Tuesday Volume 608 26 April 2016 No. 149 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 26 April 2016 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2016 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1267 26 APRIL 2016 1268 well, and it is very much a joint government programme. House of Commons I would like to see it rolled out as early as is convenient, and we will certainly keep the hon. Gentleman updated. Tuesday 26 April 2016 Imran Hussain: The mental health charity Mind has said that people with mental health problems are sometimes The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock unable to advocate for themselves, so cuts to legal aid will undoubtedly have impacted on their ability to PRAYERS access justice. Should the Government not rethink their refusal to conduct a full post-implementation review of the damaging effects their harsh legal aid cuts are [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] having on some of the most vulnerable? Caroline Dinenage: The hon. Gentleman will know that we are spending £1.6 billion, so this is one of the Oral Answers to Questions most generous legal aid systems in the world. However, he is absolutely right that vulnerable people should be supported at every point in the criminal justice system. JUSTICE That is why the judiciary are trained to be able to assist those people, and the changes to the court system will support that. The Secretary of State was asked— Mental Health Jess Phillips: An increased number of survivors of domestic abuse are forced to represent themselves in the family courts as litigants in person. The 2015 Women’s 1. Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab): What Aid survey found that 25% of women had been directly assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision questioned by the perpetrator in court. Being cross- for people with mental health issues in the criminal examined by the perpetrator, who may have beaten and justice system. [904662] raped them, is undoubtedly causing mental distress. What is the Minister doing to improve access to legal 10. Imran Hussain (Bradford East) (Lab): What aid for victims of domestic abuse, as the current system assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision is clearly not working? for people with mental health issues in the criminal justice system. [904672] Caroline Dinenage: The hon. Lady is absolutely right 14. Jess Phillips (Birmingham, Yardley) (Lab): What to raise this issue. The Government are absolutely assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision committed to supporting all vulnerable and intimidated for people with mental health issues in the criminal witnesses—especially those who have been subjected to domestic abuse—as well as to helping them give the best justice system. [904676] possible evidence and to seeing offenders brought to The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women justice. That is why we have put in place measures that and Equalities and Family Justice (Caroline Dinenage): give witnesses the ability to give evidence using things Mental health is taken extremely seriously across the such as a screen in the courtroom or a live videolink criminal justice system. Mental health services are from a separate room or a location away from the court commissioned by NHS England and by local health building. The hon. Lady will also know that, following boards in Wales, and they are based on locally assessed the Court of Appeal judgment, we are taking immediate need. We are working with health partners to improve action to change our arrangements, and we are more services in custody and in the community. than doubling the original time limit for evidence in domestic violence cases, from two to five years, and introducing a provision on the assessment of evidence Jeff Smith: Liaison and diversion services are really of financial abuse. important in ensuring that people with mental health issues get the help they need. The expansion of the programme is welcome, but about half the country is Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con): still not covered, and there has been a long wait for the Will the Minister outline how the Government’s prison business case on getting to 100%. Will the Minister reform plans will give prison governors greater autonomy, explain what the delay is, and will she confirm when all allowing them to tailor services such as mental health areas expect to have a liaison and diversion service provision for the benefit of all prisoners? in place? Caroline Dinenage: We are moving towards full Caroline Dinenage: We have developed liaison and co-commissioning of mental health services between diversion services in partnership with other Departments governors and NHS England, meaning that prison leaders to divert some offenders away from the criminal justice can have much more say in defining the services their system and into the support they need. Through that prisoners need and how the available budget is used. system, clinicians assess those with mental health needs That will begin in reform prisons; if successful, it will and refer them to the treatment they need—ideally, that apply nationwide from 2017. It will be backed by a happens at the earliest contact with the criminal justice high-quality, modern prison estate with rehabilitation system. The liaison and diversion system is working and treatment at its core. 1269 Oral Answers26 APRIL 2016 Oral Answers 1270 Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): The criminal in custody and teamwork process. Will the Minister justice system is complicated enough whether someone explain why so many vulnerable prisoners are not being has mental health issues or not. Will the Minister identified in the first place, and even when they are, why ensure that victims of crime who have mental health so many are not getting the help that they need? issues are given the particular help they need to submit victim impact statements to the court in the proper Caroline Dinenage: The hon. Lady is right to draw way? attention to the Hillsborough report. I understand that the Home Secretary will make a statement on that Caroline Dinenage: Yes;this is absolutely fundamental. tomorrow. Supporting people through their individual circumstances The hon. Lady is right to say that every self-inflicted is fundamental to everything we are looking at in the death in prison is an absolute tragedy. We are committing Justice Department at the moment. Judges are trained to reduce the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison. to be able to support vulnerable witnesses and victims There have been no more this year than there were last at every stage. year, but every single one is absolutely a tragedy. We will overhaul how mental health is treated in prisons, giving Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate) (Con): There governors a much greater say over what services their is a key relationship between mental health and addiction, prisoners need and how the available budget is used. so can the Minister assure me that when these matters However, it was Labour’s inexplicable refusal to introduce are dealt with in court there is effective referral to waiting times for mental health care at the same time as effective treatment? When I accompanied the Justice introducing them for physical healthcare that set back Secretary to Highbury Corner magistrates court, it was the cause of mental health for so many years, and in evident that some local authorities had provision for some cases saw people being sentenced to prison drug treatment, particularly for youth offenders, but in order to access the support that they could not get in other authorities did not. Can we ensure that there is the community. proper, uniform provision when people get referred from court? Mr Speaker: Order. I am very disappointed that the Secretary of State is not sitting at the very heart of his Caroline Dinenage: This is a really crucial point. We ministerial team. I hope the right hon. Gentleman is not are already working across Government to bring together lurking uncharacteristically in the shadows—we would mental health and drug and alcohol treatment at every not want that. stage, alongside police, courts and prisons and probation. That includes making sure that appropriate treatments are made available if they are part of sentences with Prisoners: Meaningful Work mandated health interventions. 2. Victoria Prentis (Banbury) (Con): What progress Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab): Charities his Department has made on ensuring that offenders like Langley House Trust offer specialist mental health are engaged in meaningful work in prison. [904663] support to prisoners when they have left prison and have been rehabilitated in the community. It has recently 6. Dr James Davies (Vale of Clwyd) (Con): What acquired a property on Milton Street in Fleetwood. progress his Department has made on ensuring that Will the Minister support my call for it to meet the town offenders are engaged in meaningful work in prison. council this evening to reassure the local community [904668] about its fears and to show that charities like Langley House Trust and communities can work together to The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice ensure that prisoners can be rehabilitated? (Andrew Selous): We want prisons to be places of hard work and high ambition. That is why we will give Caroline Dinenage: I would very much like to look at governors more autonomy and hold them to account by the circumstances that the hon. Lady has mentioned. publishing employment outcomes for prisoners so that Our Transforming Rehabilitation changes have put in we can compare results between prisons. place the sort of support that sometimes prisoners who had had very short sentences might never have had Victoria Prentis: We know how beneficial employment before.