Live Justice Questions House of Commons


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day in both houses of parliament at 11pm tonight. First, questions to

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the Justice Secretary Liz Truss and ministerial team.

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Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Justice,

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Nusrat Ghani. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

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With your permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to group questions one

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and three. Last month, we launched the present safety and reform White

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Paper and were already implementing measures to track drugs, drones and

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phones. This major overhaul of the prison system will improve the

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recruitment of an extra 2500 front line officers. The reforms will and

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power governors to make the changes they need.

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Deadlock in the governor's decision to invest ?545 million to recruit

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2500 extra guards and hope this will ensure that these serious incident

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which led to violent one month ago would benefit for that. Now the

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report on psychoactive substances and their increased availability

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within prisons. Given the aggressive and violent behaviour they cause,

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what is the secretary of State doing to clamp down on drugs of all types

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in prisons? My honourable friend is absolutely

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right about psychoactive substances. They have been a Sirius issue in our

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prison system. That is why we have now developed tests and roll them

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out across the prison estate to detect new substances and trained up

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300 sniffer dogs to detect them. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The suicide

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rate at Redditch are an acceptably high. Can my honourable friend tell

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the house what the Government is doing to ensure safety of prisoners

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and reducing suicide rates in our prisons?

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First of all, let me after my honourable friend back to the house.

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It is great to see her back on our bench is looking so fit and well.

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Radiant indeed. Finally, I agree with a comment from the opposition.

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My honourable friend is absolutely right to highlight the issue of self

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harm and suicide in our prisons. It is too high. That is why we are

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taking steps to increase the number of prison officers to mean we have a

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dedicated officer for every six prisoners, responsible for welfare

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but also helping turn their lives around so they do not go back to

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reoffending. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The suicide

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rate in our prisons is the highest it has ever been in 25 years. His

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absolutely shameful. We have Health Secretary at the health select

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committee the other week admitting he has never visited a prison or

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mental health service. Can the Secretary of State state if she has

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visited a prison mental health service and if not why not and when

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will she? Let me say she is right that mental

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health is a real issue in our prisons. I recently had a meeting

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with the Health Secretary on this, about how we can improve the mental

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health services. What we do is enable governors to co-commission

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those health services. I was recently at Lincoln, discussing the

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health services with a governor. They are available on the Monday to

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Friday just now but he wants them to be available all week around and

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enable that. Vista Speaker, in part due to

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increasing the tax on prison officers, over 200,000 days were

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lost through ill-health by prison officers in the last 12 months.

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Goody secretary of State update the House as to what the figure last to

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six days is as of now and what steps she will take to reduce that figure?

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I thank the honourable gentleman for his question. There is an issue with

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sick days. The prisons minister holds a daily meeting where he goes

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through the levels of sickness, at each prison, works with the

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governors on what we can do. One of the things we're doing a

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strengthening the front line to make sure we have more officers support.

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I'm glad the Secretary of State recognises the importance of the

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number of officers and congratulate her on the extra money is available.

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Will she agree that in potentially violent situations one of the most

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important factors I the availability of experienced officers who have the

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knowledge and personal relationships with inmates to calm them down? KT

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Kim is more detail as to what is being done to deal with the current

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high levels of wastage by experienced officers?

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I agree with my honourable friend, the evidence backs up that having

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experienced officers is vital. We have a higher proportion of

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experienced officers now in 2016 that we did in 2010. More than 80%

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of our prison officers have five or more years experience. I'm

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determined to keep those officers in the service. Two weeks ago we

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launched a fast-track programme to help people already in the service

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progress in their careers. We are offering as well retention payments,

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particularly in hard to recruit areas, but we need to keep those

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imported staff on board. Mr Speaker, in every one of the Her

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Majesty 's Inspectorate reports about the sorties published at

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Secretary State appointment, that is Bedford, Chelmsford, Hendley, only,

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rightly, Winchester and the youth facilities at Wetherby, have come

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for the test of risen safety deemed either poor or not sufficiently

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good. When can we expect a positive report on prison safety in closed

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prisons? The honourable lady is right that

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the current levels of violence in our prison order are not acceptable.

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That is why we launched the present safety reform White Paper with

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measures to deal with drugs, drones and phones, as well as bolster the

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front line staff. We are also looking to work with governments to

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help them deal with issues which might trigger incidents in their

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prison while we build up that front line capability. I announced in

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October we were recruiting an extra 400 staff in ten of the most

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challenging prisons and we have already given job officers to 280 of

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those start so we are making progress.

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The minister said in this white paper that it would try to have

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no-fly zones to present items being dropped into prison. Can she explain

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how that will work in practice and what is currently being done to

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reduce the demand for banned items in prison?

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My colleague, the prisons minister, is working with the drone

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manufacturers. He leads a cross Government task force to get

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technology in place to be able to do that. We are doing solutions such as

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installing netting. I was at HMP Pentonville last week and they now

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have control dogs who bark, which helps to detour drones. There were

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using many solutions of all kinds to deal with contraband coming into

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prisons. Listen to yourself. With permission,

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Mr Speaker, I wish to group this question with number 15. A key

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aspect of our prison reform programme will be to address

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fundamental health and improve outcomes for prisoners. We introduce

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co-commissioning, which will make sure governments are focused on and

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accountable for these outcomes alongside health commissioners.

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Kelly Secretary of State discusses with Health Secretary and it is high

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priority. -- I know that this happened.

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Last year I spent over a month in a small room, unable to leave. I lost

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track of where I was. I became cheerful over the site of issues. I

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felt I could not breathe at all. I was incarcerated in Britain but in

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fact in hospital following a physical illness. But I reflected

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subsequently how easy it is to develop a mental health issue when

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confined in a small space. And lacking orientation. With this in

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mind, what assessment has the department made of people developing

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mental health problems rather than going into prisons with mental

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health problems, and what can be done to reduce this?

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I thank my honourable friend for his question and I'm glad to see he is

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looking so well following such a significant illness. Prisoners are

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entitled to the same levels of care is in the community, but there are

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specific measures regarding their care. All prisoners have a health

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assessment on arrival and all prison officers are trained to recognise

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mental health issues and all prison have on-site primary health care

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teams to provide mental health care. There can be deferments to

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counselling or psychiatric assessment for serious mental

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illness. Mr Speaker, a recent report by the

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ombudsman found 70% of those who committed suicide had a mental

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health issue. What will it take specifically to address the specific

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issue? Every death in custody is a tragedy

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and we are committed to reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths. We

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reviewed the case assessment caring custody and teamwork progress for

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prisoners assessed as being at risk and we are piloting revised custody

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training and response. All officers in prison is new and experienced

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retrieve training to help offenders with mental health issues.

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Mr Speaker, statistics show 50% of those who are in prison suffer from

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personality disorders. Does the Minister agree with me that it is

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important to assess these issues when these people enter the criminal

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justice system? Even at the stage of the custody, rather than after

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incarceration. I thank the right honourable

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gentlemen for his question. The initial assessment is of course

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important. Who does the assessment is important. We are working on this

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currently. Furthermore, it is the care following that and the ongoing

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care and observation of prisoners, all of this is being looked at

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closely. Mr Speaker, my honourable friend the

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member for Liverpool asked the secretary of state a question, when

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she last visited a prison mental health service? Suicide in prisons

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is at year high. It is utterly disgusting that the Health Secretary

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nor the Secretary of State for Justice has visited prisons to see

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what's going on. What's happening? Each of these suicides is a tragedy.

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The Government is aware of this and the Secretary of State for Health

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will be visiting present. As regards for myself, I was in a prison last

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week discussing mental health provision in Peterborough. I also

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visited the mother and baby unit at the same time. I am under no

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illusions of the challenges of addressing this problem. It is a

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problem we are fully aware of and my intention is to come forward with

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more statements on this because it is such a key problem for mental

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health of prisoners. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Me I tell the Minister how

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important it is to improve the mental health care in our prisons.

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Little will be achieved if there is not continuity of care when

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prisoners leave prison and what can you tell the House is his department

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doing to ensure with the health service continuity of care is

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provided for prisoners from day one when they leave prison will stop I

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thank my right honourable friend from his question and it is a wise

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one. Yes, the continuity of care both before, during and after for

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prisoners, not just the mental health but also the physical health,

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is key. We have ongoing discussions with the Department of Health on

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this area and my intention is to make the continuity of records and

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clear as a consequence much better in the future. Would the Secretary

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of State accept that many of those prisoners with mental health issues

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would be better served outside of the prison regime and if so, what

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are the options and alternatives are being looked at? Of course the

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honourable gentleman is right, however prison can be an opportunity

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to address mental health problems that have not been previously

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diagnosed and properly treated. There is an opportunity in being

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imprisoned for somebody to receive proper care, which is ultimately

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what it is about. Number four. As outlined in the prison reform white

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paper, we will introduce a prison apprenticeship partner with which

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will offer ways to complete the formal apprenticeship on release.

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The scheme has been development which will be published in the New

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Year. I thank the Minister for his reply. Is he able to update me on

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any progress in treating apprenticeships in HMP Lewes? It is

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exactly the kind of local prison that will benefit from the new

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prison apprenticeship pathway but I also anticipate that the present

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will benefit from the new present service apprenticeship scheme that

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we are launching next year that will help improve members for the present

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service to widen entry points into the service. The apprenticeships

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require literacy. Can he tell the House what proportion of prisoners

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were illiterate at the start of their sentence and what proportion

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was functionally illiterate upon release? The honourable gentleman

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asks a very important question. Roughly 50% are illiterate, as far

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as English and maths are concerned. What our reform and safety white

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paper proposes is that we will be testing their literacy on entry and

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exit so we can measure the distance travelled and progress that has made

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imprisoned. Which prison has the best record for training prisoners

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for gainful employment once they leave and how might that best

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practice be rolled out across the prison estate? The honourable member

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asks a very important question, which is what we are seeing across

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the prison service is patches of good work in terms of employment

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post-release. What we want to do is create a system where we can measure

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this and actually identify and run prisons by how well be doing on

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this. That is precisely what our prison and safety reform white paper

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does. It is one of the outcome measures. Work experience outside of

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pressure and can also enhance prisoner employment opportunities on

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release. Can the Minister say what guidance he is giving prisons in

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relation to release on temporary license, not just the reform

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prisons, but governors of all prisons. Release on temporary

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licence, which the member refers to, has a huge role to play in helping

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prisoners gain employment in the wider world. I have been speaking

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with Timpson, for example, which employ a lot of extra fenders and

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that is how the trial them before the come out on release. We are

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looking at that to make sure that the guidance that governors have,

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they can do more as far as release on temporary licence is a victory

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for employment is concerned. Question five, please. We are only

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going to turn around offenders lives if governors have the leave the need

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over education, work and health in prison. That is why our reform is

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devolved power over budgets and services to Government. The

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adjournment is a contributed business. -- recruitment is a

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contributed business. What... Be it about mental health service

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provision or the recruitment of dogs that bark at drones. I thank my

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honourable friend of her question and it sounds like she is asking for

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some of these patrol dogs at her local prison. I am also delighted to

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see that Billington will be one of the 30 prisons that will be

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recruiting locally to build up the local cauldron of staff and that

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will be starting in January next year. We are going to be setting up

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a what works network to help prisoner governance with the

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expertise they need to make those decisions. The front bench opposite

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seemed to be sleepwalking this morning. I know it is nearly

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Christmas but can they wake up to the dangers of empowering governors

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to much. When my former select committee looked at prison

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education, that time ago, one of the real dangers was a very good system

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of education and training any prison was sadly wiped out by new governor

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who said, I do not want anything to do with that. We need common

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standards across all prisons. Is that not right? I thank the

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honourable gentleman for his question. What we are doing is being

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very specific about what we are asking governors to achieve in terms

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of raising education standards, getting prisoners into

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apprenticeships and into work, improving health standards. We are

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specifying the war. We are giving governors more freedom over the how

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they get those things done because the Ivy people with the expertise.

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The officers on the land and are the ones who talked to the prisoners and

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inhibit freedom to turn peoples lives around question number six. --

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need that freedom. The Government issued a consultation paper

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yesterday. The consultation focuses on the driving offences that result

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in death or serious injury and proposes that courts should be able

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to impose a life sentence or a longer in the most serious of cases.

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I welcome the consultation. Does the Minister agree it presents the

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perfect opportunity to close the loophole which exists whereby in the

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event a pedestrian is hit by a driver under the influence of

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alcohol or drugs, as happened to my constituent who was tragically

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killed, the maximum sentence available is just six months,

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leaving no incentive for driver to stay around. In my constituent's is,

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the judge only had the feeling to stop available to him. The case he

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refers to is a horrific case and may I extend my sympathies to his

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constituent's family. Nothing can compensate for the loss of a loved

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one from a driver, a killer driver, who drives irresponsibly. I would

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encourage the family to contribute to the consultation so we can take

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the points on board. Campaigners of families are delighted that the

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Government has announced this review. I went to pay tribute to all

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of them and honourable members from all sides to contributing to the

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manifesto. I welcome it correction of travel. Can I ask that part of

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the considerations are looking at getting rid of the careless driving.

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At the moment we have the most dangerous sorts of reckless criminal

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driving. That is wrong. It is called careless. The honourable gentleman

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makes an important point and can I congratulate him for his

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long-standing campaign on this issue. We did look very carefully at

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the distinction between careless and dangerous driving, which he warned

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as to get rid of. The view became too was that there does need to be a

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set of culpability reflected in the way that court makes the decision.

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For example, someone who is moment highly distracted because they have

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children crying in the back of a car and, God forbid, something bad

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happens is very different from somebody involved in speed racing.

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That is why we have chosen to keep that. Two of my constituents set up

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the awards in memory of their daughter who was killed by a driver

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who mounted a pavement but was found guilty by death by dangerous

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driving, receiving only a fine. They have campaigned for 20 years for

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tougher sentences. Can the Minister say how that might be achieved as a

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consequence of this consultation. What we are proposing is a new life

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sentence as a maximum penalty for those convicted of dangerous

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driving. We are giving the courts the tools we need to make the

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punishment fit the crime and I think that is a testament to the

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campaigned his constituents have been running for years. I welcome

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the consultation on this matter that seeks clarity from the secretary on

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the issue of the distinction between careless and dangerous driving. The

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consultation makes it clear that the Government does not propose any

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changes but instead is six and address misconceptions about the

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law. How exactly does he attend to increase constituency in applying

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this law? The consultation does have an "String. Any specific concerns

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that are not reflected in the consultation and she can submit her

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concerns. Question number seven. With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish

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to group this question with number ten. As part of our reforms we are

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going to secretary standards on the outcomes we receive two expect

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governors to achieve an rehabilitation. I thank the

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Minister. Given that 42% of adult prisoners were permanently excluded

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from school, with the Minister agree with me that it is only through

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education that the cycle of reoffending can be stopped and will

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he tell the House what more can be done to ensure this message properly

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resonates across the prison estate. My honourable member makes a very

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important point. Education is one of the key ways in which we can help

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break the cycle of reoffending where the offender obviously is willing.

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One of the things we have done to speed this process is that the

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education budget has now been transferred to the Department for

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Education to the minute stay of justice and that will be delegated

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to Government to Government two governors so that they can organise

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education -- I am pleased that steps being taken. Can I also suggest that

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very close to release prisoners are given potential career advice and

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experience mock interviews to aid their search for work upon release?

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Again, a very important point. If somebody has spent a lot of time

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inside it is highly likely they will be an use to the world of work and

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interviews. One of the things we are doing is we have work coaches who

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work with prison governors and part of the regime and part of their job

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is to help prepare prisoners as well as rehabilitation companies for

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release. A constituent of mine has a criminal record but has been a

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law-abiding citizen for over 40 years. Should there not come a time

:24:25.:24:29.

and she can move on and no longer has to explain to employers the

:24:30.:24:32.

mistakes she made when she was much younger? The honourable member

:24:33.:24:39.

raises a point around conviction and time spent and there is the band

:24:40.:24:46.

campaign and we are supporters. Encouraging to look beyond this.

:24:47.:24:52.

When it comes to employing ex-offenders and I will speak to her

:24:53.:24:56.

directly about this case affecting her constituent. Mr Speaker, in

:24:57.:25:04.

Hampshire community helps ex-offenders to find training

:25:05.:25:07.

opportunities. Will be Minister continued to support this work? Yes.

:25:08.:25:28.

Thank you. Number eight. We take the safety of prisoners and our jails

:25:29.:25:32.

extremely seriously. It is of importance that they are kept safe

:25:33.:25:38.

and given the opportunity to reform. Thank you. Apologies. The Justice

:25:39.:25:42.

committee last week the prisoner Minister said in reply to a question

:25:43.:25:48.

regarding the recent escape from Pentonville, the frequency of self

:25:49.:25:50.

searches were being determined locally by the governor. Did you see

:25:51.:25:54.

whether he remains satisfied that the coalition decision to end these

:25:55.:26:00.

cell searches was the right one or does he think this might have

:26:01.:26:04.

prevented this escape and limit the use of mobile phones, drugs and

:26:05.:26:05.

weapons? Cell searches are carried on the

:26:06.:26:14.

basis of intelligence that establishment level. In addition we

:26:15.:26:19.

are investing ?3 million on a regional and national intelligence

:26:20.:26:24.

network so we can identify where phones, for example, are being

:26:25.:26:27.

smuggled into aid criminal activities in our prisons and deal

:26:28.:26:35.

with those situations appropriately. Our prison chaplains do with all of

:26:36.:26:39.

these issues daily and are almost universally well thought of, so

:26:40.:26:42.

could the Minister Tommy has what steps he is making to fully recruit

:26:43.:26:48.

these chaplains and make sure they have the time to do the important

:26:49.:26:54.

work? -- could be Minister tell me this?

:26:55.:26:56.

An excellent suggestion one it will look at detail.

:26:57.:27:02.

Is the Secretary of State for Justice aware of the situation at

:27:03.:27:08.

HMP where three prisoners have tragically taken their own lives?

:27:09.:27:16.

This is in Antrim. Could use all of our team in the executive and

:27:17.:27:19.

judgment Minister to make sure this is dealt with?

:27:20.:27:24.

As my honourable friend in Bracknell said, every death in prison is

:27:25.:27:28.

tragic and these people are in the care of the state and we must make

:27:29.:27:31.

sure we take good care of them in a particular respect. I am willing to

:27:32.:27:35.

look at that situation outlined in more detail.

:27:36.:27:40.

As I have mentioned only number of occasions, there is no real

:27:41.:27:44.

incentive for prisoners to behave themselves in prison, because the

:27:45.:27:47.

law that the last Labour Government introduced that prisoners must be

:27:48.:27:51.

released halfway through their sentence irrespective of how badly

:27:52.:27:53.

they behaved or whether they are still a danger to the public. I am

:27:54.:27:58.

waiting for the Government to give an explanation as to why this law

:27:59.:28:01.

should still be on the statute board, because it is yet to provide

:28:02.:28:07.

a satisfactory response. Perhaps the Minister can give a reason why

:28:08.:28:10.

prisoners should be received in! Released halfway through their

:28:11.:28:15.

sentence regardless of how badly they behaved, by law?

:28:16.:28:18.

The honourable member raised this issue at the select committee last

:28:19.:28:23.

week. I will give them the same answer I gave then, that when

:28:24.:28:27.

prisoners are released even at a halfway point, they remain on

:28:28.:28:30.

licence. If there is a breach of the lessons, they are we called into

:28:31.:28:35.

prison. That remains the case. Number nine.

:28:36.:28:42.

A core part of our prison safety and reform plan is a recruitment of an

:28:43.:28:47.

additional 2500 prison officers. Ten of our most challenging prisons

:28:48.:28:50.

already have a recruitment programme we have started and we have made 280

:28:51.:28:55.

job offers. We have nearly 7000 fewer prison

:28:56.:29:00.

officers in our prisons than in the year 2010. The Government have

:29:01.:29:02.

announced an increase in the bridging budget of ?100 million to

:29:03.:29:07.

recruit, we recruit an extra 2500 officers. Is it any wonder that the

:29:08.:29:14.

services in mess? In our prison safety and reform

:29:15.:29:18.

White Paper, we make it clear it is important that we have a skilled

:29:19.:29:22.

force of officers. That is why we are investing ?100 million. That

:29:23.:29:28.

will enable us to make sure that one officer is responsible for six

:29:29.:29:33.

prisoners. We show through our work that this is what is effective in

:29:34.:29:36.

terms of keeping a prison safe and being able to turn those offenders'

:29:37.:29:41.

lives around. I have three prisons in my

:29:42.:29:46.

constituency which combine at one of the largest concentration of

:29:47.:29:52.

prisoners in the country. The prison officers in Sheppey are hard-working

:29:53.:29:58.

and highly responsible but Sheppey's prisons are seriously understaffed.

:29:59.:30:00.

Because of our location in the south-east of England, it is

:30:01.:30:03.

difficult to recruit officers because of the number of other jobs

:30:04.:30:06.

available to them. What reassurance can my right honourable friend give

:30:07.:30:11.

prison officers that steps will be taken to solve that problem of

:30:12.:30:14.

recruitment on Sheppey? And I agree with my honourable

:30:15.:30:19.

friend what a fantastic job prison officers do. I visit prisons up and

:30:20.:30:22.

down the country meeting officers and seeing the great work they do

:30:23.:30:26.

and their dedication to the job and why they have gone into it. There

:30:27.:30:32.

are issues in about one quarter of our prisons in terms of staff

:30:33.:30:36.

recruitment, because there is hard high demand for employees in the

:30:37.:30:38.

south-east of England particularly, that is why we enable governors to

:30:39.:30:44.

operate market supplements of up to ?4000 to recruit, and retention

:30:45.:30:47.

payments of up to ?3000 to keep officers on board.

:30:48.:30:53.

It is not just a cut of 7000 prison officers which my honourable friend

:30:54.:30:57.

talked about. There are also another 7000 being cut from non-officer

:30:58.:31:01.

grade. A total cut of 40,000 staff. 2000 is a drop in the ocean. That is

:31:02.:31:07.

when people are getting hurt and killed in British prisons, that is

:31:08.:31:11.

why. When will she returned to the point which it was at in pre-2010,

:31:12.:31:16.

which is what we need ensure safety? The important point is that the

:31:17.:31:20.

starving we put into our prisons is evidence based. It enables us to

:31:21.:31:25.

operate with a ratio of one officer for every six prisoners. That is

:31:26.:31:33.

what works. Mr Speaker... In the Westminster

:31:34.:31:36.

Hall debate last week, the prisons minister confirmed that it is his

:31:37.:31:42.

intention for each prisoner to have a dedicated prison officer who will

:31:43.:31:45.

be responsible for six inmates each. He called it the new offender

:31:46.:31:50.

management model. And he called it the new staffing model. Can the

:31:51.:31:56.

Justice Secretary explained that this is based on current staffing

:31:57.:31:59.

levels or if it is an aspiration for the future? And what are the details

:32:00.:32:06.

of these new models? I thank the honourable lady for her

:32:07.:32:12.

question. This is what we will be operating when we get up to the full

:32:13.:32:16.

complement of having the additional 2500 officers. We have already

:32:17.:32:20.

started with ten of those most challenging prisons, of the 400 we

:32:21.:32:24.

are seeking to recruit we have offered jobs to 280. It will take

:32:25.:32:28.

time to build up the prison officer workforce. That's why we are

:32:29.:32:32.

launching a new apprenticeship scheme and why we are launching a

:32:33.:32:36.

new fast-track scheme for graduates. We launched a scheme to recruit

:32:37.:32:42.

former Armed Forces personnel into the service. This is not something

:32:43.:32:45.

we will achieve overnight but something it is important we build

:32:46.:32:50.

up this workforce for to be able to improve both safety and reform in

:32:51.:32:54.

prisons. I thank the Justice Secretary for

:32:55.:32:58.

that response. The prisons minister also told the Justice Committee last

:32:59.:33:04.

week that in order to recruit an extra 2500 prison officers, by 2018,

:33:05.:33:09.

the Ministry of Justice will have to recruit a total of 8000 officers due

:33:10.:33:13.

to the staff leaving rate. Michael Burke said the leaving rate after

:33:14.:33:20.

just a first-year as prison officers is 13.5%. How does the Justice

:33:21.:33:26.

Secretary planned to retain the new staff who are leaving? And the

:33:27.:33:31.

prison officers he plans to recruit, she plans to recruit in the future?

:33:32.:33:35.

And will she spend whatever it takes to get a grip on this crisis?

:33:36.:33:42.

As I said, we are investing ?100 million in recruiting those

:33:43.:33:46.

additional 2500 officers. We're launching a new apprenticeship

:33:47.:33:50.

scheme, a new graduate scheme, a scheme to recruit people from the

:33:51.:33:53.

armed services. We are improving career progression within the prison

:33:54.:33:57.

service to make sure that our experienced officers get the

:33:58.:34:00.

opportunities they deserve. In the 25% of prisons we struggle to

:34:01.:34:05.

recruit in, in London and the south-east, we are offering

:34:06.:34:08.

additional payments. We are doing everything we can to build up that

:34:09.:34:12.

strength, because that is what is important, to deliver safe and

:34:13.:34:16.

reformed prisons. Mr Speaker. As is well-known, we

:34:17.:34:25.

shall set out our proposals for a bill of rights in due course and we

:34:26.:34:28.

shall of course consult fully on those proposals.

:34:29.:34:32.

Nicholson. In light of the UN committee on the

:34:33.:34:36.

rights of Persons with disabilities find that cut the benefits meet the

:34:37.:34:42.

threshold for human rights violations, shouldn't the Secretary

:34:43.:34:44.

of State instead of replacing the Human Rights Act focus on ensuring

:34:45.:34:47.

the protection of rights the Government is already committed to?

:34:48.:34:53.

The UK Government in effect this country does not need lectures about

:34:54.:34:59.

its human rights record. We are a country that has a proud tradition

:35:00.:35:04.

that goes back a hundred years of pioneering human rights and

:35:05.:35:06.

spreading our values around the world. And so I don't think we need

:35:07.:35:14.

any lessons. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would my

:35:15.:35:17.

honourable friend agree that not only is it a good idea to make this

:35:18.:35:22.

change but that we were members of the European Convention for a whole

:35:23.:35:28.

generation before we put human rights legislation into British law,

:35:29.:35:32.

and that the clear understanding needs to be that it is British ports

:35:33.:35:36.

informed by legislation from this parliament that make the decisions?

:35:37.:35:45.

-- British courts. Winston Churchill and his famous

:35:46.:35:50.

speech in Strasbourg pointed out the importance of fundamental human

:35:51.:35:52.

right after the Second World War. It was British lawyers who took an

:35:53.:35:56.

important part in bringing the European Convention on human rights.

:35:57.:36:02.

Having said that, it is right to consider what it should be in the

:36:03.:36:07.

modern context and if we need a British jurisprudence of these

:36:08.:36:09.

rights. So that is what we are looking at.

:36:10.:36:14.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Five times in the last few years, the UK

:36:15.:36:17.

Government has been found guilty of a breach of Article three of the

:36:18.:36:20.

European Convention on human rights for its treatment of people with

:36:21.:36:23.

mental health problems in immigration detention. Many more

:36:24.:36:28.

cases have been set or are pending. But the minister confirmed the

:36:29.:36:30.

solution to this shameful state of affairs is not to water down this

:36:31.:36:33.

absolute right in order to avoid being found out?

:36:34.:36:39.

Hear, hear. Can I say of course we respect human

:36:40.:36:43.

rights and the rights which are within the convention. No country

:36:44.:36:46.

has a better record of abiding by those decisions than this country.

:36:47.:36:51.

But having said that, I think there is a need to look critically at the

:36:52.:36:57.

Human Rights Act, the way it operates, and certainly we are going

:36:58.:37:02.

to do that. Does the Minister agree with me that

:37:03.:37:07.

the example of countries like New Zealand, Canada and Australia prove

:37:08.:37:10.

that a country does not have to be a member of the European Convention on

:37:11.:37:13.

human rights to have an excellent human rights record?

:37:14.:37:18.

Hear, hear. The point my honourable friend is

:37:19.:37:21.

making is that these countries are countries which have a common law

:37:22.:37:27.

tradition which was founded in this country by our judges and our

:37:28.:37:30.

Parliament. The fact that it is expressed differently in Canada and

:37:31.:37:35.

other countries like that does not mean it does not have the same

:37:36.:37:38.

route. It is something we in this country should be proud of.

:37:39.:37:45.

Question 12, Mr Speaker. The independence of the judiciary is a

:37:46.:37:48.

cornerstone of the rule of law, vital to our constitutional

:37:49.:37:53.

freedoms. As Lord Chancellor, I frequently make this clear, both in

:37:54.:37:59.

private and public. After the press attacks on the

:38:00.:38:02.

judiciary, it of the Justice Secretary almost 48 hours to release

:38:03.:38:07.

a statement. The former Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said of the

:38:08.:38:10.

statement, I think it was a little too late and quite a lot too little.

:38:11.:38:16.

Does she agree with Lord Judge, and will she take the opportunity to

:38:17.:38:22.

apologise? It is not a job of the Government or

:38:23.:38:28.

the Lord Chancellor to police headlines. The process is working

:38:29.:38:31.

absolutely as it should. People have a right to bring a case to court.

:38:32.:38:36.

The Government has the right to defended position in the court. The

:38:37.:38:41.

judiciary are independent and impartial and the press can

:38:42.:38:43.

scrutinise the process within the law.

:38:44.:38:49.

I agree with my right honourable friend. As we sit here today in this

:38:50.:38:53.

Parliament, just across Parliament Square, the Supreme Court is sitting

:38:54.:38:58.

with 11 Supreme Court justices. Does she not agree with me, does this

:38:59.:39:02.

whole has not agree with me that the integrity of the Supreme Court and

:39:03.:39:10.

the justices should not be impugned? Well, I completely agree with my

:39:11.:39:15.

honourable friend. As I said last month, the supreme court justices

:39:16.:39:17.

are people of great integrity and impartiality.

:39:18.:39:23.

Joanna Cherry. In response to the constitutional

:39:24.:39:25.

change that was brought about by devolution, the renowned

:39:26.:39:31.

international jurist, the late Professor Sir Neil McCormick

:39:32.:39:33.

stressed the importance of the principles that justify judicial

:39:34.:39:38.

independence. Also of the concept of the separation of powers. As the

:39:39.:39:42.

United Kingdom once more faces major constitutional change after the EU

:39:43.:39:46.

referendum, will she join me in reaffirming the importance of those

:39:47.:39:51.

principles? I absolutely will. The independence

:39:52.:39:55.

of judiciary is a vital part of our free society. As is our free press.

:39:56.:40:00.

Both of those things are important and what we have seen of the last

:40:01.:40:05.

weeks and months is that we have a robust independent judiciary and we

:40:06.:40:07.

have a robust free press. I look forward to discussing it with her

:40:08.:40:12.

soon. Cherry.

:40:13.:40:15.

Thank you for your answer. In recent years, it has become commonplace for

:40:16.:40:19.

some members on the opposite benches to deprecate the judges of the

:40:20.:40:23.

European Court of justice and Court of Human Rights in Europe. Simply

:40:24.:40:27.

for doing their job, that is. Does she agree with me that such scant

:40:28.:40:33.

respect for the rule of law has encouraged the climate in which a

:40:34.:40:37.

major tabloid, which I believe some people call a newspaper, think it is

:40:38.:40:45.

appropriate to describe justices of our own Supreme Court as enemies of

:40:46.:40:48.

the people? I have been clear that the

:40:49.:40:54.

independence of the judiciary is a vital part of our rule of law. As my

:40:55.:40:57.

honourable friend has just said, what is important I think you in the

:40:58.:41:02.

UK is that it is British courts making those decisions. That is

:41:03.:41:06.

precisely what we are going to achieve.

:41:07.:41:12.

Yesterday the president of the Supreme Court said at the beginning

:41:13.:41:21.

of the article 50 appeal, this appeal is concerned with legal

:41:22.:41:25.

issues and as judges our duty is to consider those issues impartially

:41:26.:41:30.

and to decide there was case according to law. That is what we

:41:31.:41:34.

shall do. Does the Lord Chancellor agree with me that had she done her

:41:35.:41:40.

duty and spoken out at the time to defend the judiciary, those words

:41:41.:41:43.

would not have been necessary yesterday?

:41:44.:41:48.

As I said in my first answer, I frequently make it clear that the

:41:49.:41:53.

independence of the judiciary is a vital part of our Constitution and

:41:54.:41:58.

our freedoms. I also think it is right that the president of the

:41:59.:42:03.

Supreme Court, who has absolute integrity, should make that case as

:42:04.:42:06.

well. Question 13.

:42:07.:42:12.

We are committed to helping vulnerable witnesses give their very

:42:13.:42:17.

best evidence and arranging measures to reduce the anxiety of this. These

:42:18.:42:23.

include giving video link evidence away from the court room from behind

:42:24.:42:28.

a screen and also from behind a screen with the court. Following the

:42:29.:42:37.

closure of my local court, can you provide further insurance...

:42:38.:42:54.

What is required to keep them safe is assessed by the police and ensure

:42:55.:43:00.

the witness has no need to My apologies. The prison and courts

:43:01.:43:20.

reform Bill was set out in legislation. The reform of offenders

:43:21.:43:25.

is a key person in prison. Everyone involved in prisons, from officers

:43:26.:43:30.

to headquarters will be focused on turning prisoners lives around.

:43:31.:43:41.

We'll should think about the pathway back to crime free living which do a

:43:42.:43:45.

lot to look after people before the develop the life skills to live

:43:46.:43:51.

independently from crying? I thank my honourable friend and the

:43:52.:43:58.

work they do in turning around the lives of young people. I will be

:43:59.:44:01.

giving a response to the review about how we're going to improve the

:44:02.:44:06.

youth justice system to do just that.

:44:07.:44:10.

Given the recent attack on a prison officer in my constituency, what

:44:11.:44:13.

will be Secretary of State be doing to ensure the safety prison officers

:44:14.:44:20.

at work? Making our prisons safer places is

:44:21.:44:24.

my number one priority. That is why we are dealing with drugs, drones

:44:25.:44:29.

and phones and investing in prison staff across the estate.

:44:30.:44:35.

Number 18, please. We are preparing legislation to

:44:36.:44:41.

create a new legal status, a guardian of property and affairs of

:44:42.:44:44.

a missing person, and we will introduce it as Parliamentary time

:44:45.:44:48.

allows. I hope to introduce a ten minute

:44:49.:44:53.

rule Bill on guardianship, helping relatives and friends. In memory of

:44:54.:45:00.

Claudia Lawrence, a doctor of one of my constituents, who went missing

:45:01.:45:05.

seven years ago. Will the Government offer their support and honour their

:45:06.:45:10.

memory by referring to it whenever possible as Claudia's Bill?

:45:11.:45:14.

That is good news and I wish him well with his Bill. I understand why

:45:15.:45:21.

he wants to refer to it as Claudia cost work law. -- Claudia's law. I

:45:22.:45:25.

want to examine my sympathies to the parents. The Government will

:45:26.:45:28.

formally announced their position and we are key to ignite keen to see

:45:29.:45:36.

this. Topical questions. Number one.

:45:37.:45:41.

Mr Speaker, our probation officers do vital job in turning offenders

:45:42.:45:45.

lives around, which I value highly. The prison and probation Minister is

:45:46.:45:53.

preparing a review, focusing on improving the quality of our

:45:54.:45:58.

services. We want a simpler, clearer system with specific outcome

:45:59.:46:03.

measures, such as getting offenders of drugs, improving educational

:46:04.:46:07.

standards and getting offenders into apprenticeships and work. We want a

:46:08.:46:11.

sequel is working with the prison service. We will set out more

:46:12.:46:14.

detailed plans after our review is completed in April.

:46:15.:46:20.

Guide dog owners are too often turned away by taxis, despite this

:46:21.:46:24.

being illegal. Research has sown that when offenders are prosecuted,

:46:25.:46:29.

they can be found for less than ?200. Will my right honourable

:46:30.:46:33.

friend seat to review the situation and seek to find ways to increase

:46:34.:46:37.

the penalties to make certain that discrimination of this type is more

:46:38.:46:39.

fully addressed? I thank my honourable friend with

:46:40.:46:45.

this question. It is appalling that some taxi drivers would refuse to

:46:46.:46:50.

take assistance dogs. This is an offence under the equality act of

:46:51.:46:53.

those and and ten, which can result in a fine of ?1000. I know that the

:46:54.:46:58.

Department for Transport is looking at improving training for drivers

:46:59.:47:02.

and the role taxi licensing can play in eradicating this is rumination.

:47:03.:47:08.

After the Government's climb-down on the outrageous line on immigration.

:47:09.:47:16.

If this Government really believed in access to justice, is it not time

:47:17.:47:22.

to listen to opposition to the unaffordable tribunal fees and

:47:23.:47:28.

opposition to the small claims limit changes and listen to our urgent

:47:29.:47:32.

demands that they finally begin a review into their savage legal aid

:47:33.:47:37.

cuts? We have already announced that we

:47:38.:47:42.

will be reviewing the last Bill, we will shortly be announcing the

:47:43.:47:46.

timetable for that. We do need is system that is both open and

:47:47.:47:51.

affordable. That is exactly what this Government is delivering.

:47:52.:47:54.

I am sure my right honourable friend will agree that an independent

:47:55.:47:57.

judiciary and a free press two pillars of a free society. While we

:47:58.:48:01.

we not all was like how each acts, we should be proud and protect

:48:02.:48:06.

those. I agree with my right honourable

:48:07.:48:11.

friend. We should be incredibly proud in this country of our

:48:12.:48:14.

independent judiciary, the cornerstone of the rule of law. We

:48:15.:48:20.

also have a robust free press, which is vitally important in making sure

:48:21.:48:27.

we have a freezer cited. -- a free society.

:48:28.:48:32.

Last year, the Government started their review into tribune you'll

:48:33.:48:39.

fees. We had not seen any results. Can she give me a firm date when

:48:40.:48:43.

this review will be completed and published and does he not believe it

:48:44.:48:46.

is time the Government abandon these unfair fees that are cutting the

:48:47.:48:51.

rights of working people? There is a difference. On the side,

:48:52.:48:56.

we think it is only fair that those that can afford to should make some

:48:57.:49:01.

contribution to the cost of a service which costs hard-working

:49:02.:49:05.

taxpayers it is ?6 million per year. We are reviewing this and doing a

:49:06.:49:09.

careful job on it because it is a very important issue and we will

:49:10.:49:12.

publish the outcome of the review in due course.

:49:13.:49:16.

I am sure my right honourable friend will agree that the main challenges

:49:17.:49:21.

of the justice system is integrating ex-offenders back into the outside

:49:22.:49:24.

world on release. Does he agreed that the success of this needs the

:49:25.:49:32.

cooperation of employers and what the Government will do to make sure

:49:33.:49:37.

such cooperation is encouraged and increased.

:49:38.:49:40.

I agree that it is a vital way we are going to reduce reoffending.

:49:41.:49:44.

What we're doing is launching a new employment strategy next year,

:49:45.:49:49.

working with employers. We have apprenticeships and prisons will be

:49:50.:49:52.

doing when they are in and out of prison to create that link between

:49:53.:49:55.

prison. Most importantly, we are making sure we match the jobs

:49:56.:49:59.

available on the outside with the training and work prisoners are

:50:00.:50:03.

doing on the inside. It is a pathway through to employment.

:50:04.:50:08.

The European criminal records information system enables the UK to

:50:09.:50:12.

access information on convictions of EU nationals. The future of our

:50:13.:50:18.

involvement is now unclear. What plans do they have two ensure

:50:19.:50:24.

effective engagement post Brexit? Can I say to the honourable

:50:25.:50:27.

gentleman that it is important that they should be liaison on Brexit

:50:28.:50:33.

between the Scottish Parliament and this Government and this Parliament

:50:34.:50:39.

and Government. That is happening, as he will know. It is an important

:50:40.:50:43.

system but if the Government is not announcing at this stage what it's

:50:44.:50:48.

negotiating is position is on Brexit.

:50:49.:50:53.

With care applications rising dramatically in the family courts,

:50:54.:50:56.

what steps is the Minister taking to head off what has been called as a

:50:57.:51:04.

looming crisis in the family courts? My honourable friend has made a very

:51:05.:51:09.

important point here and is asking a very important question. In the same

:51:10.:51:13.

period, the time taken to complete a case was as laughed. The family

:51:14.:51:20.

Justice board, which I call cheer, is investigating the reason for the

:51:21.:51:25.

rise and whether this is temporary. There are some vital issues involved

:51:26.:51:30.

here. Helping women not to lose excess of children to care. The

:51:31.:51:35.

pause project is doing positive work on this. I would be happy to have

:51:36.:51:41.

the meeting to discuss this further. Three secretaries of state for

:51:42.:51:46.

justice, health and local Government believe that parents in Hull should

:51:47.:51:49.

have an independent enquiry to find out what happened to their baby 's

:51:50.:51:56.

ashes. Does the current Secretary of State fully understand the

:51:57.:51:59.

disappointment that she will not stand up for justice for those

:52:00.:52:03.

parents and having that independent enquiry to find out what happened to

:52:04.:52:10.

those Ashes? I as a pathetic to the honourable

:52:11.:52:16.

lady concerned and I offer the sympathies. We do not plan to have

:52:17.:52:22.

an enquiry. Hull has made improvements, including new

:52:23.:52:29.

practices across communication between the local authorities and

:52:30.:52:33.

NHS trusts. Can I ask my right honourable friend

:52:34.:52:37.

what action the Government is taking to address the specific needs of

:52:38.:52:44.

women in the justice system? We are working to ensure that at

:52:45.:52:49.

every stage we are taking proper account of the specific needs of

:52:50.:52:52.

women, so that they receive the support they need to make positive

:52:53.:52:56.

changes in their lives. We went to see fewer women were fending and

:52:57.:53:01.

reoffending and will set out our strategy into thousand and 17. --

:53:02.:53:07.

offending. Can I give the Secretary of State and other opportunity to

:53:08.:53:10.

answer my question? She told this house that she has had meetings to

:53:11.:53:15.

discuss the levels of suicide in our presence. As Jack Lee visited a

:53:16.:53:22.

prison mental health service, and if not, why not?

:53:23.:53:26.

-- has she visited. I have visited a number of prisons. I have answered

:53:27.:53:33.

his question. Did my right honourable friend say

:53:34.:53:38.

what action the Government is taking to deal with ensuring the UK remains

:53:39.:53:43.

a specialist leader in world legal services?

:53:44.:53:49.

We are a moderate global centre for legal services and English law is

:53:50.:53:53.

the international law of choice. Our legal services sector contributes 26

:53:54.:53:58.

billion to the UK economy. We have the best legal system in the world

:53:59.:54:03.

and our organisation programme will keep us there. -- modernisation. I

:54:04.:54:08.

will be championing our legal services sector as a key part of

:54:09.:54:14.

post Brexit Britain. The family of one of my constituents

:54:15.:54:21.

that the man guilty of his manslaughter has been considered to

:54:22.:54:24.

be moved to an open prison one year before the family was told he would

:54:25.:54:31.

be considered and after he has only spent one year in prison.

:54:32.:54:36.

Is that just as? Obviously there is a careful risk assessment that is

:54:37.:54:40.

taking place for people who are moved into open prison. I am not

:54:41.:54:44.

aware of this case that he has outlined. I would be very happy to

:54:45.:54:50.

meet with him to discuss it. Thank you. The honourable member for

:54:51.:54:57.

Leeds East said that he thought that lord Newberg had mentioned that he

:54:58.:55:02.

would be deciding the case in accordance with the law. Does the

:55:03.:55:08.

secretary agree with me that he was saying that because that is his duty

:55:09.:55:11.

and that was because it was stated that it would be law and not

:55:12.:55:18.

politics... My honourable friend is right. She

:55:19.:55:29.

is right about his role and it is pronounced as I said. I have had

:55:30.:55:35.

three conversations with him. It is very important that the judiciary

:55:36.:55:46.

themselves state the case as well. The prisoners remain in custody

:55:47.:55:54.

along over at their tariff and after the previous Government abolished

:55:55.:55:56.

these sentences in the last parliament. The Ministry of Justice

:55:57.:56:03.

has a dedicated unit looking at the prisoners. Can the justice sector

:56:04.:56:06.

they tell us exactly what she is doing?

:56:07.:56:11.

We have a number of IPP prisoners I have met who are concerned to hear

:56:12.:56:16.

more about the progress they will make through the system. What the

:56:17.:56:20.

unit is doing is making sure there are sufficient parole hearings and

:56:21.:56:26.

that there are are are sufficient course is being taken and getting

:56:27.:56:29.

people to a stage where they are ready for release. It is always

:56:30.:56:33.

important to focus on public protection and we make sure we only

:56:34.:56:38.

release people who are not having that large risk.

:56:39.:56:47.

Woodhill prison in my constituency has had the highest number of

:56:48.:56:50.

suicides of any prison this year. Will my right honourable friend

:56:51.:56:53.

assured me she is working originally with the governor to address the

:56:54.:56:58.

situation. I can assure him we are working urgently with the governor

:56:59.:57:02.

to address the situation and address the overall issue of suicides in our

:57:03.:57:07.

prisons, which is too high. Reoffending rates among young

:57:08.:57:12.

offenders remain quite high. The Association of youth offending team

:57:13.:57:18.

managers have said earlier this year that there has been a record cut in

:57:19.:57:23.

funding. What is the Secretary of State doing to address this issue?

:57:24.:57:27.

I thank the honourable lady for the question and she will not have to

:57:28.:57:30.

wait long before we release the Charlie Taylor report as well as the

:57:31.:57:33.

Government response to this about how we will improve outcomes in

:57:34.:57:38.

youth justice. In February this year, 21-year-old

:57:39.:57:42.

Croydon resident George Beresford was knocked over and killed by a

:57:43.:57:47.

drink-driver. Because the police and CPS were unable to prove the

:57:48.:57:51.

drink-driver was also driving carelessly, he only received a

:57:52.:57:54.

relatively short driving ban instead of a custodial sentence. I thank the

:57:55.:58:01.

member for sorry for agreeing to meet the family this afternoon and I

:58:02.:58:04.

asked the minister if he agrees with me and the family that they should

:58:05.:58:08.

be looked at in a consultation, where a drink-driver kill someone, a

:58:09.:58:12.

custodial sentence is appropriate whether or not careless riding can

:58:13.:58:16.

be proven? The consultation makes it clear for

:58:17.:58:21.

our proposals whether someone is on drink, drugs or alcohol, and kill

:58:22.:58:27.

someone, there is evidence to charge them under careless dangerous

:58:28.:58:29.

driving, they could face a life sentence. It is for the CPS to

:58:30.:58:33.

prosecute based on the evidence and for the courts to hand down the

:58:34.:58:38.

relevant sentence and look forward to discussing the details of the

:58:39.:58:44.

specific case of the Beresfords with him this afternoon.

:58:45.:58:48.

My constituent is raising an action against his former employers of

:58:49.:58:51.

which there are many due to the nature of his work. He has to do it

:58:52.:58:57.

by the end of this year but cannot get a list of employers because the

:58:58.:59:00.

HMRC say it will take 321 days. I'm sure he would appreciate at the

:59:01.:59:05.

Justice Secretary would make representation to the Treasury and

:59:06.:59:07.

ask. I am happy to look into the case

:59:08.:59:11.

with the honourable lady. On her first day in office, the

:59:12.:59:15.

Prime Minister said, if you are black, you are treated more harshly

:59:16.:59:18.

by the criminal justice system than if you are white. I am pleased to

:59:19.:59:23.

have joined the review working with the honourable member for Tottenham

:59:24.:59:26.

looking into the treatment of an outcomes for black Asian and

:59:27.:59:29.

minority ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system. What steps

:59:30.:59:35.

will be Secretary of State take to address the findings that in

:59:36.:59:38.

relation to arrest rates and charging, they are

:59:39.:59:41.

disproportionately affected? Can I say first that I am delighted

:59:42.:59:44.

my honourable friend has joined that review. She will make a major

:59:45.:59:50.

contribution to it, I am sure. Clearly there are issues right to

:59:51.:59:53.

the criminal justice system and things we must look at. One thing I

:59:54.:59:56.

am keen to see is a greater degree of diversity across our legal

:59:57.:00:01.

services industry and in our judiciary. We work very hard on

:00:02.:00:04.

that. Education budgets are being devolved

:00:05.:00:10.

to prison governors. Is each of those individual budgets going to be

:00:11.:00:13.

ring fenced for spending on education purposes only?

:00:14.:00:22.

Yes. Well, a one word answer.

:00:23.:00:25.

Magnificent. I doubt we will get a one word question. We always ask the

:00:26.:00:30.

chair of the justice select committee, himself an accomplished

:00:31.:00:34.

lawyer, and there is a hint there. Mr Robertson meal.

:00:35.:00:38.

Given the Government's welcome development of a corruption

:00:39.:00:44.

prevention strategy, will the Minister look closely at the

:00:45.:00:51.

allegations of systemic corruption raised by Buzzfeed news today saying

:00:52.:00:54.

it is an undermining of our prison system?

:00:55.:00:58.

I agree with my honourable friend. Whilst the vast majority of prison

:00:59.:01:00.

officers are hard-working and dedicated there is a small minority

:01:01.:01:04.

that is an issue. We acknowledge that in the White Paper. Reporting

:01:05.:01:10.

early next year on our corruption strategy, we will be. We are also

:01:11.:01:15.

considering options around a prison specific offence of corruption to

:01:16.:01:22.

crack down on the scourge. I previously raised their concerns

:01:23.:01:26.

with the Lord Chancellor on the rise of gangs promoting extremist

:01:27.:01:29.

ideology in prisons. Can I right honourable friend update the house

:01:30.:01:32.

of how her department is cracking down on extremist behaviour?

:01:33.:01:37.

My honourable friend is right about our concerns and we rushed our

:01:38.:01:41.

response to the Aitchison review in the summer. I'm pleased to say all

:01:42.:01:44.

prison officers are currently being trained and will be by the end of

:01:45.:01:48.

the year, in tackling extremism. I will be pleased to meet with her to

:01:49.:01:51.

discuss further measures we can take to deal with this issue.

:01:52.:01:58.

We will conclude with another dose from Mr Philip Davis.

:01:59.:02:04.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. When the last Labour Government change the law so

:02:05.:02:06.

prisoners had to be released halfway through the sentence, irrespective

:02:07.:02:12.

of how badly behaved or a risk to the public, the conservative

:02:13.:02:18.

opposition voted against it. Does the Conservative Party think the

:02:19.:02:21.

Government were wrong to oppose that changing the law?

:02:22.:02:24.

And referred the honourable member to the answer I gave earlier that

:02:25.:02:27.

day and last at the select committee.

:02:28.:02:32.

I think this show will run on. Probably for some years... Order.

:02:33.:02:44.

Urgent questions to Andy McDonald. To ask the Secretary of State for

:02:45.:02:47.

Transport if he will make a statement on the Government's plans

:02:48.:02:50.

for train operating companies to take responsibility for track and

:02:51.:02:56.

infrastructure for Network Rail. The Secretary of State for

:02:57.:03:00.

Transport... Mr Speaker, he clearly misunderstood

:03:01.:03:09.

my plan. Let me explain. This morning, a written miss ministerial

:03:10.:03:12.

statement in both libraries of this House, my vision for reforming the

:03:13.:03:17.

railways to put passengers at the heart. Providing better, more

:03:18.:03:23.

reliable journeys. We have seen substantial growth in passenger

:03:24.:03:26.

numbers since privatisation but this growth brings challenges and impact

:03:27.:03:30.

and disruption could be immediate significant and wide-ranging. Our

:03:31.:03:33.

railways need to adapt and change in order to be able to cope with this

:03:34.:03:36.

huge expansion in the number

:03:37.:03:38.

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