Tag: Andy Slaughter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what budget his Department has allocated to the National Tactical Response Group for each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous

The budget allocation for National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) is set out in the table below.

These figures include pay and non-pay items (including training materials, operational incident consumables and vehicle costs). It is not possible to retrieve the 2010 data information within the time available. The resource allocation for 2016-17 is yet to be confirmed.

NTRG Budget
2011-12	1.6m
2012-13	1.6m
2013-14	1.7m
2014-15	1.8m
2015-16	1.8m

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what mechanism any savings made by insurance companies as a result of a change to the small claims limit for soft tissue road traffic accident injuries will be passed on to policyholders.

Harriett Baldwin

The pricing of insurance products is a commercial matter for individual insurers in which the Government does not seek to intervene. The motor insurance market is intensely competitive and the Government therefore expects that the insurance industry will pass on savings to consumers.

Some insurers have already committed to pass on all savings to consumers as a result of the proposed changes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Saudi Arabian authorities on the cases of (a) Raif Badaw, (b) Waleed Abu al-Khair and (c) Ashraf Fayadh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are aware of, and concerned by, the cases of Raif Badawi, Waleed Abu al-Khair, and Ashraf Fayadh. We have raised the cases of Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair with the Saudi Arabian authorities and we continue to use suitable opportunities to raise our concerns over all these cases. We do not expect Mr Badawi to receive the lashes he has been sentenced to receive. We strongly support freedom of expression in every country and regularly make the Saudi Arabian authorities aware of our views.

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 on income to insurance companies 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 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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to proposed changes in personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what assessment he has made of the level of potential reduction in recoupment of social security benefits paid to personal injury victims following such changes; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson

DWP officials have been working with the Ministry of Justice to assess the potential impact of the proposed changes to personal injury legislation on the level of recoupment of social security benefits paid by the compensator to DWP. The early analysis indicates that the vast majority of personal injury victims who claim compensation for whiplash do not claim DWP benefits which are recoverable under the Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997. Therefore, if this trend continues, the potential changes to the personal injury legislation will have a minimal impact on the level of recoupment of social security benefits. DWP officials will continue to work with the Ministry of Justice as the proposed changes to personal injury legislation are developed and progressed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support for resettlement is given to sex offenders.

Andrew Selous

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) provides a range of activities and services to those convicted of sexual offences; these are designed to help offenders reduce their risk of harm and reoffending, as well as to promote their resettlement on release from any term of imprisonment. They include accredited sex offenders treatment programmes, delivered in custody and the community. The Active Risk Management System has been developed with the Police to manage sexual offenders’ risk more effectively. More generally, sexual offenders are also given support while transitioning back into society, with the aim of reducing reoffending.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions monitors have investigated and reported to him on allegations made against custody officers performing custodial duties at (a) Hassockfield, (b) Medway, (c) Oakhill and (d) Rainsbrook secure training centre since each centre opened.

Andrew Selous

If an allegation is made against a staff member in a Secure Training Centre (STC), a child protection referral will be made to the independent Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for investigation.

Where disciplinary action is recommended, the YJB which is statutorily responsible for the youth estate will oversee the disciplinary process which will be conducted by the STC provider.

The YJB will only refer an investigation to the Secretary of State if an STC provider conducts an insufficiently comprehensive or robust disciplinary process, and does not correct this when required to by the YJB. The YJB would then refer the case to the Secretary of State and recommend that the member of staff has their custody certification revoked.

The YJB have the ability to suspend custody certificates, but cannot revoke them. The power to revoke a custody certificate lies with the Secretary of State. There have been no referrals to the Secretary of State to revoke a custody certificate as of yet, as the only circumstances where the YJB would be required to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, would be where the YJB have suspended a certificate but the contractor has refused to dismiss the employee.

The member of staff would then no longer be certified to work in any secure setting for young people

No monitor has reported to the Secretary of State for revocation of custody officer certification since each centre opened.

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 secure training centre is registered with the Mental Health and Care Professions Council.

Andrew Selous

The information is not held centrally. However, certain roles within Secure Training Centres (STC) must be filled by qualified social workers. Qualification requirements for staff in Secure Children’s Homes (SCH) are set by the Department of Education.

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. STC and SCH 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 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report of the Independent Healthcare Commission for North West London, published in December 2015.

Ben Gummer

The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local National Health Service. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population and proposals for substantial service change must meet the four tests of reconfiguration which are (i) support from general practitioner commissioners (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base (iv) support for patient choice.

It is right that reconfiguration is led by the local NHS, working closely with the support of commissioners including NHS England, the Trust Development Authority and Monitor.

We are advised that on 14 January 2016, the North West London Clinical Board considered the Independent Healthcare Commission report for North West London and its recommendations of the Shaping a Healthier Future programme.

We understand that the board welcomed this public scrutiny of the plans and agreed with the report that the programme should continue to engage with the public, local authorities, patient groups and other partners. The unanimous conclusion of the board’s clinicians was that the report offered no substantive evidence or credible alternative to consider that would lead to better outcomes for patients in North West London above the existing plans in place, which are designed by doctors based on significant clinical data, evidence and experience.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the quality of early education and childcare available to disadvantaged children.

Mr Sam Gyimah

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for the provision of learning, development and care for children from birth to age five. The EYFS helps early years providers to prepare young children for school and improve their life chances by delivering high quality early education.

The most recent EYFS Profile results show that the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers has narrowed – 51% of children eligible for free school meals (FSM) achieved a good level of development (GLD) in 2015 compared to 45% in 2014. This is the equivalent of an extra 5,800 children eligible for FSM achieving a GLD.

We want all children, regardless of their starting point, to have access to high quality early education and childcare, as we know this is what makes the difference to outcomes. To help close the gap between disadvantaged children and their better off peers we introduced the early learning programme for two-year-olds in September 2013. Around 160,000 of our most disadvantaged two-year-olds are already benefiting.

We have also introduced the Early Years Pupil Premium, worth £50 million a year. This provides nurseries and schools delivering the early education entitlement with an extra 53p an hour for disadvantaged three and four year olds to help them close the gap in school readiness.