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  • 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 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, from which companies additional spaces have been purchased in which prisons in each month since May 2010.

    Jeremy Wright

    A significant amount of this information is not held centrally, and we would need to interrogate a very large volume of separate files to obtain the information required and then review and collate that information. By doing so we would incur disproportionate costs.

  • 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 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent purchasing additional prison places from existing privately run prisons in each month since May 2010.

    Jeremy Wright

    A significant amount of this information is not held centrally, and we would need to interrogate a very large volume of separate files to obtain the information required and then review and collate that information. By doing so we would incur disproportionate costs.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the current requirements for seizing property or cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to bring those requirements into line with the new powers of HM Revenue and Customs to seize money from an individual’s bank account without a warrant.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government’s Serious and Organised Crime Strategy clearly sets out our
    plans to attack criminal finances by making it harder to move, hide and use the
    proceeds of crime. These include measures to enable assets to be frozen more
    quickly and earlier in investigations, reduce the time that courts give
    offenders to pay confiscation orders, and make it easier for magistrates to
    confiscate cash held in bank accounts.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 238W, on driving: licensing, what proportion of new drivers obtaining driving convictions were offered speed awareness courses in each year since 2010.

    Damian Green

    I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 27th March 2014, Official Report,
    column 372W.

    The number of drivers who opted for a speed awareness course rather than
    accept penalty points on their driving licence in 2010 is 447,724, 2011 is
    772,430, 2012 is 926,101 and 2013 is 953,428. The offer of a speed awareness
    course is at the discretion of the police. To be deemed eligible there must be
    no excessive speed or other offences committed at the same time. Information on
    previous motoring convictions is not taken into account.

  • 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 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fines levied under the Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Conrol) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 of a value of (a) up to £1000, (b) between £1000 and £2000, (c) between £2000 and £5000 and (d) between £5000 and £10000 remained unpaid.

    James Brokenshire

    Information on how many fines levied under the Immigration (Employment of
    Adults Subject to Immigration Control) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 of a value
    of (a) up to £1000, (b) between £1000 and £2000, (c) between £2000 and £5000
    and (d) £5000 and £10000 remained unpaid, is not recorded in a format
    compatible with National Statistics protocols. Data constraints on electronic
    records mean that the Home Office would have to examine in detail a large
    number of individual case files in order to ascertain the information
    required. The cost of producing the data linking civil penalties issued to our
    accounting system for civil penalties which remain unpaid by value would be at
    a disproportionate cost to the Home Office.

    However, the Home Office has collected £30.6 million in fines through the life
    of the regime and the current total value of outstanding collectable debt is £14.6
    million.

    The Home Office is using the Immigration Bill to make it easier to enforce
    civil penalty debts in the courts and is incorporating debt recovery best
    practice from across government departments, with earlier initiation of legal
    proceedings for debt recovery if required.

  • 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 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fines have been levied under The Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Conrol) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 of a value of (a) up to £1000, (b) between £1000 and £2000, (c) between £2000 and £5000 and (d) between £5000 and £10000 to date.

    James Brokenshire

    Enforcement operations against illegal working have increased significantly,
    with a 47% increase in 2013 compared to 2012. The administration of the penalty
    scheme and administrative debt recovery processes have been reviewed, including
    with Cabinet Office input and are being streamlined and further improved.

    The information on the number of civil penalties levied is provided in the
    following table. Data has been provided from £2,500 upwards as this is the
    minimum penalty value that is levied in line with the published penalty
    calculation framework. The table includes values of £10,000 upwards to account
    for multiple workers per penalty.

    Please note the figures are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage
    which may be reduced, cancelled, increased or reissued at the objection or
    appeal stage.

    Value of Penalty £2,500-£5,000 £5,000-£10,000 £10,000 plus
    Total Penalties levied 5701 2774 1954

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on legal fees in immigration cases when she has been (a) the defendant and (b) the appellant, in each of the last five years for which records are available.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office cannot report separately on expenditure on legal fees in
    immigration cases where the Secretary of State has been either defendant or
    appellant because it does not record data in the format required for such an
    analysis. The only way to answer this question would be to review all payments
    of litigation expenditure manually which would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Walley on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he next plans to meet representatives of organisations that have made representations on the environmental effects of the shale gas industry.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Secretary of State has no such planned engagements at present but always welcomes meeting a broad range of organisations to understand their needs and concerns. The UK Government is committed to the development of the shale gas industry in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

  • Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Walley on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to meet representatives of Cuadrilla and other members of the shale gas industry.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Secretary of State has no such planned engagements at present but always welcomes meeting a broad range of organisations to understand their needs and concerns. The UK Government is committed to the development of the shale gas industry in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

  • Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Walley on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will establish shale gas extraction exclusion zones in sensitive areas for wildlife and water resources.

    Dan Rogerson

    Each application for shale gas exploration and extraction will be assessed on its merits and operators will require planning permission from the local minerals planning authority. The Environment Agency will object to shale gas extraction infrastructure or activity within a Source Protection Zone (SPZ) 1 (i.e. drinking water protected zone). Outside SPZ1, the Agency will also object when the activity would have an unacceptable effect on groundwater based on a site specific assessment.

    In England, an environmental impact assessment is required if a particular development is located wholly or partly in a ‘sensitive area’.

    Planning authorities assess each application on a case by case basis. There is a general presumption against approving a permit in such areas.