Tag: Andy Slaughter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hostage incidents in which a (a) prison officer and (b) prisoner was taken hostage have taken place in each prison establishment since January 2010.

Andrew Selous

Violence in prisons has increased in recent years. These figures demonstrate that the Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary are right and out prisons badly need reform.

We are already trialling the use of body worn cameras in prisons, training sniffer dogs to detect new psychoactive substances and have made it an offence to smuggle new psychoactive substances into prison. However, ultimately the only way to reduce violence in our prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively rehabilitate offenders.

Hostage incidents are rare occurrences. The table attached provides details of hostage incidents, broken down by establishment and victim type.

Note: These figures have been drawn from the NOMS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last case the figures may not be accurate to that level.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he made prior to his announcement in the Autumn Statement 2015 of the effect on VAT receipts of changes to personal injury law and procedure; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

It is too early to say what the impact will be since there is still work in progress. The Government will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to ensure independent verification for the evidence on which it has proposed changes to personal injury law and procedure.

Dominic Raab

The government received and analysed data from numerous sources prior to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. It will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course and the consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from the UN High Commissioner on human rights and political prisoners in Bahrain and on the implications for UK policy on Bahrain of the human rights situation in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We regularly discuss human rights concerns with the UN Office for the High Commissioner on Human Rights. On 3 March 2016, Baroness Anelay spoke to the High Commissioner in advance of the 31st session of the Human Rights Council.

The UK continues to encourage and support the Government of Bahrain in ensuring full implementation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry recommendations, as well as those accepted in their UN Universal Periodic Review. We are offering UK assistance to help them achieve this and believe our approach is the most constructive way to achieve long-lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any Government ministers have requested that the sentences of (a) Ali al Nimr, (b) Dawood al Mahroon and (c) Abdullah al Zaher be commuted.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are very concerned about the cases of Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdallah al-Zaher. We have raised these cases with the Saudi Arabian authorities, most recently on 12 March, at a very senior level. Our expectation remains that they will not be executed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Government has spent during Public Law Project v The Lord Chancellor [2015] EWCA Civ 1193, 25 November 2015.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The Government is disappointed with the decision of the Supreme Court in the judicial review of the civil legal aid residence test. We will now wait for the full written judgement to consider.

To date, the Ministry of Justice has spent £152,196.50 (excluding VAT) in legal fees in proceedings in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in Public Law Project v The Lord Chancellor.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish his Department’s post-implementation review of tribunal fees.

Dominic Raab

Following public consultation, the government introduced fees in Employment Tribunals as a way of reducing the burden on the taxpayer and to encourage parties to seek alternative ways of resolving their disputes.

On 11 June 2015, we announced the start of the post-implementation review of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals. The review will report in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38441, what estimate he has made of the date by which all prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection whose tariffs have expired will be released.

Andrew Selous

The sentence of IPP was introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 for offences committed after April 2005. They were abolished in 2012 by the Coalition Government.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not disaggregate spending on IPP prisoners from spending on all prisoners.

It is a priority for us to help remaining IPP prisoners progress towards release, when it is safe to do so, including by giving them opportunities to complete relevant interventions and work to reduce their risk of harm and risk of reoffending.

The ongoing work to improve progression opportunities is continuing to achieve results, with 512 IPP releases approved by the Parole Board in 2015, the highest number of annual releases since the sentence became available in 2005.

The release dates of prisoners serving IPP sentences, once they have completed their tariff, is entirely a matter for the independent Parole Board. The Board will direct release only if prisoners’ risks have been reduced to a level that may be safely managed in the community.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the reasons for recent reductions in the number of cases brought by women in employment tribunals.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The review we are currently undertaking on Employment Tribunals fees is assessing the impact that the introduction of fees has had on proceedings in the Employment Tribunals, including in relation to characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010.

We expect to announce the conclusion of the review in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to retain current inward investors in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands

The UK remains the most attractive place in Europe to invest in. As well as attracting new projects, this Department already focuses substantial effort on retention of our existing investors and supporting them to grow and remain in the UK to maximise wealth creation. On 5^th September 2016, the Directorate General within DIT responsible for inward investment moved to a new, more focussed operating model to deliver inward investment, which will push this agenda and provide more focussed support than ever before to retain our inward investors.