The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24637, how many Band 3 and above prison officers took severance or redundancy packages in each month since May 2010.
Andrew Selous
It has not been possible to answer this question within the time available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January to Question 23624, how many offences were committed by prisoners who had absconded in the last year for which figures are available.
Mike Penning
I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 23624 on 26th January 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January to Question 23624, how many offences were committed by prisoners who had escaped in the last year for which figures are available.
Andrew Selous
Of those prisoners who escaped in 2014/15, the most recent period for which figures are available, none are currently listed as having a conviction for an offence committed during the period that they were unlawfully at large.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been prosecuted for bringing fraudulent claims in whiplash cases in each of the last five years.
Dominic Raab
Information on prosecutions for fraudulent whiplash claims is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The Government remains concerned about the number and cost of personal injury claims and the impact they have on motor insurance premiums. At 760,000 (of which 690,000 were for whiplash) in 2014/15, personal injury motor claims volumes are still at historically high levels, being some 50% higher than in 2006 when there were around 520,000 such claims.
The Insurance Fraud Taskforce published their final report on 18 January which was supportive of the Government’s proposals to tackle fraudulent and unnecessary claims. The Government will consider their recommendations closely.
The Association of British Insurers regularly publishes data on the number of detected fraudulent claims made, and the most recent published data can be found here: https://www.abi.org.uk/News/News-releases/2015/07/You-could-not-make-up-Savings-honest-customers-insurers-expose-3-6-million-worth-insurance-frauds
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent new psychoactive substances being used among the prison population.
Andrew Selous
We take a zero tolerance approach to drugs in prison and there are already a range of robust measures in place to detect drugs, including the use of search dogs and intelligence-led searches.
We recently introduced tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including new psychoactive substances, face up to two years in prison. We are piloting mandatory drug testing for new psychoactive substances from this month, and intend to roll it out to all prisons by April 2016.
Those who involve themselves in the distribution of drugs in our prisons should know that they will face prosecution and extra time behind bars.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects to have body scanners to help detect illicit substances installed in prisons.
Andrew Selous
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) deploys a comprehensive range of robust searching and security measures to detect items of contraband both at the point of entry to the prison and concealed within the prison. NOMS continues to explore new methods of preventing drugs coming into prisons and body scanners are seen as a valuable part of this strategy.
An independent expert panel is assessing the use of a body scanner at HMP Wandsworth, as required by the Justification of Practices Involving lionising Radiation Regulations 2004.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 21806, what commitment he received from insurance industries that savings from government reforms would be passed on to consumers; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that such commitments are monitored and transparent.
Dominic Raab
On 8 December 2015, at a meeting with Ministers, representatives of leading insurers committed to pass on savings to consumers through lower premiums following the implementation of Government reforms. The Government will be monitoring the industry’s reaction to these reforms closely.
The meeting on 8 December 2015 was the first Ministerial meeting with insurers to discuss the reforms announced in the Autumn Statement on 25 November. Lord Faulks subsequently met representatives from the claimant lawyer sector at the end of January 2016. Officials had previously met with both insurers and claimant lawyer representatives to discuss the reforms.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department’s policy is on investing in drug detection technology to tackle illicit substances being brought into prisons; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Selous
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) deploys a comprehensive range of robust searching and security measures to detect items of contraband both at the point of entry to the prison and concealed within the prison. NOMS continues to explore new methods of preventing drugs coming into prisons and body scanners are seen as a valuable part of this strategy.
An independent expert panel is assessing the use of a body scanner at HMP Wandsworth, as required by the Justification of Practices Involving lionising Radiation Regulations 2004.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted under joint enterprise in each year since 2010.
Mike Penning
The Court Proceedings Database shows how many defendants were prosecuted and convicted for each offence in a given year. It does not show what percentage of those were prosecuted and convicted following their involvement in group offending; or what role each person played within the enterprise. Such information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of whiplash claims each year which are fraudulent; and if he will place in the Library the evidence used to produce this estimate.
Dominic Raab
Information on prosecutions for fraudulent whiplash claims is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The Government remains concerned about the number and cost of personal injury claims and the impact they have on motor insurance premiums. At 760,000 (of which 690,000 were for whiplash) in 2014/15, personal injury motor claims volumes are still at historically high levels, being some 50% higher than in 2006 when there were around 520,000 such claims.
The Insurance Fraud Taskforce published their final report on 18 January which was supportive of the Government’s proposals to tackle fraudulent and unnecessary claims. The Government will consider their recommendations closely.
The Association of British Insurers regularly publishes data on the number of detected fraudulent claims made, and the most recent published data can be found here: https://www.abi.org.uk/News/News-releases/2015/07/You-could-not-make-up-Savings-honest-customers-insurers-expose-3-6-million-worth-insurance-frauds
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