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  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of trends in the rate of race-related crimes in England and Wales over the last five years.

    Karen Bradley

    The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that there were 106,000 incidents of race hate crime a year, based on the combined data from the 2012/13 to 2014/15 surveys (the most recently available figures). There has been a clear downward trend in the number of hate crime incidents between the 2007/08 to 2008/09 and 2012/13 to 2014/15 crimes surveys, which have fallen by 28% for all hate crimes over this period. The Home Office also collects information from the police on hate crimes. This shows that were 42,930 race hate crimes recorded by the police in 2014/15, a 15% increase on the previous year. This increase is largely thought to be due to improvements in recording practices by the police over the last year rather than a real increase in race hate crime. However, it is possible in some police forces areas that recording may not be the only reason and there could be an element of real increases in certain areas.

    The Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, including that perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person. That is why we announced in October last year the intention to bring forward a new cross Government hate crime action plan. This is being developed with the communities most affected by hate crime and will be published later this year.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle racist and discriminating behaviour.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    This Government deplores racism in all its forms and is determined to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get on in life free from harassment and fear.

    50 years ago Britain introduced its first race equality legislation and in that time our country has undoubtedly become fairer. The Equality Act 2010 protects all individuals against racial and other forms of discrimination.

    On 12 October 2015 a new Cross Government Hate Crime Action Plan was announced, to drive forward action against all forms of hate crime. This will be taken forward in partnership with communities to ensure we target the harm that hate crime causes. More broadly, my rt. hon. Friend, the Prime Minister has set out a series of ambitious government commitments to reduce racial inequalities by the end of the current Parliament in 2020.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employees in her Department have (a) taken the CESG Certified Cyber-Security Training Course and (b) received other relevant cyber-security training.

    Mr John Hayes

    A revised set of CESG Certified Cyber-Security Training packages was launched in 2015.

    We do not collate statistics on its use. The Home Office encourages all its staff to develop their information assurance skills which includes cyber security. This includes the Responsible for Information training package which covers core elements of cyber security.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect on victims of her Department not having information about the status and supervision of deported criminals who have been returned to their home countries.

    James Brokenshire

    A victim may contact the Home Office directly or make a request via their Victim Liaison Officer (VLO) for information on the progress of a foreign prisoner’s deportation. The Home Office will inform the victim or their VLO on whether deportation is being pursued or has been enforced.

    Once deported, a foreign criminal is banned from returning to the UK and that information is held on Home Office records. We have robust arrangements in place to identify people of concern before they enter the UK.

    It is not Home Office policy to regularly monitor a foreign national once they have been deported.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21066 on vetting, if she will provide equivalent data for each constituent region of England.

    Karen Bradley

    The DBS is establishing the complex data required for this answer and this involves interrogating key systems to establish the correct information.

    I will write to the Honourable Member separately as soon as their work is concluded.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle the increase in sexual offences on Teesside.

    Karen Bradley

    Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes and the Government has made protecting women and girls from violence and supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence a key priority. We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.

    These are under-reported crimes, and the Office for National Statistics report that recent increases in police recorded crime are likely due to improved recording by the police and an increase in the willingness of victims to come forward and report to the police. The number of prosecutions and convictions for sexual offences are at their highest ever levels.

    The Government continues to support improvements to the criminal justice system’s response to victims of sexual violence. We have supported the publication of data on rape for every police force in the country as a basis for improving recording and investigations of rape and ensure that guidance on investigating and prosecuting rape is implemented in every police force area. The Rape Action Plan, led by the Crown Prosecution Service and the police, is helping to ensure that every report of rape is treated seriously and every victim is given the help they deserve.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22948, whether her Department has recorded all EU countries other than Greece as complying with the Dublin Convention.

    James Brokenshire

    The Dublin Convention no longer governs the determination of responsibility for examining an asylum claim: it was replaced by the EU “Dublin II” Regulation in 2003 for all EU Member States apart from Denmark, which implemented the Dublin Regulation in 2006. An updated “Dublin III” Regulation has applied since 2014.

    The European Commission is the body responsible for overseeing the correct implementation of EU Regulations. All EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein use the Regulation to make requests to take responsibility for asylum applicants.

    As noted in the Answer of 21 January to Question 22948 it is not possible to return asylum applicants to Greece. The Government is satisfied that it remains lawful to transfer to and from all other countries bound by the Regulation asylum applicants who qualify under its provisions.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications for her policies are of the decision by other countries to confiscate the belongings of Syrian refugees over a certain value to meet the costs of their stay.

    James Brokenshire

    Any decision by other countries to confiscate the belongings of Syrian refugees over a certain value to meet the cost of their stay in those countries will not impact the way the UK deals with Syrian refugees. The Government will continue to target the most vulnerable Syrians, who cannot be supported effectively in the region, for resettlement under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. The first 12 month’s resettlement costs are funded through Official Development Assistance and at the Spending Review the Government committed £129 million to assist with local authority costs over years 2-5 of the scheme.

  • Barbara Keeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barbara Keeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2016 to Question 25215, if he will estimate the difference between the additional cost to social care providers of paying the new national living wage and the amount available to local authorities through the social care precept and the Better Care Fund in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19.

    Alistair Burt

    It is the decision of local councils whether to raise the adult social care precept in order to pay for adult social care in their local area. The precept gives local areas who are best placed to respond to local needs and pressures the flexibility to be able to do so.

    The additional amount available to local authorities for adult social care through the social care precept and the Better Care Fund are as follows:

    2016/17

    2017/18

    2018/19

    Additional Better Care Fund

    0

    105

    825

    Adult Social Care precept

    393

    821

    1,290
  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of backlog maintenance for each level of assessed risk was in the NHS (a) in total and (b) for each NHS organisation in each of the last five years.

    George Freeman

    The Backlog Maintenance cost reported by the National Health Service in total for the last five years is:

    Cost to eradicate high risk backlog

    Cost to eradicate significant risk backlog

    Cost to eradicate moderate risk backlog

    Cost to eradicate low risk backlog

    £ million

    £ million

    £ million

    £ million

    2010-11

    321.7

    1,021.6

    1,523.6

    1,298.7

    2011-12

    296.3

    926.4

    1,484.8

    1,316.3

    2012-13

    353.1

    1,002.0

    1,476.5

    1,204.3

    2013-14

    356.6

    1,016.7

    1,426.6

    1,241.8

    2014-15

    458.0

    1,062.1

    1,551.3

    1,266.5

    The equivalent data for each NHS organisation is attached.

    The Department collects data on backlog maintenance annually from the NHS trusts through its Estates Returns Information Collection. The data collected has not been amended centrally and its accuracy always remains the responsibility of the contributing NHS organisations.