Tag: 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 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions a child has made a complaints appeal to a monitor in (a) Hassockfield, (b) Medway, (c) Oakhill and (d) Rainsbrook secure training centre since each centre opened; and how many such appeals were upheld by the monitor.

    Andrew Selous

    We treat the allegations of abuse directed towards young people at the Medway Secure Training Centre (STC), run by G4S, with utmost seriousness. An independent improvement board has been put in place, to provide increased oversight, scrutiny and challenge of managerial arrangements, in particular in relation to the safeguarding of young people.

    The following table provided by the YJB shows the total number of complaints made by young people in Secure Training Centres, for each year between 2010 and 2015.

    Secure Training Centre

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    Medway

    195

    177

    224

    81

    185

    107

    Oakhill

    266

    122

    175

    141

    196

    199

    Rainsbrook

    239

    229

    287

    130

    173

    139

    Hassockfield*

    150

    202

    66

    123

    132

    0

    Total

    850

    730

    752

    475

    686

    445

    *Hassokfield STC shows zero complaints in 2015, this is due to its closure on 9 January 2015.

    * The figures for complaints are the number of grievances or criticisms made by young people placed to the establishment by the YJB on criminal matters that are formally reported to the provider using their recorded documentation (i.e. complaint forms) in the calendar month. The figures shown are not the same as the number of young people making complaints as one young person could make more than one complaint.

    The monitor reviews all complaints and their outcomes, and will intervene if a complaint is not being dealt with as it should be. If a child is not happy with the outcome of a complaint, they can appeal to the Monitor. Information on the number of appeals is not held centrally.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 8 February (HL5360) and the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hugo Swire, on 29 January (HC23512), whether the UK will act on the information that officials from a number of state institutions and ministries of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are responsible for possible crimes against humanity in North Korea, and ensure that there is no impunity for those accused of serious human rights violations.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As stated in the previous responses, we remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The UN Commission of Inquiry report highlighted the horrific human rights violations perpetrated by the regime, including details of officials from state institutions and ministries.

    The Government supports the principle that there must be no impunity for those accused of human rights violations and that crimes against humanity are appropriately investigated.

    We will continue to work with members of the international community through multilateral fora, including the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council, to ensure the regime is held to account for its appalling human rights record.

  • Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to permit exemptions to the proposed immigration skills charge for companies in the creative industries where such companies contribute through voluntary levies to the Creative Skillset Skills Investment Fund, or to the collective arrangements to fund training that are currently in force.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government is considering carefully the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations on the rate and scope of the Immigration Skills Charge. This includes considering the impact on sectors with other skills levies or charges in place. In advance of finalising the regulations that will introduce the charge from April 2017, we will take account of evidence about the likely impact on different types of organisation.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants from across all Government departments and at what grade have been seconded to the Cabinet Office Referendum Unit.

    John Penrose

    I refer my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden and the hon. Member for Clacton to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Albans on 18 April 2016 to UIN: 32678.

    The cost of the secretariat, including the Referendum Unit, will be accounted for in the Department’s annual report and accounts.

  • Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a decision on the proposed conversion of Class 801 Intercity Express Programme units to bi-mode diesel operation.

    Claire Perry

    Following the receipt of a formal proposal from Agility Trains West Ltd, My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport has now approved the conversion of the 21 Class 801 Intercity Express Programme units scheduled for deployment on the Great Western to bi-mode operation. This will enable passengers in the South West and Wales to benefit as soon as possible from brand new trains which will deliver more capacity and more comfort. The first 36 trains will be bi-mode as planned.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-07-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call by Amnesty International for an investigation into the missile attack on Camp Liberty on 4 July.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We strongly condemn the attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on 4 July. We are aware of Amnesty International’s call for an investigation into the attack and we have publically called on the Government of Iraq to investigate the attack and bring the attackers to justice.

  • Lord Moonie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Moonie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 19 September (HL1756), how many British nationals they estimate are long-term residents in Italy; how many UK consular offices there are in Italy; when those consular offices ceased renewing passports for British nationals; how many renewals there were in the last year during which this service was provided; and how many emergency travel documents the Rome or Milan offices have issued in the past year.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    1. In 2015 the UN, in their ‘Trends in International Migrant Stock: Migrants by Destination and Origin’ report, estimated that 64,986 British people were living in Italy.
    2. As of October 2016 we have two permanent Consular Offices in Rome and Milan. These offices are supported by a network of five Honorary Consuls operating in Venice, Genoa, Catania (Sicily), Cagliari and Naples.
    3. The processing of passport renewal applications from Italy was transferred to the Regional Passport Processing Centre in Paris in 2009. On 1 April 2011 an accord was signed between FCO and the Home Office to transfer responsibility for overseas passports to the Identity and Passport Service, now known as Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO). The transition of application processing from the Regional Passport Processing Centre in Paris to HMPO began in June 2013. This included all applications made from Italy. This process concluded in March 2014. As part of this process, all records were transferred to HMPO, and the FCO does not hold records of the numbers of passports issued overseas.
    4. In 2015 we issued 1,261 emergency travel documents from our Consular offices in Italy. 83 of those emergency travel documents were issued because of expired passports.
  • Baroness Corston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Baroness Corston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees when the current contract for floristry services is due for renewal.

    Lord Laming

    The floristry services contract is due for re-tender ahead of the expiration of the current contract, in September 2017.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will suspend their new policy, announced on 6 February, on charitable sector campaigning, in the light of the announcement by the Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock MP that the sector would face additional restrictions on such activity, so as to allow time for parliamentary debate on this issue.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The announcement on 6 February was on a new clause for all government grant agreements. It is not specific to Charities.

  • Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a full list of the subjects for which the equivalent or lower qualifications rule will be relaxed, as announced in the 2015 Spending Review and Autumn Statement.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    Part time students studying for a second degree in subjects allied to medicine; biological sciences; veterinary sciences, agriculture and related subjects; physical sciences; and mathematical sciences will be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the 2017/18 academic year. These are in addition to the exemption for part time technology, computer science and engineering degrees introduced in 2015/16. Subject lists below these broad headings are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency at https://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/content/article?id=1787

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