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  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 which corresponds to an offence contrary to any provision specified in the table in paragraph 3 of the Schedule of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009 in each of the last four years.

    Anna Soubry

    The information will take time to collate, I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

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

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of an offence under section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the offence committed corresponds to an offence which would lead to automatic inclusion in the children’s barred list, with the right to make representations, under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 in each of the last four years.

    Damian Green

    Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not include the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute. It is not possible to separately identify findings of guilt for sexual offences committed outside England and Wales from those committed within England and Wales. This information could only be obtained from the individual courts 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 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to ensure that the probation contracts in England and Wales are let without risk to the public or waste of public money.

    Jeremy Wright

    Under our reforms the market will be opened up to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, so that we get the best out of the public, voluntary and private sectors, at the local as well as national level. Protecting the public must remain our top priority,and the new National Probation Service will manage all offenders who pose a high risk of harm to the public or have committed the most serious offences. The Secretary of State will continue to issue national standards for the management of offenders, and the Government will place contractual requirements on Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to ensure that the risk of harm posed by offenders is effectively managed. Providers bidding to run CRCs will need to demonstrate in their bids how they would deliver high quality rehabilitative support to offenders, and they will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts. Bidders will also need to demonstrate how they will maintain a workforce with appropriate levels of competence and training to deliver these services.

    Our proposals will be affordable within the context of the MoJ commitment to deliver annual savings of over £2 billion by 2014/15. We plan to make efficiency savings through the use of competition, the introduction of private and voluntary sector providers, and by consolidating back-office functions within the public sector. Releasing these efficiency savings will enable us to invest in rehabilitation and extend provision to support supervision to a wider group of offenders.

  • Mr David Nuttall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mr David Nuttall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr David Nuttall on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the target time is for a decision on an application for compensation.

    Damian Green

    The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) does not have a target. The average (mean) time between application receipt and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) initially deciding the case was 8.8 months in 2012-13.

    This time taken varies depending on the individual’s circumstances and the complexity of the case: for some serious injuries claims can only be finalised when the extent of the impact on their health or ability to earn becomes clear. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) seeks to decide cases as quickly as possible.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers about proposals for the emergency services communications network to be operated on a commercially available network.

    Damian Green

    The recommendation to base the replacement communication system, for the
    emergency services, on a commercially available network was agreed during
    development of the Emergency Service Mobile Communications Programme Business
    Case. This preferred direction of travel and alternative options, were briefed
    to ACPO, and were written with the involvement, assurance and approval of the 3
    emergency services, funding departments and the devolved governments of Wales
    and Scotland.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assurances she has received from operators of commercially available mobile networks that the emergency services will be able to over-ride commercial or public traffic during emergencies.

    Damian Green

    The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme has worked with the
    Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) since February 2013, running a series of
    supplier workshops and market engagement sessions throughout 2013 and the first
    quarter of 2014 ahead of procurement launch. The MNOs have run a series of
    capability demonstrations, organised by the Programme, to showcase development
    of this technical solution. The Programme has confidence that this capability
    is deliverable. The MNOs met the Minister for the Cabinet Office during
    February 2014, where they confirmed their ability and willingness to deliver
    the technology required to enable the emergency services to operate effectively
    over a commercially available mobile network, including provision of
    prioritisation of Emergency Service traffic.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme delivers a cost effective network that meets the standards of security and resilience essential for mission-critical communications.

    Damian Green

    The Programme has undertaken an extensive market engagement exercise to help
    determine the technical and commercial feasibility of the proposed Emergency
    Services Network (ESN). The results of these industry soundings indicate that
    it should be possible to move to Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) solution based
    technologies that will be more cost effective and will allow the Emergency
    Services communications to evolve in line with developments in the consumer
    market. The outline business case, approved in March 2014, included costs for
    the security and resilience enhancements required to provide the appropriate
    service levels for ESN users.

  • Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received about the use of water cannon in London.

    Damian Green

    A number of representations have been received recently about the use of water
    cannon in London.

    The Home Secretary has also now received the formal request to authorise water
    cannon for use by the police in England and Wales. She is considering this
    request and will announce her decision in due course and lay the relevant
    information in the House Library.

  • Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many contracts with her Department are held by Airwave; what the value is of each such contract; and when each such contract is due for renewal.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Department has 57 contracts with Airwave Solutions Limited. The total
    whole-life value of all the contracts is estimated at £4.18 billion (the cost
    may vary, depending on usage). All contracts commenced between 21 September 2001 and
    31 December 2005 and are due for expiry between 21September 2016 to 31December 2020.

  • Mr Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mr Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Bob Ainsworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures her Department has introduced in the last year to reduce the number of businesses employing illegal immigrants.

    James Brokenshire

    Employers have a duty to ensure that their employees have the right to work in the UK, and this duty has been underpinned by a civil penalty scheme since 2008. The government is taking measures to ensure a tougher response to employers who use illegal labour, whilst simplifying arrangements for legitimate businesses to conduct right to work checks.

    To deter employers from using illegal workers, the Home Office is doubling the maximum penalty to £20,000. The government is also using the current Immigration Bill to make it easier to enforce unpaid civil penalties in the civil courts. In addition, with the creation of the new Immigration Enforcement Directorate last year, there has been a forty seven per cent increase in illegal working enforcement operations and a corresponding increase in civil penalties imposed: with 1862 penalties served in 2013/14 (to the end of February) compared to 1270 in 2012/13. We are also ensuring greater collaboration across government to increase our ‘enforcement reach’ and the range of sanctions that can be brought to bear against rogue employers who exploit illegal workers.