Tag: Andy Slaughter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has made to his American counterpart on Guantanamo Bay in the last five years.

Dominic Raab

It has been a long standing policy of successive British Governments to seek the release and return of those UK nationals and former legal residents who were held at Guantanamo Bay and, in doing so, assist the US administration in its efforts to close the detention facility.

We remain committed to assisting the US in its aim to close Guantanamo Bay by facilitating engagement with countries that have agreed to accept former detainees, and by sharing experience and advice on managing the return process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to consult the Justice Select Committee on introducing a new streamlined claims process for low cost medical negligence claims.

Ben Gummer

The Department is leading the consultation on Fixed Recoverable Costs for low-value clinical negligence claims and there will be a full public consultation, which will be open to all interested parties to make representations.

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 made to the Saudi Arabian government on Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr (a) prior to and (b) after his execution.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Prior to his execution the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the case of Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr with the Saudi Arabian authorities at a very senior level. This was a case we followed very closely. I have also raised concerns with the Saudi authorities about the mass execution on 2 January, which included that of Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr, and the use of the death penalty most recently on 12 January.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date he last met insurance company representatives to discuss issues relating to personal injury claims; who was present at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab

On 8 December, following the Chancellor’s announcement of further whiplash reforms in his Autumn Statement on 25 November, Lord Faulks and two ministerial colleagues, Oliver Letwin and Harriett Baldwin, met a representative group of senior figures from the insurance industry, including the Association of British Insurers. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss passing savings arising from the reforms to motorists by way of reduced premiums.

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

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20564, how many people were charged with jury (a) intimidation and (b) tampering in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland

Section 51 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 creates two offences:

S.51(1) creates an offence directed at acts against a person who assists in an investigation of an offence or who is a witness or potential witness or juror or potential juror whilst an investigation or trial is in progress

S.51(2) creates an offence directed at acts against a person who assisted in an investigation of an offence or who was a witness or juror after an investigation or trial has been concluded.

The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

The number of offences charged under s.51(1) and s.51(2) are as follows:

		2010-2011	2011-2012	2012-2013	2013-2014	2014-2015
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 51(1)	Intimidate a witness / juror	3,275	2,630	2,148	2,066	2,202
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 51(2)	Do an act which harmed a witness / juror	102	166	99	72	109
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 51(2)	Threaten a witness / juror	240	172	118	122	129

The proportion of CPS cases that result in a guilty plea has increased from 67.2% in 10/11 to 74.5% in 14/15 which means that there are fewer cases that are likely to be subject to the sorts of acts covered by s.51(1) during the course of the prosecution.

Also, s.51(1) covers intimidation of juror or potential jurors. The number of crown court trials have also been reducing over the period in question by 9.5%, again resulting in fewer cases where S.51(1) offences are likely to apply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which contracts with his Department G4S are currently bidding for.

Matthew Hancock

To ensure fair and open competition the Government does not publish the names of bidders during the tender process.

Successful bidders for all central government contracts are published on Contracts Finder:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Successful bidders for all Crown Commercial Service (CCS) contracts are published on the CCS web site:

http://ccs-agreements.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff employed in each young offender institution, secure training centre and secure children’s home (a) are qualified speech and language therapists and (b) are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Andrew Selous

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

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 are qualified speech and language therapists.

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 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons use animals as part of their rehabilitation schemes; and which animals are used in such schemes.

Andrew Selous

This information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 21806, what commitment he received from insurance industries that savings from government reforms would be passed on to consumers; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that such commitments are monitored and transparent.

Dominic Raab

On 8 December 2015, at a meeting with Ministers, representatives of leading insurers committed to pass on savings to consumers through lower premiums following the implementation of Government reforms. The Government will be monitoring the industry’s reaction to these reforms closely.

The meeting on 8 December 2015 was the first Ministerial meeting with insurers to discuss the reforms announced in the Autumn Statement on 25 November. Lord Faulks subsequently met representatives from the claimant lawyer sector at the end of January 2016. Officials had previously met with both insurers and claimant lawyer representatives to discuss the reforms.