Category: Speeches

Gavin Newlands – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consultations his Department had with (a) the Scottish Prison Service, (b) Scottish Ministers and (c) the Prison Officers Association on the transfer of Prison Officers’ Pensions from Classic to the Alpha Pension Scheme.

Matthew Hancock

Prison Officers employed in the Scottish Prison Service are members of the Civil Service. All members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) who transitioned into the Civil Service (and Others) Pension Scheme (CSOPS, also known as alpha) were notified by letter to inform them of the change, in accordance with the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations. In addition, relevant Employers were provided with a variety of communication products to inform their staff and support those who needed to make decisions. These were also held on the Civil Service Pensions website.

Between 2011 and 2015 Cabinet Office Ministers and officials held extensive discussions with all of the Civil Service unions, including the Prison Officers’ Association, on the detail of the pension reforms. There was also discussion with both the Scottish Prison Service and National Offender Management Service on the detail of the pension offer to operational staff in Prisons.

The Civil Service is a Reserved Matter and this includes pensions for all Civil Servants. Representations on the pension age of Scottish Prison Officers were made to me by the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice in July last year. I replied later that month.

01/01/2023
Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects the Parole Board to complete its review of the rules on releasing convicted murderers from prison if they refuse to reveal the locations of their victims’ bodies.

Andrew Selous

When assessing an offender’s continuing risk for the purposes of deciding whether he or she is eligible for possible release, the independent Parole Board already takes into account any wilful failure on the part of the offender to disclose the whereabouts of their victim’s body. The Parole Board has at my request, agreed to review its guidance on this particular issue as part of a review of all its guidance in 2016.

01/01/2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to meet his US counterparts to discuss the effect of the recent EU referendum on UK-US relations.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), met Secretary of State John Kerry in London on 27 June. Both Governments agree that an unbreakable bond exists between the US and the UK; that Britain’s global role remains undiminished, and that the Special Relationship remains a strong and crucial relationship.

01/01/2023

Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average annual spend per pupil was in grammar schools in each region in 2015-16.

Nick Gibb

Schools self-select their own admissions category on Edubase. 163 schools are identified as ‘selective (grammar).’

The Department does not yet hold the income and expenditure data from 2015-16. The data will be available for those which are maintained by the local authority in December 2016, and for those which are academies in the summer of 2017.

The overall expenditure per pupil in grammar schools by each region for 2014-15 is listed in the following table:

Region	Number of grammar schools	Expenditure per pupil (£)
East Midlands	15	5,195
East of England	8	5,644
London	19	5,683
North West	18	5,392
South East	55	5,332
South West	20	5,210
West Midlands	17	5,553
Yorkshire and the Humber	6	5,557
England Total	158*	5,404

*Note: There are 5 selective schools which converted to academies during 2014-15 and as such we do not have comparable financial data for them for this period. The expenditure per pupil takes into account expenditure from all income sources, including self-generated income.

01/01/2023

Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with European counterparts on progress they have made in tackling the waste of imperfect food.

Rory Stewart

The successful action we have taken in the UK through our voluntary approach has put us at the forefront in tackling food waste. This was reflected in our recent response to the European Commission’s consultations on the Circular Economy.

Discussions with our European counterparts on these matters will take place following publication of the Commission’s proposals on the Circular Economy.

01/01/2023
Khalid Mahmood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Khalid Mahmood on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests have been made in connection with gun crime in the West Midlands metropolitan area in (a) each of the last 10 years and (b) each quarter of 2015.

Mike Penning

The Government and police work nationally, and with international partners, to reduce the threat to the UK from the criminal use of firearms. In 2013/14, firearms were used in a small and diminishing proportion of total police recorded crime, 0.2%. We also support local areas to take action against gang violence to reduce offending and protect vulnerable people. Under the Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme, Birmingham was subject to a peer review in 2012 and has implemented and integrated the recommendations from the review into their local strategic plans. The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of arrests made in connection with gun crime. The UK has some of the toughest gun laws in the world and the government and the police continue to work together to reduce the threat from the criminal use of firearms. We will be reviewing options to strengthen the current legislation to ensure it safeguards against abuse by criminals following representations made by the police (and other stakeholders) during the Law Commission’s scoping consultation on firearms legislation. The number of offences involving firearms (excluding air weapons) in the West Midlands has fallen by 40% since 2010, from 903 offences in 2009/10 to 540 in 2013/14.

01/01/2023
Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the four desks allocated in his Department’s main building to the Defence Police Federation are being withdrawn; whether those allocated to Defence trades union representatives are also being withdrawn; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon

The decision to ask the Defence Police Federation to relocate their Head Office function was made as part of our plans to make more efficient use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) Main Building and will generate substantial savings. An offer of alternative office accommodation at the MOD Police Headquarters has been made to the Defence Police Federation. This follows the standard approach taken by Home Office police forces where local Police Federation officials are collocated at the Force Headquarters for business reasons.

01/01/2023

Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in each of the past three years.

Lord Keen of Elie

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced at magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 for the last three financial years:

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 {71(1)(b) & (3)}	Knowingly hold another person in slavery/solitude	20	3	28
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 {71(1)(b) & (3)}	Knowingly require another person to perform forced/compulsory labour	0	15	3

Note: A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

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01/01/2023

David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of absorbing the EU emissions trading system tax on fossil fuels into the UK’s carbon price support tax for fossil fuels.

Amber Rudd

At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The UK supports the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) as the best means of achieving the EU’s emissions reduction targets to 2030 and beyond at least cost for business and consumers, through a market-based approach. Emissions trading works better at the European level, creating a larger and more liquid market and a level playing field between Member States. The UK has been a consistent champion of the EU ETS and first piloted a national cap-and-trade scheme in 2002 before its launch. The UK has been at the forefront in securing recent measures to reform and strengthen the EU ETS, including securing EU agreement in September 2014 to a Market Stability Reserve to address the surplus of allowances in the system.

01/01/2023
Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the report of the review of the South Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company that took place in November 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous

The information requested is commercially sensitive and, as such, will not be released. It is normal Government practice not to release commercially sensitive information.

We hold providers rigorously to account for their performance and take action wherever they are falling short.

Following an audit by the Ministry of Justice, South Yorkshire CRC developed an action plan. We are continuing to monitor the CRC’s performance closely.

Our probation reforms are designed to make sure almost all offenders receive support on release, including, for the first time, those sentenced to less than 12 months.

01/01/2023