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Tag: 2015

  • Baroness Stern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Stern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Stern on 2015-10-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in response to the October report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons on HM Prison Liverpool that the prison’s daily routine was chaotic and unpredictable” and that 44 per cent of prisoners were locked in their cells during the working day.”

    Lord Faulks

    HMP Liverpool is committed to implementing the recommendations of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons report of 20 October 2015.

    Hours worked in Industry have increased month on month from 57% to 88%. A new activity centre has been opened and provides additional regime places for 100 prisoners. Vulnerable prisoners have been re-allocated to alternative regime places within the prison following the disbanding of B wing. This unit did not have activity places allocated to it. Prison laundry activity places have been allocated to prisoners located on the drug rehabilitation unit providing additional regime places.

    Plans to introduce a new Welcome centre which will allocate shorter term prisoners to activity places more quickly, will soon become operational.

    Further improvement methods such as electronic prescribing are currently being piloted to improve the efficiency of treatment and medication practices, thereby providing a more consistent regime.

  • Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) average and (b) longest recorded waiting time was between a detainee at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre sounding the emergency alarm in their room and an officer arriving to assist them in each of the last three years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested on waiting times is not collected centrally by either the Home Office or Serco so this information cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Shaker Aamer has yet been released from detention at Guantanamo Bay to rejoin his family in England; if not, why not; and what representations they are making to the government of the United States on his behalf.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We can confirm that Shaker Aamer was released from Guantanamo Bay and returned to the UK on 30 October.

    It has been a longstanding British Government policy to secure Mr Aamer’s return to the UK. We welcome his release and continue to support President Obama’s commitment to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo.

  • Gordon Henderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Henderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Henderson on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to monitor the security of the SS Richard Montgomery and prevent terror attacks on it.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Medway Port Authority, which guards the wreck under contract to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, provides: 24 hour surveillance of the wreck, both visually and by radar; patrols of the area around the wreck; and an initial response to any potential incursions into the prohibited area. Incursions, and incidents likely to result in an incursion, are reported immediately to the Police and to HM Coastguard so that appropriate specialist support can be provided.

  • Lord Higgins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Higgins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Higgins on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that migrants rescued from drowning by the British Navy in the Mediterranean are no longer disembarked in the European Union, in order to discourage migrants from travelling in unseaworthy vessels provided by people smugglers.

    Lord Bates

    As set out in the Government’s response to written questions HL2307 and HL2339 under international law the UK has a duty to not return people who are rescued at sea to countries where they would be at risk of serious harm. Migrants rescued in the Mediterranean must therefore be disembarked at the nearest safe country.

    The Government, however, maintains that the link must be broken between getting on a boat and automatically achieving residence in the Europe. The UK continues to push for action through the EU and UN to tackle the causes of illegal migration in order to discourage people from making these dangerous journeys. The UK is pursuing and disrupting the organised crime groups profiting from the people smuggling trade, including through the creation of an Organised Immigration Crime Task Force.

    Migrants who do reach the EU need to be registered, screened and processed when they arrive to control their movement as well as to distinguish between those in real need of international protection and economic migrants. The UK is supporting the EU ‘Hotspots’ initiative which will help give effect to this.

    The UK is leading the way for a sustainable and effective approach to the migrant situation and at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 8 October the Home Secretary reiterated that in order for EU Member States to focus their resources on helping those in genuine need, an effective returns system for those not found to be in need of international protection is vital.

  • Derek Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Derek Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that every young person covered by the youth obligation receives appropriate financial advice, education and support for the first six months as part of their preparation for work.

    Priti Patel

    From April 2017, we will be introducing the new Youth Obligation for Universal Credit claimants aged 18-21 who we expect to look for work. This new programme of support will help young people develop skills and experience to get on in work.

    The first three weeks of this will be a Work Coach led Intensive Activity Period (IAP), where young people on the Youth Obligation will complete a set curriculum of activity designed to help establish them as effective full time job-seekers straight away and support them into work as soon as possible.

    Once the claimant has completed the curriculum they will continue to see a dedicated IAP Work Coach who will work with them, continuously reviewing what was achieved during the intensive start-up period.

    We will be conducting a stakeholder engagement exercise to help inform the design of the Youth Obligation and will be inviting stakeholders with an interest in the provision of financial advice.

    We will set out our policy design for the Youth Obligation in due course.

  • Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Attorney General, whether the Serious Fraud Office is undertaking an investigation into defeat devices used by Volkswagen in emissions tests.

    Jeremy Wright

    As and when matters are brought to the attention of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) they are assessed in the context of the SFO’s remit to investigate fraud, bribery and corruption. If appropriate, relevant matters will be considered for criminal investigation in line with SFO internal procedures. The SFO does not comment on its assessments or their status at any one time but does publish on its website details of those cases formally adopted for criminal investigation, when this is possible without prejudice to the investigation.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether local healthwatches are meeting Healthwatch England’s mission to be a consumer champion, in the light of reports that some contractors and local authorities refuse to engage with the public in their area.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department currently has no plans to undertake an investigation in to the performance of local Healthwatch organisations. In March 2015 the Department published a report commissioned from the King’s Fund – Local Healthwatch: Progress and promise – which set out the progress that local Healthwatch have made since being established in 2013. Transparency about the performance of local Healthwatch organisations is provided through the annual reports which they are required to publish. Reports on how the local Healthwatch network as a whole is operating and the nature of the support needed to deliver their activities effectively are discussed at quarterly public meetings of the Healthwatch England Committee.

    Arrangements for ensuring local Healthwatch statutory activities are delivered in each area are a matter for local authorities. The Local Government Association has published guidance to support local Healthwatch and local commissioners in putting in place good governance arrangements, which includes clarity about the roles of all parties involved.

    Neither the Department nor Healthwatch England are aware of local Healthwatch contractors refusing to engage with the public in their area. Where Healthwatch England is made aware of concerns in relation to local Healthwatch around governance or local relationships with specific individuals or organisations, it seeks to provide support to resolve these where appropriate. Members of the public are able to raise concerns though the complaints process of the local Healthwatch or the commissioning local authority.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12401, if he will publish the socio-economic data collected for the 2015 intake of the Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme.

    Matthew Hancock

    There is an ongoing review into the most effective and appropriate definition for social mobility which we will align with in future years. This work is being led by The Bridge Group, a charitable policy association promoting social mobility, as part of research they are undertaking on social mobility in the Fast Stream.This research is the largest quantitative analysis of its kind and will help to inform how we define and measure social mobility across all Civil Service talent schemes, including the Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme. The research will also help us to determine what information we collate and publish on these schemes in a meaningful and accessible way.

    We are also working towards a position where we collate and publish diversity data in a single format on the gov.ukwebsite to improve transparency and accountability on overall progress towards diversity and inclusion in the Civil Service.

    “

  • Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the link between rates of smoking prevalence and the level of tobacco control, as measured by the OECD.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government considers international comparisons of tobacco control produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and other organisations, such as Joossens and Raw’s Tobacco Control Scale in Europe, which ranks the United Kingdom as number one in tobacco control activity of 34 European countries.