The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will meet the Leader of the House to discuss when the Government will next convene the Northern Ireland Grand Committee.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
I would be happy to meet my Rt hon Friend the Leader of the House to discuss convening a meeting of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee if there is cross-party support for me doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the number of young people involved in (a) dissident republicanism and (b) loyalist paramilitary groups.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
My written statement to Parliament of 15 December 2015 illustrates that dissident republican groupings continue to have sufficient numbers to pose a severe threat to national security in Northern Ireland. The UK Government has allocated £160 million of additional security funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the next five years in order to assist them in tackling the threat from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism.
The Assessment of Paramilitary Groups published in October 2015 confirmed that all the main loyalist paramilitary groups remain in existence and that individual members continue to engage in criminality and also seek to exercise community control through violence and intimidation.
I welcome the commitments contained within the Fresh Start Agreement aimed at ending paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, including establishing a new international body to monitor progress toward that goal. The Government is working closely with the Irish Government to establish this body as part of the overall package of measures aimed at achieving a Northern Ireland society free from the malign impact of all paramilitarism.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made in establishing the four-member international body to report on progress towards ending paramilitary activity connected with Northern Ireland.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
The establishment of a new body to report on progress towards ending paramilitary activity is a commitment in the Fresh Start Agreement. The Agreement provides that the new body will be established by the UK Government and the Irish Government. My officials are engaging with Irish Government officials on a treaty to establish the new body. The key provisions of that treaty will then be given legal effect in the UK through the passage of legislation at Westminster.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-12-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Infrastructure Commission has made in its work as it relates to Northern Ireland.
Greg Hands
The National Infrastructure Commission has been established to provide expert impartial analysis of the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs. To do this the commission will conduct an infrastructure needs assessment every five years, with its findings articulated in the National Infrastructure Assessment. As part of the infrastructure needs assessment the commission will review areas of Northern Irish infrastructure that are the responsibility of the UK government, and its findings will be made public once the report is completed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much has been allocated to Northern Ireland in (a) EU Structural Funds and (b) special initiatives in each year since 2010.
Anna Soubry
The indicative EU Structural Funds and Peace Initiative allocations for Northern Ireland can be found on the Northern Ireland administration’s Department of Finance and Personnel’s website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Irish Government since the attacks in Paris in November 2015 on ensuring that the two governments share intelligence effectively on all potential terrorist threats.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
The Home Office is the UK Government Department responsible for dealing with the threat from international terrorism and regularly engages with international partners.
I also regularly meet Ministers from the Irish Government, including with Frances Fitzgerald, the Justice and Equality Minister, to discuss a range of issues. There continues to be strong co-operation on security between the United Kingdom Government and the Irish Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what additional funding the Government plans to provide for monitoring and observation of terrorist activities by the Security Service in Northern Ireland.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
It would not be appropriate for me to comment on matters which are the responsibility of the security and intelligence agencies.
The recently published Strategic Defence and Security Review includes a commitment from the UK Government to invest in capabilities needed to keep the people of the UK safe. As part of this, the Government has allocated £160 million of additional security funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the next five years in order to tackle the threat from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has made to his American counterpart on Guantanamo Bay in the last five years.
Dominic Raab
It has been a long standing policy of successive British Governments to seek the release and return of those UK nationals and former legal residents who were held at Guantanamo Bay and, in doing so, assist the US administration in its efforts to close the detention facility.
We remain committed to assisting the US in its aim to close Guantanamo Bay by facilitating engagement with countries that have agreed to accept former detainees, and by sharing experience and advice on managing the return process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Questions 19129, prisons: locks and keys, which prisons had to be relocked; and what the cost was of each such incident.
Andrew Selous
When a key/lock incident is reported an immediate investigation is undertaken to assess the risk and unless it is clear that security has not been compromised, locking mechanisms and keys will be replaced and/or other necessary remedial action will be taken.
In the five years from May 2005 to May 2010 there were 16 relocks at a cost of £1,280,234 to the taxpayer. Since May 2010 this has fallen to 8 relocks at a total cost of £529,973 to the taxpayer. Further to my answer of 14 December, the table below shows the location of the 8 relocks since May 2010.
The cost of a re-lock will depend the size of the prison establishment and on which keys have been lost or compromised. If a complete set of keys are lost, a full re-lock of the prison will be undertaken, whereas if a single key is lost only a partial re-lock will be needed, incurring a lower cost.
|
Time Frame |
Location/Date |
Total Cost (excluding VAT) |
|
1 May 2010 – 1 May 2011 |
HMP Swaleside; HMYOI Glen Parva; HMP Warren Hill |
£79,526; £173,608; £84,419 |
|
2 May 2011 – 1 May 2012 |
HMP Birmingham |
£415,277 1 |
|
2 May 2012 – 1 May 2013 |
None |
0 |
|
2 May 2013 – 1 May 2014 |
HMP Lindholme |
£28,812 |
|
2 May 2014 – 1 May 2015 |
HMP Haverigg; HMP Highpoint |
£30,540; £15,856 |
|
2 May 2015 – 9 December |
HMYOI Portland |
£117,212 |
Notes:
1.The cost of the re-lock at HMP Birmingham was met by the private contractor operating the prison.
2.Prisons are also responsible for re-locks of crown court cells. Figures exclude re-lock of cells in two crown courts during the period.
3.The figures quoted have been drawn from live administrative databases and may subsequently be amended. Due care is taken during processing and analysis, but the detail is subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will consider the proximity of the Irish Republic to the UK when developing his policy on early release of prisoners domiciled outside the UK which is contingent on returning to their country of origin.
Andrew Selous
Foreign criminals who break our laws should be properly punished but not at the expense of the British taxpayer. In the last year we have returned more than 5,000 foreign prisoners to their home country, and are committed to ensuring that all means possible are explored to make sure that criminals who have no right to stay in this country are removed.
Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS), which has operated in prisons in England and Wales since 2005, foreign national offenders may be removed from prison and deported up to a maximum of 270 days (9 months) before their normal release date. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland are not, as a matter of longstanding Home Office policy introduced in by the Labour government in 2007, deported from the UK other than in exceptional circumstances. Only foreign nationals who are subject to removal by Immigration Enforcement may be removed under ERS and, for that reason, Republic of Ireland nationals are not generally removed under the scheme unless a decision has been taken exceptionally by the Home Office to deport them.
Foreign national offenders who are not going to be removed by Immigration Enforcement are not eligible for ERS and do not leave prison early; they serve their sentence and are released in the same way as domestic prisoners.