The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many times she has attended public meetings of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee since her appointment.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in September 2012, I have met the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on seven occasions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is a Crown body or a non-departmental public body; and what the planned budget for that office is for 2016-17.
Mr Ben Wallace
The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is a statutory officer holder. He/she is supported by the employees of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland who are recruited directly by the Chief Electoral Officer under s.14A of the Electoral Law Act 1962.
An initial resource budget (excluding depreciation) of £2,011,000 has been allocated to the Chief Electoral Officer. Further funding – both capital and resource – will be made available to support the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland transformation programme which includes the introduction of digital registration.
The Chief Electoral Officer will also receive funding from the Consolidated Fund and the Northern Ireland Assembly to support the EU Referendum and Northern Ireland Assembly elections that are due to take place in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions court cases have been listed in the same time slot as another case since 2010.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what she is doing to help safeguard the welfare of (a) unaccompanied minors who have gone missing and (b) other unaccompanied minors in the refugee camps in Calais and Dunkirk.
James Brokenshire
Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has committed to support a range of work to address the migrant situation in northern France. The two governments have established a permanent official contact group focused on ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively, including the provisions on family unity. A Home Office official was seconded to the Interior Ministry’s Dublin Unit in Paris to assist with the identification of potential requests for the UK to take charge of an asylum seeking child in France and to bring them into the Dublin Regulation procedure without delay.
The UK has provided funding to a project run by a French non-governmental organisation to identify potential victims of trafficking and exploitation (including unaccompanied children) in Calais and to direct them to appropriate support services in France.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will bring forward proposals for a national register of wills similar to that used in Spain.
Dominic Raab
This Department has no plans to create a national register of wills for England and Wales. Wills may be deposited for safekeeping with the Probate Service, part of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, on payment of the appropriate fee (currently £20). Various private sector bodies, including many legal practitioners, also offer registration and safekeeping services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33365, on interpreters, what the average length of delay was that his Department attributes to late or absent interpreters since Capita took over the contract.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The information requested is not collected centrally. The volume of trials requiring relisting due to the unavailability of an interpreter is at the lowest level it has been since 2011.
Further information on the volume of trials listed in the criminal courts, and those which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter absence, is published in the Criminal Court Statistics, which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to protect and support victims of stalking.
Karen Bradley
Stalking is a deeply disturbing crime which can leave its victims living in fear for years. That is why we introduced new legislation in 2012 which made stalking an offence in its own right.
The latest published figures on stalking show that this legislation is taking effect. In 2014-15, over 1,100 prosecutions were commenced under the new offences, a nearly 50% rise from the previous year. The number of referrals by the police to the CPS, the number of convictions and the number of custodial sentences have also risen.
However, legislation alone is not enough and we are determined to provide all victims of stalking with the protection and support that they need. As part of the dedicated funding to tackle violence against women and girls we provide support to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for its National Stalking Helpline to provide support and advice to victims.
The Home Office is currently considering the results of a public consultation on the possible introduction of a Stalking Protection Order aimed at providing immediate and earlier protection for victims. Through the Police Innovation Fund, we are supporting the police to identify ways to manage the significant volume of online material in abuse, harassment and stalking cases, so that evidence can be collected more easily and a strong case built to bring a prosecution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted for an offence relating to a use of a drone; and what the average sentence is for such an offence.
Dominic Raab
The number of offenders found guilty of offences relating to flying a drone, under S 160 of the Air Navigation Order 2009, in England and Wales, in 2014, is two. Each offender was sentenced to a fine.
Please note that this figure relates to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
Incidents involving drones are rare, but we remain constantly vigilant to all new threats to prison security. This Government has made it a criminal offence to throw, or otherwise project, any article of substance into prison without authorisation. Anyone using drones in an attempt to get contraband into prisons can be punished with a sentence of up to two years. We take a zero tolerance approach to illicit material in prisons and work closely with the police and CPS to ensure those responsible for a drone incident are caught and, if appropriate, prosecuted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many citizens of other (a) EU member states and (b) countries have been given suspended sentences in each of the last 10 years.
Dominic Raab
This information is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the potential contribution of measures to support freedom of religion and belief to achieving (a) Sustainable Development Goal 16 and (b) other sustainable development goals.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK will continue to promote universal human rights as an integral part of building prosperity and stability around the world and attaches great importance to ensuring that people of all faiths can participate fully in society and live without fear of abuse or discrimination. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads on the UK’s work in promoting freedom of religion and belief overseas. DFID works closely with the FCO to raise concerns about freedom of religion with partner governments to ensure that all citizens can claim their rights. This is indeed part of our work to promote the golden thread of democracy, and achieve Goal 16 and the other Sustainable Development Goals. For the UK, the Sustainable Development Goals’ pledge to leave no one behind is one of the most important principles of the post-2015 Agenda. We have been a champion of Goal 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies and access to justice for all. We are working to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals will be monitored closely.