Tag: Andy Slaughter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 30955, what the financial and other practical implications are of the UK joining the EU Consortium to support the construction of small-scale infrastructure in Area C.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has allocated £900,000 for the development of basic social infrastructure in areas which have an outline plan in the approval process, through an EU multi-donor programme. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether changes have been made to the immigration rules in the last four years in relation to the use of property interference powers by immigration officers.

James Brokenshire

There has been no change in Immigration Rules in relation to the use of property interference by immigration officers. Part III Sections 55(1) and (2) of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 amended the Police Act 1997 and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) in 2013 to empower officials within the Home Office exercising immigration functions to seek authority for property interference solely for the purpose of preventing and detecting serious crime. Immigration removal centres themselves cannot seek property interference authorisations.

The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) scrutinise every application for property interference made by immigration officers upon authorisation and also retrospectively oversee any use of the power to ensure compliance. The OSC publish an annual report, which refers to the overall use of these powers by public authorities including the Home Office.

The Home Office does not provide information on individual Immigration Removal Centres visited by the OSC, or investigations carried out within them.

The Investigatory Powers Bill will replace the current oversight regime with a powerful In-vestigatory Powers Commissioner who will have the support, powers, resources and tech-nical expertise to continue to ensure that these powers are being used fully in accordance with the law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of women in prison.

Caroline Dinenage

As the Prime Minister has made clear, this government is committed to improving the treatment of female offenders. We are looking into options including tagging, problem solving courts and alternative resettlement units to improve our care for female offenders. This is particularly important if they are pregnant or have young children.

We are working with local areas to encourage a more effective joined-up multi-agency approach to address the often complex needs of female offenders. We have awarded £200k in grant funding to pilot the development of these partnership models. It is hoped that this early intervention will allow the diversion of some offenders and the use of robust alternatives to custody, where appropriate.

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 effect on VAT receipts of changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 before making that announcement; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on funding for the UK’s life sciences sector.

Mr Robin Walker

The Government recognises the importance of our research base, which is why we have protected the science budget in real terms from its current level of £4.7 bn for the rest of the parliament.

The referendum result has no immediate effect on the right of researchers to apply to or participate in EU research programmes. We remain a part of the EU until negotiations are concluded. While the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU arrangements continue unchanged. UK participants, including those researching mental health issues, can continue to apply to programmes in the usual way. The future of UK access to these programmes is one of many issues to be addressed in our EU negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy have been notified to the Horizon Scanning Research and Intelligence Centre in the last 12 months.

Nicola Blackwood

In the last 12 months, the National Institute for Health Research Horizon Scanning Research and Intelligence Centre has identified and added to its database the following technologies for which Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an indication:

– ezutromid;

– FG-3019;

– follistatin;

– halofuginone hydrobromide;

– SRP-4045;

– SRP-4053; and

– vamorolone.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of changes to his Department’s policies on (a) the provision of secure colleges, (b) prohibiting prisoners from receiving books, (c) the sale of HM Courts and Tribunal Service, (d) Saudi prison contracts and (e) the timetable for the tender for criminal defence work.

Andrew Selous

I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 13074 on 7th December 2015. There was never any plan to sell HM Courts and Tribunals Service. There is no cost to the public purse from the delay to implementation of new criminal legal aid contracts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times he has met (a) insurance companies and (b) personal injury law firms in the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin

Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of companies and organisations to discuss relevant issues.

As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates there were on 1 April (a) 1989, (b) 1994, (c) 2000, (d) 2005, (e) 2010, (f) 2014 and (g) 2015.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The requested information that is recorded is provided in the table below. Data for 1989 is not recorded. The reduction in the number of magistrates reflects the reduction in the workload in the adult criminal court. The role of a magistrate remains a sought after one and competition for vacancies tends to be strong.

1994	30,054
2000	30,308
2005	28,253
2010	28,607
2014	21,626
2015	19,634

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 18873, which companies provided the agency workers to cover operational uniformed staff in each month; and how much was paid to those companies.

Andrew Selous

We only use temporary staff to fill business critical posts and essential frontline services where they can provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not currently available in-house. We continue to examine our use of consultants and agency staff to find savings where possible. We have committed to reducing our back office and administrative budget by 50% by 2020.

The company which provided the agency workers to cover operational uniformed costs in each month was Hays. £46,424,119 was paid to thembetween January 2014 and October 2015.