To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners convicted of each offence in the violence against the person category are held in open wings of closed prisons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners convicted of each offence in the violence against the person category are held in open wings of closed prisons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders from each other EU member state serving a custodial sentence in the UK in each of the last 10 years have been transferred to serve the remainder of their sentence in another EU member state.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders from each other EU member state serving a custodial sentence in the UK in each of the last 10 years have been transferred to serve the remainder of their sentence in another EU member state.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have given any consideration to suspending aid to the Palestinian Authority in the light of its decision to transfer over £85 million a year to the Palestine Liberation Organisation for the purpose of paying salaries to convicted terrorists imprisoned in Israel.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have given any consideration to suspending aid to the Palestinian Authority in the light of its decision to transfer over £85 million a year to the Palestine Liberation Organisation for the purpose of paying salaries to convicted terrorists imprisoned in Israel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what options are available to a magistrates' court when an unrepresented serving prisoner refuses to leave their prison cell to face new either-way offence charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what options are available to a magistrates' court when an unrepresented serving prisoner refuses to leave their prison cell to face new either-way offence charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Burmese counterpart on the arrest and imprisonment of human rights activist U Gambira; and whether he has made an assessment of the living conditions of his imprisonment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Burmese counterpart on the arrest and imprisonment of human rights activist U Gambira; and whether he has made an assessment of the living conditions of his imprisonment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make available quarterly data on the (a) number of prisoners who have received sentences of imprisonment for public protection who are on recall and (b) average period of time spent in prison on recall by such prisoners before release...

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make available quarterly data on the (a) number of prisoners who have received sentences of imprisonment for public protection who are on recall and (b) average period of time spent in prison on recall by such prisoners before release...

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey the early release of Abdullah Öcalan, in the light of his long solitary imprisonment, so as to assist the resumption of peace negotiations.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey the early release of Abdullah Öcalan, in the light of his long solitary imprisonment, so as to assist the resumption of peace negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to address neo-Nazi and extreme Islamist elements in prisons; and what steps he is taking to educate prisoners about democratic principles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to address neo-Nazi and extreme Islamist elements in prisons; and what steps he is taking to educate prisoners about democratic principles.

My Lords, I wish to repeat as a Statement an Answer given to an Urgent Question in the other place by my honourable friend the Prisons Minister. The Statement is as follows:

“Before I move on to the substance of this question, I should like to update the House on events...

My Lords, I wish to repeat as a Statement an Answer given to an Urgent Question in the other place by my honourable friend the Prisons Minister. The Statement is as follows:

“Before I move on to the substance of this question, I should like to update the House on events...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating the Statement. Given the long-standing concerns about overcrowding, self-harm, violence and suicides in prison, last week’s revelations about the use of synthetic cannabis and the damning reports on the misuse of force and restraint of young offenders in Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating the Statement. Given the long-standing concerns about overcrowding, self-harm, violence and suicides in prison, last week’s revelations about the use of synthetic cannabis and the damning reports on the misuse of force and restraint of young offenders in Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre...

My Lords, of course, any outbreak of violence, wherever it takes place, is concerning. The noble Lord referred particularly to Medway and Rainsbrook. On Medway, I hope to be able to update the House shortly, following the inquiry into how Medway Secure Training Centre had been run in the wake...

My Lords, of course, any outbreak of violence, wherever it takes place, is concerning. The noble Lord referred particularly to Medway and Rainsbrook. On Medway, I hope to be able to update the House shortly, following the inquiry into how Medway Secure Training Centre had been run in the wake...

My Lords, there are two aspects that are matters of concern. One was mentioned in the Statement: the use of psychoactive drugs and the extent to which that could destabilise the control of discipline in prisons. The Minister has not mentioned the other one, though, so I wonder if he...

My Lords, there are two aspects that are matters of concern. One was mentioned in the Statement: the use of psychoactive drugs and the extent to which that could destabilise the control of discipline in prisons. The Minister has not mentioned the other one, though, so I wonder if he...

The question of sentences is difficult. As the noble Lord will know, the choice of sentence is a matter for the judge in the individual case and generally will reflect the severity of the offences that have been committed. From time to time Parliament will intervene—notoriously, for example, with IPP...

The question of sentences is difficult. As the noble Lord will know, the choice of sentence is a matter for the judge in the individual case and generally will reflect the severity of the offences that have been committed. From time to time Parliament will intervene—notoriously, for example, with IPP...

My Lords, are prison staff trained enough in dealing with alcohol and drug abuse and mental health?

My Lords, are prison staff trained enough in dealing with alcohol and drug abuse and mental health?

The noble Baroness raises the important point of training for prison officers. I can tell her and the House that the training of prison officers has increased in terms of the length of time, from six weeks to 10. I have visited the training centre at Newbold Revel, and included...

The noble Baroness raises the important point of training for prison officers. I can tell her and the House that the training of prison officers has increased in terms of the length of time, from six weeks to 10. I have visited the training centre at Newbold Revel, and included...

My Lords, during an extradition case recently I inspected a prison in Abu Dhabi, where I found completely the opposite conditions to here. The cells were on locked landings but every cell door was open 24 hours a day so that prisoners could get showers and have access to telephones,...

My Lords, during an extradition case recently I inspected a prison in Abu Dhabi, where I found completely the opposite conditions to here. The cells were on locked landings but every cell door was open 24 hours a day so that prisoners could get showers and have access to telephones,...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for his insights from what he learned in Abu Dhabi. The Government are looking at all sorts of different indicators for why violence occurs in certain circumstances. Plainly, keeping people locked up for longer than necessary can provide a significant exacerbation of what...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for his insights from what he learned in Abu Dhabi. The Government are looking at all sorts of different indicators for why violence occurs in certain circumstances. Plainly, keeping people locked up for longer than necessary can provide a significant exacerbation of what...

My Lords, I am interested in what the Minister says and apologise for being a moment late—I was chairing another meeting. Within the last parliamentary working week, including the weekend, two sets of people have come to me to talk about violence that they are experiencing in prison and about...

My Lords, I am interested in what the Minister says and apologise for being a moment late—I was chairing another meeting. Within the last parliamentary working week, including the weekend, two sets of people have come to me to talk about violence that they are experiencing in prison and about...

The noble Baroness will understand why I cannot comment on individual cases, particularly when all the facts are not yet known. However, she makes a general and important point. It is perhaps significant that the problems in prisons do not come entirely from within prisons, and it is most important...

The noble Baroness will understand why I cannot comment on individual cases, particularly when all the facts are not yet known. However, she makes a general and important point. It is perhaps significant that the problems in prisons do not come entirely from within prisons, and it is most important...