argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Labor
Jeremy Mark Quin (Conservative, Centre-right): May I press the Secretary of State on the release on temporary licence scheme? What are the measures of success? How useful has it been in getting prisoners out of prison and into full-time employment on an ongoing basis?
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): It is useful, but I want us to do more of it. The education and employment strategy seeks to expand the use of workplace release on temporary licence— ROTL—to get prisoners who have earned it and who have been properly risk assessed out of their cells and into real workplaces. That will enable prisoners to build trust and prove themselves with an employer. If people do ROTL, they are more likely to be employed, and if they are employed, they are less likely to reoffend.
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. Whether through the probation service, through charities or in prisons, we need to ensure that offenders get support when they are released. A lot of that work can be done within prison, which is why the education and employment strategy is so important. We want people to be geared up to go into employment when they are released, because if they are employed, they are less likely to offend.
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Labor
Alexander John Gervase Chalk (Conservative, Centre-right): I warmly welcome attempts to improve the employability of those in custody, but that will work only if the training relates to jobs that individuals want and for which there is a need in society. What steps are being taken to ensure that the resources are properly targeted at what will work best?
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Education
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right. Returning again to the education and employment strategy, our emphasis is on ensuring that training is focused on what will help people into work, and we are giving governors greater control and discretion to ensure that they are well placed to do that.
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Female offenders often have complex needs and getting the right support in place can be vital in helping them to turn their lives around, so why have members of the Government’s advisory board said that recent announcements from the Secretary of State represent a missed opportunity and are simply not sufficient to achieve his ambitions?
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The female offender strategy, which I outlined a couple of weeks ago, has by and large had a positive response, and our focus on residential centres has been warmly welcomed. Of course, there are those who are calling for us to go further, and we will continue to listen and engage, but the direction in which we are going has widespread support and fully recognises the hon. Lady’s important point that we need to address complex needs.
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Female offenders often have complex needs and getting the right support in place can be vital in helping them to turn their lives around, so why have members of the Government’s advisory board said that recent announcements from the Secretary of State represent a missed opportunity and are simply not sufficient to achieve his ambitions?
Rebecca Faye Clark (Pow) (Conservative, Centre-right): Data has highlighted that two thirds of young offenders have speech, language and communication problems. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, with joint working across the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and the justice system to bring forward programmes that will tackle the issue from birth, such as parental training, more health visitors and better advice, we could actually prevent many young people from ever getting into the criminal justice system?
Offenders’ Access to Education and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Female offenders often have complex needs and getting the right support in place can be vital in helping them to turn their lives around, so why have members of the Government’s advisory board said that recent announcements from the Secretary of State represent a missed opportunity and are simply not sufficient to achieve his ambitions?
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises several important points, and I will try to address one or two of them. On the need for us to work across Government, many issues are not just for the Ministry of Justice, but for the likes of the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education. It is also the case that we want to work upstream, because if we can address the complex problems that exist, we can stop people committing crimes in the first place.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): Since the creation of our youth justice reform programme in 2017, reports by Her Majesty’s inspectorate of prisons have highlighted improvements in the youth secure estate. It is encouraging to see that our reforms are starting to have an impact on the ground, but there is more to do, which is why we are continuing to invest in system-wide reform further to improve safety and outcomes, and why we are expanding frontline public sector staff capacity at young offender institutions. That is why this is a priority for me and for the Secretary of State.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Education
Caroline Elizabeth Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my hon. Friend on his promotion to a ministerial role. Many children and young people in custody have poor educational attainment. What is he doing to ensure that children in custody have access to good education?
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Education
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for her comments. Her work with young people, on both their health and welfare, is well known Education should be at the heart of youth custody and must meet the needs of young people. It is there to prepare them for employment, an apprenticeship or continued education when they are resettled back into their communities. We are building more flexibility into the core day, which is designed to ensure that all children receive an individualised education programme tailored to their needs. We are working with each YOI on plans for improving delivery of education to those young people who are unwilling or unable to participate in the mainstream regime.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Margaret Ann Throup (Conservative, Centre-right): I also welcome my hon. Friend to his new role. Does he agree that, although these reforms are welcome, they form only part of the solution? Can he outline what work his Department is doing to support community-based projects, which can play a crucial part in preventing more young people from entering the youth justice system in the first place?
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I agree that support in the community plays a vital role in our efforts to reduce the number of those entering youth custody. I am clear that custodial sentences should be handed down only when absolutely necessary, which is why we have provided £72 million to the Youth Justice Board for the youth offending teams that deliver youth justice services and for community-based interventions.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What is the Minister doing on the mental wellbeing of first-time offenders? Has he spoken to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about that?
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman highlights an extremely important point, because we know the evidence shows that first-time offenders, particularly youth offenders, often display a multitude of challenges in their background, including in their mental health. I have already had informal discussions with the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jackie Doyle-Price). She and I have regular bilaterals scheduled to discuss exactly this sort of issue.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Government Operations
Questions: What is the Minister doing on the mental wellbeing of first-time offenders? Has he spoken to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about that?
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): I hope that the hon. Lady will allow me to point to my future intentions. Having been in post for just shy of three weeks, I have not yet had any formal discussions; I have had the informal discussions I mentioned. I intend that bilateral meetings with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will be part of my regular meetings programme.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What is the Minister doing on the mental wellbeing of first-time offenders? Has he spoken to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about that?
Michael James Tomlinson-Mynors (Conservative, Centre-right): I, too, warmly congratulate my hon. Friend on his appointment. With nearly 80% of young offenders who are sentenced to a short term of imprisonment going on to reoffend, prison is not working. It is not working for them, or for the victims of crime, which means there are more victims of crime. Will he consider a presumption against short-term sentences and instead consider a rigorous community system with a focus on rehabilitation?
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What is the Minister doing on the mental wellbeing of first-time offenders? Has he spoken to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about that?
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): Although it is right that sentencing decisions should always rest with the judiciary and a custodial sentence should always be an option where the nature of the offence absolutely merits it, given the persuasive evidence that short custodial sentences are not the most effective way to secure rehabilitation and reduce reoffending, we will be looking at what more we can do to provide alternatives and to highlight that short custodial sentences should be used only as a last resort.
Youth Justice System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What is the Minister doing on the mental wellbeing of first-time offenders? Has he spoken to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about that?
Edward John Comport Argar (Conservative, Centre-right): It is a pleasure to answer the shadow Secretary of State from the Dispatch Box. He highlights an extremely important issue. I believe there is a role for the public, private, and voluntary and philanthropic sectors in our justice system. He highlights the issues at Oakhill. Ofsted’s findings in the inspection report on Oakhill at the end of last year are unacceptable, and we took urgent action to address the concerns raised. We are robustly monitoring performance against the contract, and I am clear that all options remain on the table.
MOJ Staff on Low Pay: Wages and Conditions — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Labor
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the staff of the MOJ on, and thank them for, all the important work they do across a number of spheres. The MOJ continues to pay the statutory national living wage or above to all its staff.
MOJ Staff on Low Pay: Wages and Conditions — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Labor
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): Obviously, I cannot comment on DFID, but I can comment on the MOJ. We pay a significant number of our employees the real living wage. As at 1 December last year, only 1,791 of more than 22,000 employees within the MOJ and its agencies, excluding Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, were paid below the real living wage. In HMPPS, only 540 out of more than 47,000 direct employees were paid below the real living wage.
MOJ Staff on Low Pay: Wages and Conditions — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): No one has to be a public servant, and it is really important that prison officers get up in the morning and enjoy going to work. There were some worrying figures recently showing an increase in the number of prison officers leaving the profession. What more can we do on induction and supervision to keep our excellent prison officers in post, where they are desperately needed?
MOJ Staff on Low Pay: Wages and Conditions — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point. We are of course recruiting more prison officers. Enjoying one’s work is not just about pay, and the reward strategy in prisons is about officers working closely with their prison governors to ensure that they have an opportunity to develop in work and get the most out of their work.
Leaving the EU: UK Legal System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Mary Josephine Robinson (Conservative, Centre-right): The application of new technology has the potential to make our justice system even fairer and more effective. Measures such as the adoption of the use of video technology in court by the Courts and Tribunals Service could aid speed and accessibility. Will the Minister tell me how the Government aim to encourage much-needed innovation in the justice and legal system?
Leaving the EU: UK Legal System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): The Ministry of Justice is doing a number of things to improve innovation. In the courts themselves, we have a £1 billion programme that is digitalising our court services and bringing them up to date. We are also ensuring that our legal services sector continues to thrive and prosper globally. Only yesterday, we had the first meeting of the law tech panel, which is supported by Government but led by the industry to support innovation and technology for our legal services sector.
Leaving the EU: UK Legal System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. and learned Lady makes an important point, because we have distinct legal systems in Scotland and in England and Wales, and we must recognise that. Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Clancy from the Law Society of Scotland to discuss a number of issues relating to Scotland. My officials meet regularly with their counterparts in Scotland.
Leaving the EU: UK Legal System — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: International Affairs
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister has made it clear that the ECJ will no longer have direct jurisdiction in this country. Where we continue to operate common rules, it will of course be appropriate that this country can look to the ECJ jurisprudence to decide the way forward.
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The education and employment strategy will set each prisoner on a path to employment from the outset. Through work, people can turn their backs on crime. Good behaviour and hard work will be rewarded with opportunity. Since the strategy’s publication, more than 30 new organisations have registered an interest in working with offenders. Nine Government Departments are signed up to the Going Forward into Employment pilot to hire ex-offenders in the civil service, and the first cohort of offenders is already in post.
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
David Thomas Charles Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend’s Department for the interest it has already shown in a project to enable serving prisoners to undertake the theoretical exams required for a career in the haulage industry, which is currently very short of workers. As a result of the meetings I have had with the Department, a pilot project is taking place in south Wales. I thank Ministers for that and ask that they continue to show interest in the project.
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his point. It is an example of where I hope that my Department and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service can work with employers to ensure that we help get more people into work, which is good for the individual offenders, good for the employers and society benefits as a whole because it contributes to reducing reoffending.
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I point him in the direction of the female offender strategy, which we published a couple of weeks ago. One point that we argue in that is that, in many cases, custodial sentences are not the right approach, particularly for female offenders who, disproportionately, are sentenced to short sentences that disrupt their lives and do little to help them rehabilitate. If we can do more about helping in the community and, for example, making use of residential centres, we can help ensure that more female offenders get into work.
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree entirely with the right hon. Gentleman’s point. He highlights an example—a sad example, but not, I accept, the only one—where people, too quickly, go out of prison and commit a crime and are then set in a cycle of offending and reoffending. The system is not working for them or for society. The purpose of the education and employment strategy, which is implicit in his question, is an important point, and we must ensure that we implement it successfully. The purpose of that is to address this very issue.
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): Some of the people who are disproportionately represented inside the prison system are ex-servicemen. What plans does the Secretary of State have to bring charities such as Care after Combat into the prisons to help to ensure that reoffending does not take place and that these people who are heroes one day are not villains the next?
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend raises an important point. It is important for all offenders that we address this issue, but there is a particular point about ex-service people. He is right to highlight the very strong charitable sector in this area. I am determined to ensure that we continue to engage with those charities to provide people with the support they need, making sure in particular, in the context of his question, that those who have served this country are not disadvantaged.
Offenders: Help to Find Employment — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. I have just delivered a speech making that very point, so I am doing my little bit that way. That is a message that we need to be getting across. How do we reduce reoffending? We must rehabilitate and we must help people into employment.
Drones over Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): Reducing the use of drones in prisons means four things: we must tackle the criminal gangs that organise the drones; we must tackle the people who fly them over the wall; we must ensure that we have electronic jamming equipment in place; and we need physical security in the forms of nets and grilles to prevent the prisoners from accessing those drones.
Drones over Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
John Luther Mercer (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that my hon. Friend likes nothing more than donning his budgie smugglers and sitting in the back garden on a Sunday afternoon. Drones can be a menace in that regard. Will he confirm exactly what he is doing in some of the measures that he is putting in place to combat drones in prison?
Drones over Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): You are right, Mr Speaker; it does sound a pretty rum business. The serious point about drones is that, rather than flying over my back garden in Penrith and The Border, they are bringing illicit substances into prisons. Of the four methods I emphasised, the key way of dealing with that—the one that is the most important of all—is physical security. If we have the right nets and grilles, it is simply impossible for the prisoner to put their hand out of the window and take the drugs off the drones. Of the four methods, perimeter security is probably the most important.
Drones over Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Henry Bellingham (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for taking the issue suitably seriously. Is he aware of a particular issue in a number of prisons, including Wayland prison in Norfolk, where the drone flyers have been acting with impunity and have become ever more brazen in their conduct? Will the Minister tell the House how far he has got in implementing the measures he has mentioned? Is there not now an argument for a specific new offence of flying drones in that way?
Drones over Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): We have made a lot of progress on the issue. In prisons such as Liverpool, where the new grilles are coming in, and Chelmsford, where we have the new protective equipment in place, we can see that it is more and more difficult to get a drone into a prison. When the nets are working and the grilles are up, it is difficult to do. There are other things we can do, too. One central thing is intelligence operations to identify organised criminal gangs. We are introducing sentences—in a recent case someone who flew a drone into a prison received a seven-year sentence.
Drones over Prisons — House of Commons, 2018-07-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): The payload of a drone is relatively limited. The amount of weight that it can carry tends to be 1 kg or 2 kg at the maximum. Therefore the majority of drugs that come into prison are almost certainly going over the wall by other means—thrown over or posted over impregnated in paper—or carried in by people coming into the prison. That is why we are investing much more now in different types of scanners to pick up any human bringing drugs into prison and are also ensuring that we have the perimeter security in place for the throwovers.