Ben Goldsborough MP: written questions
4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
69 published records · newest first.
Written questions
ProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56692More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions under the Single Justice Procedure have been reopened via the statutory declaration process in each of the last 10 years.
Answer: Data on the number of prosecutions under the Single Justice Procedure which have been reopened via the statutory declaration process is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 55649More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will list the offences for which the Single Justice Procedure can be used.
Answer: We do not have a list of the offences prosecutable under the Single Justice Procedure (SJP). It can be used to deal with any non-imprisonable summary-only offence in cases which are non-contested and where the prosecutor considers it appropriate. In all S...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordProsecutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted under the single justice procedure by offence in each month of 2024; and what the plea rates were for offences charged under the single justice procedure in the same period.
Answer: The requested information is provided in the attached table.The Government is concerned about the consistency in standards of private prosecutors, including those who use the Single Justice Procedure. This is why we launched a consultation on the oversigh...
Answered 27 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners' Release: UnemploymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have left prison without an identified (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training outcome in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information.While we do publish employment on release outcomes, this does not extend over the past 10 financial years. Our employment outcomes data report employment status at six weeks following release and six ...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: StaffMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47490More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many teachers have been employed in prisons in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: All prisons screen prisoners on arrival for reading ability and offer a curriculum with reading as part of the Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 English courses.Courses delivered under the Prison Education Framework (PEF) include both accredited and non-ac...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: Relationships and Sex EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons have offered courses in (a) parenting and (b) relationships in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: HMPPS does not hold the data on how many prisons have offered courses in parenting and relationships in each of the last 10 financial years. Courses delivered under the Prison Education Framework (PEF) include both accredited and non-accredited courses as...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCustodial Treatment: ReadingMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding was allocated to reading programmes on the secure estate in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: All prisons screen prisoners on arrival for reading ability and offer a curriculum with reading as part of the Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 English courses.Courses delivered under the Prison Education Framework (PEF) include both accredited and non-ac...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: ReadingMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47487More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons have a reading (a) strategy and (b) programme.
Answer: All prisons screen prisoners on arrival for reading ability and offer a curriculum with reading as part of the Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 English courses.Courses delivered under the Prison Education Framework (PEF) include both accredited and non-ac...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: Prison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of offenders on the (a) secure estate and (b) young offenders institute estate were unlocked for (i) less than two hours, (ii) more than two hours and (iii) more than eight hours in each of the la
Answer: As we do not hold sufficient data to undertake the necessary calculations, it is not possible to provide the requested information.
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCustodial Treatment: StandardsMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has issued guidance for prison governors to ensure offenders receive first-night well-being checks upon arrival onto the secure estate.
Answer: All prisons in England and Wales are guided by Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 07/2015 – ‘Early Days in Custody – Reception in, First Night in Custody and Induction to Custody’. This policy sets out the mandatory requirements for prisons in relation to t...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordReoffendersMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of force by staff on the secure estate on reoffending rates.
Answer: Physical intervention to resolve incidents is only ever to be used as a last resort. Staff receive extensive training in de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution to reduce the need for physical intervention, and regular reviews and analyses of use...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCustodial Treatment: Unpaid WorkMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47483More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much money has been spent on unpaid work in the secure estate in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: While there is not anything specifically named ‘unpaid work’ in prisons, and we therefore cannot provide information on how much has been spent on it, convicted prisoners are expected to work and there are various jobs across prison workshops, kitchens, l...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCustodial Treatment: Unpaid WorkMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an estimate of the value added by unpaid work projects on the secure estate.
Answer: While there is not anything specifically named ‘unpaid work’ in prisons, and we therefore cannot provide information on how much has been spent on it, convicted prisoners are expected to work and there are various jobs across prison workshops, kitchens, l...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCustodial Treatment: Unpaid WorkMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47481More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of assault on unpaid work staff have been reported in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: Community Rehabilitation Companies previously held responsibility for unpaid work, until being unified back into the National Probation Service on 26 June 2021. HM Prisons and Probation Service does not hold incident reporting information prior to this da...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCustodial Treatment: Unpaid WorkMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47480More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many unpaid work (a) staff and (b) supervisors have been employed in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: The number of unpaid work (a) staff and (b) supervisors that have been employed in each of the last 10 financial years can be seen in the below table:Table 1 - Number of unpaid work staff in post on 31 March 2022 to 2024 and 31 December 2024 (Full Time Eq...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: Education and Unpaid WorkMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of offenders on the secure estate undertook (a) unpaid work, (b) education and (c) vocational training in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: We set out management information relating to three relevant elements of purposeful activity below. However, this data was only developed as a measure from 2021/2022 so we are unable to provide it for the last 10 years. The percentages include prisoners w...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: English Language and MathematicsMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47478More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders entering the secure estate had an (a) English and (b) mathematics functional skills level (a) below and (b) above entry-level 3 in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: The functional skills level of prisoners recorded from initial English and maths assessments are published as part of the annual Prison Education and Accredited Programmes Statistics at Prison Education and Accredited Programme Statistics - GOV.UK. The Mi...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: EmploymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47477More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a target for the number of offenders on the secure estate who have employment roles.
Answer: We know that finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. Undertaking work in custody provides offenders with opportunity to develop key skills that will increase their chance of gainin...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: Crimes against the PersonMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) offender-on-offender and (b) offender-on-staff assaults have taken place on the secure estate in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: The number of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and assaults on staff for the financial year are shown in the summary tables of the Safety in Custody publication to March 2024: Safety in custody: quarterly update to March 2024 - GOV.UK Specifically, table 4 i...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners' TransfersMinistry of JusticeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders on the secure estate were held in unsuitable conditions while awaiting transfer in each of the last 10 financial years.
Answer: His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service do not hold prisoners in unsuitable physical conditions. Maintenance issues are reported locally to facilities management providers, who prioritise them for action. Cells that are deemed unsuitable for safety or ...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: Accident and Emergency DepartmentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43674More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce delays in prisoners accessing emergency hospital care.
Answer: Prison governors are responsible for ensuring that their establishments respond promptly and appropriately to medical emergencies, and that prison staff are aware of their own responsibilities and of the local procedures in place to support a streamlined ...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Custody: Self-harmMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43672More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce incidence of self harm on the secure estate.
Answer: We recognise that rates of self-harm across the estate are high, and we are taking action to address this.We provide individualised support through our case management process for people assessed as at risk of self-harm. This approach places a strong emph...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: Vocational GuidanceMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure prisoners on the secure estate have access to a careers mentor.
Answer: From April 2025, new Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) contracts will launch which will set consistent high standards for providers. Providers will be working on a national specification, and this will be mandated in all prisons. The CIAG S...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: ExerciseMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure prisoners on the secure estate undertake the minimum time for physical exercise.
Answer: We recognise the importance of prisoners having access to purposeful activity, including education. We know that this significantly reduces the likelihood of re-offending – by up to nine percentage points.After the previous Government ran the prison estat...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordOvercrowding: Secure AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 12 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31327More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce overcrowding on the secure estate.
Answer: This Government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis, with prisons running at over 99% capacity and on the brink of total collapse. If our prisons overflowed, police would have been unable to make arrests and we would have faced the total breakdo...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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