Tag: Andy Sawford

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the localisation of council tax support on the operation and activities of parish and town councils.

Brandon Lewis

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 5 February 2014, Official Report, Column 19-21WS, which sets out clearly the Government’s intention that the element of localised council tax support funding provided to local authorities which reflects reductions in town and parish tax bases should be passed down to those councils.

I additionally wrote to Leaders of billing authorities on this issue on 6 January and 21 February 2014.

The design and management of council tax support schemes is a local matter, and it is for local councils to work together to ensure that any relevant impacts are understood and taken into account.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that council tax support funding is passed on from billing authorities to parish and town councils in 2014-15.

Brandon Lewis

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 5 February 2014, Official Report, Column 19-21WS, which sets out clearly the Government’s intention that the element of localised council tax support funding provided to local authorities which reflects reductions in town and parish tax bases should be passed down to those councils.

I additionally wrote to Leaders of billing authorities on this issue on 6 January and 21 February 2014.

The design and management of council tax support schemes is a local matter, and it is for local councils to work together to ensure that any relevant impacts are understood and taken into account.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the performance of Queen’s Park Community Council since its establishment on 1 April 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis

We have not made an assessment of the performance of the new Queen’s Park Community Council since its establishment on 1 April. The new council had its first elections on 22 May 2014 and it is therefore still very early in the life of the council. Unlike the last Labour Government, we do not micro-manage the performance of councils.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department provided to billing authorities for council tax support schemes in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Brandon Lewis

The Government provided £3.3 billion to local authorities for localised council tax support in 2013-14 and has made available the same amount in 2014-15.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times an escaped person has been categorised as a high harm person and the senior management team believe there is a high risk of reputational damage to the Home Office as set out in the Home Office Guidance on Escaped Detainees at immigration removal centres in the last four years.

Karen Bradley

The Home Office does not routinely categorise immigration detainees against a
scale of harm. They are instead subject to individual risk assessment linked
to their suitability for placement in an immigration removal centre (IRC) which is
based on a number of different factors.

Where an escape or attempted escape from an IRC takes place, Criminal and
Financial Investigation (CFI) immigration specialist teams will assist in the
investigation where the individual is assessed to be a ‘high harm’ person, or
where the senior management team believe there is a high risk of reputational
damage to the Home Office.

In the last four years the CFI team has conducted two investigations relating
to escapes of individuals from escort who were assessed to fit the
investigation criteria. There have not been any cases of escapes from an IRC
which have warranted the involvement of the CFI.

This data is management information and does not form part of published
statistics and is not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National
Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of detainees who have escaped from detention or from escort in each of the last four years have been returned to detention.

James Brokenshire

The proportion of detainees who have escaped from detention or from escort in each of the last four years who have been returned to detention is 37% (7) of 19 detainees. One detainee was not returned to detention but located overseas. Major changes to the estate since 2010 have included the closure of the lower security site at Oakington Reception Centre in November 2010 and increased capacity at the higher security centre at Harmondsworth in July 2010. The management information above has been reached by the examination of individual records. It does not form part of published statistics and is not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Gold Suite has been opened at each Immigration Removal Centre in England and Wales in the last year; and what the nature was of each incident that caused it to be opened.

Karen Bradley

The Home Office command suite structure for the management of serious
incidents is based on the model operated by the Prison Service. Silver Command
Suites are opened in the establishment where the incident occurred.

A Gold Command Suite is opened in Prison Service Headquarters for incidents
where the Home Office requests mutual assistance from the Prison Service and is
attended by a Home Office senior manager.

Any other serious incident, which does not require mutual assistance but
requires ongoing management, is dealt with by opening a Gold Command Suite at
Detention Operations headquarters.

The number of times Silver Suites have been opened in the past year in
immigration removal centres is detailed in the table below for January 2013
to March 2014 and is provided in line with the data periods for published statistics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Immigration Removal Centre detainees have (a) escaped from detention, (b) escaped whilst being escorted and (c) attempted to escape each IRC in the last four years; and how many such people are still at large.

Karen Bradley

Escapes from immigration removal centres and while under escort are a subset of
published statistics. The following table shows absconds for the financial
years 2010/11-2013/14.

Information on attempted escapes is not held centrally and could only be
provided by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Eleven of those individuals recorded as escaped 2010/11-2013/14 have not been
located.

The police are informed immediately when a detainee has escaped and the
individual’s details are recorded on the Police National Computer should the
individual be apprehended at a later date.

People leaving detention by place of last detention, absconded 2010/11-2013/14 (financial year) (1)(2).

Year	Absconded
2010/2011
Absconded from centre	5
Absconded from escorts	3
Total	8
2011/2012
Absconded from centre	3
Absconded from escorts	3
Total	6
2012/2013
Absconded from centre	4
Absconded from escorts	1
Total	5
2013/2014
Absconded from centre	0
Absconded from escorts	0
Total	0

(1) Data from 2011/12 onwards are provisional.

(2) Total detainees are those detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers and exclude those in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.