A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
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Monday, November 03, 2008
Immigrants and asylum-seekers to be denied justice in courts shake up
Immigrants and asylum-seekers to be denied justice in courts shake up
One of the worst judges I have ever come across, Lord Justice Carnwath (pictured above), is to oversee the reform of the tribunal service.
The whole point of having judicial review is to provide a check upon decision-makers. However, for political reasons, the government is seeking to return more immigrants and asylum seekers therefore it is wishing to hide the injustices by keeping everything internalised. That is, the court of first instance and appeal within a single tribunal. "This move could lead to immigrants and asylum-seekers losing the right to go to the High Court for a judicial review".
Australian teen arrested breaking into police station
Australian teen arrested breaking into police station
A teenage boy has stunned police with his boldness after he broke into a police station – and was promptly arrested.
Now might be the right time for him to decide to embark upon a different career...
A teenage boy has stunned police with his boldness after he broke into a police station – and was promptly arrested.
Now might be the right time for him to decide to embark upon a different career...
Murder victim 'just out of jail'
Murder victim 'just out of jail'
A man who died after being found injured at a house in north Hampshire had just been released from prison.
2Dwayne Ayres, 20, from Yateley, was discovered at a bungalow in Holt Way, Hook, early on Sunday and later died in hospital.
Police have begun a murder inquiry, and eight men and one woman have been arrested and remain in custody.
Mr Ayres was jailed for two-and-a-half years in 2007 after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving".
A raped 13-year-old girl stoned to death for adultery
A raped 13-year-old girl stoned to death for adultery
An Islamist rebel administration in Somalia had a 13-year-old girl stoned to death for adultery after the child's father reported that three men had raped her.
And this is the kind of Sharia law which the Muslim Council of Great Britain seeks to implement in this country...
An Islamist rebel administration in Somalia had a 13-year-old girl stoned to death for adultery after the child's father reported that three men had raped her.
And this is the kind of Sharia law which the Muslim Council of Great Britain seeks to implement in this country...
Chatty OAPs banned from park bench for being too noisy
Chatty OAPs banned from park bench for being too noisy
A group of pensioners have been told they cannot meet and chat on a park benches, because their talking has been deemed anti-social.
"The seven pensioners, including a 96-year-old and her friend who dedicated 40 years of her life to the NHS, have been told their teatime chats are a 'noise nuisance' which disturbs nearby residents.
Housing Association bosses have now warned the group the four benches in Mottingham, south London, they sit on will be removed if they don't tone down the volume of their conversations.
The pensioners meet up once a day to talk about such every things like the weather, their families and the cost of living.
Ann Reddy, 69, who is recovering from a stroke and has had 45 operations, said she was horrified about being branded a trouble-maker.
The retired medical secretary, who worked for the NHS for 40 years, labelled the accusations "unbelievable".
The pensioner, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, said: "How could I possibly be capable of anti-social behaviour?".
I did not think all this ASBO nonsense was a good idea in the first place because it would lead to criminalising ordinary human conduct.
A group of pensioners have been told they cannot meet and chat on a park benches, because their talking has been deemed anti-social.
"The seven pensioners, including a 96-year-old and her friend who dedicated 40 years of her life to the NHS, have been told their teatime chats are a 'noise nuisance' which disturbs nearby residents.
Housing Association bosses have now warned the group the four benches in Mottingham, south London, they sit on will be removed if they don't tone down the volume of their conversations.
The pensioners meet up once a day to talk about such every things like the weather, their families and the cost of living.
Ann Reddy, 69, who is recovering from a stroke and has had 45 operations, said she was horrified about being branded a trouble-maker.
The retired medical secretary, who worked for the NHS for 40 years, labelled the accusations "unbelievable".
The pensioner, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, said: "How could I possibly be capable of anti-social behaviour?".
I did not think all this ASBO nonsense was a good idea in the first place because it would lead to criminalising ordinary human conduct.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Can somebody tell God I am not a duck?
Can somebody tell God I am not a duck?
When I went for an afternoon walk in the park with Rocky on October 31st, he sniffed out a chocolate bar that somebody was trying to hide from him and ended up stealing, taxing or extremely cadging it. I took it from Rocky only allowing him some and keeping the remainder intending to give it him at some later stage. However, later there was a quiet knock at the door and a couple of masked kids stood there quietly. I had forgotten to buy some treats. I gave them Rocky's chocolate. Then I went out and bought £3 of sweets, and no more knocks on the door. Sods law. I thought they would come in handy for my birthday on November 18th, or failing that at Christmas.
Approximately 7pm, as I passed the flat of "Black Tony", the local drug dealer, I looked up at his window and noticed the Santa sticker demanding "Santa Stop Here".
Twenty four hours later, November the first, he had got Christmas lights lit up in the window.
This morning Andrew Marr lost control of the sofa with the gobby Ruby Wax, time to go for a walk with Rocky. It was wet and windy. The park was waterlogged. Can somebody tell God I am not a duck?
When I went for an afternoon walk in the park with Rocky on October 31st, he sniffed out a chocolate bar that somebody was trying to hide from him and ended up stealing, taxing or extremely cadging it. I took it from Rocky only allowing him some and keeping the remainder intending to give it him at some later stage. However, later there was a quiet knock at the door and a couple of masked kids stood there quietly. I had forgotten to buy some treats. I gave them Rocky's chocolate. Then I went out and bought £3 of sweets, and no more knocks on the door. Sods law. I thought they would come in handy for my birthday on November 18th, or failing that at Christmas.
Approximately 7pm, as I passed the flat of "Black Tony", the local drug dealer, I looked up at his window and noticed the Santa sticker demanding "Santa Stop Here".
Twenty four hours later, November the first, he had got Christmas lights lit up in the window.
This morning Andrew Marr lost control of the sofa with the gobby Ruby Wax, time to go for a walk with Rocky. It was wet and windy. The park was waterlogged. Can somebody tell God I am not a duck?
Saturday, November 01, 2008
John Haase is a grass versus did Michael Howard accept a £400,000 bribe to release 2 prisoners early?
John Haase is a grass versus did Michael Howard accept a £400,000 bribe to release 2 prisoners early?
A convicted drug dealer claimed that he bribed former Home Secretary Michael Howard £400,000 to get an early release from prison, a court has heard.
Haase, 59, and his cousin Paul Bennett, 44, received a Royal Pardon in 1996 and were released 11 months into a 17 year sentence for smuggling heroin, jurors were told.
It was always thought they were allowed out of jail because the pair had turned supergrass and passed on important information to the police.
As much as I had no time for Michael Howard when he was Home Secretary, I think it is a bit too far fetched that he would accept a bribe to release a pair of prisoners. I suspect that if this was the case, the jail grapevine would have been buzzing at the time. In my view, it is more likely that this is an attempt by Haase to explain away why he was really released early. The phrase singing like a canary springs to mind.
Noisy parrot case costs taxpayer more than £26,000
Noisy parrot case costs taxpayer more than £26,000
A judge has criticised a council for spending £26,000 on a legal wrangle involving three noisy parrots, saying the costs were "out of all proportion" to the case.
Deborah Coleman's three Amazon parrots were made the subject of a noise abatement notice following complaints from neighbours over their squawking.
Miss Coleman, 50, maintained the parrots, Shilo, which she had owned for 20 years, Ozzie for 19, and Jengko for 12, were not making enough noise to be considered a nuisance.
To fight the abatement notice she remortgaged her home to raise £20,000 for the legal costs for a case against Weymouth borough council in Dorset.
Earlier this year, she had the order overturned by a court.
However, the council, which has spent £26,000 on the case, decided to appeal.
Who's a silly council? Who's a silly council? Who's a silly council?
Prince Charles raises the royal standard...
Prince Charles raises the royal standard...
The bloke next to the Queen shows his pleasure at Charles' display, however, Her Majesty is not amused...
click to enlarge
The bloke next to the Queen shows his pleasure at Charles' display, however, Her Majesty is not amused...
click to enlarge
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tesco plays the race card
Tesco plays the race card
After a fairly heavy drinking session with Victor yesterday afternoon, I went out between 7-8pm to take Rocky for a walk and put some money on my gas card and electric key at the Paki shop, and with the idea of buying some Tesco own brand cheap sausages for tea. When I entered the Tesco Extra on Beverley Road I noticed that a large section of the shelving was empty and a notice proclaimed that this was because of a breakdown in the refrigerator. However, there was also large gaps on the shelves where the sausages normally are and this was not down to any breakdown. All the cheap brands were missing and the only ones on show were the expensive variety at over a £1 more.
It reminded me of the images I had seen in Russia where shop after shop displayed empty shelves. I complained to the Asian-looking shop assistant who was nearby, and he suggested I come back tomorrow! I couldn't believe the response. The shop manager turned up along with a security guard. In my view, the shop manager is responsible for stock taking and ensuring that the products are available for the customers. I said he was incompetent and failing to do his job. He said I could shop elsewhere. I said the store was convenient for me just being across the road, and I did not appreciate his suggestion that I visit the Tesco Extra on Spring Bank as this branch was 20-30 minutes walk away.
I said that Tesco had encouraged customers to come here, and even went to the extent of opening and closing an hour earlier and later than the Paki shop. The shop manager screamed that what I had said was racist and the security guard bundled me out of the store and the store manager said I was now banned.
Is the term Paki racist? Not according to this Talk:Paki from wiktionary. "Paki is just a shortened word for Pakistani, just as Brit is for British, Aussie for Australian etc".
In my view, Tesco should ensure that it's store managers are up to the job. Tesco should not encourage customers to come in and buy its own brand products, and then fail to ensure that it has re-stocked the products only leaving the more expensive brand names on show. Tesco should train its store managers not necessarily with the view that the customer is always right, but to listen to the complaint and respond appropriately. I don't think that libelling and assaulting customers is the correct approach. Nor do I believe that Tesco's customer complaints department should ignore my complaint after informing me that it will get back to me, only to ask me to fill out a questionnaire!
As it happened, I returned to the Paki shop and discovered a pack of sausages with the label £2.20 for 2, but there was only one pack available. I pointed this out to the shop assistant, and he said, "Right, you can have it for £1.10". We shook hands on the deal. Once before I saw and said the same thing at Tesco Extra, and their response was to shrug and say take it or leave it.
And the story that Newsnight should have led with: Congo fighting causing humanitarian catastrophe
And the story that Newsnight should have led with: Congo fighting causing humanitarian catastrophe
Fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo is threatening to cause a humanitarian catastrophe as tens of thousands become refugees, aid agencies have warned.
It's Déjà vu on Newsnight
It's Déjà vu on Newsnight
He's gone...
She's gone...
Why hasn't he gone?
It's Déjà vu on Newsnight. Last night again the lead story was the stunt that went wrong. It dragged on and on and on for 25 minutes. The BBC suspending Jonathan Ross for 3 months without pay has cost him £1.5M, what a saving for the TV licence fee payers. That's one hell of a severe punishment, but I do question whether he is worth £125,000 per week in the first place. Then there is Lesley Douglas resigning. And what does the BBC do? It promotes the man directly beneath her in the line of management, and yet he also allowed the show to be aired!
If anyone should have gone, being editor in chief, surely it should have been the Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson? Isn't this where the buck stops?
He's gone...
She's gone...
Why hasn't he gone?
It's Déjà vu on Newsnight. Last night again the lead story was the stunt that went wrong. It dragged on and on and on for 25 minutes. The BBC suspending Jonathan Ross for 3 months without pay has cost him £1.5M, what a saving for the TV licence fee payers. That's one hell of a severe punishment, but I do question whether he is worth £125,000 per week in the first place. Then there is Lesley Douglas resigning. And what does the BBC do? It promotes the man directly beneath her in the line of management, and yet he also allowed the show to be aired!
If anyone should have gone, being editor in chief, surely it should have been the Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson? Isn't this where the buck stops?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Topsy turvy world of BBC Newsnight
Topsy turvy world of BBC Newsnight
I couldn't believe it last night when Newsnight's lead story was Russell Brand had resigned from his Radio 2 show. Apparently, a stunt backfired. When it was aired, there was 2 complaints from listeners. Following the gutter press making a mountain out of a mole hill, 27,000 people who had not heard it then complained to the BBC. My only complaint is why the BBC thought Jonathan Ross is worth £6M per year. And, Russell Brand £200,000 per year just for presenting one show per week on Radio 2. It is being said that these stars reach the younger generation. Times must have changed because Radio 2 used to be for the Golden Oldies.
Whoever is responsible for letting the offensive material be broadcast needs to justify the decision given that Andrew Sachs requested it not be aired because he found it offensive. Although I have seen it in the blogosphere that nobody has the right not to be offended.
By the same token, whoever took the decision at the BBC to make this the lead story on Newsnight should be taken out and shot. Later in the programme it was reported that in the Congo another Rwanda was taking place, and that the UN was supporting the troops who had carried out the genocide in Rwanda and were now doing the same in the Congo.
UN joins battle with Congo rebels
Perhaps, I am too cynical but it does seem rather convenient with the world economy collapsing that 2 scapegoats have emerged...
I couldn't believe it last night when Newsnight's lead story was Russell Brand had resigned from his Radio 2 show. Apparently, a stunt backfired. When it was aired, there was 2 complaints from listeners. Following the gutter press making a mountain out of a mole hill, 27,000 people who had not heard it then complained to the BBC. My only complaint is why the BBC thought Jonathan Ross is worth £6M per year. And, Russell Brand £200,000 per year just for presenting one show per week on Radio 2. It is being said that these stars reach the younger generation. Times must have changed because Radio 2 used to be for the Golden Oldies.
Whoever is responsible for letting the offensive material be broadcast needs to justify the decision given that Andrew Sachs requested it not be aired because he found it offensive. Although I have seen it in the blogosphere that nobody has the right not to be offended.
By the same token, whoever took the decision at the BBC to make this the lead story on Newsnight should be taken out and shot. Later in the programme it was reported that in the Congo another Rwanda was taking place, and that the UN was supporting the troops who had carried out the genocide in Rwanda and were now doing the same in the Congo.
UN joins battle with Congo rebels
Perhaps, I am too cynical but it does seem rather convenient with the world economy collapsing that 2 scapegoats have emerged...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Giving prisoners a purpose
Giving prisoners a purpose
Hansard
Prisoners
2. Angela Watkinson (Upminster) (Con): What recent discussions he has had with HM Prison Service on increasing the amount of purposeful activity undertaken by inmates in prisons. [230371]
28 Oct 2008 : Column 711
9. Mr. David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con): What recent discussions he has had with HM Prison Service on increasing the amount of purposeful activity in prisons. [230378]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Mr. David Hanson): The Government and the National Offender Management Service are committed to increasing the amount and quality of purposeful activity in prisons including, for example, the expansion and further development of links with private sector employers to increase the range of constructive work and training available to prisoners; the delivery of a comprehensive range of interventions designed to address offending behaviour; and an improvement in the quality of prison education provision.
Angela Watkinson: The Minister will agree that a custodial sentence provides the opportunity for training and education to prepare people to lead productive lives, but that what often happens in practice is that people are moved from prison to prison, meaning that they have different tutors and their courses are left unfinished. What will he do to remedy that? Will he have discussions with his colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and in the Department for Work and Pensions to see what additional work opportunities can be given to prisoners when they leave, so that they are motivated to learn while they are in prison?
Mr. Hanson: The hon. Lady makes a valid point. It is important that we have employment opportunities and that we link them to what happens in the world outside for when prisoners leave. Last year alone, more than 40,000 prisoners went into training and employment at the end of their sentence. I take the point that occasionally movement between prisons can disrupt sentences. We have to focus on providing meaningful employment, raising skills and matching that with the business world outside. Indeed, later this year I shall host a further seminar with some key employers to try to make links with prisons in the community.
Mr. Evennett: In June, the Government introduced the core day, which means that in 159 of our state prisons prisoners are locked in their cells for the whole of Friday, with the cancellation of classes and workshops. Does the Minister think that that will help in the fight against recidivism?
Mr. Hanson: I know that the hon. Gentleman meant Friday afternoon, rather than the whole of Friday. Prisoners are not locked up for the whole of Friday. We are looking at a range of efficiency measures. The core day is at an early stage in its implementation. I need to look at that, and we have a group looking at the impact of the core day on a range of services. Overall, last year, some 25.3 hours per prisoner was, on average, spent on purposeful activity. I want to see that figure increase and, for the reasons I gave to the hon. Member for Upminster (Angela Watkinson), I am trying to ensure that that happens.
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab): Will the system that my right hon. Friend is outlining be comprehensive enough to find something useful for Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to do in the event that they finish up inside?
28 Oct 2008 : Column 712
Mr. Hanson: I am sure that we have some in-house entertainment that they can do. My hon. Friend makes a serious point. It is not for me to comment on the issues that were mentioned, but I feel that both Mr. Ross and Mr. Brand have to apologise for the broadcast. I do not think that it was appropriate or in keeping with broadcasting. I am not sure that it will result in prosecutions, but I feel that an apology is called for.
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol, East) (Lab): I am sure that the Minister will agree that given the reoffending rates among young offenders it is particularly important that they find purposeful activities during their periods inside. Is he aware of the scheme that has been operating between Ashfield young offenders institution and Avon fire and rescue, whereby the youngsters do the equivalent of a firefighter’s training course? Does he think that that model could be adapted elsewhere?
Mr. Hanson: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that point. I am aware of the scheme. It is important that we give people pride in themselves, as well as some recognition of their achievement, and that we let them learn new skills. The fire service scheme, linked with the young offenders institution in this case, offers all those activities. It is key to us that we raise the level of skills and of employability and that we give people some pride and self-worth, which, sadly, they often have not had outside the estate.
John Bercow (Buckingham) (Con): Given that the right hon. Gentleman is a notable progressive, and pursuant to the publication of the youth crime action plan, will he accept that it should be a priority to do something to help the 60 per cent.-plus of the 11,000 people in the young offenders estate who suffer from speech, language and communication problems on a scale and of a severity that prevents them from accessing conventional education and training courses?
Mr. Hanson: Absolutely. I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his recognition of my progressive nature, which I am sure the House will welcome. I recognise that he has done a considerable amount of work on the question of dyslexia and other learning disabilities. There is, sadly, a high correlation between the people who go into offending behaviour and their level of literacy and numeracy. We need to address the problem early. The youth crime action plan, with which I have been dealing along with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, is trying to look at early intervention and at how to make better use of people’s time in custody to deal with those very issues.
David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab/Co-op): There is a rather Dickensian feel to the list of activities that prisoners undertake: scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets and stitching laundry are jobs that Magwitch would recognise, but does my right hon. Friend have great expectations that a wider variety of tasks will be available in the years ahead that will genuinely fit discharged prisoners better for the outside world that will receive them?
28 Oct 2008 : Column 713
Mr. Hanson: There is certainly some low-level employment in prisons, but I can give some different examples. I visited Wandsworth prison recently and saw the high investment that has been made in giving some prisoners computer skills so that they have the potential to work in the sector. Other prisons offer real and definite skills in housebuilding, decorating and painting, which require a high national vocational qualification. Indeed, funding for education in prisons has risen in the past six years alone from £57 million in 2001 to £170 million in 2008. That is real progress, and we are looking to match giving inmates skills for the outside world with what needs to be done in prison.
Dr. William McCrea (South Antrim) (DUP): I accept that purposeful activity for inmates is vital, but will the Minister assure the House that the justice system is there to punish those who have broken the law?
Mr. Hanson: Absolutely. Yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Justice Secretary repeated what all Ministers have always made very clear—that the justice system is about punishment and reform. There has to be an element of punishment, as that is what the public and victims quite rightly demand, but equally we need to make sure that those who come into contact with our system do not return to us after the end of their sentence. The key to that is employability, as well as raised skill levels and the maintenance of family links. We must also build support for accommodation outside prison and try to deal with some of the real and meaningful problems to do with drugs, alcohol and mental health. Our pathways programme tries to do all that in a positive way.
Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab): The Minister said that the important thing about purposeful educational activity in prison is that it prepares people for the world outside, and I welcome that. For example, great progress has been made in helping prisoners to learn to read, but the problem of giving prisoners—those doing National Extension College courses, and others—access to the internet is a real barrier to preparing them for the world outside. Has there been any progress in making it easier for prisoners to use the internet safely?
Mr. Hanson: First, may I pay tribute to the work that my hon. Friend did in this field when she held ministerial office? She rightly recognises that we need to raise prisoners’ internet and computing skills in preparation for the outside world, and we are looking at how we can make that practicable in a secure way. However, she will accept that that there are real difficulties with internet usage and contact between prisoners and the outside world, so security concerns remain paramount in our approach to the issue.
Mr. Edward Garnier (Harborough) (Con): In July, the Government severely cut the amount of time that prisoners can spend working or learning to read and write, but even before that prisoners spent only three and a half hours a day, Monday to Friday, on purposeful activity. Does the Minister share my disappointment that, while the reoffending rate for ex-prisoners rockets and thus more victims of crime are created, the Secretary of State resorts to cheap soundbites about sentencing to disguise the Government’s incompetence in failing to provide real opportunities for offenders to turn away from crime through purposeful activity in prison?
28 Oct 2008 : Column 714
Mr. Hanson: First, let me tell the hon. and learned Gentleman that crime overall is down some 39 per cent. since 1997. Reoffending figures have also fallen over the past six years, as he will see if he looks at the announcement that I made to the House in September. He mentioned the figures on purposeful activity by prisoners, which I set out earlier to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett). Currently, in 2007-08, each prisoner spends some 25.3 hours per week on purposeful activity. That is a steady figure, but I am working to increase it and I know that I will have his support in doing so—although unfortunately a future Conservative Government, if there were to be one, would be unlikely to provide the necessary resources.
ConservativeHome has more here.
Hansard
Prisoners
2. Angela Watkinson (Upminster) (Con): What recent discussions he has had with HM Prison Service on increasing the amount of purposeful activity undertaken by inmates in prisons. [230371]
28 Oct 2008 : Column 711
9. Mr. David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con): What recent discussions he has had with HM Prison Service on increasing the amount of purposeful activity in prisons. [230378]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Mr. David Hanson): The Government and the National Offender Management Service are committed to increasing the amount and quality of purposeful activity in prisons including, for example, the expansion and further development of links with private sector employers to increase the range of constructive work and training available to prisoners; the delivery of a comprehensive range of interventions designed to address offending behaviour; and an improvement in the quality of prison education provision.
Angela Watkinson: The Minister will agree that a custodial sentence provides the opportunity for training and education to prepare people to lead productive lives, but that what often happens in practice is that people are moved from prison to prison, meaning that they have different tutors and their courses are left unfinished. What will he do to remedy that? Will he have discussions with his colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and in the Department for Work and Pensions to see what additional work opportunities can be given to prisoners when they leave, so that they are motivated to learn while they are in prison?
Mr. Hanson: The hon. Lady makes a valid point. It is important that we have employment opportunities and that we link them to what happens in the world outside for when prisoners leave. Last year alone, more than 40,000 prisoners went into training and employment at the end of their sentence. I take the point that occasionally movement between prisons can disrupt sentences. We have to focus on providing meaningful employment, raising skills and matching that with the business world outside. Indeed, later this year I shall host a further seminar with some key employers to try to make links with prisons in the community.
Mr. Evennett: In June, the Government introduced the core day, which means that in 159 of our state prisons prisoners are locked in their cells for the whole of Friday, with the cancellation of classes and workshops. Does the Minister think that that will help in the fight against recidivism?
Mr. Hanson: I know that the hon. Gentleman meant Friday afternoon, rather than the whole of Friday. Prisoners are not locked up for the whole of Friday. We are looking at a range of efficiency measures. The core day is at an early stage in its implementation. I need to look at that, and we have a group looking at the impact of the core day on a range of services. Overall, last year, some 25.3 hours per prisoner was, on average, spent on purposeful activity. I want to see that figure increase and, for the reasons I gave to the hon. Member for Upminster (Angela Watkinson), I am trying to ensure that that happens.
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab): Will the system that my right hon. Friend is outlining be comprehensive enough to find something useful for Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to do in the event that they finish up inside?
28 Oct 2008 : Column 712
Mr. Hanson: I am sure that we have some in-house entertainment that they can do. My hon. Friend makes a serious point. It is not for me to comment on the issues that were mentioned, but I feel that both Mr. Ross and Mr. Brand have to apologise for the broadcast. I do not think that it was appropriate or in keeping with broadcasting. I am not sure that it will result in prosecutions, but I feel that an apology is called for.
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol, East) (Lab): I am sure that the Minister will agree that given the reoffending rates among young offenders it is particularly important that they find purposeful activities during their periods inside. Is he aware of the scheme that has been operating between Ashfield young offenders institution and Avon fire and rescue, whereby the youngsters do the equivalent of a firefighter’s training course? Does he think that that model could be adapted elsewhere?
Mr. Hanson: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that point. I am aware of the scheme. It is important that we give people pride in themselves, as well as some recognition of their achievement, and that we let them learn new skills. The fire service scheme, linked with the young offenders institution in this case, offers all those activities. It is key to us that we raise the level of skills and of employability and that we give people some pride and self-worth, which, sadly, they often have not had outside the estate.
John Bercow (Buckingham) (Con): Given that the right hon. Gentleman is a notable progressive, and pursuant to the publication of the youth crime action plan, will he accept that it should be a priority to do something to help the 60 per cent.-plus of the 11,000 people in the young offenders estate who suffer from speech, language and communication problems on a scale and of a severity that prevents them from accessing conventional education and training courses?
Mr. Hanson: Absolutely. I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his recognition of my progressive nature, which I am sure the House will welcome. I recognise that he has done a considerable amount of work on the question of dyslexia and other learning disabilities. There is, sadly, a high correlation between the people who go into offending behaviour and their level of literacy and numeracy. We need to address the problem early. The youth crime action plan, with which I have been dealing along with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, is trying to look at early intervention and at how to make better use of people’s time in custody to deal with those very issues.
David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab/Co-op): There is a rather Dickensian feel to the list of activities that prisoners undertake: scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets and stitching laundry are jobs that Magwitch would recognise, but does my right hon. Friend have great expectations that a wider variety of tasks will be available in the years ahead that will genuinely fit discharged prisoners better for the outside world that will receive them?
28 Oct 2008 : Column 713
Mr. Hanson: There is certainly some low-level employment in prisons, but I can give some different examples. I visited Wandsworth prison recently and saw the high investment that has been made in giving some prisoners computer skills so that they have the potential to work in the sector. Other prisons offer real and definite skills in housebuilding, decorating and painting, which require a high national vocational qualification. Indeed, funding for education in prisons has risen in the past six years alone from £57 million in 2001 to £170 million in 2008. That is real progress, and we are looking to match giving inmates skills for the outside world with what needs to be done in prison.
Dr. William McCrea (South Antrim) (DUP): I accept that purposeful activity for inmates is vital, but will the Minister assure the House that the justice system is there to punish those who have broken the law?
Mr. Hanson: Absolutely. Yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Justice Secretary repeated what all Ministers have always made very clear—that the justice system is about punishment and reform. There has to be an element of punishment, as that is what the public and victims quite rightly demand, but equally we need to make sure that those who come into contact with our system do not return to us after the end of their sentence. The key to that is employability, as well as raised skill levels and the maintenance of family links. We must also build support for accommodation outside prison and try to deal with some of the real and meaningful problems to do with drugs, alcohol and mental health. Our pathways programme tries to do all that in a positive way.
Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab): The Minister said that the important thing about purposeful educational activity in prison is that it prepares people for the world outside, and I welcome that. For example, great progress has been made in helping prisoners to learn to read, but the problem of giving prisoners—those doing National Extension College courses, and others—access to the internet is a real barrier to preparing them for the world outside. Has there been any progress in making it easier for prisoners to use the internet safely?
Mr. Hanson: First, may I pay tribute to the work that my hon. Friend did in this field when she held ministerial office? She rightly recognises that we need to raise prisoners’ internet and computing skills in preparation for the outside world, and we are looking at how we can make that practicable in a secure way. However, she will accept that that there are real difficulties with internet usage and contact between prisoners and the outside world, so security concerns remain paramount in our approach to the issue.
Mr. Edward Garnier (Harborough) (Con): In July, the Government severely cut the amount of time that prisoners can spend working or learning to read and write, but even before that prisoners spent only three and a half hours a day, Monday to Friday, on purposeful activity. Does the Minister share my disappointment that, while the reoffending rate for ex-prisoners rockets and thus more victims of crime are created, the Secretary of State resorts to cheap soundbites about sentencing to disguise the Government’s incompetence in failing to provide real opportunities for offenders to turn away from crime through purposeful activity in prison?
28 Oct 2008 : Column 714
Mr. Hanson: First, let me tell the hon. and learned Gentleman that crime overall is down some 39 per cent. since 1997. Reoffending figures have also fallen over the past six years, as he will see if he looks at the announcement that I made to the House in September. He mentioned the figures on purposeful activity by prisoners, which I set out earlier to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett). Currently, in 2007-08, each prisoner spends some 25.3 hours per week on purposeful activity. That is a steady figure, but I am working to increase it and I know that I will have his support in doing so—although unfortunately a future Conservative Government, if there were to be one, would be unlikely to provide the necessary resources.
ConservativeHome has more here.
No help for war veterans
No help for war veterans
The government has refused to fund a trip to France for surviving Normandy war veterans to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of D-Day.
Video link.
"If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home".
(Rupert Brooke, The Soldier)
The government has refused to fund a trip to France for surviving Normandy war veterans to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of D-Day.
Video link.
"If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home".
(Rupert Brooke, The Soldier)
Prison reformer misses the point
Prison reformer misses the point
Juliet Lyon the director of Prison Reform Trust and secretary general of Penal Reform International, in an article for Comment is free concludes:
"The conditions in prison may no longer be Dickensian but young mothers are still going to jail for the same reasons they were in Victorian times: poverty, debt, addiction and mental illness".
I challenge her view that women are being sent to prison for "poverty, debt, addiction and mental illness". Like men, they are sent to prison for committing crimes.
Juliet Lyon the director of Prison Reform Trust and secretary general of Penal Reform International, in an article for Comment is free concludes:
"The conditions in prison may no longer be Dickensian but young mothers are still going to jail for the same reasons they were in Victorian times: poverty, debt, addiction and mental illness".
I challenge her view that women are being sent to prison for "poverty, debt, addiction and mental illness". Like men, they are sent to prison for committing crimes.
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