Tag: Andy Slaughter

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 on the operation of the new arrangements for obtaining medical reports in road traffic claims of the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab

The measures announced in the Autumn Statement build on the Government’s previous reforms including, in particular, the MedCo system for obtaining independent medical reports which remains integral to the Government’s approach to tackling abuses in the whiplash claims process.

The Government will consult on the detail of the new measures in due course and the consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will meet with representative bodies of people acting for personal injury complainants to discuss the outcome of his discussions with the insurance industry; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab

The Government continues to work with a wide range of stakeholders in taking forward the whiplash reform package announced by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement in November 2015. Officials met with representative bodies for claimant solicitors in December 2015 and a ministerial meeting is planned for the end of January 2016. They will have a further opportunity to comment when we consult on the detail of the reforms in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 20908, on prisons: discipline, for what reasons the listed additional days were added.

Andrew Selous

The table attached shows the numbers of awards of additional days in each prison establishment as a result of adjudications in each year since 2010, setting out the numbers in the main categories of breach of prison discipline.

Violence in prison has increased in recent years. The nature of offenders currently in custody and the widespread availability of new psychoactive substances have both contributed to making prisons less safe. There is no single, simple solution to improving safety in prisons but we are making progress.

We are trialling the use of body worn cameras and training sniffer dogs to detect New Psychoactive Substances. We have made it an offence to smuggle New Psychoactive Substance into prison, but ultimately the only way to reduce violence in prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively reform and rehabilitate offenders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2016 to Question 22715, what monitoring is done to ensure that youth court magistrates deal fairly with those who appear before them.

Mr Shailesh Vara

All magistrates are selected against published criteria and take an oath to “do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will.” Under the Magistrates’ National Training Initiative, magistrates’ appraisals are conducted on a triennial basis. Youth Magistrates are appraised against a specific competence framework which includes for example, a requirement to demonstrate knowledge of diversity and fair treatment issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff employed in each young offender institution are qualified speech and language therapists.

Andrew Selous

The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

The Youth Justice Board is responsible for commissioning and oversight of the secure youth estate. The Youth Justice Board funds dedicated social workers at each under-18 Young Offender Institution (YOI). All young people undergo a health and education assessment upon arrival into custody, whilst all staff undergo training in child and adolescent development and safeguarding.

Under-18 YOI providers should ensure that they meet the needs of all detained persons including those with Special Education and Needs (SEN) requirements, and that all staff are suitably qualified to support young people and make referrals to other specialist support where this is appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any members of the (a) National Tactical Response Group and (b) Tornado Teams have been injured during a call out in the last two years.

Andrew Selous

The number of National Tactical Response Team (NTRG) members who have been injured during a callout over the last 2 years is set out in the table below

No central records are held in respect of any injuries to Tornado staff, and this information cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners were BAME in (a) 2010 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Andrew Selous

Some 21,917 prisoners (26% of the prison population) declared themselves BAME as at 31 December 2015, compared with 23,657 (28%) on 30 June 2010.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 January 2016, WS499, how much the Government spent on work on the criminal legal aid tendering process before deciding not to go ahead with that process.

Mr Shailesh Vara

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) knife, (b) shiv, (c) shank, (d) chib and (e) another slang word for a blade were recorded on the Incident Report System in HM Prison Oakwood in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Andrew Selous

The information requested, in respect of each of these four questions, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many rape incidents have occurred in each prison establishment in each month since May 2010.

Andrew Selous

NOMs collects data on all sexual assaults, but does not separate these into type of assault. Our annual Safety in Custody Statistical Bulletin contains information on the overall numbers of sexual assaults (see table 3.9 in the link https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/495430/safety-in-custody-assaults-dec-2014.xls).

We are committed to running safe prisons. We treat any assault extremely seriously and are working hard to reduce levels of violence in our prisons.

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