Tag: Andy Slaughter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what evidence his Department has received in support of allegations that the Bahrain Ombudsman’s investigation into Mohammad Ramadan’s has not met international minimum standards for a torture investigation; and what assessment he has made of that evidence.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The United Nations Convention Against Torture requires all states to conduct prompt and impartial investigations into allegations of torture within their jurisdiction. We therefore welcome the Ombudsman’s decision to conduct an investigation into the complaints regarding Mohammad Ramadan, and await the outcome of the investigation. Since the announcement of the Ombudsman’s investigation, we have received non-governmental organisation representations regarding these allegations, and are aware of similar representations made to the Ombudsman. We take all such allegations seriously. It is therefore important that investigations into allegations of torture are prompt and impartial, and we are encouraging the Ombudsman to carry out a swift investigation.

The Bahraini Ombudsman is an independent oversight institution, and we will continue to follow and support its work. I raised the case of Mohammad Ramadan with the Bahraini Ambassador on 8 March, and our Embassy Manama officials have raised the progress of the investigation several times directly with the Ombudsman’s office, the most recent being 4 August.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to take steps in response to recent allegations made by a former employee of the Legal Aid Agency about irregularities regarding the staffing and process in assessing duty tender bids.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The individual making these allegations was a member of temporary staff employed in a junior role. Tenders were awarded following a rigorous and fair process

Assessors received comprehensive training, which included a face-to-face instructor-led interactive workshop, undertaken by a permanent member of staff with specific experience of the tender process. This also included undertaking practical exercises in tender evaluation and bid-comparison processes, such as consideration of model answers to assure consistency in assessment. Furthermore, the entire process was subject to careful moderation and management.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners undergoing a transition from male to female gender have been placed in the female estate prior to receiving legal recognition of that change of gender.

Caroline Dinenage

This information is not held centrally and as my Honourable Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation, committed to the House on 20 November, my Department will publish data on the number of trans people in prison in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposals to revise the costs capping scheme for environmental legal challenges on the UK’s ability to meet the requirement in the EU Public Participation Directive for claimants to have prior certainty in relation to costs protection.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The Government’s proposals to revise the costs capping scheme for environmental legal challenges in England and Wales have been brought forward in light of recent developments in case law. Following those judgments the Government has made an assessment and considers there to be scope for introducing measured adjustments to the current regime within the framework of EU law, including the Public Participation Directive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Israeli government on the provision of services to communities of different ethnicities in the Negev region.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to demonstrate our concern by regularly visiting the Bedouin communities. They have raised the issue of provision of services with the Arab Affairs Officer in the Prime Minister’s Office and will continue to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support he has made available to enable people with learning disabilities to serve on juries in the last five years.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Jury service is one of the most important civic duties that anyone can be asked to perform. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is committed to ensuring that the public are provided with the necessary support to fulfil this duty where possible.

Jurors are asked in advance to let HMCTS know if they have any special requirements as a result of disability or other special needs. Where courts are informed about a potential juror’s particular needs, HMCTS will make adjustments that can reasonably be made to enable them to carry out their jury service.

HMCTS does not retain records of such requests and is unable to provide data of such instances in the last five years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason Community rehabilitation companies workforce information report: Q2 2015 to 2016 statistics were cancelled for release.

Andrew Selous

The Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) Workforce Information Report provided information on staffing within the CRCs when they were under public sector management. The final edition was published on 26 February 2015 and provided information as at 31 December 2014. The 21 CRCs became private companies on 1 February 2015 and are therefore now responsible for the management of their own staffing levels. At that time future editions of the Workforce Information Report, for which publication had been pre-announced, were cancelled.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my statement of 5 January on Saudi Arabia, Official Report, column 93. The British Government is concerned about the executions of 47 people over the New Year. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi authorities. I did so most recently on 4 January. We use the strength of our relationship to encourage reform.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the number of court staff and resources required in the cases involving litigants in personal injury claims of changes to personal injury laws and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015; and if he will make a statement.

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 he has made of the potential effect of changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the number of litigants in person in personal injury claims; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab

The Government received and analysed data from numerous sources when formulating the announcement in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. We will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders including other Government Departments, solicitors and insurers in taking forward the new reform package. The Government will consult on the detail of these measures in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.