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Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will take steps to ensure the negotiations between her Department and Praxis result in the continuation of the Secret Garden Service provided by that organisation.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

The decision to invite Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) to take over management of Hillsborough Castle will provide a secure future for the castle and bring considerable economic benefits to the surrounding area.

To deliver those benefits, HRP need control of the site currently used by Praxis in order to construct the infrastructure necessary to enable substantial visitor numbers to be welcomed to Hillsborough.

The terms of Praxis’ use of the Walled Garden site were always clear that they would need to leave if given one month’s notice. Praxis confirmed over a year ago that they would leave if given one month’s notice.

01/11/2022

Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to bring forward regulations for the introduction of the ban on smoking in cars with children present.

Jane Ellison

The Children and Families Act 2014 contains regulation making powers to prohibit smoking in private vehicles carrying children. The Department is currently drawing up proposals for how this could be achieved, which we will consult on. We plan to introduce these regulations during the lifetime of this Parliament.

01/11/2022

Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to bring forward draft regulations for the introduction of standard packaging for tobacco products.

Jane Ellison

Before reaching a final decision on standardised packaging of tobacco products, and in order to ensure that the decision is properly and fully informed, we intend to publish the draft regulations to make sure that intentions are clear, alongside a final short consultation.

This consultation will ask, in particular, for views on anything new since the last full public consultation that is relevant to a final decision. The content and timing of the consultation will be announced shortly.

01/11/2022

Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Priti Patel on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the St Lucia government on delays in the criminal justice system in homicide cases in that country.

Mark Simmonds

Our officials have had a number of discussions with the Government of St Lucia about delays in the criminal justice system, particularly in relation to cases involving British nationals. In December last year, our High Commissioner to St Lucia raised the issue with the St Lucian Home Affairs Minister and in April 2014, the British Resident Commissioner raised the issue with the St Lucian Prime Minister. I also wrote to the Prime Minister of St Lucia in September about the delays in the criminal justice system.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports wider government efforts to build the St Lucian Government’s capacity to prosecute serious crime. This includes the deployment of a Crown Prosecution Service Criminal Justice Advisor (CJA) to the Eastern Caribbean. The CJA provides strategic analysis and advice to politicians and practitioners (judiciary, prosecutors and investigators) in order to improve the efficiency of the justice system and remove blockages to effective prosecutions.

01/11/2022

Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Priti Patel on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to encourage the government of St Lucia to take steps to progress the trial of the defendants accused of murdering Gloria Greenwood.

Mark Simmonds

As soon as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was informed of the death of a British national, consular officials contacted the St Lucian authorities about the investigation into Mrs Greenwood’s tragic death. They remain in regular contact. Most recently, St Lucia’s Crown Prosecution Service informed our officials that a pre-trial hearing had been adjourned until 8 May. We will continue to press upon the St Lucian authorities the importance we place on bringing this case to trial. Consular officials have updated Mrs Greenwood’s family and continue to provide full consular assistance.

01/11/2022

Jenny Chapman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jenny Chapman on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers were serving on detached duty in each month from January 2011 to January 2014.

Jeremy Wright

A nationally co-ordinated detached duty scheme has been operating since 21 October 2013. Information on the number of officers serving on detached duty before the introduction of the national scheme is not available. The full-time equivalent of officers provided on detached duty from the beginning of the nationally co-ordinated scheme until the 31 December 2013 is contained in the table below. Some allocations outside of the national scheme continued after October 2013 but is not included in the information provided. London region particularly allocated staff within their own region. Information collected on the staffing allocated. On occasions the resource is not actually deployed due to changes in local circumstances.

The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing. It allows staff to be allocated from prisons with the capacity to provide them, to those where additional staffing is required. On average over the three month period (October to December 2013), less than 1% of staff were provided on detached duty. A large proportion of the capacity was available from prisons that were in the process of closure or going through a re-role. This process temporarily releases a number of officers who are not supplied for specific occasions but are sent and received on a shift pattern throughout the week.

Full Time Equivalent of Officers Working on Detached Duty ¹

– 21 October 2013 to 31 December 2013

	Full Time Equivalent Officers Provided on Detached Duty
Scheme started in October so no data available for earlier period
October 2013 (Data relates to part month from 21 October)	46
Nov-13	107
Dec-13	205

¹ Detached duty figures are not published but other staffing data is published up to 31 December 2013 and therefore information is only presented up until that date.

01/11/2022

Jenny Chapman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jenny Chapman on 2014-04-30.

Jeremy Wright

Identifying total travel and accommodation costs for prisons serving detached duty would require manual collation of data from online expenses systems and travel providers, which would incur disproportionate cost.

01/11/2022

Jenny Chapman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jenny Chapman on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of staff in each prison in England and Wales were serving on detached duty in (a) January, (b) February and (c) March 2014.

Jeremy Wright

A nationally co-ordinated detached duty scheme has been operating since 21 October 2013. Information on the number of officers serving on detached duty before the introduction of the national scheme is not available. The full-time equivalent of officers provided on detached duty from the beginning of the nationally co-ordinated scheme until the 31 December 2013 is contained in the table below. Some allocations outside of the national scheme continued after October 2013 but is not included in the information provided. London region particularly allocated staff within their own region. Information collected on the staffing allocated. On occasions the resource is not actually deployed due to changes in local circumstances.

The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing. It allows staff to be allocated from prisons with the capacity to provide them, to those where additional staffing is required. On average over the three month period (October to December 2013), less than 1% of staff were provided on detached duty. A large proportion of the capacity was available from prisons that were in the process of closure or going through a re-role. This process temporarily releases a number of officers who are not supplied for specific occasions but are sent and received on a shift pattern throughout the week.

Full Time Equivalent of Officers Working on Detached Duty ¹

– 21 October 2013 to 31 December 2013

	Full Time Equivalent Officers Provided on Detached Duty
Scheme started in October so no data available for earlier period
October 2013 (Data relates to part month from 21 October)	46
Nov-13	107
Dec-13	205

¹ Detached duty figures are not published but other staffing data is published up to 31 December 2013 and therefore information is only presented up until that date.

01/11/2022

Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-04-30.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with (a) representatives or organisations offering free debt advice, (b) representatives of fee charging debt management organisations, (c) creditors and (d) the Insolvency Service on the potential effect of his Department’s withdrawal from the Debt Management Plan Protocol guidance group.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is committed to improving standards in the debt management industry to deliver a better deal for consumers and greater transparency for creditors. The Debt Management Plan Protocol played a crucial role in meeting this objective, working in complement with the OFT regulatory framework, and paved the way for more robust regulation of the sector by the FCA.

From 1 April, responsibility for regulating debt management firms, along with all other consumer credit firms, transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Consumers will be better protected under the new regime – the FCA will:

· police the gateway to the market more thoroughly;

· proactively identify risks to consumers;

· focus its supervisory resources on areas most likely to cause consumer harm;

· approve individuals in influential roles in firms;

· operate a flexible and responsive regime;

· use its wide enforcement toolkit;

· and ensure consumers have access to redress.

The FCA will thoroughly assess every debt management firm’s fitness to trade as part of the authorisation process – debt management firms will be amongst the first to require authorisation.

The FCA has also introduced new requirements for debt management firms, including:

· Prudential requirements: Debt management firms often hold consumers’ money – the FCA is requiring large debt management firms to hold capital to ensure that consumers don’t risk losing their money if things go wrong.

· Guidance added that debt management firms should not allocate more than half the money received from customers in debt management plans to meeting their fees and charges.

With the new FCA regulatory regime in place which will greatly improve consumer protection in the debt management market, the Government decided following discussions with a range of stakeholders that it was the right time to step away from an active role in the Protocol.

The Government hopes that the stakeholders involved in the Protocol will continue to work together to help the FCA monitor the market and drive best practice in the sector.

01/11/2022

Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-04-30.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason his Department will no longer participate in the Debt Management Plan Protocol guidance group; and if he will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is committed to improving standards in the debt management industry to deliver a better deal for consumers and greater transparency for creditors. The Debt Management Plan Protocol played a crucial role in meeting this objective, working in complement with the OFT regulatory framework, and paved the way for more robust regulation of the sector by the FCA.

From 1 April, responsibility for regulating debt management firms, along with all other consumer credit firms, transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Consumers will be better protected under the new regime – the FCA will:

· police the gateway to the market more thoroughly;

· proactively identify risks to consumers;

· focus its supervisory resources on areas most likely to cause consumer harm;

· approve individuals in influential roles in firms;

· operate a flexible and responsive regime;

· use its wide enforcement toolkit;

· and ensure consumers have access to redress.

The FCA will thoroughly assess every debt management firm’s fitness to trade as part of the authorisation process – debt management firms will be amongst the first to require authorisation.

The FCA has also introduced new requirements for debt management firms, including:

· Prudential requirements: Debt management firms often hold consumers’ money – the FCA is requiring large debt management firms to hold capital to ensure that consumers don’t risk losing their money if things go wrong.

· Guidance added that debt management firms should not allocate more than half the money received from customers in debt management plans to meeting their fees and charges.

With the new FCA regulatory regime in place which will greatly improve consumer protection in the debt management market, the Government decided following discussions with a range of stakeholders that it was the right time to step away from an active role in the Protocol.

The Government hopes that the stakeholders involved in the Protocol will continue to work together to help the FCA monitor the market and drive best practice in the sector.

01/11/2022

Author: admin