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Tag: 2015

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what access foreign security services have in the UK to CCTV cameras with facial recognition and biometric tracking capabilities.

    Mike Penning

    I have received no representations about the use of CCTV cameras with facial recognition and biometric tracking capabilities.

    The use of any CCTV system operating in a public place in England and Wales (whether or not any facial recognition or biometric tracking technology is being used) is subject to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, issued as guidance under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The police, as a relevant authority, are duty bound to have regard to the Code when performing their functions. Any use of such technology for covert investigative purposes by a public authority would be subject to the requirements of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and its related Code of Practice. Further, the use and disclosure of personal data, such as CCTV images, is generally governed by the Data Protection Act 1998.

    Information on the fields of data which any CCTV system operator may use to identify individuals of interest is not held centrally. Further, any person (including those not suspected of an offence) may make a subject access request to a police force in respect of personal information which is held about them (including CCTV images). In broad terms, pursuant to the Code of Practice on the Management of Police Information (MOPI) and accompanying guidance published by the College of Policing, this should trigger a review of whether or not to delete such material based on an assessment of danger to the public and its value for policing purposes.

    It is the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stephen Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, further to the Answer of 9 October 2015 to Question 11183, if he will estimate the market value of the freehold buildings used by Grantham Magistrates’ Court.

    Caroline Dinenage

    There is no estimate of the market value of Grantham Magistrates’ Court. No decision has been taken to close the court.

    Disposal strategies will be developed once a decision is made on individual courts following the outcome of consultation.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communications of the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.

    As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.

    The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and, electronic surveillance and equipment interference, when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.

    It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to make an assessment of the case for an Eastern Branch of Crossrail 2 serving Hackney Central, Hackney Wick, Stratford, East Ham and Barking.

    Claire Perry

    No Government decision has yet been taken on Crossrail 2 and the alignment is principally a matter for the Mayor of London.

    The recently established National Infrastructure Commission have been tasked with work to establish the best approach to large-scale investment in London’s transport infrastructure which may have implications for Crossrail 2 going forward. They will provide advice to Government by Budget 2016.

  • Nick Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nick Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that fans buying tickets for sporting and cultural events are not disadvantaged by organised gangs of online touts in the secondary ticket market.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Government announced last week that Professor Michael Waterson has been appointed to chair the independent review of consumer protection measures in the secondary ticket market. The review will look into existing protections for consumers and how tickets come to be available on the secondary market.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the economic benefit of investment in the arts over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government recognises the important contribution the arts makes to the economy, For every £1 of gross value added generated by the arts and culture industry, an additional £1.43 of gross added value is generated in the wider UK economy (The Contribution of the Arts and Culture to the National Economy,Centre for Economics and Business Research). Activities within arts and culture can provide direct employment to commercial creative industries organisations – the number of jobs in the creative industries sector is now 1.8 million.

    It is important to note that the contribution of arts is not just about the economic benefits, and there is also considerable evidence that culture has the capacity to improve health and wellbeing, educational attainment, and community cohesion.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made on human rights in China.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China and outline a range of our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

    Bilaterally, we are one of only a few countries to maintain an annual human rights dialogue with China: the most recent dialogue was in Beijing in April. Ministers also consistently raise human rights issues. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised the matter of detained lawyers during his visit to China in August. I raised concerns over a proposed draft non-government organisation law with Ambassador Liu Xiaoming in June.

    We also make representations through international mechanisms. In a statement to the Human Rights Council on 21 September, the UK made clear that it remained concerned by reports of the detention of human rights lawyers since 9 July 2015, and urged the Chinese authorities to release these lawyers.

  • John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Baron on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of chronic loneliness among older people on demand for GP appointments in (a) England and (b) Basildon and Billericay constituency.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has not carried out an assessment of the impact of loneliness in England or in Basildon and Billericay. The Campaign to End Loneliness report Loneliness: the State We’re In (2012) demonstrated that loneliness has a very negative impact on health. Research identified by the Campaign to End Loneliness has shown it has an effect on mortality that is similar in size to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is worse for us than obesity. Loneliness and social isolation is also associated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, poor sleep and depression.

    The Government has not made an assessment of the steps the National Health Service and local authorities have taken to tackle loneliness. Given the complexity of loneliness and the different ways that people are affected there is no single solution that can tackle loneliness and having a range of interventions and solutions is helpful. The Department has funded the Social Care Institute for Excellence to develop and run the Prevention Library which includes examples of emerging practice to prevent, reduce or delay peoples care and support needs from deteriorating. This includes examples of what NHS bodies and local authorities have done to tackle loneliness such as the NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group Living Well programme and LinkAge supported by Bristol City Council.

    Prevention is core to the Government’s approach to people managing their health and care needs. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health set out in his speech to the Local Government Association on 1 July that we all have a responsibility at an individual, family, and community level to identify people with care needs such as loneliness and provide support and improve their wellbeing.

    Through the Care Act 2014 the Government has placed a duty on local authorities to have measures in place to identify people in their area who would benefit from universal services to help reduce, delay or prevent needs for care and support. This includes needs that may arise from loneliness and social isolation.

    The Department has supported a ‘digital toolkit’ for local commissioners, which was developed by the Campaign to End Loneliness, and is now incorporated in their guidance Loneliness and Isolation: Guidance for Local Authorities and Commissioners. This supports commissioners in understanding, mapping and commissioning for loneliness and social isolation in their communities, and includes promising approaches to tackling loneliness.

    We are building a better understanding of how prevention can maintain people’s wellbeing and the evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions is expanding. Through the Prevention Library local authorities can learn from emerging practice, and exchange ideas and experience of the impact of information, advice and befriending services.

  • Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons humanitarian organisations do not operate inside the refugee camps at Calais.

    James Brokenshire

    The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including the involvement of any particular organisation, is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK has, however, provided specific financial assistance to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the camps. This project was agreed by the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister in the UK-France Joint Declaration of August 2015. The project aims to increase observation in the camps to identify vulnerable migrants including those who may be victims of human trafficking; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system.

  • Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Tyrie on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much Chichester (a) County Court, (b) Crown Court and (c) Combined Court Centre collected in court fees in the 2014-15 financial year.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Court fees of £0.5m were collected in County Court and the Combined Court Centre in Chichester in 2014-15 financial year. This figure is net of fee remissions. Court fees were not payable in the Crown Courts during 2014-15 so no court fees were taken.