The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish a list of its special advisers in post.
Ben Gummer
A full list of Government special advisers will be published in due course, in the usual way.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what measures the Government plans to take to address the concerns expressed by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in his Annual Report for 2014-15, published on 15 July 2015; and what those measures will be on each of the four assessed outcomes referred to in the introduction to that report.
Andrew Selous
The Ministry of Justice welcomed the scrutiny brought by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in his annual report published in July 2015. Steps have been taken at each of the prisons inspected during 2014-15 to address the specific recommendations made, and detailed action plans put in place. We are also seeking to address the Chief Inspector’s comments on each of the four outcomes of safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement, and we are tackling the risks of increased violence highlighted by the Chief Inspector.
The National Offender Management Service is committed to running safe prisons. We are holding a more violent prison population; the number of people sentenced to prison for violent offences has increased by 30% in the last 10 years. In addition the illicit use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) has been a significant factor in fuelling violence in prisons. This Government has introduced two new offences through the Serious Crime Act 2015 for being in possession of a knife or other offensive weapon within a prison without authorisation, and throwing of items, including NPS over a prison wall without authorisation. This offence will help to control these substances in prison. We are also introducing an offence of possession of NPS in the prison estate.
NOMS also operates a violence reduction project to gain a better understanding of the causes of the current levels of violence in prisons and to ensure that there is strengthened handling of it, in terms of both prevention and response. A joint national protocol between the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the CPS, and ACPO was published in February 2015 with the purpose of ensuring a nationally consistent approach to the referral and prosecution of crimes in prison.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons found that “respect” (how a prisoner is treated) held up best amongst their four areas of inspection. We are continuing to take forward the strengths he highlighted which included: good staff/prisoner relationships, increased use of prisoner peer mentors and good practice in health care.
We noted the Chief Inspector’s concerns about “purposeful activity”. We want prisons to be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn and for prison staff to prioritise education and work. The hours worked by prisoners in industrial occupations has already risen from 10.6 million hours in 2010/2011 to 14.2 million hours in the 2013-2014.
Finally in relation to resettlement (preparing prisoners for their release into the community) we have put in place an unprecedented nationwide ‘through the prison gate’ resettlement service, meaning most offenders are given continuous support by one provider from custody into the community. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) launched their ‘Through the Gate’ service on 1 May 2015. This service provides offenders with support to find accommodation and jobs, finance and debt advice, and support for sex workers and victims of domestic violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Syrian refugees will qualify for (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) UK citizenship after five years of residence.
Richard Harrington
Syrians who are resettled under the Syrian Resettlement Scheme are given a five year humanitarian protection visa. At the end of the 5 years they can apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) and if granted they can apply for UK citizenship 12 months later. Each application for settlement and citizenship is decided in accordance with our guidance for these routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the lifetime cost to the public purse of Army Air Corps and Fleet Air Arm Augusta Westland AW159 Wildcat helicopters.
Mr Philip Dunne
The forecast costs of the AW159 Wildcat aircraft programme, including the development, acquisition, training and in-service support of the aircraft, is £5.2 billion.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether her Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Mr Ben Wallace
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether her Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
George Eustice
The Government’s view is that the UK should remain in the EU and the civil service is working full time to support the Government’s position.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of her Department’s programmes in the eight districts of the Central Region of Uganda in preventing the spread of malaria.
Mr Nick Hurd
DFID works with UNICEF in the Central Region of Uganda on a programme to prevent the spread of malaria. As part of this, the Integrated Community Case Management programme is improving access to testing and treatment for children under five with high fever. This is an important intervention in preventing the spread of malaria and reducing deaths related to malaria and other treatable diseases.
Results from the 2014-15 internationally recognised Malaria Indicator Survey showed that the prevalence of malaria in children in the central region where the eight districts are located had reduced from 39.1% in 2009 to 10.5%. This is largely as a result of targeted interventions including the programme funded by DFID and implemented by UNICEF.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff employed by the Environment Agency earn salaries of more than £100,000 per year.
Rory Stewart
This information is published annually as part of the government’s transparency agenda at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/staff-organograms-and-pay-environment-agency
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make a comparative assessment of energy costs for heavy industry in the UK and in other EU countries.
Anna Soubry
UK industrial gas prices are among the lowest in Europe, while electricity prices are among the highest. Industrial energy use overall is split relatively evenly between electricity, gas and other fuels.
We are addressing the fundamental causes of the UK’s relatively high electricity costs, through:
Short-term cost control measures, including the Levy Control Framework actions on solar and onshore wind, announced in summer 2015;
Longer term measures including investment in new energy infrastructure (such as nuclear); and interconnection with French, Belgian and Norwegian networks which should help to reduce the difference between the electricity prices here and in Continental Europe.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to increase the number of Departments of Community Mental Health.
Mark Lancaster
The provision of mental healthcare to the Armed Forces is kept under regular review, to ensure that it continues to meet the demands placed on it in the light of changes to the size and location of the UK Armed Forces.
Following a recent review of the Defence Mental Health Services, we are in the process of reshaping the current network of Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) into a "hub and spoke" model. Once implementation is complete, we will have moved from a total of 16 DCMHs in the UK (plus satellite centres overseas), to 11 "hub" DCMHs located in main centres of military population, plus "spoke" Mental Health Teams (MHTs) serving a further eight locations, making 19 sites in total. Regular visiting clinics will also be held at other military centres around the country.
Focussing on fewer but larger DCMHs will enable us to provide greater resilience and a more consistent range of clinical and operational capabilities, while the additional of MHTs will increase accessibility and provide a more robust support for delivery to Cyprus, the North West and Wales, as well as improving access for eligible reservists and veterans.