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  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to help review and improve sea defences in Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Sea defences are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.

    On 9 December 2015, the Chancellor announced an additional £51 million to support households and businesses affected by floods, which includes an allocation of £1.3 million to Northern Ireland. It is up to the Executive how this money is spent.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent progress her Department has made on cross-border policing arrangements.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Following the Fresh Start Agreement I attended a tri-lateral cross-border Ministerial meeting along with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government on 21 December. At the meeting, and in accordance with the Fresh Start Agreement, we agreed new measures to enhance law enforcement co-operation aimed at tackling organised crime and criminality, including that linked to paramilitarism. In a concerted effort to tackle cross-jurisdictional organised crime, a Joint Agency Task Force has been announced by the United Kingdom Government, the Irish Government and the NI Executive.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of business lost to the Northern Ireland economy from the maintained level of air passenger duty.

    Damian Hinds

    The government has devolved control over the direct long-haul rate of air passenger duty to the Northern Ireland Assembly (NIA). The NIA has set this rate at zero.

    In March 2015, the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) published an economic impact assessment on air passenger duty. The report informed the NIE’s decision not to pursue devolution of the short haul rate.

  • 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 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 15306, tabled on 6 November 2015, on his Department’s public expenditure.

    Caroline Dinenage

    I refer the honourable member to the answer which I gave in PQ 15306, answered on 17th February 2016.

  • 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 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will use his powers under clause 2, section 10 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to appoint a crown servant to act as governor of the Medway Secure Training Centre.

    Andrew Selous

    Kent Police and Medway Council’s child protection team have launched an investigation into the allegations made about Medway Secure Training Centre (STC). The Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board will do everything we can to assist and support the investigation. Our immediate priority has been to make sure that the young people in custody at Medway are safe, which is why HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted visited the STC last week.

    The YJB have ceased placements into the STC with immediate effect. They have also increased their own monitoring at Medway and that of the independent advocacy service provided by Barnardo’s.

    We are currently considering how we can best ensure young people at Medway are in a safe, secure and rehabilitative environment and any further decisions will be announced in the normal way.

  • 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 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to implement the Low Commission’s recommendation that legislative proposals should be brought forward to (a) make the Access to Justice Foundation the recipient of unclaimed damages in collective actions and (b) introduce a compulsory Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts scheme for firms with profits above an agreed threshold with the proceeds of that scheme being paid to the Access to Justice Foundation.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government commends those providers of legal services who already use the monies generated from their client accounts to help fund pro bono and charitable work. We would encourage other providers to follow that example. We want to create a one nation justice system to work better for victims and to deliver a faster and fairer justice for all citizens. We are considering how this can be taken forward.

  • 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 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the insurance industry provided to his Department an estimate of by how much motor insurance premiums would reduce before they took effect as a consequence of the changes introduced by the Jackson reforms of the civil justice system and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; and if he will make a statement.

    Dominic Raab

    The civil litigation funding and costs reforms, which came into effect in April 2013, were intended to control the costs of civil litigation which had risen unsustainably. The insurance industry confirmed that motor insurance premiums would fall as a consequence but did not provide an estimate of the likely reduction.

  • 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 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding was allocated to the (a) gold command and (b) Tornado Team in (i) 2010, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015; and what he expects such budgets to be in 2016.

    Andrew Selous

    The requested data is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which community rehabilitation companies have been placed on a formal remedial plan under their contract in each year since 2010; and what the outcome of those plans was in each case.

    Andrew Selous

    We monitor the performance of Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) closely, to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and deliver value for money to the taxpayer. No CRC has been placed on a formal Remedial Plan under the contract.

  • 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 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of (a) the National Tactical Response Group and (b) Tornado Teams have been injured during a callout in each of the last three years.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.