| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Jan 2009 : Column 520W—continued
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Mr. Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the effect on trends in the prison population of implementing section 12 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. [245477]
Mr. Hanson: Many changes in legislation and policy with a definite timetable for implementation are incorporated into the published prison population projections.
The most significant factors which the Department deems relevant to and incorporates into the projections are:
Trends in sentencing behaviour, such as sentence lengths and custody rates.
Trends in crime, incorporated through the Criminal Justice System model.
Legislative impacts, such as the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
Procedural impacts, such as the Simple, Speedy, Summary Justice (CJSSS) scheme, and measures to increase offences brought to justice contributing to PSA24.
Factors that do not have an agreed timetable for implementation, such as the implementation of SI2 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, cannot be incorporated in the projections. However, analysis of options for implementation of S12 and their effects on the prison population will be made in preparation for commencement of that measure.
More details on the prison projections may be found in the latest published bulletin, ‘Prison Population Projections 2008-2015’ Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 18 September 2008. This is available at the following webpage:
Prisoners Release
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government is taking to reduce the length of time between a prisoner’s release and receipt of financial assistance. [245578]
Mr. Hanson: Officials from National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Department for Work and Pensions are working in partnership to ensure offenders receive financial assistance and benefits without unnecessary delay once released. Where there is a delay in receiving benefit claimed for, this is normally due to incorrectly completed benefit application forms or lack of formal identification. NOMS is now assisting offenders in gaining formal identification as part of normal resettlement processes and works closely with visiting Jobcentre Plus officials to ensure timely and accurate applications are made wherever possible. NOMS has also embarked on a number of other initiatives to assist in this process such as; exploring the benefits of arranging bank accounts, providing money management advice, financial capability training and assistance with setting up a Freshstart interview with Jobcentre Plus on release.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how long on average it takes for an ex-prisoner to receive his discharge grant. [246066]
Mr. Hanson: All eligible prisoners are paid the discharge grant at the point of release from custody.
Prisoners Release: Foreigners
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many foreign national prisoners released from prison and subject to offender management programmes have breached the conditions and obligations of such programmes in each of the last five years; [245787]
(2) how many foreign national prisoners released from prison and subject to offender management programmes and residency requirements (a) who have breached those residency requirements and (b) have whereabouts unknown to the National Offender Management Service there were in each of the last three years; [245788]
(3) how many foreign national prisoners released on licence have failed to report to their offender manager in each of the last five years. [245790]
Mr. Hanson: While information is collected by probation areas and trusts that list breaches of licence condition, it does not record offender’s nationality.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions offender managers in cases involving foreign national prisoners whose cases fall within the scope of the victim contact scheme have not informed victim liaison officers of a prisoner's release into the community from custodial or immigration detention in each of the last three years. [245789]
Mr. Hanson: This information is not collated centrally by the National Offender Management Service. To attempt to obtain the information requested would require manual checking of case files and interviews with members of staff and would incur disproportionate cost.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners granted immigration bail by Asylum and Immigration Tribunals have subsequently reoffended in each of the last five years. [245791]
Mr. Hanson: Information relating to the numbers of foreign national prisoners subject to deportation action who have completed their custodial sentence and been released on bail is not centrally collated at present. Similarly, reoffending data do not specifically identify the number of foreign national prisoners who reoffend. In order to provide the information requested it would be necessary to examine individual case files at disproportionate cost.
When a foreign criminal who is subject to deportation action is granted bail by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and it is believed that the individual presents a risk of harm to the public, the UK Border Agency will always request that the most robust restrictions are imposed upon the individual in order to minimise the
likelihood that they will reoffend. The agency will continue to pursue deportation action against such individuals and is on track to not only meet but exceed its target of deportation or removing 5,000 foreign criminals in 2008. Good progress has also been made overall in reducing reoffending; the latest figures show that between 2000 and 2006 the number of reoffences committed by offenders released from custody has fallen 15.1 per cent.
Prisoners: Armed Forces
Sir Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) male and (b) female former members of the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Army, (iii) and Royal Air Force are in prison; and what studies his Department has (A) commissioned and (B) evaluated in links between service in the armed forces and subsequent behaviour leading to detention. [245189]
Mr. Hanson: The information requested is not available. Although data from nationally representative surveys of some 2,000 sentenced prisoners near release conducted in 2001, 2003 and 2004 showed that the proportion of prisoners who had previously served in the armed forces in those years as 6 per cent., 4 per cent, and 5 per cent, respectively, no research was done on the particular problems raised in the question.
We are currently exploring with the Ministry of Defence ways to better identify the number of veterans currently serving prison sentences as well as the factors associated with their offending. A number of options are currently being assessed.
Prisoners: Custody
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many adult prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection were in custody on 15 December 2008 beyond their minimum tariff; [245156]
(2) how many adults were serving indeterminate sentences for public protection on 15 December 2008. [245157]
Mr. Hanson: On 15 December 2008 there were 1,224 indeterminate sentence for public protection prisoners aged over 18, in custody, recorded as being beyond their original or adjusted tariff.
As of 15 December 2008, there were 4,581 offenders, aged over 18 years old recorded as serving indeterminate sentences for public protection.
These figures are taken from the Public Protection Unit Database within the National Offender Management Service. As with any large scale recording system, it is subject to possible errors arising from either data entry or processing.
It is for the independent Parole Board to determine whether the risk presented by an offender serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection is such that it may be safely managed in the community.
Prisoners: Foreign Nationality
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) Swedish and (b) Danish nationals are serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales. [245263]
Mr. Hanson: At the end of September 2008 there were (a) 15 Swedish and (b) eight Danish prisoners serving sentences in prison establishments in England and Wales.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisoners: Islam
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Muslim prisoners there were in each prison in October (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006, (e) 2007 and (f) 2008; and what proportion of prisoners this represented in each prison. [245583]
Mr. Hanson: Figures showing the numbers and percentages of Muslim prisoners in each prison establishment in England and Wales on 30 June each year can be found in the following tables.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing, and prisons with fewer than 50 Muslim prisoners have been excluded.
| Numbers and proportions on Muslim prisoners by prison June 2003 to June 2008 | ||
| 30 June 2003 | ||
| Muslim prisoners | Percentage of total | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |