30:08.of driving offences where alcohol is involved? He raises a very

:30:09. > :30:19.interesting area. It is something we will be willing to look at in the

:30:20. > :30:22.course of our consultation. I can assure the honourable lady that

:30:23. > :30:26.progress has been made to upgrade technology in the courts and

:30:27. > :30:30.tribunal state. I am happy to confirm to her that the vast

:30:31. > :30:33.majority of our criminal courts are now equipped to work digitally and

:30:34. > :30:40.we are reducing reliance on paper bundles. New digital services like

:30:41. > :30:47.shared drives and Wi-Fi are enabling professional uses the judiciary and

:30:48. > :30:51.court staff to work digitally. I am grateful for that response. But the

:30:52. > :30:55.Magistrates' Court and the family and County Court in Halifax Juve

:30:56. > :31:00.closure. It revealed that the overall investment plans have not

:31:01. > :31:06.changed or been updated following the announcement that 86 courts to

:31:07. > :31:10.close. Can the Minister tell me what plans them right to update the

:31:11. > :31:16.digitalisation programme to make sure it is accessible in other areas

:31:17. > :31:18.out of court? I know she takes this issue seriously and in my very

:31:19. > :31:25.regular meetings with senior management of the Tribunal service,

:31:26. > :31:29.this is an issue raised at the top of the agenda. There is a loss that

:31:30. > :31:34.is happening and not all of it gets into the public domain. Reducing

:31:35. > :31:38.reliance on criminal courts, we have the digital case system which now

:31:39. > :31:43.holds over 94,000 pages of information that would otherwise

:31:44. > :31:50.have been printed in Treblinka. Also there is the new National automated

:31:51. > :32:00.rotor system for magistrates which is now live for many thousands of

:32:01. > :32:02.magistrates. I welcome the development of upgrading technology

:32:03. > :32:09.in the traditional court setting. Even in civil claims which now takes

:32:10. > :32:13.claims online. Will the Secretary of State the intimate permitting the

:32:14. > :32:19.more radical proposals of this sizzle -- civil Justice Council to

:32:20. > :32:26.include an online resolution for online claims? I want to say to her

:32:27. > :32:33.that we are keen to make sure that we have the most updated and modern

:32:34. > :32:45.court system in the world fit for the 21st-century and we are ruling

:32:46. > :32:54.nothing out. Warning on focusing technology and not on the users,

:32:55. > :32:58.what is being done to help training? We need to recognise the real world

:32:59. > :33:02.which is technically logically advanced and we are working closely

:33:03. > :33:06.with the users and the lawyers and all those involved in the legal

:33:07. > :33:11.process. I'm happy to confirm that at the moment they buy in that we

:33:12. > :33:20.are getting the lawyers the public are very optimistic. The Ministry of

:33:21. > :33:24.Justice has been in contact with G4S and we are monitoring the progress

:33:25. > :33:29.of the potential sale to ensure it does not jeopardise the delivery of

:33:30. > :33:34.care at their secure training centres. I am sure the Minister

:33:35. > :33:38.agrees that a breach of care at Medway secure centre demonstrates

:33:39. > :33:43.the risks involved. When a state duty of care is entrusted to a

:33:44. > :33:48.private organisation, can he confirm how he intends to ensure that any

:33:49. > :33:51.transfer rate of the contracts in question will ensure a duty of care

:33:52. > :33:55.more robustly and alternatively be what assessment has made of

:33:56. > :34:01.transferring contracts back to the public sector? The Ministry of

:34:02. > :34:08.Justice continues to retain its rights over determining any transfer

:34:09. > :34:12.of the contracts from G4S. Also the Secretary of State appointed an

:34:13. > :34:14.independent improvement board at Medway, whose recommendations we

:34:15. > :34:20.will consider and no doubt will be of value for the future. Finally,

:34:21. > :34:26.the Charlie Taylor review is looking at the whole area of youth justice

:34:27. > :34:32.to put education at its heart in a safe and nurturing environment where

:34:33. > :34:37.we make real educational progress. Next week, we will see a new

:34:38. > :34:43.contract holder for the secure training centre. The contract has

:34:44. > :34:49.been awarded to an American company. After the appalling record of G4S,

:34:50. > :34:54.how can the Minister justify a contract being awarded to a company

:34:55. > :34:59.that has one of its American prisons and age digital oversight due to a

:35:00. > :35:10.quote, cruel and unusual punishments being administered by its staff? How

:35:11. > :35:13.can this be justified? There is some dispute over the American history

:35:14. > :35:19.and I will write to him on that point. What I will say is we are

:35:20. > :35:24.agnostic on probation. We want the best possible provision and within

:35:25. > :35:29.Wales, he will know that G4S provides an extremely high quality

:35:30. > :35:34.prisons such as down at Bridgend and I would remind him that this

:35:35. > :35:44.contract with G4S ran under three successive Labour governments. The

:35:45. > :35:47.Government is determined to deliver a swifter and more certain justice

:35:48. > :35:52.system that is more accessible to the public. We are investing ?700

:35:53. > :35:56.million in our tribunal 's and our reforms will digitise the justice

:35:57. > :36:01.system to speed up processes and provide services online. Remove

:36:02. > :36:04.unnecessary hearings, paper forms and duplication, cut costs by

:36:05. > :36:09.litigants and make justice more acceptable. Our reforms will remove

:36:10. > :36:13.hearings from the court room that don't need to be there in the first

:36:14. > :36:17.place. They will ensure we only make full use of judges, court rooms and

:36:18. > :36:21.legal teams were really necessary and support people in resolving

:36:22. > :36:28.their disputes by means of more informal and less costly remedies.

:36:29. > :36:34.The UK Government is proposing fee increases of up to ?80 for a full

:36:35. > :36:38.hearing in asylum and immigration Tribunal 's. Applicants seeking to

:36:39. > :36:41.challenge decisions at the right to enter or remain in the UK and will

:36:42. > :36:46.struggle to afford this, despite the Home Office getting the decision

:36:47. > :36:51.wrong. Does the Minister agree that access to justice should never

:36:52. > :36:59.depend on an individual's ability to pay? It is important we have a court

:37:00. > :37:03.system and tribunal system that pays for itself or goes towards paying

:37:04. > :37:07.for itself. In many cases we do have a remission system as people can

:37:08. > :37:14.apply for that as is appropriate under the circumstances. Citizens

:37:15. > :37:17.Advice Bureau play an important role in helping people to access justice

:37:18. > :37:22.and to understand the legal system. Will the Minister congratulate them

:37:23. > :37:29.on their work and encourage more people to use them? The Citizens

:37:30. > :37:34.Advice Bureau service provides invaluable advice to the population

:37:35. > :37:37.and I wholeheartedly congratulate them and I suspect I speak for the

:37:38. > :37:43.whole house in commending them for all the wonderful work they do. The

:37:44. > :37:48.Supreme Court have found that the Justice Secretary has backed it

:37:49. > :37:53.without moral authority and in an illegal vacuum. Will he ensure there

:37:54. > :38:00.will be access justice for those without the resident's test? The is

:38:01. > :38:04.disappointed with the findings of the Supreme Court as regards to this

:38:05. > :38:07.test. Given that in the last Government will listen to

:38:08. > :38:12.Parliament, we listen to the public and we did make exceptions to the

:38:13. > :38:17.resident's test. There are millions of people outside in the country who

:38:18. > :38:20.take the view that it is right that there should be some sort of

:38:21. > :38:26.connection with Britain for people who seek to have legal aid funds

:38:27. > :38:30.paid for by the British public. Claudia Lawrence from York was last

:38:31. > :38:36.seen on the 18th of March 2000 and nine. She is still missing. As are

:38:37. > :38:40.around 2500 people in the UK. In the midst of their group cut -- grieve,

:38:41. > :38:44.families have to battle with the financial affairs and they need

:38:45. > :38:46.access to justice but there is a simple solution. Guardianship on

:38:47. > :38:54.behalf of the missing person. The Government promises were over a year

:38:55. > :39:01.ago. Will this be in this year's Queen 's speech? That is a good

:39:02. > :39:07.example of shoehorning. She has shoehorned in a later question into

:39:08. > :39:11.this. Ingenious. The honourable lady raised as it raises a very good

:39:12. > :39:18.point. We have a huge amount of sympathy across the political divide

:39:19. > :39:23.for the individual she speaks to. -- speaks for. It would be impossible

:39:24. > :39:27.to pre-empt what will be in the Queen's speech. In order to avoid

:39:28. > :39:32.discriminating people with disc desert -- disabilities, and he

:39:33. > :39:35.assured me that the Personal Independence Payments will not be

:39:36. > :39:42.used in calculation to determine whether someone is entitled to help

:39:43. > :39:52.with employment tribunal fees? Much is considered. Many people are

:39:53. > :39:55.involved and it would be inappropriate for me to make a

:39:56. > :40:01.discretion -- to make a decision right now as she has asked me to do.

:40:02. > :40:04.I listened carefully to the Minister's and is a previously but I

:40:05. > :40:09.still find it very difficult to understand that at the same time

:40:10. > :40:15.this Conservative Government voted not to take in 3000 refugee

:40:16. > :40:22.children, the Ministry of Justice is proposing to write -- increase

:40:23. > :40:27.tribunal fees. How will vulnerable people challenge what is quite often

:40:28. > :40:34.errors from the Home Office? Can the Minister tell me where is the

:40:35. > :40:38.justice in this? I simply say that the last series -- there are

:40:39. > :40:43.exemptions for vulnerable people. We need to recognise the court system

:40:44. > :40:46.is there and it has to be paid for. It is perfectly reasonable for the

:40:47. > :40:58.British taxpayer to expect those who use our core system to make a

:40:59. > :41:02.contribution towards their running. Before the process of legal aid

:41:03. > :41:08.reform began in 2010, how legal aid system cost the taxpayer over ?2

:41:09. > :41:17.billion each year. During the period 2014/15, the legal aid spent was

:41:18. > :41:21.?1.64 billion. We remain the only country in the world which pays

:41:22. > :41:25.foreign nationals to sue our own soldiers. Last week the Supreme

:41:26. > :41:30.Court told us that the Government does not have the power to curtail

:41:31. > :41:33.legal aid in this area. The only way forward is primary legislation.

:41:34. > :41:39.Could the Minister tell us how he intends to make progress now? I

:41:40. > :41:44.would prefer my honourable friend to some of the comments I made earlier

:41:45. > :41:49.on. He makes a good point as regards to the resident's test. Whilst I

:41:50. > :41:52.have enormous sympathy with what he has said, as do many other people

:41:53. > :41:57.and millions of people in the country outside, we await the

:41:58. > :42:03.written judgment of the court and will reflect upon it.

:42:04. > :42:09.Each Minister practising has to have a client account. In some

:42:10. > :42:14.jurisdictions and North America, the money is held in client account are

:42:15. > :42:20.devoted to legal aid. But to look at that for England and Wales?

:42:21. > :42:24.We already have one of the most generous legal aid budgets in the

:42:25. > :42:37.world. As far as what solicitor firms do on interest on client

:42:38. > :42:48.accounts, he will appreciate that the regulation of the legal sector

:42:49. > :42:53.is separate from Government. A family have been refused legal aid

:42:54. > :43:04.and cannot take action against the Republican bomber believed to be

:43:05. > :43:07.behind the Hyde Park bomb who is...? The honourable gentleman will

:43:08. > :43:12.appreciate that all decisions made as regards whether legal aid is paid

:43:13. > :43:16.or not is done independently of Government ministers. It is the

:43:17. > :43:21.legal aid agency that takes these decisions and takes on individual

:43:22. > :43:30.cases and individual facts. I can't specifically comment on a particular

:43:31. > :43:34.case here in the House. We look forward to bringing home a

:43:35. > :43:39.proposal for a British bill of Rights shortly.

:43:40. > :43:48.The Minister will recall telling me on the 13th of June that the United

:43:49. > :43:56.Kingdom has a long respect for human rights that predates the act. As a

:43:57. > :44:01.claims, our plans do not involve's leaving the convention, that is not

:44:02. > :44:05.objective. Is that still Government policy?

:44:06. > :44:09.The Right Honourable gentleman was correct last month when he said the

:44:10. > :44:13.Human Rights Act is not the last word on human rights. I look forward

:44:14. > :44:18.to debating these proposals. On the Human Rights Act, we cannot withdraw

:44:19. > :44:25.forever, but we do not plan to withdraw. If with withdrawal from

:44:26. > :44:34.the ECA char while remaining as EU member, it will be open

:44:35. > :44:38.invitation... We are confident we can replace the Human Rights Act

:44:39. > :44:40.with a bill of rights and reform our relationship with the stars were

:44:41. > :44:45.caught. That is what we intend to do.

:44:46. > :44:50.-- Strasbourg court. A condition for new members to join

:44:51. > :44:54.the European Union is to be a signatory to the European Convention

:44:55. > :45:01.of human rights. So in order to put into practice the very welcome

:45:02. > :45:11.announcement by the Home Secretary the intention to leave the Human

:45:12. > :45:14.Rights Act... I have set at the Government's

:45:15. > :45:19.position very clearly, and our current plans do not involve

:45:20. > :45:26.withdrawing from the convention. The ministers says that he and the

:45:27. > :45:31.Government want to stay in the EC H R, but we know he wants to leave the

:45:32. > :45:36.European Union. The Home Secretary told as yesterday that she wants to

:45:37. > :45:39.leave the ECHR, but she wants to remain in the European Union. Should

:45:40. > :45:44.we understand that this Government is as divided on the question of

:45:45. > :45:52.ECHR membership as it is on the question of EU membership?

:45:53. > :45:58.No. We'd been asking for a long time on

:45:59. > :46:01.this side of the House when the Government are going to bring

:46:02. > :46:09.forward their consultation on the repeal of the Human Rights Act? Does

:46:10. > :46:12.he understand that the Home Secretary's statement yesterday have

:46:13. > :46:16.caused particular concern in Scotland, because in Scotland the

:46:17. > :46:20.European Convention of human rights is embedded in the devolution

:46:21. > :46:24.settlement, as it is in the other devolved administrations. Does he

:46:25. > :46:28.appreciate that ECHR could never be withdrawn from without the consent

:46:29. > :46:33.of the Scottish Parliament? And there is no question of that consent

:46:34. > :46:38.ever been given. I thank the honourable lady for a

:46:39. > :46:41.comments I reassure her concerns by reiterating the Government's

:46:42. > :46:50.position. Topical questions.

:46:51. > :46:58.With your permission, Mr Speaker, can associate my self with the

:46:59. > :47:03.remarks made earlier. Today we have had the decision made by the jury is

:47:04. > :47:06.sitting in the decision of the 96 tragic deaths at Hillsborough. It

:47:07. > :47:11.has been a terrible tragedy and has taken a long time for those families

:47:12. > :47:14.to arrive at justice. Today is a significant day, and I want to place

:47:15. > :47:21.on record my thanks to the coroner and the jury for their work.

:47:22. > :47:25.Victims of domestic violence need a modern, family court system that

:47:26. > :47:31.provides special safety measures which are well considered when

:47:32. > :47:37.facing directly the perpetrators of these horrific crimes. Can the

:47:38. > :47:40.Minister assured me that the department is doing everything

:47:41. > :47:43.possible to make sure that we have a modern family court system which

:47:44. > :47:51.protects vulnerable individuals at this time?

:47:52. > :47:52.The Government's absolutely committed to supporting all

:47:53. > :47:57.vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, especially those

:47:58. > :48:02.suffering from domestic abuse, so they can get the best possible

:48:03. > :48:07.evidence. That is why we happen measures in place including the

:48:08. > :48:12.ability to give evidence while being screened, via video link or from a

:48:13. > :48:21.location away from the court building altogether. Changes to

:48:22. > :48:26.courts will only help this. In a year of seeing little and doing

:48:27. > :48:29.less on their flagship manifesto policy of repealing the Human Rights

:48:30. > :48:34.Act, the one thing that has been made clear it is the Lord

:48:35. > :48:40.Chancellor's position on the European Convention on human rights.

:48:41. > :48:48.He said, our plans do not involve leaving the convention. So who is

:48:49. > :48:53.right on this? What is today's policy? Who's in charge of justice

:48:54. > :48:59.policy, it does not appear to be heaven.

:49:00. > :49:08.I thank the honourable gentleman for his enquiry as to my welfare. The

:49:09. > :49:11.policies as stated earlier. We have the leaders of the Tory

:49:12. > :49:17.Brexit campaign saying they will stay in ECHR, and the Home Secretary

:49:18. > :49:20.saying in her support for Remain we should leave the conventional

:49:21. > :49:26.together. Isn't that a shambles? Was in the former Attorney General right

:49:27. > :49:31.to say the Lord Chancellor pot's single issue obsession with Brexit

:49:32. > :49:37.means he is no longer seeing the wood for the trees, and relying on

:49:38. > :49:42.arguments that are unfounded? I am at one with my right honourable

:49:43. > :49:46.friend. Both of us believe we should remain within the ECHR. Both was

:49:47. > :49:50.also recognised that the far greater threat to liberty is the European

:49:51. > :49:57.Court of Justice, which he has described as an institution that is

:49:58. > :50:08.predatory. If you are a share. -- a view only share.

:50:09. > :50:13.There has been news of taxi drivers refusing carriage to guide dog

:50:14. > :50:23.owners. What is the position of this issue?

:50:24. > :50:26.It is an offence on 168 of the equalities act to refuse to take an

:50:27. > :50:32.assistance dog in a taxi or private hire vehicle. Penalty is up to a

:50:33. > :50:41.maximum of ?1000. As for sentencing is concerned, that is a matter for

:50:42. > :50:45.the judiciary. Last week, the Justice Select

:50:46. > :50:54.Committee were in Strasbourg at the European Court of Human Rights, with

:50:55. > :50:58.the judges raised the UK for... The Lord Chancellor now wants to tear

:50:59. > :51:02.this can act up, and the Home Secretary wants to lead the

:51:03. > :51:06.convention altogether. The question has been asked earlier, but can we

:51:07. > :51:10.have some clarity on this? On the outside it looks as though the party

:51:11. > :51:17.opposite has a blind spot on anything to do with the word

:51:18. > :51:21.European or human rights? You can implement the European

:51:22. > :51:28.Convention in UK law, and trust this been to apply it. It is to do with

:51:29. > :51:33.the Labour Party that set up the Supreme Court.

:51:34. > :51:35.Can the Minister confirm that when the Government brings forward the

:51:36. > :51:42.timeline for the British Bill of Rights, it will restore common sense

:51:43. > :51:45.to the human rights debate? That is precisely one of the issues

:51:46. > :51:51.we want to address. Last week the joint committee on

:51:52. > :51:54.human rights was also in Strasbourg, we heard testimony from

:51:55. > :51:59.representative customers to we're countries that are not enjoy the

:52:00. > :52:02.stability of human rights and justice that we enjoy in this

:52:03. > :52:07.country. There were clear that the UK provides leadership in a troubled

:52:08. > :52:10.world. What kind of message do ministers think they are now sending

:52:11. > :52:19.out by providing such confusion over Britain's commitment to the ECHR.

:52:20. > :52:24.The UK has led the world and human rights before of the act and will

:52:25. > :52:27.continue to do so. Too many prisoners enter prisons

:52:28. > :52:32.without qualifications and leave them without qualifications. Would

:52:33. > :52:35.my right honourable friend agree it is vital to get recognised

:52:36. > :52:39.qualifications in our prisons to allow a second career once they

:52:40. > :52:42.leave jail? That is correct, it is important

:52:43. > :52:50.should be progression. We want to make sure they can go on to pursue

:52:51. > :52:54.apprenticeships. According to a report by citizens

:52:55. > :52:58.advice, nine out of ten people who've gone through the family

:52:59. > :53:03.courts under the new rules that heavily restrict access to legal

:53:04. > :53:07.aid, suffer strain in their mental and physical health, working lives

:53:08. > :53:11.and finances. This is surely unacceptable. What is the most going

:53:12. > :53:17.to do to put it right? -- minister going to do? As said

:53:18. > :53:22.earlier today, much has been done for people who need legal aid. In

:53:23. > :53:27.the family court particular, our judges are being trained and are

:53:28. > :53:31.aware of the difficulties that victims before them have. They are

:53:32. > :53:36.trained to help and assist them. The Government itself has provided much

:53:37. > :53:40.money and support for this. It is important to remember that when

:53:41. > :53:47.people talk about the delayed, this is taxpayer's money. We have money

:53:48. > :53:53.that we spend, one of the largest legal aid budgets and the world.

:53:54. > :53:59.What steps is the Government taking to identify and remove creatures who

:54:00. > :54:09.are radicalising prison inmates? -- preachers?

:54:10. > :54:13.Shortly after being appointed, I spoke to a prison governor with

:54:14. > :54:17.experience to look at the questions of radicalisation within our

:54:18. > :54:23.prisons. He cemented a report to me recently, we should be acting on it

:54:24. > :54:29.shortly. -- presented a report. Earlier division was highlighted in

:54:30. > :54:40.the Gulf benches on membership of ECHR and the EU. They are sending

:54:41. > :54:43.the message that is single stand-alone Bill of Rights would not

:54:44. > :54:50.be fit for a 21st-century government. Is it not important that

:54:51. > :54:54.to remain part of the European Union and the ECHR?

:54:55. > :54:59.The position has been set out clearly, and when we look at the

:55:00. > :55:04.Bill of Rights, we will consult all devolved administrations.

:55:05. > :55:10.Teenagers have been tragically stamped on the streets of London.

:55:11. > :55:13.Does the honourable friend agree with me that it is vital we elect a

:55:14. > :55:18.mayor who will take action on knife crime?

:55:19. > :55:22.Under a Conservative Mayor of London, tough action has been taken

:55:23. > :55:24.against crime. That is why it is vital that the Conservative

:55:25. > :55:33.candidate secures election on May the 5th.

:55:34. > :55:38.Is the secretary in a position to inform the House when he expects a

:55:39. > :55:45.review of education in prisons, conducted by Dame Sally Coates to be

:55:46. > :55:48.published? After me the fifth, when I hope I

:55:49. > :55:54.Conservative candidate is returned as Mayor of London, and when I hope

:55:55. > :55:56.Ruth Davidson takes over as Leader of the Opposition in the Scots

:55:57. > :56:04.parliament. The trouble reason to celebrate.

:56:05. > :56:08.A constituents of mine was sixthly abused by their father over many

:56:09. > :56:17.years, he is now in prison. -- sexually abused. Because abuse

:56:18. > :56:24.stopped before 1979, the victim was not compensated. Can this be looked

:56:25. > :56:27.at? I had been informed of the case, and

:56:28. > :56:35.I would like to meet his constituent of possible. The difficulty of the

:56:36. > :56:39.case is that when the 1964 act was amended, it was not made

:56:40. > :56:43.retrospective. I understand what is going through, but it's difficult

:56:44. > :56:50.situation as to where you draw a through compensation. It has not in

:56:51. > :56:57.the past, and probable not be in the future, retrospective.

:56:58. > :56:59.What use is made of ex-prisoners who underwent mental health treatment in

:57:00. > :57:02.our prisons so that they can feed back into a mental health service

:57:03. > :57:13.and perhaps support current prisoners?

:57:14. > :57:23.Ex-prisoners of very useful in drug services and we will explore what

:57:24. > :57:29.further role they can play. The honourable member is to begrudge

:57:30. > :57:33.elated on her marathon. She is looking in remarkably good neck.

:57:34. > :57:39.Perhaps my colleagues would like to join me next year as I try and smash

:57:40. > :57:43.my seven hours and 17 minutes. Last month I visited a prison in

:57:44. > :57:47.Nottingham which serves a primary prisoners for many offenders in

:57:48. > :57:52.Derby. An ongoing inquest into a Derby man who died in his cell

:57:53. > :57:56.revealed traces of legal highs were found in his body. What assurances

:57:57. > :58:02.can he give me that the department is doing all it can to tackle the

:58:03. > :58:07.levels of legal highs in our system? It is a tragic case my honourable

:58:08. > :58:14.friend raises and I can tell her it will shortly be a criminal offence

:58:15. > :58:18.to possess legal highs in prison and in addition we are starting a

:58:19. > :58:26.testing regime. Those two measures will help us get on top of this evil

:58:27. > :58:30.trade in our prisons. Understanding the impact of crimes of victims

:58:31. > :58:34.should be central to education and prisons. What steps is the Minister

:58:35. > :58:39.taking to develop that agenda, particularly among those business

:58:40. > :58:47.that have committed the most Sirius is -- serious crimes? It is crucial.

:58:48. > :58:53.That will be part of the victim's law proposals we come up with in

:58:54. > :58:57.this Parliament. I welcome the commitment to early publication on

:58:58. > :59:02.the report on counter radicalisation policies within prisons. There is

:59:03. > :59:05.the significance of this issue. The Justice Select Committee is bowing

:59:06. > :59:13.out an enquiry into prison safety as part of that. Will he and his team

:59:14. > :59:22.update us on that report? I will be delighted to do that. The chairman's

:59:23. > :59:29.question is an opportunity to confirm. There is some information

:59:30. > :59:33.that could not be mentioned as it relates to certain issues. I will

:59:34. > :59:38.talk to them both about the problems that have been identified and the

:59:39. > :59:41.steps that we need to take. I know how much the Select Committee want

:59:42. > :59:45.to ensure appropriate steps are taken and I look forward to

:59:46. > :59:50.appearing in front of them as soon as possible. A National probation

:59:51. > :59:56.service report has been published into the murder of my constituents's

:59:57. > :00:01.sister. Dale Boynton was murdered by an offender released on my stance

:00:02. > :00:06.following a conviction of previous violent crime. There are a number of

:00:07. > :00:11.failings by the National probation service. When he reviewed the report

:00:12. > :00:17.into his tragic death and ensure that he is satisfied that the MPS is

:00:18. > :00:24.doing all they can to ensure the public is properly protected? I'm

:00:25. > :00:28.sure the whole house will want to express their sympathy is following

:00:29. > :00:37.this incident. While the review makes clear that this man bears

:00:38. > :00:40.responsibility for her death, the probation service could have done

:00:41. > :00:44.more. They will make that we will make sure they learn the lessons

:00:45. > :00:50.from this tragedy so future operations can be improved. Having

:00:51. > :00:58.represented many innocent drivers caught up in fraudulent impact

:00:59. > :01:02.claims, I see there are people exploiting the low thresholds and

:01:03. > :01:06.legal loopholes. I welcome the rays in the small claims threshold. We

:01:07. > :01:13.confirm whether there are plans to explore reform of the evidential

:01:14. > :01:22.requirements to further make it difficult for such claims to

:01:23. > :01:25.succeed? We will have a proper consultation in due course and I

:01:26. > :01:34.would imagine that is the kind of issue we can consider at length.

:01:35. > :01:37.Urgent question. Mr Alistair Carmichael. To ask for the home

:01:38. > :01:41.Department if she will make a statement on the UK's membership of

:01:42. > :01:50.the European Convention on Human Rights? I am answering this urgent

:01:51. > :01:55.question today on behalf of the Home Secretary but my right honourable

:01:56. > :01:56.friend will be making a statement to this house on the Hillsborough