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  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was total cost associated with the charges dropped against three Tottenham Hotspur supporters in March relating to the chant of yids”.”

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Crown Prosecution Service has no specific policy relating to the chanting of the word "yids" by Tottenham Hotspur supporters and incurred no legal advice costs on this specific issue. The case against the three Tottenham Hotspur supporters was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service prior to the adjourned date of the hearing, without parties having to attend court, and without the associated costs being incurred.

    The Crown Prosecution Service National Football lead has been consulted on a number of occasions regarding whether the use of the word "yid" could amount to a criminal act. The general advice given on each occasion was that each case depends on its specific facts. In relation to the case that was dropped against the three Tottenham Hotspur supporters, the police contacted the Crown Prosecution Service prior to charge. Advice was given that there was a realistic prospect of conviction. It subsequently transpired that the further evidence was not available and the case was therefore discontinued. Prior to the discontinuance a meeting took place between senior police officers and the Crown Prosecution Service officials.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of the legal advice gained by the Metropolitan Police Service and Crown Prosecution Service which led to the policy of investigating the chant of yids” by Tottenham Hotspur supporters by the Metropolitan Police Service prior to the Prime Minister’s comments on the matter on 16 September 2013; and what was the cost of the advice gained after that date.”

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Crown Prosecution Service has no specific policy relating to the chanting of the word "yids" by Tottenham Hotspur supporters and incurred no legal advice costs on this specific issue. The case against the three Tottenham Hotspur supporters was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service prior to the adjourned date of the hearing, without parties having to attend court, and without the associated costs being incurred.

    The Crown Prosecution Service National Football lead has been consulted on a number of occasions regarding whether the use of the word "yid" could amount to a criminal act. The general advice given on each occasion was that each case depends on its specific facts. In relation to the case that was dropped against the three Tottenham Hotspur supporters, the police contacted the Crown Prosecution Service prior to charge. Advice was given that there was a realistic prospect of conviction. It subsequently transpired that the further evidence was not available and the case was therefore discontinued. Prior to the discontinuance a meeting took place between senior police officers and the Crown Prosecution Service officials.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidelines are followed by HM Revenue and Customs and the Crown Prosecution Service in determining whether to investigate or prosecute VAT carousel fraud.

    Lord Newby

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) seek to disrupt VAT carousel (Missing Trader Intra-Community – MTIC) fraud using both civil and criminal interventions.

    When using criminal action HMRC seek to investigate the ‘guiding minds’ behind MTIC fraud, as well as, selectively, other participants, including key enablers.

    Such cases are notified and referred to the relevant independent prosecutors. The final charging decision is made by the prosecuting agency, based on the evidence presented as a result of the HMRC investigation. Cases in England and Wales will be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions for VAT carousel fraud have taken place in the United Kingdom over the last six years.

    Lord Wallace of Tankerness

    The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service do not identify the number of prosecutions for fraud cases known as VAT carousel fraud. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur a disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevens of Ludgate on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Deighton on 27 March to remarks by Lord Myners, Lord Higgins and Lord Flight (HL Deb, col 676) and the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 3 July 2013 (WA 143), whether they continue to consider that borrowing from the central bank is illegal under Article 123 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; and, if so, what options are available in respect of government debt and quantitative easing while the United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union.

    Lord Newby

    The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy. The MPC makes decisions on its policy tools, including quantitative easing (QE), in order to meet the 2% inflation target in the medium term.

    The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK’s economic policy framework. To use monetary policy tools to meet fiscal objectives, such as financing government borrowing, could conflict with the MPC’s objective of price stability and undermine confidence in the UK’s monetary policy framework. Additionally, government borrowing from the central bank is illegal under Article 123 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 3 February (WA 17), whether court orders handed down in the United Kingdom are enforceable in the Channel Islands; and, if not, what action is taken in those circumstances to ensure the safety and protection of vulnerable persons.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Channel Islands (the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey) are Crown Dependencies. The Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK but are self-governing dependencies of the Crown, with their own directly elected legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and their own courts of law. Judgments of the courts of England and Wales are not, therefore , of themselves effective in the Bailiwicks of Guernsey or Jersey, but it is possible for UK court orders to be recognised and enforced if they meet certain established criteria whether pursuant to statute, or pursuant to the common or customary law. Much depends upon the circumstances and type of offence committed or judgment made.

    Criminal law in Scotland and Northern Ireland is devolved, meaning that responsibility for such matters lie with the devolved administrations of
    Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

    There is excellent co-operation between Common Travel Area (CTA) partners, including the UK and the Channel Islands, to prevent abuse of the CTA by strengthening its external border. The UK Government is working with the Channel Islands authorities to ensure that the implications of the Modern Slavery Bill and the Modern Slavery action plan for the Common Travel Area are fully understood.

    UK Border Force staff receive mandatory training to help identify and tackle human trafficking, and to date we have not seen any evidence that individuals are being trafficked to the UK via the Channel Islands. However, we remain alert and will act on any information received.

  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 24 March (WA 63), and in the light of recent developments, what were the circumstances leading to the withdrawal of Atos Healthcare from its contract, including all relevant dates of notifications.

    Lord Freud

    Following detailed negotiations with Atos Healthcare, the Government has reached a settlement for Atos to exit the contract to deliver Work Capability Assessments before it is due to end in August 2015. Atos did not receive any compensation from the taxpayer for this early termination but made a substantial financial settlement to the Department for Work and Pensions.

  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in light of the announcement that Atos Healthcare is exiting its contract in respect of fit-for-work tests, whether they plan to initiate an investigation with published terms of reference into that company’s performance, including complaints made directly to Atos Healthcare and through any other agency including the Department for Work and Pensions.

    Lord Freud

    The Department has closely monitored the performance of Atos Healthcare and will continue to do so until Atos exits the contract as described in the Written Ministerial Statement of 27 March 2014. There are no plans to carry out any investigations into performance.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their reasons for reducing the access to books of prisoners serving sentences in England and Wales.

    Lord Faulks

    We have not made any policy changes specifically about the availability of books in prisons.

    We have always recognised the importance of reading and literature in the rehabilitative process, and the positive effects these have on prisoners’ welfare. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. Prisoners may hold up to 12 books in their cell at any one time, and additional books can be stored locally at the prison. The National Offender Management Service also works closely with the Shannon Trust to support schemes such as ‘Toe by Toe’, which includes peer mentoring to improve reading levels.

    There have always been controls on the sending of parcels into prisons, and allowing parcels to be sent in unrestricted would be operationally unmanageable and would lead to a significant risk of drugs and other illicit items being smuggled into prisons.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take into account the Global Principles on National Security and the Right to Information in reviewing legislation and practice concerning access to information, as recommended by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolution of 2 October 2013.

    Lord Faulks

    The UK Government notes that the recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be considered by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in the near future. The UK Government is considering how to respond to the recommendation.