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  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 93W, on conditions of employment, how many people in his Department were employed on zero hours contracts in each of the last two years up to the most recent period for which records are available.

    Jeremy Wright

    Information on the number of staff employed on zero-hour contracts in the Ministry of Justice is set out in the table below. The figures refer to staff in Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service and National Offender Management Service as these are the only parts of the Ministry where zero hours contracts have been used.

    Period

    Headcount

    01/04/10 – 31/03/11

    238

    (HMCTS)

    01/04/11 – 31/03/12

    218

    (HMCTS)

    01/04/12 – 31/03/13

    172

    (HMCTS)

    01/04/13 – 31/03/14

    153

    [146 HMCTS + 7 NOMS]

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is undertaking a review of zero hours policy and practice and in the light of this work Cabinet Office will ascertain whether any changes need to be made to UK procurement policy.

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 396W, on courts, how many calls were made to higher rate telephone numbers for (a) magistrates’ courts, (b) county courts and (c) the county court bulk centre in Northampton in each year since 2009; what the average duration was of calls to the higher-rate telephone numbers in each case in the most recent period for which figures are available; how much revenue was generated from such calls; which individual numbers are used for more than one court; and how many courts are covered by each of these numbers.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Information on volumes and durations for calls to higher-rate telephone numbers for magistrates’ courts, county courts and the county court bulk centre in Northampton in each year since 2009 is not systematically collected by the service providers, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

    Between November 2013 to March 2014 the percentage of higher rate calls dropped significantly from 41% to 30% with the increasing use of 0300 numbers. This figure is set to drop even further as 19 higher rate numbers to the county court bulk centre are currently being replaced by 0300 numbers.

    During this period 137,763 calls to higher rate numbers were answered at the county court bulk centre with an average duration of 4 minutes 14 seconds. This figure represents 35% of all calls with the remainder being 0300 numbers.

    The Department has received no revenue from higher rate telephone numbers for the period under review.

    The following individual numbers are used for more than one court:

    0844 892 4000 is used by Basildon, Bury St Edmonds, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Kings Lyn, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend County Courts, and by Basildon, Chelmsford, Colchester, Harlow, Southend Magistrates’ Courts.

    0844 892 0550 is used by Bedford, Luton, Hertford, St Albans, Watford County Courts.

    0845 300 4239 is used by Aylesbury, Banbury, Bicester, East Berkshire (Bracknell), East Berkshire (Maidenhead), East Berkshire (Slough), High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Oxford and South Oxfordshire, Reading, West Berkshire (Newbury) Magistrates’ Courts.

    0845 200 2078 is used by Chester, South Cheshire (Crewe), Liverpool and Knowsley, Macclesfield, Runcorn (Halton), Sefton, St Helens, Warrington, Wirral Magistrates’ Courts.

    0845 601 0485 is used by Harrogate, Northallerton, Shipton, York Magistrates’ Courts.

    0845 310 0575 is used by Cambridge, Peterborough Magistrates’ Courts.

    The following Magistrates’ Courts have higher-rate numbers which are not shared:

    Leamington Spa (0845 521 2300)

    Nottingham (0845 408 3500)

    Pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014 (191689), 19 higher rate numbers to the County Court Bulk Centre in Northampton are in the process of being replaced by 0300 numbers. The higher-rate number for Central London Combined Court Centre has been discontinued. Taking into account these further reductions in higher-rate numbers, the percentage fall in higher-rate numbers since 2009 is 79% compared to the 55% previously stated.

    Magistrates’ Courts’ and County Courts use a total of ten higher-rate numbers, sharing them for queries about fines, family matters, etc. Twenty-one of the Magistrates’ Courts’ using higher rate numbers offer alternative 0300 numbers.

    As stated in previous answers to parliamentary questions, the Department’s approach is not to use higher rate numbers and instead, wherever possible, to assign 0300 numbers, for which the tariff is similar to calling an 01 or 02 (geographic) number, whether the caller is using a fixed line or a mobile phone —see: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131120/text/131120w0001.htm#131120113000070

    and

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130322/text/130322w0001.htm#13032267000050

    “

  • Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria have been used by his Department in choosing membership of the sub-groups set up to support his Department’s Working Group on the implementation of reforms to reduce the cost of personal injury compensation following a road traffic accident.

    Damian Green

    The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department maintains a list of books which are not allowed to be kept in prison libraries.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department allocated in support to Malawi in each of the last five years; and what proportion of this funding was intended for use by (a) the Malawi government and (b) non-governmental organisations working in the country.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK Government has provided the following support (£m):

    DFID MALAWI Programme Spend

    CHANNEL

    2013/14

    2012/13

    2011/12

    2010/11

    2009/10

    TOTAL

    Malawi Government

    18.2

    76.3

    36.7

    59.5

    75.2

    265.9

    Non-Governmental Organisations

    17.7

    12.2

    9.5

    6.7

    3.7

    49.8

    Information regarding specific projects is available on the Development Tracker (www.dfid.gov.uk).

    “

  • David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what consultations the House authorities held with English Heritage prior to implementing the recent changes to St Stephen’s Entrance; whether those changes will be permanent or temporary; and what steps the Commission plans to take to ensure that better protection from inclement weather and other improved facilities are provided for visitors to the House.

    John Thurso

    The changes at St Stephen’s Entrance are intended to be temporary to reduce the queuing time at our public entrances. Work is progressing to improve the permanent public search facility at Cromwell Green. The redesign will deliver a more efficient search process and increase capacity. These changes are temporary and do not affect the building directly, so there was no prior consultation with English Heritage. However, work is also underway to explore, with English Heritage and Westminster City Council, installing a permanent canopy to the pedestrian walkway leading to the Cromwell Green Search Point, which would provide protection in bad weather.

  • Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products on the work of the (a) police and (b) UK Border Force in combating the trade in illicit tobacco.

    James Brokenshire

    The introduction of plain packaging is likely to have a limited impact. Border
    Force does not target on the basis of brand, rather by identifying goods and
    people that are known to, or may, represent a risk to the UK using analysis and
    intelligence based risk indicators to inform intervention at the earliest and
    most appropriate opportunity.

  • Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations her Department has received from (a) police and crime commissioners and (b) the UK Border Force on the potential effect of the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products on combating the trade in illicit tobacco.

    James Brokenshire

    To date our records show no representations have been made by Border Force and
    Police and Crime Commissioners.

  • Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-UK citizens attempting to enter the UK illegally or clandestinely were apprehended by UK border control agencies at the ports of (a) Dover and (b) Calais in each year between 1999 and 2014.

    James Brokenshire

    To ensure the integrity and security of the UK border Her Majesty’s Government
    cannot comment on port specific statistics.

    Under Information Commissioner Guidelines statistics for UK port activity may
    only be released at a regional level.

  • Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set targets for the reduction of rural crime.

    Norman Baker

    The Coalition Government has abolished all central policing targets and
    mandatory indicators to enable the police to discourage perverse incentives
    and to allow them to focus on their clear objective, to cut crime. This applies equally
    to crime in rural areas as it does to crime in our towns and cities and we have
    no plans to create new central targets for reducing crime in rural areas. It is now the responsibility of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners to ensure the police deal with the issues that really matter to the communities they serve, and the public will
    hold them to account for this.