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  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions on potential job losses in Newport took place between his Department, the Home Office and Steria prior to the decision to privatise the Ministry of Justice Shared Services.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Ministry of Justice are entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office services, with the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014. We expect this to bring increased savings and efficiency in back-office functions, provide further benefits across wider Government and offer better value for money to the tax payer.

    SSCL have stated their intention of providing 12 months job protection for all transferring staff from the point of transfer in October 2014. This means that there will be no compulsory redundancies during this period. No decisions have been made to close buildings and we expect all sites to remain open during this period.

    Following the transfer of staff, services and IT, there will be a stabilisation stage during which SSCL will look at how the service is currently delivered. No decisions will be made until SSCL has had the opportunity to fully understand the operation.

    We will continue to work with staff, trade unions and other stakeholders to assess any impacts on staff.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many remote sites for giving evidence in court are open in each region of England and Wales.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    We must do everything we can to support vulnerable witnesses and help them give their best possible evidence to bring offenders to justice. That’s why we are trialling pre recorded cross-examination to allow young and vulnerable witnesses to give evidence away from what can be an aggressive court room atmosphere. This is on top of a range of measures to help reduce the anxiety of attending court, including giving evidence behind a screen. We will continue to explore ways we can use remote links and new technology to help witnesses give evidence from outside the court building.

    The list below sets out the number of courthouses in each of the seven HMCTS Regions in England & Wales. These facilities enable any victim or witness to appear by video link from a different court location to that of the trial court; it is also possible for third party users to access the court system through a secure bridge.

    HMCTS Region

    Number of courthouses enabled for remote video link.

    Wales

    22

    London

    32

    South East

    52

    South West

    35

    Midlands

    40

    North West

    31

    North East

    37

    Total

    249
  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to regularly provide details on private sector bodies who collaborate with public sector bodies on projects which are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Simon Hughes

    The Government already provides details of private sector bodies who work under contract with the Government. Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder:

    https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

    “

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish all impact assessments his Department has made on privatising the Ministry of Justice Shared Services in Newport.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Ministry of Justice are entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office services, with the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014. We expect this to bringincreased savings and efficiency in back-office functions, provide further benefits across wider Government and offer better value for money to the tax payer.

    Prior to this decision, the two private sector options were compared against the option to remain a standalone organisation and assessed using evaluation criteria that considered IT, cost, staff impacts and the service to our customers. The assessments will not be published as they are commercially sensitive documents.

    We will continue to work with staff, trade unions and other stakeholders to assess any impacts on staff.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been in relation to offences under section 57 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Data for offences under Section 57 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 are not reported centrally to the Ministry of Justice. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and Wales and as such it can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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

    Sarah Champion – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on independent adjudicators in each public and private prisons and young offender institution in each month since January 2013.

    Jeremy Wright

    Independent Adjudicators are District Judges or Deputy District Judges who attend establishments when necessary to hear more serious cases. Where a replacement Judge needs to sit in court to replace one attending a prison the cost of the replacement Judge is charged on a quarterly basis by HM Courts Service to the National Offender Management Service. The charge varies according to time involved.

    The information in the table below shows the monthly charges paid for the use of independent adjudicators in all prisons in England and Wales including Young Offenders Institutions for the period January 2013 to March 2014. Details for the months April 2014 to present are not yet available.

    The cost per visit can vary due to several factors, including distance travelled, overnight accommodation where necessary, and the number of establishments visited on a single journey. Charges are made on the basis of visits and not adjudications, so a single visit may include several adjudications taking place at the same establishment.

    The cost of annual Adjudication charges in 2013/14 was 22% lower than the cost in 2009/10.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ben Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which compulsory mediation and information meetings would have been appropriate in 2013-14; and what funding is being made available in 2014-15 to provide that service.

    Simon Hughes

    We do not have the data to allow us to assess how many family court applications filed in 2013-14 might have been appropriate for a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) in comparison with the number of MIAMs actually attended. In 2013/14 13,354 couples attended a publicly funded MIAM (that is, where at least one of the parties was legally aided).

    Implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014 on 22 April 2014 means that attendance at a MIAM is now compulsory for the potential applicant.

    Public funding (legal aid) remains in scope for family mediation for those who qualify on means and merits, and the budget for legal aid for mediation is uncapped. In 2013/14, the LAA spent £9m on mediation. If one party is funded the other will be covered for the MIAM as well. Legal help with mediation is also available for the funded party and includes help from a lawyer with applying to the court for a consent order based on the agreement reached in mediation.

  • David Ward – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    David Ward – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Ward on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of UK aid to Burma is channelled through Burmese government-approved organisations or mechanisms.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    The UK does not provide funding directly to the Burmese government. We publish details of which organisations receive DFID funding, and how much they have received, on the gov.uk Development Tracker.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what monitoring her Department carries out on the amount of time taken by its contractor companies to carry out the required checks on people applying for spouse visas to the UK.

    Karen Bradley

    The Department does not contract with any companies to carry out checks on
    people applying for spouse visas.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications by overseas-based British citizens for the extension of an existing passport for one year have been received by the Passport Office since her recent announcement on changes in passport policy.

    James Brokenshire

    As of 13 July 2014, 1,721 applications by overseas-based British citizens for
    the extension of an existing passport for one year have been received by the
    Foreign and Commonwealth Office.