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  • Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many citizens of each other EU member state were convicted in the UK of (a) murder, (b) sexual offences and (c) serious violent crimes in each of the last 10 years.

    Andrew Selous

    The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database does not hold the nationality of offenders convicted of criminal offences in England and Wales. Obtaining this information would incur disproportionate cost.

    As announced in the Prime Minister’s speech on 8 February, my officials have been working closely with the Home Office to introduce a legal requirement for defendants appearing in court to provide their name, date of birth and nationality. This will enable earlier identification of foreign national offenders and help with the removals process.

  • Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many and which courts in England and Wales court counters have closed in the last 12 months.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Court counters have closed at the following courts in the last 12 months:

    Grantham Magistrates’ Court; and

    Skegness Magistrates’ Court.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of officials of his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.

    Mike Penning

    The tables below set out the information you have requested on sickness absence taken by officials in the Ministry of Justice relating to stress for each year in which figures are currently available. Data prior to 2011 is not available as this information is not held centrally.

    Total Number of staff Sick with Stress

    Proportion of staff off with Stress

    2014-2015

    2,593

    3%

    2013-2014

    2,344

    3%

    2012-2013

    2,043

    3%

    2011-2012

    2,221

    3%

    Proportion of Sick Days due to Stress

    2014-2015

    15%

    2013-2014

    13%

    2012-2013

    11%

    2011-2012

    10%

    The information includes staff within Ministry of Justice Headquarters, National Offender Management Service, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service, Office of the Public Guardian and Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for all four years. Staff within Legal Aid Agency are included from 2013 and UK Supreme Court is in scope for 2011-2012.

    As a department we are actively managing attendance in order to reduce the number of days lost due to sickness. A large proportion of staff absence is within the Prison Service and the challenges they face do not bear a direct comparison with the working conditions of most civil servants. They perform a difficult, physical and sometimes dangerous job.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30414, on terrorism; Hyde Park, if the Secretary of State for Justice will support the Hyde Park victims by providing financial assistance outwith the Legal Aid Agency process.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government’s sympathies are with the victims and friends and families of those who lost their lives and were injured in this terrible attack.

    As I said in my answer of 14 March to Parliamentary Question 30414, decisions on funding individual cases are taken independently by the Legal Aid Agency. The decision not to provide legal aid funding for this claim for damages was made as it does not meet the criteria set by Parliament. Ministers are prevented by law from intervening in the individual decisions of the Legal Aid Agency.

    The legal aid scheme sets out the extent of the circumstances in which Parliament has decided it is appropriate for the taxpayer to fund litigation. The Government has no current plans to change arrangements for funding in damages cases or provide alternative funding to meet litigation costs.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many witnesses have been cross-examined in a family court by the alleged perpetrator of abuse against them who is acting as litigant in person in each of the last three years.

    Mike Penning

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to reinstate the bilateral aid programme with Burundi.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    There are no plans for DFID to re-open the office in Burundi. DFID’s bilateral programme in Burundi closed in 2012 following the 2010 Bilateral Aid Review. We have provided support to Burundi through Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), an independent agency promoting trade and regional economic integration, given that this is central to Burundi’s growth and prosperity. DFID has provided £10 million for TMEA work in Burundi since 2012.

    DFID will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID is working with the IFIs to identify options to support the provision of basic services, where there is none. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging.

    DFID has also provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support UN agencies working in Burundi. This includes support to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to strengthen humanitarian coordination in Burundi.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contingency plans her Department has for additional support to Burundi in the event of a further escalation of violence in that country.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    DFID is supporting Burundian refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda, as the second largest donor to the regional appeal with £21.15 million in contributions since April 2015. DFID has deployed a humanitarian adviser to the region, and within Burundi we are supporting technical experts seconded to the UN. DFID will continue to work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging. DFID is monitoring the situation closely with the FCO, and will consider additional funding should there be a further deterioration in the situation.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on how many buildings the construction of which was funded by the (a) UK and (b) EU there are in the (i) Gaza Strip and (ii) other Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID does not hold information on how many EU funded buildings there are in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPTs). There are 13 UK funded schools in Gaza. Currently the UK does not directly fund the construction of buildings in the West Bank. However, we are joining the EU Consortium to support the construction of small-scale infrastructure in Area C.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many and what proportion of officials of her Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The table below provides the overall sick leave taken by DFID staff, and the proportion of sick leave for reasons related to stress in each of the past three years. Information on 2011/12 and 2012/13 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    Period

    Stress Related Absence (Days )

    Total Sick Leave (Days)

    Percentage Stress Related Absence against Total Sick Leave

    No of Staff who took Stress Related Absence

    No of Staff who took Sick Leave

    Percentage staff who took Stress Related Absence against total staff who recorded a sick absence

    March 2015 – February 2016

    1485

    9087

    16.3%

    63

    1294

    4.9%

    April 2014 – March 2015

    1642

    8889

    18.5%

    58

    1367

    4.2%

    April 2013 – March 2014

    1137

    8427

    13.5%

    39

    1180

    3.3%
  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s decision making process is on the (a) provision and (b) removal of (i) bilateral and (ii) other aid assistance programmes.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID is undertaking a number of reviews, which aim to look across our portfolio to build the most effective response to deliver the Spending Review, the UK Aid Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. These include a review of the research portfolio, a Civil Society Partnership Review, a Multilateral Aid Review and a Bilateral Aid Review (BAR). The outcome of these reviews will collectively determine DFID’s approach to delivering the UK Aid Strategy over the period of the Spending Review.