The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations.

The Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ has implemented active case management, which is directed towards ensuring that probation and prison staff comply with directions from Parole Board Panels in a timely fashion.

Best practice ideals, based on an initiative that started in prisons in the East of England Region, were developed and rolled out for use in a number of prisons prior to the pandemic. The roll out was then unavoidably disrupted by the exceptional delivery models which had to be implemented on the grounds of public health. Progress of the best practice ideals will be reviewed as part of the wider action plan following consideration of the Justice Select Committee’s report and recommendations.

Offenders subject to IPP sentences are eligible for electronic monitoring following release on licence, where considered necessary and proportionate by the Parole Board. The additional investment of £183m in the expansion of electronic monitoring will also increase the availability of electronic monitoring for IPP offenders. Those whose risk is linked to alcohol are eligible for alcohol monitoring on licence, which was introduced in Wales in November and will be rolled out to England this summer. IPP releases will also be eligible for a project targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators, where they will have their whereabouts monitored using GPS tags to protect victims, and potential future victims, from further trauma. The project will begin in 2023 and we expect to tag around 3,500 offenders.

HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a dataset and data dashboard, which is shared on a quarterly basis with Probation Regions and Prison Groups to support them in their efforts to monitor and manage their IPP populations, both in prisons and the community. The dashboard is still evolving and kept under review, as we identify new ways to capture additional key management information and present it in such a way as to be the most helpful to the operational line.

The following table shows the number of IPP progression panels that have taken place in each Probation region by year since June 2019*: During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work.

*Caveats:

1. # - A value less than 3, or a value suppressed to prevent the disclosure of a value less than 3.

2. This data is from the Probation Case Management System, National Delius. While data accuracy has been assured as far as practical, as with any large administrative data source the likelihood of some errors cannot be eliminated.

3. Panels without a recorded outcome (from the point that an outcome was required to be recorded) were assumed to not have taken place.

4. Due to probation restructures in 2020 and 2021, a small number of panels could not be assigned to a region. These are recorded as 'Unknown Region'.

I refer the right reverend Prelate to the answer given to PQ HL5474 on 1 February 2022 and HL5473 on 1 February 2022.

The reason for the difference between figures provided in the response to HL5530 and table 5.1a of the Female Offender Strategy supporting data tables is a change in methodology.

The figures provided in table 5.1a were calculated using travelling distance (i.e. the distance of a road journey between 2 destinations). From 2019, the methodology used to extract information on prisoners’ distance from home changed to the straight-line distance approach used in the answer to HL5530 and other similar questions.

Straight-line modelling is the most consistent calculation method. Attempts to model based on travelling distance are subject to significant temporal and geographical variation (e.g. inner city travel time).

1) DWP have one Hikvision camera across DWP jobcentres.

DWP have no Dahua cameras in any jobcentres.

2) MoJ does not disclose details of our prison security defence capability, including our use of CCTV, for reasons of operational security.

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all government-operated prison buildings have fire risk assessments which are reviewed periodically. Sufficient first aid cover in the prison estate is provided by trained first aiders, and the number of those required in each establishment is achieved via a First Aid Risk Assessment of need. Prisoners also receive first aid/medical cover through on-site healthcare teams or local hospitals when required.

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all privately operated prisons have fire safety risk assessments which are reviewed as part of the annual statutory compliance audits by the authority. There are contractual requirements in place for first aid and fire safety, the levels required are determined by prison operators. These are then checked periodically by the prison operator and an authority representative.

In privately managed prisons, annual assurance checks are carried out by representatives of HM Prison and Probation Service. Where any issues are highlighted, these are addressed with the contractor and, if necessary, action is taken to ensure that prisons meet their legal and contractual obligations.

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all government-operated prison buildings have fire risk assessments which are reviewed periodically. Sufficient first aid cover in the prison estate is provided by trained first aiders, and the number of those required in each establishment is achieved via a First Aid Risk Assessment of need. Prisoners also receive first aid/medical cover through on-site healthcare teams or local hospitals when required.

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all privately operated prisons have fire safety risk assessments which are reviewed as part of the annual statutory compliance audits by the authority. There are contractual requirements in place for first aid and fire safety, the levels required are determined by prison operators. These are then checked periodically by the prison operator and an authority representative.

In privately managed prisons, annual assurance checks are carried out by representatives of HM Prison and Probation Service. Where any issues are highlighted, these are addressed with the contractor and, if necessary, action is taken to ensure that prisons meet their legal and contractual obligations.

The table below sets out the number of self-inflicted deaths of remand prisoners in the ten years to December 2021. It also shows the percentage of all such deaths that were of remand prisoners.

Our figures refer to self-inflicted deaths, rather than suicides. Self-inflicted deaths include any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life, irrespective of intent. This includes not only suicides but also accidental deaths as a result of the person’s own actions. We use this classification because we cannot always know whether someone intended to take their own life. Those are ultimately decisions for coroners, who investigate all deaths in custody. For similar reasons, we cannot identify “attempted suicides” separately from other forms of self-harm, as we may not know the prisoner’s intention.

HM Prison & Probation Service does not operate a different approach to the prevention of suicide and self-harm among remand prisoners. All prisoners at risk of self-harm and suicide are supported equally, regardless of their situation. We recognise that remand is a known risk factor for self-harm and support is tailored to prisoners’ needs, particularly in the early days and weeks of custody. Following the unavoidable closure of courts in response to Covid-19, we are taking positive action to ensure more cases are heard and therefore to reduce the number of remand prisoners. This includes extending 32 nightingale courtrooms this year, installing video link equipment in all courts and increasing its capacity in prisons, removing the limit on Crown Court sitting days during 2021/22, and continuing to give priority to cases involving custody time limits.

Self-inflicted deaths of remand prisoners, 2012 to 2021

As at 4 February 2022, the total prison population in England and Wales was 79,623.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publishes this information weekly through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2022.

The Parole Board has not provided specific guidance on this issue. If a prisoner has engaged in sports-focused rehabilitation, this could form part of the evidence which is considered at parole hearings.

HMPPS and MoJ hold no data on the number of prisoners with disabilities participating in football as a player or spectator either in (a) prison-based, or (b) external football programmes.

At present, all Parole Board hearings are held in private (as set out in Parole Board Rule 15[3]) with no open hearings.

Parole Board members determine whether there are any additional requirements that are necessary to ensure that a prisoner is able to participate in their review, including any disabilities they may have. The Parole Board does not keep separate records of this.

Self-declared information on disability is held on national databases, however, it is of mixed quality and not suitable for publication. Obtaining reliable information would require matching against local records and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prison and Probation Services in England and Wales must adhere to the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) works to respond to the individual needs of all prisoners and those on probation. We have developed a national, consistent approach to all prisoners and people on probation with care and support needs.

The National Disability Strategy published by the Government in July 2021 sets out a number of commitments for the Ministry of Justice, including improving the knowledge of front-line staff on neurodiversity. Steps are taken to ensure that prisoners and those in the community are able to progress with their sentence plans and rehabilitate and that reasonable adjustments are provided.

The use of a Diversity Information Form (DIF) is mandated at court for those for whom the probation service is preparing a pre-sentence report. This includes the collation of data on disability status and type of disability, which is also used to inform the pre-sentence report. The form has recently been revised and reissued with guidance to incorporate a wider range of disabilities. However, this data is self-reported, and there can be some reluctance on the part of disabled people to share this information, for understandable reasons.

All prisoners’ needs are assessed when they enter custody and arrangements are made locally to ensure they are met. In the case of disabled people arrangements may include Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), access to necessary services or equipment to aid their wellbeing, social interactions and rehabilitation.

The attached table shows the numbers of prisoners in each prison who tested positive for COVID-19 in each month of 2021.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number of successful prosecutions for the smuggling of illegal substances into prisons. These offences are dealt with under section 40 of the Prison Act 1952 which deals with someone who brings, throws or otherwise conveys a List A article into or out of a prison. List A includes controlled drugs, but it also includes other articles including offensive weapons, explosives and firearms or ammunition. The offence code used by HM Courts and Tribunals Service is not specific enough to establish the number of offences that are related only to conveying illegal substances.

The most up to date 12 month data held for List A conveyance successful prosecutions is for 12 months up to December 2020 and there were 345 successful prosecutions in this timeframe.

As of 19 November 2021, prisoners living in the female prison estate were, on average, 46 miles away from their origin address.

As of 19 November 2021, prisoners living in the male prison estate were, on average, 45 miles away from their origin address.

There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring and locating prisoners, and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, including their security assessment, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison.

HM Prison and Probation Service is committed to ensuring, where practicable, that prisoners are accommodated as close as possible to their resettlement communities and families. Whilst this is a priority, it is not always possible due to a variety of factors including wider population pressures, or where prisoners have specific sentence planning needs which can only be met at certain establishments.

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have developed the ‘women’s estate specialist training’ (WEST) course. Its modular content is threaded throughout the apprenticeship foundation programme to offer a distinct and dedicated course, underpinned by a trauma informed approach. This forms part of the nine-week foundation period for new prison officers destined to work within the women’s estate. The first dedicated WEST course has been scheduled to take place in January 2022. This course also contains a module which focuses on young women in custody. Existing staff in the women’s estate are able to access information through ‘myLearning’ which includes the Young Adults page which is designed to be an accessible resource for all staff to understand better the needs of this age group in custody.

We ensure all our prison officers are trained in how to use PAVA professionally, safely and lawfully and that it is only used when necessary and proportionate.

The data provided for this response is collected as internal management information and reflects the data held at the date of extraction. It is not quality assured in the same way as data prepared for publication and is subject to change.

Note* The above prisons comprise both those which have been through full rollout and deployed to over 50% of their eligible staff, and also prisons that have only issued as part of an exceptional deployment to a very small number of staff.

We ensure all our prison officers are trained in how to use PAVA professionally, safely and lawfully and that it is only used when necessary and proportionate.

The data provided for this response is collected as internal management information and reflects the data held at the date of extraction. It is not quality assured in the same way as data prepared for publication and is subject to change.

There haves been a total of 279 incidents involving PAVA since 1^st April 2019, of those incidentsin 187 incidents PAVA was drawn and deployed and in 92 PAVA were as drawn only.

We are unable to provide this for disability as data for this is not available.

PAVA is presently in 80 HMPPS prisons *, the below tables provide population figures across those 80 prisons firstly by ethnicity and secondly by religion. We are unable to provide this breakdown for disability as data is not available.

Note* The 80 prisons comprises 26 live sites which have issued to over 50% of their staff and the remainder have only issued to a small number of staff as part of an exceptional deployment.

Data sources and quality
The figures in these tables 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.

Source: Prison NOMIS System

PQ HL3793 (Ministry of Justice; DASD-DES)

Prison Service Instruction 05/2016, Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners, states that all prisoners may participate in the main religious observance of the week for the faith in which they are registered should they wish to - safety, security and other concerns permitting.

This requirement was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic because of infection prevention and control measures. Alternative arrangements were put in place, including making available in-cell faith resources and the use of technology. Chaplains continued to make themselves available to prisoners on a daily basis and chapels have remained open for individual worship and pastoral care throughout the pandemic.

Establishments are reintroducing weekly collective worship or meditation taking into account Covid safety measures and security considerations, as well as other factors, such as available staffing in multi-faith chaplaincy teams and the physical space available.

The population of adult prisoners in England as of 09 July 2021 is 73,642. Of those in prison on 09 July, 61,073 had been offered1 a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of those offered, 42,301 have received their first dose (58% of the population), and 18,772 have been offered a first dose but have not yet received one. This may be due to the patient declining the vaccine, or it not being given due to clinical reasons. As of 09 July 2021, 21,476 adult prisoners have had two doses of the vaccine (29% of the population).

All staff can access the COVID-19 vaccine through the NHS. However, as of 09 July 2021, 169 staff declared on our HR system that they have declined the COVID-19 vaccine.

The total number of HMPPS staff who have declared that they have received their first COVID-19 vaccination, as at midday 09 July 2021 was 24,122. This is equivalent to approximately 44.4% of total staff numbers.

The total number of HMPPS Staff who have declared that they have received their second COVID-19 vaccination, as at midday 09 July 2021 was 15,104. This is equivalent to approximately 27.8% of total staff numbers.

Now that all adults are eligible, HMPPS will be increasing efforts to encourage staff to record their vaccination status.

1. The “offered” figure is calculated on a current population-basis to provide an indicative figure for this request. Actual offers of appointments are not recorded or captured.