| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Jun 2010 : Column 563W—continued
Departmental Manpower
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers are employed by his Department; and at what civil service pay grade in each such case. [1256]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's written ministerial statement on 10 June 2010, Official Report, columns 32-34WS. As of 10 June 2010 there have been two special advisers employed by the Ministry of Justice, one at band 1 and one at band 2.
As of June 2010, there were 40 press officers employed by the Ministry of Justice. Of these 24 were band C, nine were band B, six were band A, and one is SCS.
Departmental Official Cars
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the use by Ministers in his Department of cars allocated from (a) his Department's pool and (b) the Government car pool which are manufactured in the UK; whether Ministers in his Department are entitled to request the use of a car manufactured in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [2420]
Mr Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on 14 June 2010, Official Report, columns 290-91W.
Departmental Reviews
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2010, Official Report, column 137W, on Government Departments: reviews, what reviews his Department is undertaking; and what the (a) purpose and (b) timescale of each is. [2592]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: As outlined in the coalition agreement and following the normal practice of Government Departments on developing policy proposals, my Department will:
examine the sentencing framework in order to ensure that sentencing policy is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting reoffending;
develop an approach to legal aid which balances financial constraints with the wider public interest;
review libel laws in order to provide a proper balance between the protection of freedom of speech and the defence of individuals against defamation; and
establish a Commission to investigate the creation of a Bill of Rights in order to protect and extend liberties.
reviewing its arm's length bodies in order to increase accountability and reduce the number and cost of public bodies;
considering the judicial appointments process in order to improve the timeliness and quality of the end-to-end appointments process; and
supporting David Norgrove, who will undertake an independent review of family justice, examining how the current system can be reformed to better support children and parents.
I will bring forward more detailed policy proposals about these areas in due course.
Feltham Young Offender Institution and Remand Centre
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints made by children about the quality or quantity of the food in Feltham Young Offenders' Institution were received in the last 12 months. [2491]
Mr Blunt: From June 2009 until June 2010 there were seven formal complaints to staff from young people about the quality or quantity of food in HMYOI Feltham.
Homicide: Sentencing
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what powers he has in relation to (a) recommending and (b) amending minimum life sentences for offenders convicted of murder. [2305]
Mr Blunt: There are no powers for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to recommend a minimum term under a life sentence imposed for murder. The determination of the minimum term is the responsibility of the judge in all cases.
There is a residual power under section 103 of the Children Act 1906 to amend the minimum term imposed under a sentence of detention at Her Majesty's Pleasure, the mandatory sentence imposed for murder where the offender was under the age of 18 when the offence was committed. Under such a sentence, once half of the minimum term has been served the offender can apply for a review of the tariff. The review is conducted by the High Court and, in practice, the Secretary of State honours the recommendation made by the court in all cases.
Ministerial Visits
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which probation services Ministers in his Department have visited since their appointment; [2192]
(2) which prisons each of the Ministers in his Department has visited since their appointment. [2193]
Mr Blunt: I am the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State responsible for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) which covers prison and probation services.
I have visited the following prisons and probation services since my appointment:
HMP Wormwood Scrubs, London, 20 May 2010
HMP Frankland, Durham, 28 May 2010
HMP Coldingley, Woking, 4 June 2010
HMP Feltham, Feltham, 19 June 2010.
Community Payback Site, London, 20 May 2010
Hammersmith and Fulham Probation Office, London, 20 May 2010
Durham Tees Valley Probation Office, Darlington, 27 May 2010
Surrey Youth Justice, Woking, 4 June 2010.
Hammersmith and Fulham Youth Offending Team, 10 June 2010.
No other Ministers in the Ministry of Justice have visited a prison or probation services since appointment.
Prison Sentences
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women have been received into prison each year on indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs) since IPPs were introduced. [2609]
Mr Blunt: The following table gives the reception figures of prisoners on indeterminate sentences for public protection in all prison establishments in England and Wales in each year since 2005 when they first came into effect:
| Annual receptions( 1) of prisoners on indeterminate sentences for public protection, in England and Wales | ||||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| (1) Excludes police cells. Note: Indeterminate sentences for public protection came into effect on 5 April 2005. | ||||
The figures can be found in the published Offender Management Caseload Statistics, Table 6.17, a copy of which can be found in the Libraries of both Houses and which can be found at the following website:
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.
Prison Sentences: Wales
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many men of (a) between 15 and 17, (b) between 18 and 20 and (c) over 20 years were sentenced to custody by courts in Wales in the last 10 years. [2505]
Mr Blunt: The requested information is shown in the following table.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |