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  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that Practice Direction 12J: Child Arrangement and Contact Orders: Domestic Violence and Harm is properly implemented in each case involving domestic abuse seen in the family courts.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The family courts take the issue of domestic violence extremely seriously. The Child Arrangement Programme and Practice Direction 12J set out a strong and clear framework for use where domestic violence is alleged. All judges receive specific training on this framework. The judge, on the basis of the evidence, will determine how the framework will be applied in a particular case and in particular, must be satisfied that any contact ordered with a parent who has perpetrated violence or abuse is safe and in the best interests of the child.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ensure that family court judges receive training on the new offence of coercive and controlling behaviour created by the Serious Crime Act 2015.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, responsibility for judicial training rests with the Lord Chief Justice and this is exercised through the Judicial College. Accordingly, the independence of the judiciary means that Government Ministers do not intervene with regard to the content of judicial training.

    The Judicial College has advised me that the new offence will be incorporated into existing training programmes for the family jurisdiction, particularly the modules that include domestic abuse.

  • Jake Berry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jake Berry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20478, how many applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren were made in the final quarter of 2015.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The number of applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren made in the final quarter of 2015 will be available in due course.

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) internal and (b) external investigations have been undertaken into self-harm, suicide and restraint in secure training centres in the last five years; which organisations undertook those investigations; and what the findings of those investigations were.

    Andrew Selous

    This information on investigations is not held centrally.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22404, when the Youth Justice Board ceased placements into Medway Secure Training Centre; and how many people were placed in that centre after 30 December 2015.

    Andrew Selous

    The Youth Justice Board suspended placements into Medway Secure Training Centre on 30 December 2015 as soon as it was made aware of the allegations. There have been no new placements since then.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22204, what action he took in relation to Medway Secure Training Centre between 30 December 2015 and 6 January 2016.

    Andrew Selous

    The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is responsible for the commissioning of the youth estate. They have been keeping the Secretary of State’s office updated on the situation and actions they have regularly taken.

    The Youth Justice Board was informed of the allegations on 30 December. They suspended placements of new children and young people into the centre with immediate effect. They increased the presence of the YJB Monitor and the availability of the independent advocacy service provided to children and young people by Barnado’s at Medway. They sought immediate assurances from G4S that the staff named in the allegations had been suspended. The YJB suspended the certifications of all staff named in the allegations on 30 December.

  • 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 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 20908, on prisons: discipline, for what reasons the listed additional days were added.

    Andrew Selous

    The table attached shows the numbers of awards of additional days in each prison establishment as a result of adjudications in each year since 2010, setting out the numbers in the main categories of breach of prison discipline.

    Violence in prison has increased in recent years. The nature of offenders currently in custody and the widespread availability of new psychoactive substances have both contributed to making prisons less safe. There is no single, simple solution to improving safety in prisons but we are making progress.

    We are trialling the use of body worn cameras and training sniffer dogs to detect New Psychoactive Substances. We have made it an offence to smuggle New Psychoactive Substance into prison, but ultimately the only way to reduce violence in prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively reform and rehabilitate offenders.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what development and humanitarian support the Government has provided (a) bilaterally and (b) multilaterally to Burkina Faso in each of the last six years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Since 2010 DFID has provided over £16m of bilateral humanitarian and development funding to Burkina Faso. This includes humanitarian assistance to prevent and treat malnutrition and provide support to refugees from Mali, work with communities to end female genital mutilation, and support to improve regional trade in West Africa.

    Whilst DFID does not require multilateral organisations to give a breakdown of where they spent core funding from DFID, the imputed share of DFID’s core funding to multilaterals that went to Burkina Faso between 2010 and 2014 (the latest year for which we have data) was £159m in total, ranging from between £34m to £47m each year. This was spent by multilaterals including the EU, the UN organisations, and the World Bank on providing a range of humanitarian and development support to meet priority needs in Burkina Faso.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 2 visas were (a) applied for and (b) awarded to (i) Bangladeshis, (ii) Indians and (iii) Pakistanis in each year since such visas were introduced.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is given in the following tables.

    The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether the purposes for which zombie knives are sold online are legitimate.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government continues to work with the police and partners to ensure we reduce violence and knife crime, and in the year ending June 2015, knife crime recorded by the police was 17% lower than 2010. We are aware of concerns about zombie knives and we are currently considering representations including the letter of 13 January from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands and on 21 January from the prospective mayoral candidate for London Zac Goldsmith. A reply will be sent shortly and we will offer to meet with the PCC.

    We are currently considering what action to take against the prevalence of zombie knives on our streets. We are talking to retailers, including Amazon, about the action they can take. There are strict laws on the sale of knives to under 18s and on how knives can be marketed. We are concerned about any knives being carried in public especially if used to threaten and inflict violence. It is a criminal offence to possess a knife in public without good reason, and if a person is convicted a second time they now face a minimum mandatory custodial sentence following the introduction of this change by the Government in July 2015.