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  • Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many directors of companies were disqualified as a result of a criminal investigation by the Serious Fraud Office in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the five preceding years.

    Oliver Heald

    The number of directors of companies disqualified on conviction following prosecution by the Serious Fraud Office were as follows:

    2012/13

    2011/12

    2010/11

    2009/10

    2008/09

    5

    18

    6

    8

    22

    Data prior to 2008 is not collated centrally and it is not possible to provide the information requested without incurring a disproportionate cost.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) investigations were carried out, (b) individuals were charged, (c) corporates were charged, (d) criminal prosecutions were launched and (e) criminal convictions were secured by the Serious Fraud Office in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) each of the five preceding years.

    Mr Robert Buckland

    11 convictions were secured in 2013/14 and 16 prosecutions were completed in 2013/14 (including those with convictions).

    The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigates and, where appropriate, prosecutes cases of serious or complex fraud (including cases of domestic or overseas bribery and corruption) which, in the opinion of the Director of the SFO, call for the multi-disciplinary approach and legislative powers available to the SFO. Since April 2012, the SFO’s caseload has been recalibrated so that it is taking on fewer and more complex cases, as envisaged by the Roskill model.

    The SFO’s Intelligence Unit will assess all matters referred to the SFO whether by the public, the police or other agencies or organisations and refer those considered suitable for acceptance to a Case Evaluation Board before submission to the Director for his decision to open a criminal investigation under the Criminal Justice Act 1987.

    SFO investigations are complex, and this can sometimes lead to investigations merging or splitting into different parts. For instance, the Libor investigation is into numerous financial institutions, and there are other large investigations which have been subdivided.

    The information requested for earlier years is contained in the following table.

    2012/13

    2011/12

    2010/11

    2009/10

    2008/09

    2007/08

    Number of investigations opened

    8

    10

    13

    17

    20

    18

    Number of individuals charged

    18

    24

    25

    57

    31

    20

    Number of corporates charged

    0

    0

    1

    2

    0

    1

    Number of convictions secured

    14

    39

    23

    24

    33

    17

    Number of prosecutions completed by defendant (including those convicted)

    20

    54

    28

    26

    54

    25

    Note 1: Two cases have been opened, closed, and then re-opened. These have been counted only once in the data above.

    Note 2: Prior to April 2012 the SFO did not collate all of its casework data centrally and it is therefore possible that some records form this period may not have been identified. The SFO is currently carrying out a project to ensure that its reporting systems are more robust in the future.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gareth Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are sufficient prison places to accommodate people who receive custodial sentences.

    Jeremy Wright

    We are building new accommodation at four existing prisons, changing the role of prisons we do not need for their original purpose, and bringing back into use capacity we did not need in the past. As a result, 2,000 additional prison places will have been opened by April next year, and there will be more adult male prison places at the end of this Parliament than this Government inherited.

    A new 2,000 place prison in Wrexham will also be opened in 2017.

  • Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assistance his Department makes available to families bereaved by homicide.

    Damian Green

    The Government is committed to ensuring that families bereaved by homicide get the necessary support. The Ministry of Justice grant funded national Homicide Service provides tailored and intensive support based on families’ needs. We also fund a number of organisations that provide peer support and specialist counselling services to the bereaved.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to promote access to justice.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government’s overall reform programme to promote access to justice aims to deliver a simpler justice system that is more accessible to the public; limit the scope for inappropriate litigation and the involvement of lawyers in issues which do not need legal input; and support people in resolving their disputes through simpler, more informal remedies.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to encourage prisons in the (a) public and (b) private estate to enable offenders to take part in meaningful paid work and training; and if he will make a statement.

    Jeremy Wright

    We want to see more prisoners engaged in meaningful work and training and, since this Government came to power, the number of hours worked in public sector prisons workshops has risen from 10.6 million to 13.1 million, with a further 1.5 million hours delivered in private prisons.

    We are committed to delivering still more, including through commercial contracts, and we expect prisoners to engage in purposeful activity if they want to earn their privileges.

  • Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received on reform of the Human Rights Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

    Damian Green

    I have not received any recent representations on the reform of the Human Rights Act 1998. The Coalition Agreement makes it clear that there will be no major changes to the human rights framework before the election.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his strategy is for supporting victims of crime.

    Damian Green

    The Government is committed to providing more support than ever to victims of crime, and giving them a louder voice in the criminal justice system. We have implemented a new Victims’ Code that tells people what to expect at every stage of the process. We’re aiming to spend up to £100 million – more than ever before – to support victims to cope and, where possible, recover from the effects of crime.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2014-06-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to ban the leader of the Bodu Bala Sena, Mr Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, from entering the United Kingdom.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases. This is because the Home Office has obligations in law to protect this information.

    I can confirm that any visa application from Mr Gnanasara would be considered in accordance with the Immigration Rules.
    Under the Prevent strategy, the Unacceptable Behaviours policy has prevented a cross section of extremists from entering the UK. This includes excluding individuals for public speaking or publishing material that foments, justifies or glorifies terrorist violence or fosters hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK or otherwise can be demonstrated as providing support for extremists.
    Coming to the UK is a privilege we refuse to extend to those who would subvert our shared values.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2014-06-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Sri Lanka regarding the murder of Muslims and the destruction of commercial property in Colombo.

    Baroness Warsi

    I refer my noble Lord to the reply I gave on 25 June 2014, Official Report, columns WA171-172.