Tag: Andy Slaughter

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) children under 18 years of age and (b) young people aged 18 to 24 were granted legal funding under the Exceptional Case Funding Scheme in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The purpose of the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme is to provide funding where it is legally needed. It does not provide a general power to fund cases which fall outside the scope of legal aid. Legal aid is a vital part of our justice system, but we cannot escape the continuing need to reduce the deficit. We still have a very generous system – last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, around a quarter of the department’s expenditure. Every ECF application is carefully considered by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis.

Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015

FY application received	Under 18	18-24	Unknown
Apr 2013 – Mar 2014	55	86	6982
Apr 2014 – Mar 2015	27	116	67
Apr 2015 – Dec 20151	31	82	78

¹ Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016

² Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years.

Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, which were granted³, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015

FY application received	Under 18	18-24	Unknown
Apr 2013 – Mar 2014	1	4	132
Apr 2014 – Mar 2015	8	20	3
Apr 2015 – Dec 20151	12	40	23

¹ Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016

² Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years.

³ Granted by 29 February 2016

Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme for immigration cases, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015

FY application received	Under 18	18-24	Unknown
Apr 2013 – Mar 2014	–	12	1332
Apr 2014 – Mar 2015	14	39	16
Apr 2015 – Dec 20151	11	33	25

¹ Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016

² Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years.

Applications to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme for immigration cases, which were granted³, by age of applicant, April 2013 to December 2015

FY application received	Under 18	18-24	Unknown
Apr 2013 – Mar 2014	–	–	12
Apr 2014 – Mar 2015	4	8	1
Apr 2015 – Dec 20151	10	22	12

¹ Statistics for Jan-Mar 2016 are exempt for future publication on 30 June 2016

² Please note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding were collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the greater proportion of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years.

³ Granted by 29 February 2016

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on the College of Policing’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Mike Penning

We are rightly proud of the British model of policing by consent and of the high level of skill and expertise across policing in this country. The College of Policing, which is independent of Government, ensures that respect for human rights and dignity is integral to each programme it delivers.

Course developers and trainers are required to include a bespoke human rights and ethical decision-making element in each course. Before undertaking any international work, the College refers to the International Policing Assistance Board (IPAB), which assesses all requests against British values and interests. IPAB comprises policing representatives and those from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and devolved administrations.

The College always acts in accordance with HM Treasury’s guidelines on ‘Managing Public Money’, which includes guidance on commercial charging rates. The Home Office do not keep records on the travel of College of Policing officials.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40498, on domestic violence: legal aid scheme, which domestic violence support groups, legal representative bodies and colleagues across Government the Department is working with; and on what basis the decision was made to work with those organisations and not others.

Mr Shailesh Vara

We are working with a range of organisations, including Rights of Women, the Law Society, Resolution, and the Legal Aid Practitioners Group.

With the guidance of these organisations, and through their associated networks, we have sought to target those with direct experience of how the regulations operate in practice – for victims and practitioners – as we think this is the best way to inform how those regulations may be improved. We have also begun work with the Home Office, as the lead department on domestic violence policy, to better understand the wider context of domestic violence.

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 representations he has made to the Bahraini government on the failure of the Bahrain Ombudsman to inform his Department that it had received a torture complaint regarding the case of Mohammad Ramadan; and if he will make a statement.

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 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the change in the number of police officers in Hammersmith and Fulham as a result of her proposed changes to the Metropolitan Police.

Mike Penning

The Home Office has not made an assessment of future police numbers in Hammersmith and Fulham. The size and distribution of the Metropolitan Police workforce is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis, working with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults in which the victims was transgender were recorded in prisons in the last 12 months.

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 his proposals to increase the cost cap for environmental legal challenges to £10,000 for individuals on the affordability of such challenges for such people.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The Ministry of Justice will keep the impact of any changes to the cost capping scheme for environmental claims under review as part of its consideration of the consultation responses. We will also carry out a full impact assessment on any changes and this will be published as part of the government’s response paper.

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 risk of demolition to recognised and unrecognised Bedouin villages in Israel.

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. Officials have raised the issue of risk of demolition of unrecognised villages of Um-il-Hiran and Ateer with the Ministry of Justice and the Arab Affairs Officer at the Prime Minister’s Office.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on proposals for an independent body to regulate the car insurance industry.

Andrew Jones

There are no proposals for a new independent body to regulate the car insurance industry.

Motor insurers are regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department has provided to the Gender Recognition Panel in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.