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Tag: 2015

  • – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further consideration they have given to whether amending the Equality Act 2010 to include the word caste” would change or clarify the legal position

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    This Government has been giving consideration to the legal position on caste discrimination in light of the Tirkey v Chandhok Employment Appeal Tribunal judgment which suggests there is an existing legal remedy for claims of caste-associated discrimination under the ‘ethnic origins’ element of Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Our consideration of the research report commissioned by the coalition Government, designed to determine the feasibility of conducting a national survey to quantify the extent of caste discrimination in Britain, is part of this process.

    We remain mindful of the Open Government Action Plan published by the Coalition Government in 2013, to the extent that this concerns the results of commissioned research.

  • Robert Flello – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Robert Flello – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that lorry drivers have the correct status for the purposes of tax payment.

    Mr David Gauke

    It is the responsibility of engagers to determine the correct status of workers they engage. HM Revenue & Customs have developed an Employment Status Indicator to help engagers: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-status-indicator

    There is also further help with the status of lorry drivers: www.hmrc.gov.uk/Manuals/esmmanual/ESM4210.htm

    HM Revenue & Customs is aware that false self-employment presents a tax risk and has deployed compliance resources to address that risk.

    “

  • Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the last five years, what proportion of the UK’s aid budget was allocated to research into mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

    Baroness Verma

    DFID has not supported any research into mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in the last five years.

  • Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been employed in (a) the National Crime Agency’s National Cyber Crime Unit and (b) each of the nine Regional Organised Crime Units for each year from 2010 to date.

    Mr John Hayes

    Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) provide capability to investigate serious and organised crime across police force boundaries, including but not limited to, cyber crime. At the end of September 2015, there were 1,626 full-time equivalent staff employed by forces in the nine Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs), excluding London.

    These figures have only been centrally collected by the police, and shared with the Home Office, since the beginning of this financial year. Details on the number of staff employed in individual ROCUs are operationally sensitive and have therefore not been provided. The most recent figures for the number of National Crime Agency (NCA) officers employed in the National Cyber Crime Unit will be available in the National Crime Agency’s Remuneration Review Body evidence to be published on the NCA’s website shortly.

  • The Earl of Clancarty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The Earl of Clancarty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Clancarty on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have purchased 41–71 Commercial Road, Aldgate, which is currently part of the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, from London Metropolitan University; and if so, (1) when; (2) which department purchased that building; (3) what was the asking price; (4) how much they paid; (5) whether the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design is being instructed to vacate the premises, and if so, when; and (6) how they intend to use the building in future.

    Lord Nash

    The Department for Education purchased the Commercial Road site in the name of the Department for Communities and Local Government in June 2015. The site has been leased back to London Metropolitan University until August 2016, after which the site will be developed into a school building. The price paid for the site can be obtained from the land registry.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 18875, in which prisons each of those mobile telephones and sim cards were detected in each of those years; and what the number of such detections was per prisoner in each of those years.

    Andrew Selous

    Mobile phones have no place in our prisons and we have invested in technology to prevent their use. But more needs to be done, and we will look at new ways of finding and blocking them. It is a criminal offence to possess a mobile phone or component part in a prison.

    The Chancellor announced in the spending review that we will invest in more safety improvements to stamp out the organisation of crime from within prisons, including funding for tackling illicit mobile phones and investing in body scanners.

    The table below provides the number of ‘‘finds’ of mobile phones and/or SIM cards reported by each prison between April 2010, when recording started, and December 2014. One ‘find’ may constitute a handset containing one SIM card or media card, a handset only, or a SIM card only.

    Table: Number of mobile phone and SIM card finds broken down by prison.

    ESTABLISHMENT

    2010*

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2010*-2014 total

    ACKLINGTON

    63

    28

    –

    –

    –

    91

    ALBANY

    0

    3

    4

    0

    –

    7

    ALTCOURSE (C)

    790

    609

    534

    290

    689

    2912

    ASHFIELD(C)

    1

    2

    2

    0

    0

    5

    ASHWELL

    2

    7

    –

    –

    –

    9

    ASKHAM GRANGE

    0

    0

    2

    1

    0

    3

    AYLESBURY

    278

    97

    29

    176

    130

    710

    BEDFORD

    27

    55

    29

    53

    28

    192

    BELMARSH

    15

    25

    9

    126

    180

    355

    BIRMINGHAM (C)

    248

    537

    302

    133

    140

    1360

    BLANTYRE HOUSE

    19

    12

    4

    3

    14

    52

    BLUNDESTON

    27

    1

    11

    6

    –

    45

    BRINSFORD

    12

    76

    45

    182

    200

    515

    BRISTOL

    54

    33

    26

    32

    37

    182

    BRIXTON

    46

    67

    28

    23

    41

    205

    BRONZEFIELD(C)

    34

    12

    3

    13

    18

    80

    BUCKLEY HALL

    11

    22

    149

    111

    197

    490

    BULLINGDON

    42

    16

    6

    23

    51

    138

    BULLWOOD HALL

    1

    8

    15

    1

    –

    25

    BURE

    5

    1

    0

    1

    0

    7

    CAMP HILL

    98

    52

    22

    1

    –

    173

    CANTERBURY

    22

    10

    21

    7

    –

    60

    CARDIFF

    19

    36

    7

    9

    14

    85

    CASTINGTON

    10

    11

    –

    –

    –

    21

    CHANNINGS WOOD

    64

    63

    15

    39

    34

    215

    CHELMSFORD

    42

    38

    11

    4

    4

    99

    COLDINGLEY

    37

    52

    42

    106

    34

    271

    COOKHAM WOOD

    6

    1

    1

    1

    0

    9

    DARTMOOR

    27

    16

    2

    11

    42

    98

    DEERBOLT

    3

    15

    2

    4

    25

    49

    DONCASTER(C)

    15

    6

    24

    182

    419

    646

    DORCHESTER

    20

    14

    8

    5

    1

    48

    DOVEGATE (C)

    5

    24

    15

    30

    51

    125

    DOVER

    14

    21

    10

    5

    2

    52

    DOWNVIEW

    5

    5

    2

    1

    0

    13

    DRAKE HALL

    10

    2

    3

    0

    4

    19

    DURHAM

    24

    41

    23

    20

    0

    108

    EAST SUTTON PARK

    1

    5

    4

    6

    1

    17

    EASTWOOD PARK

    3

    9

    1

    6

    9

    28

    EDMUNDS HILL

    25

    22

    –

    –

    –

    47

    ELMLEY

    45

    47

    53

    103

    308

    556

    ERLESTOKE

    62

    176

    137

    98

    83

    556

    EVERTHORPE

    50

    32

    26

    45

    19

    172

    EXETER

    14

    21

    15

    16

    7

    73

    FEATHERSTONE

    39

    29

    133

    42

    128

    371

    FELTHAM

    84

    65

    45

    22

    27

    243

    FORD

    61

    250

    200

    202

    270

    983

    FOREST BANK (C)

    122

    37

    105

    165

    258

    687

    FOSTON HALL

    0

    1

    2

    6

    2

    11

    FRANKLAND

    6

    2

    7

    0

    5

    20

    FULL SUTTON

    10

    4

    9

    2

    10

    35

    GARTH

    76

    32

    39

    33

    36

    216

    GARTREE

    14

    22

    65

    57

    20

    178

    GLEN PARVA

    2

    4

    8

    3

    4

    21

    GLOUCESTER

    1

    4

    3

    0

    –

    8

    GRENDON

    17

    10

    3

    0

    1

    31

    GUYS MARSH

    77

    182

    175

    54

    75

    563

    HASLAR

    0

    0

    2

    0

    0

    2

    HATFIELD

    10

    58

    154

    96

    104

    422

    HAVERIGG

    107

    134

    291

    172

    95

    799

    HEWELL

    76

    289

    335

    166

    366

    1232

    HIGHDOWN

    23

    68

    49

    61

    164

    365

    HIGHPOINT

    80

    55

    180

    203

    214

    732

    HINDLEY

    1

    4

    6

    1

    9

    21

    HOLLESLEY BAY

    193

    129

    90

    120

    59

    591

    HOLLOWAY

    7

    7

    10

    5

    8

    37

    HOLME HOUSE

    18

    15

    5

    9

    105

    152

    HULL

    23

    25

    13

    2

    2

    65

    HUNTERCOMBE

    2

    36

    9

    26

    34

    107

    ISIS

    8

    52

    39

    18

    4

    121

    ISLE OF WIGHT

    –

    –

    –

    0

    4

    4

    KENNET

    4

    5

    9

    8

    35

    61

    KINGSTON

    6

    0

    0

    0

    –

    6

    KIRKHAM

    273

    390

    493

    488

    526

    2170

    KIRKLEVINGTON GRANGE

    13

    15

    19

    9

    19

    75

    LANCASTER CASTLE

    18

    –

    –

    –

    –

    18

    LANCASTER FARMS

    89

    79

    25

    117

    92

    402

    LATCHMERE HOUSE

    69

    40

    –

    –

    –

    109

    LEEDS

    53

    59

    27

    8

    7

    154

    LEICESTER

    27

    26

    15

    9

    24

    101

    LEWES

    38

    46

    30

    51

    140

    305

    LEYHILL

    83

    27

    30

    49

    42

    231

    LINCOLN

    28

    33

    4

    1

    3

    69

    LINDHOLME

    164

    96

    145

    63

    70

    538

    LITTLEHEY

    13

    34

    4

    2

    7

    60

    LIVERPOOL

    138

    118

    88

    65

    15

    424

    LONG LARTIN

    12

    31

    77

    28

    34

    182

    LOW NEWTON

    0

    3

    0

    0

    1

    4

    LOWDHAM GRANGE (C)

    27

    10

    26

    24

    2

    89

    MAIDSTONE

    6

    34

    22

    26

    38

    126

    MANCHESTER

    41

    36

    23

    12

    8

    120

    MOORLAND

    111

    65

    13

    20

    52

    261

    MOORLAND OPEN

    10

    –

    –

    –

    –

    10

    MORTON HALL

    0

    4

    5

    2

    5

    16

    MOUNT

    86

    78

    182

    220

    111

    677

    NEW HALL

    2

    0

    1

    1

    0

    4

    NORTH SEA CAMP

    86

    63

    67

    61

    48

    325

    NORTHALLERTON

    0

    7

    3

    11

    –

    21

    NORTHUMBERLAND (C)

    –

    15

    109

    130

    170

    424

    NORWICH

    30

    15

    11

    18

    66

    140

    NOTTINGHAM

    11

    38

    17

    16

    136

    218

    OAKWOOD (C)

    0

    0

    33

    194

    181

    408

    ONLEY

    53

    68

    65

    85

    197

    468

    PARC (C)

    32

    79

    16

    16

    30

    173

    PARKHURST

    6

    8

    20

    16

    –

    50

    PENTONVILLE

    207

    199

    124

    149

    282

    961

    PETERBOROUGH (C)

    141

    145

    60

    44

    51

    441

    PORTLAND

    24

    6

    11

    10

    0

    51

    PRESCOED

    0

    2

    4

    4

    9

    19

    PRESTON

    18

    15

    9

    12

    98

    152

    RANBY

    90

    124

    300

    229

    261

    1004

    READING

    12

    25

    7

    5

    –

    49

    RISLEY

    72

    12

    37

    84

    30

    235

    ROCHESTER

    6

    10

    23

    60

    145

    244

    RYE HILL (C)

    42

    79

    70

    113

    71

    375

    SEND

    3

    12

    11

    13

    8

    47

    SHEPTON MALLET

    3

    7

    4

    1

    –

    15

    SHREWSBURY

    3

    0

    0

    0

    –

    3

    SPRING HILL

    12

    13

    34

    117

    104

    280

    STAFFORD

    12

    69

    14

    70

    7

    172

    STANDFORD HILL

    150

    186

    127

    270

    159

    892

    STOCKEN

    26

    12

    30

    11

    38

    117

    STOKE HEATH

    8

    28

    19

    44

    100

    199

    STYAL

    7

    7

    9

    13

    10

    46

    SUDBURY

    72

    120

    124

    134

    102

    552

    SWALESIDE

    100

    58

    107

    103

    241

    609

    SWANSEA

    2

    0

    1

    61

    2

    66

    SWINFEN HALL

    32

    44

    14

    10

    18

    118

    THAMESIDE (C)

    0

    0

    8

    98

    33

    139

    THORN CROSS

    74

    79

    84

    109

    141

    487

    USK

    2

    1

    1

    1

    3

    8

    VERNE

    67

    144

    161

    50

    3

    425

    WAKEFIELD

    1

    2

    3

    4

    4

    14

    WANDSWORTH

    157

    131

    119

    119

    163

    689

    WARREN HILL

    5

    10

    5

    0

    1

    21

    WAYLAND

    20

    30

    17

    15

    34

    116

    WEALSTUN

    57

    145

    155

    120

    330

    807

    WELLINGBOROUGH

    61

    195

    181

    1

    –

    438

    WERRINGTON

    12

    4

    9

    6

    7

    38

    WETHERBY

    5

    3

    5

    1

    2

    16

    WHATTON

    9

    1

    0

    3

    5

    18

    WHITEMOOR

    18

    28

    17

    9

    1

    73

    WINCHESTER

    39

    3

    31

    21

    9

    103

    WOLDS

    104

    96

    44

    23

    54

    321

    WOODHILL

    4

    58

    74

    64

    74

    274

    WORMWOOD SCRUBS

    141

    267

    39

    128

    248

    823

    WYMOTT

    58

    50

    11

    34

    52

    205

    Subtotal

    6758

    7786

    7301

    7451

    9745

    *April to December only.

    (C) denotes a privately operated prison

    Note: The following prisons closed during the reporting period:

    HMP Ashwell – April 2011

    HMP Lancaster Castle – March 2011

    HMP Latchmere House – April 2012

    HMP Wellingborough – December 2012

    HMP Bullwood Hall – March 2013

    HMP Canterbury – March 2013

    HMP Gloucester – March 2013

    HMP Kingston – March 2013

    HMP Shepton Mallet – March 2013

    HMP Dorchester – January 2014

    HMP Shrewsbury – March 2013

    HMP Camp Hill – March 2013

    HMP Blundeston – January 2014

    HMP Northallerton – January 2014

    HMP Reading – January 2014

    HMYOI Moorland Open was renamed HMYOI Hatfield in the autumn of 2010

    HMPs Acklington and Castington became HMP Northumberland in October 2011

    HMP Edmunds Hill merged into HMP Highpoint in July 2012

    HMPs Albany and Parkhurst became HMP Isle of Wight in February 2013

    All figures in this answer have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.

    We do not collect data on the number of detections of mobile phones and SIM cards in a way that would enable us to provide a meaningful rate of detection per prisoner.

  • Lord Naseby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Naseby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees what consultation there has been about the proposals for record copies of public acts to be printed on paper rather than vellum.

    Lord Laming

    The House of Lords agreed to cease using vellum for public Acts in 1999, with a resolution to that effect being passed on 14 October 1999. At that time, the change was not agreed by the House of Commons.

    Since then the House of Lords has continued to pay for the production of two copies of each public Act of Parliament, printed on vellum. (One copy is retained in the Parliamentary Archives; one copy is sent to the National Archives.) The Lords has done this even though it is not in accord with the October 1999 resolution of this House.

    In the past six years (2009/10 to 2014/15) the Lords has spent a total of £620,440 on vellum Acts; an average of just over £103,000 per year.

    This is despite the availability of archival paper which is of extremely high quality and durability. Private Acts of Parliament have been printed on archival quality paper since 1956, and I am not aware that vellum is now used for any other governmental or parliamentary records.

    The National Archives have confirmed the view they took in 1999; that they do not require a vellum copy, and that archival quality paper is sufficient to maintain the public record.

    Switching from vellum to high quality archival paper would, on a conservative estimate, save approximately 80% on current costs – or around £80,000 per year. The exact level of savings to public funds will depend on the number of Acts passed, and number of pages per Act, per year, and the precise specification and contractual arrangements agreed for future printing.

    As well as being an expensive raw material, vellum requires a highly specialised form of printing which is not widely available, the machinery for which is expensive to maintain, and which is likely to be more difficult to procure on the expiry of the House’s current printing contract in March 2016.

    As the start of a new Parliament seemed a natural point at which to implement the change previously agreed by this House, the main party Leaders, the Convenor and the Lord Speaker were consulted early in the present session, and the House Committee was informed in July 2015. I then wrote to the Chairman of the House of Commons Administration Committee on 17 September to invite that House to agree to the change.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on utilising existing airport capacity in the UK to 2030 in the last month.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I have regular meetings with airports, their industry bodies and other aviation partners.

    The Government set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework that we would be supportive of airports making best use of their existing capacity, provided economic and environmental impacts are taken into account.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Govia Thameslink Railway about whether it still intends to activate the Oyster card reader installed at Epsom station, and if so, when it intends to do so.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    There has been numerous discussions between my officials and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) on the franchise obligation to extend Oyster pay as you go and Contactless payment to Epsom. GTR is currently working with TfL closely to deliver this as soon as is practical and we are applying lessons learned from extending Oyster to Gatwick to extending Oyster to Epsom.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people did not have a National Insurance number on 31 March 2015.

    Priti Patel

    Information is not available on how many people did not have a National Insurance Number (NINo) on 31 March 2015 because not everyone needs, or is entitled to a NINo.

    The majority of UK Nationals are allocated a NINo by HMRC when they approach age 16.

    DWP is responsible for allocating NINos to adults, which mainly affects adults entering the UK from abroad. A NINo is only allocated when an individual requires one for employment purposes, where the individual has a legal right to work in the UK, or if there is entitlement to a Social Security Benefit/ Tax Credit or in order to be awarded a Student Loan.