theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-09-23 conversation_113
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-23 conversation_113

Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services to make its initial set of recommendations. \p Karin Smyth: In June 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services, which will be chaired by Baroness Amos.

The investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025. These recommendations will take previous recommendations into consideration and will therefore take primacy over previous recommendations.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Chagossians moved to the UK from (a) Mauritius and (b) Seychelles in each year since 2019. \p Seema Malhotra: An individual can apply for British citizenship if they believe they meet the requirements. Those wishing to naturalise will need to meet the statutory requirements set out in the British Nationality Act 1981, including to be of good character. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but a person who has entered the UK illegally will not normally meet the good character requirement.

Details of fees for immigration and nationality applications, including the estimated unit costs, can be reviewed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-data.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghans who initially arrived in the UK by small boat are now part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme. \p Seema Malhotra: Individuals who arrive in the UK via small boat are not considered to meet the requirements for a grant of permission to remain in the UK, and are not therefore expected to be included in any of our resettlement schemes.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that victims of modern slavery detained in enforcement activity for illegal working are (a) identified and (b) protected. \p Jess Phillips: All staff within the Home Office involved in immigration enforcement activity are provided with appropriate training and guidance for their roles. This includes, but is not limited to, training around Modern Slavery, the National Referrals Mechanism process and the Adults at Risk in detention policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tony Vaughan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the use of education in schools to prevent violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: Prevention and education are fundamental to our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and that includes supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.

As part of the Safer Streets Mission, I regularly engage with colleagues across Government including those at the Department for Education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tony Vaughan:To ask  the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken toward reaching the Government's target of halving violence against women and girls by the end of the decade. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling VAWG is a top priority for this Government. We will deliver a cross-Government transformative approach, utilising every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence. This will be underpinned by a new strategy to be published later this year.

Recent measures have included developing a new package of six measures to tackle stalking and a step-change in approach to the way that policing looks at VAWG crimes, through a new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection. We are investing £13.1 million pounds next financial year (25/26) to stand up this new Centre from April 2025 and throughout its first year. This funding includes an uplift of nearly £2 million to enable policing to better target these crimes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people working illegally in the gig economy in England and Wales. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office does not hold the requested data. Recent joint work between the Office for National Statistics and the Home Office explains the complexities of measuring numbers in this area. Measuring illegal migration: our current view - Office for National Statistics.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) funding for and (b) resourcing of Border Security Command. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Border Security Command (BSC) is enabling a step-change in how our full range of capabilities are coordinated, maximised and targeted on organised immigration crime and reducing irregular migration including through the investment of £150 million to provide new technology, capabilities and specialist officers tackling organised crime.

The funding and resourcing for the BSC are under constant review. This review process is crucial to ensure that value for money is achieved for taxpayers and the BSC is fulfilling its functions.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many small boat pilots have been arrested in each of the last five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

From 5 July 2024 to 11 February 2025 Home Office Immigration Enforcement have arrested 58 individuals identified as small boat pilots using offences set out in the Immigration Act 1971, as amended by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. The numbers arrested are set out in the table below:

Date

Number of individuals arrested having been identified as small boat pilots

1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020

106

1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021

54

1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022

117

1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023

94

1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024

101
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Border Security Command have commenced working with the Calais Group of Interior Ministers. \p Dame Angela Eagle: On 10 December 2024, Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, jointly with German Federal Minister of the Interior and Community, Nancy Faeser, convened the Calais Group Interior Ministers meeting with Belgium, France, and The Netherlands, in London, in the presence of the European Commission and its agencies. All Calais Group partners agreed to jointly deliver the Calais Group Priority Plan in 2025, committing to enhancing cooperation to address the acute challenges that migrant smuggling groups pose to our collective border security. Border Security Command officials are working closely with Calais Group official and operational counterparts to deliver the plan. The Home Secretary, Border Security and Asylum Minister and officials regularly engage with Calais Group partners as important near neighbours in the fight against organised migrant smuggling groups.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people under 18 and travelling alone have been deported since 4 July 2024; and to which countries they were deported. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The information requested is not available from published statistics and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office does publish the quarterly statistics on the returns of FNOs by nationality, destination and year. These returns are published in the Returns Detailed Datasets, Year Ending September 2024, which are available at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding local councils have spent on housing asylum seekers in (a) Essex and (b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency since 2022. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The requested data is not held centrally by the Home Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportations through enforced return there have been since 4 July 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Historic data on returns is available.

The most recent data on the number of returns from the UK since 4th July 2024 was published on 10th February, covering the period up to to 31 January 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were deported through (a) enforced return, (b) voluntary return, (c) after being refused entry at port and subsequently departed and (d) in total in each quarter between Q1 1995 and Q4 2004. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Historic data on returns is available.

The most recent data on the number of returns from the UK since 4th July 2024 was published on 10th February, covering the period up to to 31 January 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, was steps she is taking to reduce the number of people overstaying legitimately-granted visas. \p Dame Angela Eagle: All visa applications are assessed on their individual merits in accordance with Immigration Rules. Visa routes have different conditions, and these are published in route guidance on Gov.uk and stated on the visa or e-visa (digital status). The Home Office scrutinise applications linked to common abuse indicators using risk profiling.

Upon the expiry of an individual’s permission to stay in the UK, if a valid application for further permission to stay is not made and the individual does not leave the country of their own volition, they become an overstayer and are liable to be removed from the UK.

We have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, with almost 19,000 returns recorded between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of people entering the country via routes other than small boat crossings in the last 12 months. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The information you have requested is published in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release.

Data on detected irregular arrivals by method of entry is published in table Irr_01 of the Irregular migration summary tables. Data on passenger arrivals to the UK is published in table Arr_01 of the Passenger arrivals dataset. Data on Safe and Legal routes are published in table Asy_11 of the Asylum and resettlement summary tables. Data on entry clearance visas is published in table Vis_D02 of the detailed entry clearance dataset. A visa issued does not necessarily mean the person has entered the country.

The latest data goes up to the end of September 2024. Data up to the end of December 2024 is due to be published on 27 February 2025. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ pages of the workbooks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she had discussions with the Metropolitan Police on the cost of (a) overtime payments for officers, (b) additional resources, (c) equipment, (d) special measures and (e) mutual aid costs arising from the policing of the protest outside the Royal Mint court on 8 February 2025. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Public order policing is an operational matter for forces.

We are in frequent contact with the MPS on a range of issues and have just agreed a funding settlement that will provide the force with up to £3.8 billion in 2025-26, an increase of up to £249.7 million.   This includes the funding MPS receives through the National and International Capital City (NICC) Grant to support with the additional demands London faces as the nation’s capital and seat of Government, including additional protests. The NICC will be £248.7 million in 2025-26 an increase of £63.4 million.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Alex Burghart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their Indefinite Leave to Remain status revoked by the foreign national offender returns command in each of the last five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Data on numbers of revocations of leave to remain are not currently published.

The Home Office publishes data on returns of foreign national offenders (FNOs) in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on quarterly returns of FNOs by return type are published in tables Ret_D03 and Ret_D04 of the ‘Returns detailed datasets’. The latest data is for end September 2024. Data to end December 2024 will be released on 27th February. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data on numbers of revocations of leave to remain are not currently published in these statistics, and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Deportations are a specific subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good.

A deportation order requires an individual to leave the United Kingdom. It also prohibits them from re-entering the country for as long as it is in force and invalidates any leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom given to them before the Order is made or while it is in force.

Data on deportations are not currently published by the Home Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with stakeholders in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West on the proposed increase in firearms licencing fees. \p Dame Diana Johnson: On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.

The fees were previously increased in 2015 and they no longer met the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that the fees provide full-cost recovery so that service improvements can be made. The need to increase firearms licensing fees to help address shortcomings in firearms licensing was highlighted by the Senior Coroner in his Preventing Future Deaths reports into the fatal shootings in Plymouth in August 2021.

The new fees are based on data produced by a 2023 review of firearms licensing costs in 31 police forces, including Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. This data has since been updated to reflect increases in costs since then. The review was discussed at the Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office, which met in 2022 and 2023, and which included representation from the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, and national representative shooting organisations, including the British Shooting Sports Council, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Gun Trade Association, the National Rifle Association, the Countryside Alliance and the National Gamekeepers Organisation.

It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that full cost recovery fees were introduced. I have written to all Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables, including those in the South-West, to make clear that the income from increased fees must be invested into their firearms licensing operations, in the interests of both public safety and to support improvements in the service provided by their firearms licensing teams.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating guidance issued to police authorities to allow officers to knock suspected criminals off push bikes, in line with moped guidance. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The College of Policing has issued guidance on when a roads policing pursuit is justified and proportionate, the Home Office has no plans to issue its own updated guidance on roads policing pursuits involving push bikes.

Any decision on when it is appropriate to use tactical contact is an operational matter for the police as outlined in the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice on Police Pursuits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23524 on Licensing Laws, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) new and existing pavement licences continue to allow for Licensing Act 2003 consent to be included and (b) licensed premises do not need to amend or vary their premises licence to have a pavement licence with alcohol. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The previous Government explored the feasibility of creating a unified consent regime that would grant businesses a pavement licence and the ability to sell alcohol for consumption there. Unifying the two regimes did not prove workable; the then Government launched a consultation on alternative options in May 2024.

This Government is carefully considering the results of the consultation and will publish the results imminently alongside next steps.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for pavement licences. We support the use of pavement licences to encourage better use of outdoor space on our high streets, supporting businesses and revitalising spaces communities use. We have no plans to change the existing streamlined application process.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_21
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mr James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of raising the minimum income requirement for family visas. \p Seema Malhotra:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Electronic Travel Authorisations on the economy. \p Seema Malhotra: The introduction of our ETA scheme is in line with the approach international partners, like the USA and Australia have already taken to border security. ETAs enhance our ability to pre-screen travellers and prevent the travel of those who pose a threat.

They are a proportionate measure, supporting a quicker and more secure journey for millions of people who pass through the UK border each year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the illegal modification of e-bikes and e-scooters. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The police have powers available to them to tackle the illegal use of e-scooters and e-bikes and we expect police to deploy them appropriately.

The Home Office has also established a taskforce, which includes representatives from across Government, Policing and Fire and Rescue Services to help tackle the fire risks linked to lithium-ion batteries, e-bikes and e-scooters.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_24
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tristan Osborne:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: This government is taking significant steps to make sure violence against women and girls is treated as the national emergency it is. Already, in the first six months of this Government, that has included:

These are just some of the crucial first steps we have taken as part of our unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Emily Darlington:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on reducing the cost of housing refugees using Official Development Assistance. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Let me state again that the Government is committed to reducing the costs of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels over time. As we make progress on those objectives, it will reduce the amount of UK Official Development Assistance that needs to be used to house asylum refugees in this country.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure there is independent scrutiny of Technical Capability Notices; and if she will introduce new (a) judicial and (b) parliamentary oversight. \p Dan Jarvis: The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 allows the Secretary of State to place obligations on telecommunications operators or postal operators through a Technical Capability Notice. A Technical Capability Notice itself does not require an operator to disclose any information. Instead, it requires the operator to have the capability to respond to an individual warrant or authorisation.

The Act governs these notices and provides extensive privacy safeguards and a robust oversight regime. Technical Capability Notices must be approved by an independent Judicial Commissioner. The procedures for the judicial oversight of Technical Capability Notices are detailed in the codes of practice for Communications Data, Interception of Communications, and Equipment Interference, which are available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/investigatory-powers-act-codes-of-practice

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner must report annually on the carrying out of the functions of the Judicial Commissioner, with the report laid before Parliament.

The Act also provides for the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament to refer a matter to the Commissioner with a view to carrying out an investigation, inspection or audit.

The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 strengthened judicial oversight by introducing a requirement that existing technical capability notices are renewed if two years have passed since they were given, varied or last renewed. These renewals also require the approval of a Judicial Commissioner. The Government is currently implementing this Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the contribution of encryption in protecting cyber security; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing access requests under Technical Capability Notices. \p Dan Jarvis: This Government recognises the importance of online privacy and security safeguards such as strong encryption.

Technical Capability Notices can be used to maintain capabilities that provide for responsible and exceptional access to data by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, with service provider assistance, without undermining user privacy or security.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure access requests under Technical Capability Notices are targeted. \p Dan Jarvis: Technical Capability Notices do not directly require the disclosure of data. It is the separate authorisations or warrants that allow access to data. Each authorisation or warrant addresses matters of necessity and proportionality and collateral intrusion specific to the case in question.

As part of the decision to give a Technical Capability Notice, the Secretary of State must consider, among other factors, the likely benefits of the notice, the likely number of users of a service to which the notice relates, and the technical feasibility and likely cost of compliance for the operator. In addition, the decision must include consideration of whether what is sought to be achieved by the notice could reasonably be achieved by other less intrusive means.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who are the members of the Technical Advisory Board. \p Dan Jarvis: The membership of the Technical Advisory Board (TAB) is listed on the TAB’s GOV.UK webpage:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/technical-advisory-board/about/membership
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of illegal migrants arrested by the Border Force in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Mid Leicestershire constituency in the last 12 months. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The requested information is not available in our published data, but our published national data on enforcement is available at the following link and includes data on detected irregular arrivals to the UK: Immigration system statistics, year ending September 2024 - GOV.UK
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent irregular migrants working in the UK from accessing (a) social security benefits and (b) the NHS. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Under UK legislation, access to work is reserved to those who are eligible and have lawful immigration status in the UK. All employers are required to undertake right to work checks before employing someone and can incur civil penalties of up to £60,000.00 per employee if found to be employing migrants without the right to work.

Irregular migrants are subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds policy which means they cannot access social security benefits, and nor can they access NHS treatment without charge. The Home Office operates data sharing arrangements with other Government Departments to confirm immigration status information to support eligibility checks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan nationals have arrived via small boats since August 2021. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes statistics on small boat arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on detected irregular arrivals by method of entry and nationality is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’ with the latest data up to the end of September 2024. Data up to the end of December 2024 is due to be published on 27 February 2025.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department are making to help reduce the number of businesses that breach visa employment rules. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I laid before the House on 28 November, titled 'Visa Sponsorship’.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason international students from countries with Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results above the UK’s own in English are required to take additional English tests when they apply to UK universities. \p Seema Malhotra: The Government has no plans to weaken the UK’s immigration controls on English language requirements in the way suggested by the Honourable Member for Basildon and Billericay.

To ensure that all those coming to the UK to study under the Student route are genuine students who can follow a course of study, the Home Office sets minimum requirements for English language competency as specified in the Immigration Rules.

Sponsors who are Higher Education Providers (HEP) with a track record of compliance offering courses at degree level or above can also choose to set higher requirements and use their own methods to assess the students’ English language ability.

It is important that the English language requirements set out in our Immigration Rules continue to be applied to each individual based on their personal aptitude, rather than handing blanket approval to all students based on the PISA results of their country of origin.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) merits and (b) risks of registering births and deaths online. \p Seema Malhotra: The General Register Office is considering the options to provide the public with more choice in how they register births and deaths in the future, whether face-to-face, over the telephone or online.

Any provision of online services will be subject to established Government Security Standards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce prison officer vacancies in (a) public prisons and (b) prisons run by contractors. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain and build levels of experience, both of which are fundamental to delivering quality outcomes in prisons. As of December 2024, there are 23,062 Band 3-5 Prison officers in post and nationally we are at 97.2% of our Target Staffing Figure, based on hours adjusted FTE. Substantive recruitment efforts will continue at all sites where vacancies exist or are projected, with targeted interventions applied to those prisons with the most need.

In private sector prisons, Directors (who are equivalent to Governing Governors in public sector prisons) manage vacancies in line with the contract set by the Government. If there are particularly acute resourcing challenges, we sometimes send HMPPS staff on detached duty to support sites.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_37

Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of appointment-only counter service at County Courts on the accessibility of the court system. \p Sarah Sackman: Appointment-only counters have been in operation within HMCTS since 2012. Equality Impact Assessments were undertaken in line with ‘the framework for the Provision of Front Office Service in the County Courts (2008)’ which details the minimum standards for counter provision. The framework allows for the introduction of various levels of counter provision to meet local needs at different county courts whilst ensuring minimum standards are maintained along with adequate provision for urgent court business.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_38

Ben Goldsborough:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure prisoners on the secure estate have access to a careers mentor. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: From April 2025, new Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) contracts will launch which will set consistent high standards for providers. Providers will be working on a national specification, and this will be mandated in all prisons. The CIAG Service will be supported by a new digital Learning & Work Progress Service that will capture prisoner goals throughout the life of their sentence. This means that prisoners will have access to CIAG that is relevant to their needs.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_39

Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps she has taken to help reduce reoffending rates in Gloucester constituency. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Prison and Probation Service in the South West published their Reducing Reoffending Plan for 2022–25 on 9 August 2021, outlining priorities to reduce reoffending, prevent victims, and keep communities, including Gloucester, safe. Both the Plan and the latest Update for 2023 update can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regional-reducing-reoffending-plans.

Alongside taking forward the priorities in the regional Reducing Reoffending Plan, Gloucestershire Probation Delivery Unit is engaged with the Local Criminal Justice Board, the Reducing Reoffending Board and the Safer Gloucestershire Board, all of which bring together key statutory and voluntary organisations to work together to manage and reduce risk of harm and reoffending in the local area.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_40

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure prisons are not (a) overcrowded and (b) understaffed. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: This Government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis, with prisons running at over 99% capacity and on the brink of total collapse. If our prisons overflowed, police would have been unable to make arrests and we would have faced the total breakdown of law and order. We had to take emergency measures in order to avoid disaster. Our priority is to ensure there is enough capacity in the prison estate in the short and longer term.

Our 10-year Prison Capacity strategy published on 11 December sets out plans to deliver 14,000 prison places, maintain the places in our estate to ensure we have sufficient accommodation and explore the acquisition of land should we need to build more prison places.

We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain and build levels of experience, both of which are fundamental to delivering quality outcomes in prisons.

As of 30 September 2024, there are 23,571 Band 3-5 prison officers in post, and nationally across establishments we are at 99.5% of our Target Staffing Figure (when using hours adjusted FTE).

Substantive recruitment efforts will continue at all sites where vacancies exist or are projected, with targeted interventions applied to those prisons with the most need.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_41

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of positive mandatory drug tests in prisons. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: We know that drugs drive reoffending and are committed to supporting offenders into recovery so they can turn their lives around.

It is crucial we have a multi-pronged approach to tackling drugs - to curb the supply of drugs into prisons, several security measures have been implemented, including tackling the use of illicit mobile phones in prison, since we know they drive drug supply.

To support prisoners into recovery and steer them away drugs, there are 81 prisons with Incentivised Substance Free Living Units which provide a dedicated, supportive environment for any prisoner who wants to live drug-free in prison.

As set out in our manifesto, we have committed to increasing access to purposeful activity in prisons, recognising its critical role in reducing demand for drugs and supporting recovery.

To bring together this rehabilitative and security focused approach to tackling drug use, 54 Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons are working to ensure that local drug strategies are effectively implemented.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_42

Liz Saville Roberts:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women with a home address in Wales prior to entering custody were in prison and identified as (a) White, (b) Mixed Ethic Groups, (c) Asian or Asian British, (d) Black or Black British, (e) Chinese or Other Ethnic Group and (f) Not known/not stated in (i) March 2024, (ii) June 2024, (iii) September 2024 and (iv) December 2024. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The requested information has been provided as an Excel file alongside this response. The dataset for December 2024 is a subset of data scheduled to be published as part of the Offender management statistics quarterly - GOV.UK release and cannot be provided in advance of that publication. In addition, the numbers 1 and 2 have been replaced with the symbol ‘≤2’ to avoid any risk of individual identification.

Around 99% of prisoners have an origin location - i.e. addresses that are recorded in our central IT system. If no address is given, an offender’s committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident.

This information is included in the data provided in the tables attached. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 1% of all offenders; these figures are excluded from the tables attached.

PQ_tables (xlsx, 40.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_43

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that the salaries of prison officers reflect their job responsibilities. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: HMPPS is committed to ensuring that we have a fair, transparent and effective pay and reward system, which reflects the demands of public-sector prisons. HMPPS uses an externally and independently designed, bespoke job evaluation scheme to evaluate the relative size and weight of the different roles across the Prison Service, including Prison Officers. The job evaluation scheme was developed using wide-ranging research and consultation with staff and trade unions.

Prison Officer roles (and all roles within the Prison Service) have job descriptions which focus on the activities that occupy the majority of their time, setting out the main responsibilities, activities and duties of the role. Through the job evaluation process, jobs are scored and grouped together in pay bands. Prison Officers are employed on pay band 3.

Pay for Prison Officers is informed by the independent recommendations made by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) each year.

In making their recommendations, the PSPRB takes account of the written and oral evidence submitted by Government as well as evidence and representations made by the recognised Trade Unions, including the Prison Officers’ Association. The PSPRB considers a range of factors including perceived or actual changes to the roles and responsibilities of Prison Officers as presented through the evidence, as well as financial indicators such as private sector wage growth, inflation, and future Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts.

There has been significant recent investment in Prison Officer pay. The 2024/25 Prison Service pay award delivered a pay rise of at 5% for all band 3 to 5 Prison Officers, Supervising Officers and Custodial Managers on modernised terms and conditions. This brings the starting salary for an entry level officer (on the national rate, 39 hours with unsocial hours) from £32,851 (as at 1 April 2023) to £34,494 (as at 1 April 2024).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_44

Ben Goldsborough:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure prisoners on the secure estate undertake the minimum time for physical exercise. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: We recognise the importance of prisoners having access to purposeful activity, including education. We know that this significantly reduces the likelihood of re-offending – by up to nine percentage points.

After the previous Government ran the prison estate at over 99% capacity for years, our prison system is on the brink of collapse. It is very difficult to run an effective regime that rehabilitates prisoners and cuts reoffending, when prisons are so full. This Government is beginning to address the capacity crisis we inherited, to ensure that our prisons create better citizens, not better criminals.

HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has introduced the National Regime Model, which creates a national infrastructure for planning, reviewing, and measuring purposeful activity. Every prison must now deliver a minimum of 60 minutes each day in the open air, and 120 minutes out of cell. Prisons are also required to set out how they are improving their regime offer year-on-year.

All prisons are required to provide physical education (PE). HMPPS promotes participation in PE which it defines as activities supervised and organised as part of an establishment’s agreed PE programme. Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 58/2011 Physical Education for Prisoners specifies the requirement for prisons to offer a range of sport and gym-based activity for a minimum of two and half hours a week.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_45

Chris Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve reading education provision in prisons. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: All prisons are legally required to offer a library service, and all prisoners are regularly able to access appropriately stocked libraries that support them in their learning and personal development.

HMPPS has recently issued best practice guidance to all prisons across England to ensure the quality of library services can be maximised regardless of a prison’s cohort, function or available resource.

In Wales, we have well-established library services across the Welsh estate with several satellite library services for extra accessibility in prison residential areas, and the national reading strategy is in progress.

Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and every prison now has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign. We also engage with experts as part of a National Reading Group which advises on improvement work that includes better initial assessments of prisoners’ reading ability.

In addition, prisons in England and Wales frequently work with voluntary and community sector providers who provide reading support delivered by peer mentors as well as workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.