The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons he intends to close; and what consultation is taking place or is planned to take place on those closures.
Andrew Selous
No decisions have yet been made on which prisons will be closed. After the announcement of a closure, the Ministry of Justice will work actively with stakeholders to ensure that we manage the local impact of a prison closure.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has made to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with regards to the Calais refugee camp.
James Brokenshire
The management of the migrant camps in Calais is the responsibility of the French Government. This includes decisions on whether to involve any particular organisation in the camps’ management.
The UK Government notes however the welcome given by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to the joint declaration to address the issues in Calais signed by the UK and France on 20 August 2015. The UNHCR welcomed the plan to move migrants away from Calais to suitable facilities elsewhere in France and the effort to identify those vulnerable to trafficking, particularly women and children. Both Governments agree with the UNHCR that Calais is a symptom of the wider migration issue facing Europe, which must be addressed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement of 1 December 2014, HC Deb, 46W, what assessment he has made of the performance of the pilot scheme allowing individuals to be summoned rather than arrests being made at night.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
On 2 June, the Minister of State, my noble Friend, The Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE met the Israeli Military Advocate General and discussed the pilot scheme allowing individuals to be summoned rather than be arrested at night. We understand that the scheme has functioned well and has been used in a significant proportion of arrests. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to push for further progress on the issue of children held in military detention with Israeli officials. On 23 November, an official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv met Israel’s Chief Prosecutor and discussed the issue of child detention and on 27 August, our Ambassador to Tel Aviv lobbied the Israeli Military Advocate General on Children in Detention where the issue of child detention was also discussed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates’ courts opened in each local justice area in each year since 2010.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The tables below show magistrates’ courts that have opened since 2010. Each of these new courts replaced multiple smaller facilities, providing modern and efficient premises in place of buildings which were unfit for purpose.
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2011 |
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Westminster Magistrates Court |
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2012 |
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Aberystwyth Justice Centre |
|
Chelmsford Magistrates Court |
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Colchester Magistrates Court |
|
Newport Magistrates Court |
It is not possible to present the above sites by their local justice areas as many local justice area boundaries change over time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether discussions are still taking place between UK and Saudi officials under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2014.
Dominic Raab
No work has been undertaken by the Ministry of Justice as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding. No discussions are taking place between the Ministry of Justice and Saudi officials under the terms of the Memorandum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take to ensure new litigants in person as a result of changes to personal injury laws and procedures announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 are able to meet the requirements of the personal injury portal.
Dominic Raab
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 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of the recommendation of the Low Commission to establish a national advice and legal support fund funded through annual contributions from his Department, the Cabinet Office, the Big Lottery Fund and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Ministry of Justice welcomes the work done by the Low Commission in producing its reports and recommendations, and we recognise the importance of advice being available in all contexts.
As the Justice Secretary said in June, we want to create a one nation justice system, and we are considering how this can be taken forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the insurance industry provided to his Department an estimate of by how much motor insurance premiums would reduce before they took effect as a consequence of the changes introduced by the Jackson reforms of the civil justice system and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; and if he will make a statement.
Dominic Raab
The civil litigation funding and costs reforms, which came into effect in April 2013, were intended to control the costs of civil litigation which had risen unsustainably. The insurance industry confirmed that motor insurance premiums would fall as a consequence but did not provide an estimate of the likely reduction.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22665, which ministers visited Medway Secure Training Centre on which dates.
Andrew Selous
Available records show that Medway Secure Training Centre was visited by the current prisons Minister, Andrew Selous, on 18 September 2014 and by the previous prisons Minister, Jeremy Wright, on 5 November 2012. The former Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling also visited on 20 November 2012.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support he is providing to the Inside Out programme run by Durham University.
Mr Shailesh Vara
We want prisons to be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn and for prison staff to prioritise education and work.
The Inside Out programme run by Durham University in selected north east prisons during 2014-15 is an excellent example of an innovative local partnership, aimed at higher level prisoner learners.
The National Offender Management Service supported the programme through re-prioritising prison staff resources to make sure the learning could take place.