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  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to introduce proposals to give prison governors more power; and whether any such proposals will be subject to consultation.

    Lord Faulks

    As the Secretary of State made clear in his speech on 17 July, we need a new and unremitting emphasis on reform and rehabilitation in prisons – and we need to put the tools to drive this change in the hands of those who work with prisoners on a day-to-day basis. Prison Governors need greater freedoms so they can innovate and find new and better ways of rehabilitating offenders. With these freedoms will also come sharper accountability, so prisons are judged and rewarded according to how well they perform. This will make sure that that prisons are best equipped to help prevent reoffending. Further details of our proposals will be provided in due course.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether and when they expect to introduce proposals on earned release for offenders; whether such proposals will involve legislation; and whether they will be subject to consultation.

    Lord Faulks

    The level of re-offending following a custodial sentence is too high and we are looking at a variety of ways to make sure that when offenders leave prison they are better rehabilitated and better equipped to lead a crime-free life. We are attracted to the idea of earned release for those offenders who make a commitment to serious educational activity, who show by their changed attitude that they wish to contribute to society and who work hard to acquire proper qualifications which are externally validated and respected by employers. We are currently considering the options available in this area.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their timetable for reviewing and amending the capital limit used within Employment Tribunal Fee remission applications.

    Lord Faulks

    The Government’s recent consultation on Court and Tribunal Fees, published on 22 July 2015, sought views on whether further benefits and payments should be excluded from the fee remission assessment. We will be responding to the consultation in due course.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the government of Saudi Arabia, which was signed on 11 September 2014.

    Lord Faulks

    The Information Commissioner’s Office has upheld the decision not to publish this Memorandum of Understanding. That correspondence, dated 10 August 2015, can be found on the website of the Information Commissioner’s Office.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homes sold under the Right to Buy scheme since 2000 have been replaced; and whether they will place the figures for each year since 2000 in the Library of the House.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    In 2012, the Coalition Government reinvigorated the Right to Buy scheme, increasing maximum discounts to realistic levels and for the first time ever, introduced a requirement to replace every additional sale nationally with a replacement property.

    In the first year (2012/13) following the reinvigoration of Right to Buy by the last Government, there were 3,054 additional homes sold. By the end of Q1 2015/16 there were 3,644 new starts and acquisitions. Councils have three years to replace the additional homes sold.

    Right to Buy sales by Local Authority (Table 691) and Local Authority starts and acquisitions (Table 693) can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales

    “

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government for each local authority area what they expect to be the average discount from the Right to Buy scheme for housing association tenants in London.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Working with the National Housing Federation, the Government has secured an historic agreement with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with Right to Buy discounts equivalent to those enjoyed by Council tenants, up to a maximum discount of 70% of market value, or £77,900 (£103,900 in London), whichever is lower. This will deliver the manifesto commitment to extend the benefits of Right to Buy to 1.3 million housing association tenants.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many housing association tenants are expected to buy their home under the Right to Buy scheme by (1) 2020 and (2) 2025; and whether they will place research on this topic in the Library of the House.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Working with the National Housing Federation, the Government has secured an agreement with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with an equivalent discount to the Right to Buy. This will deliver the manifesto commitment to extend the benefits of Right to Buy to 1.3 million tenants.

    More details will be announced in due course.

  • Baroness Henig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Henig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Henig on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement by Lord Bates on 26 March (HL Deb, cols 1528–9) that licensing for private investigators would be introduced early in the next Parliament, what is the timetable for the introduction of licensing for private investigators.

    Lord Bates

    The Government is committed to ensuring the integrity of the private security industry and this includes private investigators.

    In July, the Government committed to a review (formerly triennial review) of the Security Industry Authority. That review may make further recommendations for legislative change which the Government will then consider.

  • Lord Bradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Bradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which regulatory body is responsible for regulating the safety of e-cigarettes.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The General Product Safety Directive and associated regulations apply to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), for which Trading Standards are the enforcement authority.

    The Department of Health is responsible for the transposition of the revised Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU), which from May 2016 will introduce additional rules on the composition, safety and presentation of e-cigarettes.

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will be the designated competent authority under the Directive, which will operate a notification system for e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing refills prior to placing on the market.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered making representations at international level for a system of humanitarian visas in the light of the current migrant crisis.

    Lord Bates

    There is no provision in our Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum or humanitarian protection and Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to make representations at international level for a system of humanitarian visas.

    Instead, we are focusing our efforts on resettling vulnerable people in need of international protection from the region, including 20,000 Syrians by the end of the Parliament. This provides refugees with a direct and safe route to the UK and uses established UNHCR processes. This is in addition to the £1.12 billion in humanitarian aid provided by the UK for those most in need in the region – more than any other country in the world except the United States.