argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Pre-charge Bail — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): If there is any evidence of leaking to the media, I am sure the hon. Gentleman will pass it to me in due course. I agree that we need to make sure that bail is used correctly, and that is exactly why the Home Secretary announced a consultation, which is ongoing. I am sure the hon. Gentleman will give evidence to it so that we can get it right. People should not be on bail for any longer than they need to be.
Pre-charge Bail — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Robert Chope (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend advise people who are in that position that bail is voluntary, so they do not have to accept it? If they do not accept bail, the police will either have to charge or release them.
Pre-charge Bail — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right, but someone who is arrested and offered bail when an investigation is ongoing faces a really difficult decision. We have indicated that the period should be no more than 28 days, and the consultation is looking at whether that is viable. The period may need to be longer in exceptional circumstances, particularly when the police are looking at encrypted hard drives, but at the end of the day it is for the individual and the police to decide.
HMP Altcourse — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government take this issue extremely seriously, and the Secretary of State was at that prison on Friday. We are taking five actions. First, a new director has been appointed. He was formerly director of Her Majesty’s Prison Rye Hill, and he took up his position on 8 December. There is a new head of security and a new security intelligence manager, and new search and security systems are in place. Two full lock-down searches of the prison were conducted in November and December, and improvements have been made in the operation of the basic regime, which will help with the issues that the hon. Gentleman quite properly raises.
HMP Altcourse — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: As well as taking prisoners from Merseyside, HMP Altcourse takes prisoners from Cheshire and north Wales. What will be the impact of the new super-prison at Wrexham on prisoner capacity in Cheshire, north Wales and Merseyside? [Official Report, 25 February 2015, Vol. 593, c. 3-4MC.]
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): We need more adult male capacity so we are taking the right course of action by building the new prison in north Wales. There are currently no prisons in north Wales, and the new prison will enable us to house all Welsh prisoners within Wales, which we have not been able to do before. We will keep prisoners as close to their home areas as far as possible.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to preventing offending by young people. We are working to place education at the heart of youth custody, and will open the first secure college pathfinder in 2017. We have announced the commencement of our stocktake of youth offending teams, to give us a better understanding of how local youth justice services are delivered and to help ensure that we provide the best support possible to young offenders and their communities.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Lady knows, we will not be placing girls and young people under the age of 15 in the secure college when it starts, and those issues will be subject to a vote of both Houses of Parliament. At the moment we spend an average of £100,000 a year to keep a young person in custody, and we have a reoffending rate of 68%. We need to try something better, and putting education and skills at the heart of youth justice so that we turn young people into productive members of their community is the right way to go.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): What plans does the Ministry of Justice have for alternative custody in the form of a secure residential drug treatment centre for young persons and adults? That could be piloted as an alternative for the future so that we can have better treatment in the longer term.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right to mention drugs in prisons as that issue is of great concern to the Ministry of Justice, not least because of new psychoactive substances that are getting into prisons. Our existing prisons have drug treatment programmes, and we are considering how we can continually improve and make that work more effective.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Social Welfare
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): I reassure the hon. Lady that I am working closely with the children’s Minister and I have met him on a number of occasions, most recently last week. We are working closely together to address the issues that she has quite properly raised.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Education
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is not totally correct because the Youth Justice Board is a strong proponent of the secure college. Let me say what I said to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson) a moment ago: it is not as if what we are doing at the moment is a roaring success. We spend enormous amounts of public money to get very poor results, and it is right to look at education and skills. The matter has been considered in Parliament, as he knows, and we are on plan to sign contracts later this month.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I am pleased to inform the House that we have now completed our work and opened up the market for breaking the cycle of reoffending to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers to get the best out of the public, private and voluntary sectors, and that we have commenced the provisions of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): Mentoring is a crucial part of the future of our work to break the cycle of reoffending. I have absolutely no doubt that the ability of those who have been through the system themselves and turned their lives around, and who currently work within the voluntary sector, to play a role in changing the lives of those who are still in the criminal justice system is enormous. One thing that excites me is that, with the presence in the rehabilitation arena of a number of our leading charities working hand in hand with the Government and the private sector to deliver better rehabilitation, I am convinced we will see those mentoring skills brought to bear on the problem.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): We get a lot of nonsense from Opposition Members. I want a joined-up process, in which we work with people in prison, help them to prepare for release, and work with them when they have left prison. No organisation that works for the public sector in this arena chooses who it gets in its prisons or rehabilitation arena. It is right and proper that that responsibility lies with the public sector. I think a joined-up approach is the right way forward.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Labor
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Secretary of State agree that work in prison should lead to prisoners gaining skills that improve their employability, leading to reduced reoffending rates on release? Will he indicate to the House the number of prisoners partaking in work activity this year compared with 2010-11?
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): The number of hours worked in prisons has increased dramatically in the past four years—the latest figures show 14 million hours—and we are seeking to increase that number all the time. Last week, I was at HMP Coldingley for the launch of a new partnership between the Ministry of Defence and the Prison Service, whereby prisoners will produce items such as sandbags for use by our armed forces. I hope that that work will continue, grow and develop. The more we can get prisoners in our prisons working, the more likely they are to get a job when they leave.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): There are two parts to that equation. Although there has been considerable success over the years in tackling the problem of conventional drugs in prisons, the problem now is the arrival of new psychoactive substances that are not detected through the normal means. That has posed an additional challenge to our prison system, and is a significant reason behind the increase in the amount of violence—serious violence—in prisons in the past 12 months. We are taking additional measures to try to tackle that, including tougher security measures and tougher penalties within prisons, and the training of dogs to sniff out that new generation of substances Of course, alongside that, proper work must be done to try to tackle addiction. With the through-the-gate system we have created and are creating, it is important that we see a flow-through from work done in our prisons to work done after prison. I remember being told by prison staff how frustrated they were that they had no guarantee that the rehab being done in prisons would continue when prisoners left. That will now change.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The cycle of reoffending is not helped by the number of people who are released on bail rather than remanded in custody. As the Daily Mail reports today, two rapes a week and one unlawful killing are committed by people on bail. [Interruption.] The hon. Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) does not seem to care about the number of rapes committed by people on bail and is laughing about it. A previous parliamentary question I asked revealed that 20% of all burglaries are committed by people out on bail. What is the Secretary of State doing to ensure that more persistent offenders are remanded in custody and fewer persistent offenders are out on bail to commit more crimes?
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): Decisions on individual bail cases lie with the courts, which are independent of Government, but I never want the courts to be in a position where they do not have a place to send those whom they wish to put behind bars. I hope our courts will exercise extreme care in deciding whether to put somebody behind bars or to let them out on bail. As we go into the election in May, there are 3,000 more adult male prison places than there were in 2010.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Education
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): We continue to work to expand education in our prisons, and I am pleased that this year we expect a significant increase in the number of prisoner qualifications. Great work is done by our education professionals in our prisons. We will look to expand and develop that as far as logistically possible.
Reoffending — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Government Operations
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I have to say that the right hon. Gentleman’s comments are an insult to a fine public servant, who has taken a brave decision this week. I am not of the view that someone should be denied the opportunity to apply for a job because of the possibility that in the future their wife’s company might win contracts and she might be promoted. I regard Paul McDowell as a fine public servant who has done a good job for this country. I hope he will return to a new post somewhere else supporting our public sector in the future, because he deserves it. He has done a very good job.
Local Access to Justice — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Julian Richard Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): Skipton magistrates court is key to providing local access to the justice system for one of the most rural parts of our country. Will the Minister confirm that he will do everything he can to ensure that that court is kept busy and stays open?
Local Access to Justice — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): As the Police Minister, I am sure some of my colleagues in the police force will be doing exactly that. I do not think there has been a better advocate for a constituency magistrates court than my hon. Friend. Every time he opens his mouth in conversation with me or my colleagues in the Tea Room, he talks about Skipton magistrates court. I would do exactly the same if I was in his position.
Local Access to Justice — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): I honestly think that when we look at the courts estate we need to make sure it is fit for purpose around the country. Where someone is based is immaterial. What we need to do is ensure we make the right decisions.
Assaults on Prison Officers — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: How many prison officers have been assaulted during the course of their work in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): There were 3,470 assaults on staff in the year to 30 September 2014, and I can assure the hon. Lady that I get angry and upset at every single one. There is growing evidence that the increased smuggling of new synthetic drugs into prisons is a major factor in levels of prison violence, and we have already announced a series of measures to crack down on it. We will ensure that governors have the powers and support they need to tackle the problem.
Assaults on Prison Officers — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: How many prison officers have been assaulted during the course of their work in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is right that these are extremely serious issues, but there is a growing body of evidence that the increase in the number of serious assaults is linked to the increase in new psychoactive substances in prisons. I hear that from governors and prison officers in every prison I visit. We have taken a series of measures, announced only a couple of days ago by the Secretary of State, to give governors more powers to crack down on the problem. We are trying to educate families and friends of prisoners not to smuggle these substances into prisons. If we can reduce the amount of those drugs in prisons, we will reduce levels of violence. All those things, along with the protocol with the police and Crown Prosecution Service and the increased use of body-worn cameras, will help to tackle this serious issue.
Assaults on Prison Officers — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: How many prison officers have been assaulted during the course of their work in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right that prison officers are front-line public servants who keep us safe, and I have told her how seriously I take this issue. I read the reports on a daily basis, and I can assure her that they affect me as much as they do her and everyone else in the House. We are taking action in three areas: a wider range of punishments to crack down on the use of new psychoactive substances; the new protocol—it has never happened before—between the CPS and police forces to ensure that prisoners who attack staff or other prisoners spend longer behind bars; and an increased use of body-worn cameras. All that will help.
Victims of Crime — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): We published "Our Commitment to Victims" in September 2014. In addition, I chair the victims panel, and we will bring forward a victims law. On Thursday, I launched TrackMyCrime, which, for the first time, will enable victims to track their crime as it passes through the criminal justice system. Across the House, we should congratulate Avon and Somerset constabulary on piloting and bringing forward this initiative.
Victims of Crime — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): I have met the hon. Lady, and I know that she is passionate—and quite rightly so—in speaking up for her constituents and victims. As she knows, it is about the definition within the law as it was, and it is no good attacking this Government, because it was exactly the same for the 13 years under the previous Government. We are making the changes
Victims of Crime — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Increasing numbers of victims are victims of crime committed online. Many have experienced disturbing and threatening behaviour. What steps are the Government taking to support victims of that type of crime?
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the campaigning work she has done on this subject. The type of crime she describes is just as illegal if it is done online as it would be if it was done face to face. We are trying to support everybody, but there are difficulties, not least in getting people to come forward. TrackMyCrime will help. If a crime has been perpetrated in a domestic situation, for instance, people can get the e-mails at work; it is their choice where they get the information from.
Victims of Crime — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Increasing numbers of victims are victims of crime committed online. Many have experienced disturbing and threatening behaviour. What steps are the Government taking to support victims of that type of crime?; Further to that point, what discussion has the Minister had with colleagues in the Home Office about how victims of cybercrime and other fraud are being treated by Action Fraud, when they are not even told whether their case is being investigated, let alone prosecuted?
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): I am a Minister in the Home Office, as I am sure you are aware, Mr Speaker, as well as the Ministry of Justice, so I am very close to this issue. Through TrackMyCrime people will know exactly where in the criminal justice system their case lies. Across the House, we should congratulate Avon and Somerset on bringing forward the initiative, which is now in 43 police authorities around the country.
Victims of Crime — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Increasing numbers of victims are victims of crime committed online. Many have experienced disturbing and threatening behaviour. What steps are the Government taking to support victims of that type of crime?; Further to that point, what discussion has the Minister had with colleagues in the Home Office about how victims of cybercrime and other fraud are being treated by Action Fraud, when they are not even told whether their case is being investigated, let alone prosecuted?
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt (Conservative, Centre-right): We have already legislated to increase the duty on sentencers to consider compensation from offenders to their victims. We have taken powers to increase the amount that can be attached against benefits in future, so that the sums are actually paid to victims. We are increasing work in prisons so that prisoners can earn resources that can be paid to victims. Will the Minister tell us what progress is being made on delivering compensation from offenders to victims of crime in reality?
Victims of Crime — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Increasing numbers of victims are victims of crime committed online. Many have experienced disturbing and threatening behaviour. What steps are the Government taking to support victims of that type of crime?; Further to that point, what discussion has the Minister had with colleagues in the Home Office about how victims of cybercrime and other fraud are being treated by Action Fraud, when they are not even told whether their case is being investigated, let alone prosecuted?
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): I am proud to say that we have just announced that there will be £40 million extra each year on top of the £50 million compensation already paid. A lot of that money comes from the perpetrators of crimes. We hope to get more money from offenders, and we are working to ensure that that happens.
Magistrates — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): There is a substantial and comprehensive training programme, which is under the overall supervision of the Judicial College. I will write to the hon. Lady giving a full and detailed answer—or, rather, the Minister responsible will.
Magistrates — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): Why do magistrates have to retire at 70? We are losing years of experience from willing volunteers. I think that the regulations should be scrapped, so that hundreds more people could continue to serve in our magistrates courts.
Magistrates — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand exactly where my hon. Friend is coming from. That sort of experience is important. However, we must also bring young people into the magistrates service, otherwise there would be no throughput in the system.
Human Trafficking — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): That question does not sit within the responsibilities of the Ministry of Justice; it is a question for the Home Office. However, I can inform the hon. Gentleman that between 2010 and 2013—the latest year for which figures are available in relation to human trafficking offences on an all-offences basis—the number of convictions increased by nearly 66%. The Government are committed to stamping out this abhorrent crime, building on the United Kingdom’s strong track record of supporting victims and fighting the perpetrators.
Human Trafficking — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): In response to the hon. Gentleman’s first point, I can tell him that it is a simple matter of fact in Government that this issue is looked after by the Home Office. As for his second point, I do not believe that any past Government have done more than the present Government to tackle human trafficking. Work is being done across Government and across the public sector to deal with a crime that we all believe is abhorrent, and that we all want to see stamped out.
Human Trafficking — House of Commons, 2015-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): The securing of evidence to bring prosecutions to court is a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, but our Department will always do all that it can to facilitate their work. I expect our reforms of the court system to improve the process in both those organisations, but we depend on the very good work done by our police service and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that people are prosecuted.