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  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects to receive the Sentencing Council’s review of sentencing guidelines for death by drink-driving; and what discussions he has had with that body on its progress on that programme of work.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Government announced on 12 May that it intends to carry out a review of the offences and penalties available for a range of driving offences, including causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs. Any changes to the law arising from this review will need to be considered by the independent Sentencing Council when setting new guidelines. For that reason the Sentencing Council has decided to suspend its consideration of driving offence guidelines until after the conclusion of the Government review.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the change in waiting times for an initial decision for Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa applications in the last year; what the average waiting time is for an initial decision for a Tier 1 application; and what assessment she has made of the economic effect of the time taken for such decisions on economic growth.

    James Brokenshire

    The average waiting time for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) customer in the financial
    year 2013-14 was 125 calendar days. The number of days taken to process
    applications dropped by 50 days over the course of the financial year and
    processing times continue to decrease.

    A record number of applications were decided in the financial year 2013-14, and
    there is nothing to suggest that processing times are deterring entrepreneurs
    from applying.

    Month Despatched

    Average Calendar Days Between Application Raised Date and Despatch Date

    Apr-13

    131

    May-13

    148

    Jun-13

    142

    Jul-13

    129

    Aug-13

    134

    Sep-13

    126

    Oct-13

    96

    Nov-13

    108

    Dec-13

    114

    Jan-14

    141

    Feb-14

    97

    Mar-14

    81

    Overall Average / Total Cases

    125

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential need for a separate national policy on the collection, use and retention of data gathered by unmanned or other surveillance aircraft operating in the UK.

    Damian Green

    None. Existing regulation and guidance, which includes the surveillance camera
    code of practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, applies to
    the use of aircraft including remotely piloted aerial vehicles. The code
    provides a framework of good practice for surveillance camera operators in
    England and Wales and sets out obligations arising from other legislation,
    including those for the processing of personal data under the Data Protection
    Act 1998. Any covert surveillance undertaken by a public authority which is
    likely to obtain private information would be subject to authorisation under
    the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the reduction in businesses fined for employing illegal immigrants since 2010.

    James Brokenshire

    Since 2010 there has been a 13% increase in the number of civil penalties issued to businesses employing illegal migrant workers with 2,149 penalties issued in 2013/14 compared with 1,899 in 2010/11.An assessment of enforcement activity and operating procedures in relation to illegal working visits led to increased deployment and a renewed focus on illegal working in 2013. This resulted in 8,573 illegal working visits in 2013/14 compared with 5,441 in 2012/13. Additionally the target of issuing 2,500 Notices of Potential Liability (NOPL) for a civil penalty was exceeded with 3,562 NOPLs being issued in 2013/14 compared with 1,659 in 2012/13 equating to a 70% increase.We are committed to tackling illegal working and we are increasing our multi-agency operations to step up enforcement action against businesses. Through the Immigration Act and secondary legislations, we are getting tougher with non-compliant employers by increasing the maximum financial penalty from £10,000 to £20,000 per illegal worker; making it easier to enforce payment in the civil courts; and simplifying right-to-work checks for legitimate employers.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are currently detained for immigration purposes at HM Prison The Verne.

    James Brokenshire

    As at 3 June 2014 there were 790 detainees held in prison establishments solely under immigration powers, of whom 174 were held in HMP The Verne.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the suitability of HM Prison The Verne for detaining individuals for immigration purposes.

    James Brokenshire

    HMP The Verne has been assessed for detaining individuals for immigration purposes in terms of its size, location, facilities and level of security.
    Alterations are being carried out to make it suitable for use as an Immigration Removal Centre including provision of facilities for detainees and their
    visitors. Once formally re-roled it will be used to assist removal of those who have no right to remain in the UK.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are currently being held in prisons solely under immigration powers.

    James Brokenshire

    As at 3 June 2014 there were 790 detainees held in prison establishments solely under immigration powers, of whom 174 were held in HMP The Verne.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the ability for individuals detained for immigration purposes at HM Prison The Verne to access (a) legal and (b) health services.

    Jeremy Wright

    HM Prison The Verne started taking immigration detainees from 24 March 2014 as scheduled . The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will retain The Verne as a prison in the short term.

    While The Verne retains its designation as a prison it will be governed by Prison Rules rather than Detention Centre Rules. Detainees held at The Verne are treated in the same way as other detainees held within the prison estate. As such they have access to appropriate heath care and legal advice. Independent immigration advice is provided on site by Migrant Help. In addition, detainees are able to telephone Detention Action, and BID (Bail for Immigration detainees).

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold an inquiry into trends in the number of deaths of individuals detained in immigration detention.

    James Brokenshire

    Any death in immigration detention is a tragic event and each death is subject
    to independent investigation, as appropriate, by the police, the Coroner and
    the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

    Any recommendations made by the investigating authorities are thoroughly
    examined to see how they can be used to help prevent further tragedies across
    the detention estate and action plans are drawn up to monitor their
    implementation.

    For example, firm written reminders were issued to all suppliers on the
    requirements of the current Detention Services Order on use of handcuffs, which
    was followed up by a workshop on their appropriate use and the importance of
    proper risk assessments. Recommendations relevant to medical care for detainees
    have been shared with NHS England to inform their commissioning of healthcare
    services from 1 September 2014.

  • John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2014-06-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of removing dedicated funding for local welfare assistance; and if he will review the current local welfare assistance arrangements introduced in 2013 before any such change is made.

    Steve Webb

    In the next spending round period, from April 2015, central government will continue to provide support to local authorities through general funds, as part of the coalition Government’s commitment to reducing ring-fencing and ending top-down Whitehall control.

    It was always the intention that 2014-15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions. Councils will continue to provide support to those in their community who face financial difficulties or who find themselves in unavoidable circumstances.

    In contrast to a centralised grant system that was poorly targeted, councils can now choose how to best support local welfare needs within their areas. As this is an administrative change only no assessment has been made of the effects. However we are carrying out a review of the current arrangements, working with the Local Government Association and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Once completed it is our intention to place a copy of the findings in the House Library.