Caroline Corby starts her permanent appointment as Chair of the Parole Board from today (1 November 2018).

She has been the Interim Chair of the Parole Board since April 2018, as well as a member of its Management Committee since 2015.

“I am delighted to have been appointed as Chair of the Parole Board. Although the announcement was made some time ago, today is my first official day in the permanent post.

“This is a good opportunity to set out a little bit about my priorities for the Board over the coming years.

“My priorities are for us to continue to improve our performance, maximise our influence in the various on-going reviews, take steps to address the lack of ethnic diversity among our Parole Board membership and, finally, I am determined to safeguard the Board’s independence. I cover each of these areas in a little more detail below:

Reviews of the Parole Board

“We are currently subject to a number of reviews including a public consultation on a new internal review mechanism and a departmental review of the 27 Parole Board rules. These present us with a real opportunity to make positive changes to the way in which the Board works. Martin Jones (Parole Board CEO) and I are in frequent dialogue with the MoJ and we are confident that we will emerge in the New Year with a framework that suits the way we want to work and gives us greater powers and control.

Improving Diversity in the Board

“In 2017 David Lammy MP led a review of the treatment and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals going through the Criminal Justice System. A key finding was that trust in the system from people with a BAME background was low and that this was due to the lack of ethnic diversity among those making decisions in the CJS. The Parole Board has 240 members of which only 11 have a BAME background. In order to ensure that we have the confidence of prisoners and the public, a key priority for the Board will be to address the relative lack of ethnic diversity among Parole Board members in the next recruitment round in 2019.

Safeguarding Independence

“As Chair I am determined to safeguard the independence of the Board. The Wakenshaw judgment in August 2018 looked at issues around independence and said that further changes should be made with respect to member tenure and the lack of a formal process for removing a member. We are in discussions with the MoJ about possible changes. Safeguarding our independence is also at the heart of all our responses to the various on-going reviews.

Reducing Deferrals

“Under Martin Jones’s leadership, the Parole Board has done a tremendous job in getting on top of the backlog of cases which has plagued us since the Osborn judgment in 2013. The next challenge is to address deferrals and adjournments. These are currently running at over 40% of all cases, with over 20% of cases being deferred on the day. I am confident that we can make real progress here. Indeed, the outcomes from our project to tackle this issue are very encouraging, with a noticeable reduction in on the day deferrals.

In Conclusion

“It is a real time of change for the Board and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the organisation and wider justice system to improve the experience of parole for all who are affected by it.”

Caroline Corby, Chair for the Parole Board of England & Wales

“As I said when we hosted a reception at Edinburgh Castle a couple of weeks ago, Colin and I met over a year ago at the King’s Arms hotel in Lockerbie and to come from the King’s Arms in Lockerbie to the centre of New York City is quite something. I’m sure they do have some similarities but I’m not sure what they obviously are at this moment.

“I am tremendously supportive of this initiative. I think it is really really important that not only do we respect and pay homage to the families of the 270 people who lost their lives on the 21st December 1988 and everybody else who has been caught up in those events over the last 30 years but also that we do look forward. That’s very much what the Cycle to Syracuse has been about. It is about combining those two important elements, remembrance, respect and looking forward and strengthening and deepening our relationship and friendship with Syracuse University, with the wider community there and indeed with all relatives of the 270 victims. I’m really pleased this year to learn the ribbon ceremony which I am hoping to be part of tomorrow that there will be ribbon for each of the 270 victims because to me Syracuse University has become so much an emotional centre for those events. A place of comfort for relatives and a place where people can reflect on those events but also for new and positive relationships, new friendships and I think that is a really really important role that Syracuse is playing.

“I do feel a little bit of a fraud in relation to the efforts of the guys because I waved them off in Lockerbie on a very wet day and then I met them again at Edinburgh Castle never having set foot on a peddle. I’m here at this halfway point in the journey likewise never having set foot on a peddle and I know you’ve done the hard work. I know from the reports back from Oliver how well received you’ve been by relatives, by friends, by people who want to know more about these events and want to make sure that they are marked in a proper and respectful way.

“I think this Cycle to Syracuse will have been for many very cathartic in terms of just being able to deal with issues, of being able to speak about some of those events. I know back home in Lockerbie, speaking to some people before I came out, for some people this is the first time in 30 years they have been able to speak about events which happened to them that night or immediately thereafter. I think that that is a really positive thing, an opportunity for people really to, as I say, in terms of the Syracuse motto, look back but act forward.

“I think that the cycle has done something on so many different levels. It has been an appropriate and respectful marking of the 30th anniversary of these events. It has been an opportunity for the community in Lockerbie to move forward to a certain extent. It has been an opportunity to strengthen and deepen our friendship with Syracuse University. It has been an opportunity to celebrate the 58 young people from Lockerbie who have already had the opportunity to come to Syracuse and look forward to many more coming to the university. I want myself without having any focussed thought to use it as an opportunity to strengthen those bonds between our community, Syracuse and indeed the friends and families of all of the 270 victims.

“On that basis it gives me a great deal of pleasure to wave the guys off on this next leg. I’m heading myself up to Syracuse but because we need to ensure that the UKG has a budget I will require to return before you arrive unless you’re extremely speedy and move ahead of schedule.

“I just want to conclude by saying it has been an honour and privilege and I know my son Oliver who is our MSP, Lockerbie member of the Scottish Parliament shares this, it has been an honour and a privilege for me to associated with this project. It really really has. So thank you guys. “

The Prime Minister welcomed representatives from the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) to Downing Street to discuss the progress on Brexit negotiations and hear from some of Europe’s leading businesses about their priorities. The Brexit Secretary and Business Secretary were also present.

First, she recognised the ERT’s valuable contribution to the economy as major multinational companies in the UK and across Europe.

The Prime Minister set out that since their previous meeting, the vision for the future economic partnership with the European Union had been published. The plan would protect frictionless trade, which is in the interests of both UK and EU businesses, employees and citizens. The Prime Minister emphasised that the proposals would not only ensure there was no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, but it would also safeguard jobs, just-in-time manufacturing and integrated supply chains, all of which are important to business.

Second, the Prime Minister spoke about the good progress in negotiations, with 95% of the Withdrawal Agreement complete and with agreement on the structure and scope of the Future Framework. She reiterated that she was confident a deal would be reached.

The Prime Minister heard from the ERT about their priorities, and all agreed that it was in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal for both sides and provide clarity for businesses and employees in the UK and across Europe. The Prime Minister emphasised her commitment to achieving this and all agreed the importance of getting a deal as soon as possible.

Finally, at the end of the meeting, she thanked them for the useful and constructive discussion, which would continue in future.

Attendees: