Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The average length of the minimum term (sometimes known as a ‘tariff’) for life sentences for murder convictions since 2000 is as follows: Year of Sentence Mean Tariff (years) Mean Tariff (months) 2000 13 165 2001 13 161 2002 13 156 2003 13 163 2004 14 172 2005 15 190 2006 17 208 2007 15 190 2008 17 212 2009 17 209 2010 19 227 2011 18...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Well, my Lords, I do not know whether my career has even begun, but I will respond to the points that were made, dealing first with the questions from the noble Lord, Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede. I should say first that I am grateful for his broad support for the thrust of what we are seeking to do. As to consultation, the department has consulted extensively throughout the review. We had a...
Judicial Pensions Regulations 2022 – Lord Wolfson of Tredegar.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Year Number of transfers of IPP prisoners from predominant function ‘Open’ to predominant function ‘Closed’ prisons 2017 235 2018 205 2019 159 2020 116 Note: These figures exclude those recalled from IPP sentences. Data sources and quality The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: National data on all prisoner enrolments (starts) and completions in prison-delivered accredited Offending Behaviour Programmes (OBPs) are collected and published annually and published as part of the HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Annual Digest, but this does not provide further break-down by sentence type. The table attached provides the number of indeterminate sentenced...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: 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. 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...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Since June 2019, the Parole Board issued the following guidance to support their members in making decisions in all type of cases, including Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP):The parole board decision making framework (Oct 2019); The types of cases guidance (Aug 2021);The guidance on member case assessment (Aug 2021); and,Guidance on oral hearings (Jan 2022). These guidelines explain...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: 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. 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...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The requested information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Government’s primary responsibility is to protect the public. Accredited programmes aim to protect the public and reduce reoffending and are part of a range of rehabilitation and risk reduction opportunities available. HM Prison and Probation Service remains committed to supporting the...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: National data on all prisoner enrolments (starts) and completions in prison-delivered accredited offending behaviour programmes (OBPs) are collected and published annually and published as part of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Annual Digest, but this does not provide further break-down by progression through the estate or by sentence type. The table attached provides the average...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We do not hold data on the numbers of prisoners with sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) on a waiting list to begin an accredited offending behaviour programme (OBP) prior to late 2020. New data collection systems were established in response to the pandemic to aid future recovery planning for OBPs. This table below shows the number of IPP prisoners waiting to commence an...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison andor in the community. 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...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Parole Board has confirmed the breakdown of Deferral and Adjournment rates for oral hearings since 2017 in the table below. The Parole Board will publish data for 2021/22 in their 2021/22 Annual Report. The Parole Board reports on national rates and does not produce this data by regions. Conducted Hearings Completed Oral Hearings Deferred & Adjourned Hearings Deferred Split...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: In 2014, the Government published a consultation paper and response assessing the potential merits of provision for non-religious belief marriages. This concluded that the matter was complex, and that by allowing Humanists to solemnise marriages in unrestricted locations, the Government would create a provision for Humanists that would not be available to all groups. To ensure we are...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Over the last two years, the Parole Board has adapted its operating model to increase its hearing capacity through the use of technology and via intensive paper reviews which led to a record 9202 oral hearings conducted in 2020/21, 938 more than in 2019/20. In 2020/21 the Parole Board completed a total 1566 oral hearings (reviews and recalls) for prisoners serving IPP sentences. This was a 3%...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: My Lords, I am grateful to everyone and look forward to the noble Lord’s support on issues where it might matter more that he is on my side, but I am always grateful for any support that I get from any quarter. More seriously, I am grateful to the House for what seems to be unanimous support for this amendment. We have made good progress timewise this afternoon and I will not detain the...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: My Lords, I am conscious that this is the last group, and I hope that we can end Report on a point of unanimity across the House. In Committee, I welcomed the proposal from the noble and learned Lord, Lord Etherton, to allow pro bono costs orders to be made in tribunals, in much the same way as they are already available in the civil and family courts. I am now very pleased to bring forward a...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: My Lords, I am grateful to noble Lords for their contributions to this short debate. I am conscious that the fact that the debate has been relatively short is not a reflection of the importance of the issue. On the contrary, as the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, said, this is a long-running issue. It is not quite as long- running as the coronial office, but it has been...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: My Lords, I shall respond to the amendments in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Chapman. Amendments 21, 22, 23 and 24 all seek to introduce further conditions into Clauses 39, 40 and 41 relating to coroners’ courts. The Government’s position on these amendments is that, while we understand and sympathise with the intention behind them, we do not consider them necessary. As I said in...