The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-06-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fact that four million people have been added to the electoral register in recent months, whether they will publish details of the comparison between the final register for the EU referendum and that as at December 2015, and if so when.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Electoral Commission will publish the total electorate for the EU referendum in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will implement the recommendation made by the Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination to collect systemically disaggregated data on hate crimes.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
There is no current intention to disaggregate hate crime data on the grounds of race, but we will keep that under review. Since 2010, we have improved police recording of hate crime. Forces now capture data on all five of the monitored hate crime strands, and from April this year, forces have started to disaggregate hate crime data on the grounds of religion.
We have noted the findings of the Council of Europe’s European Commission on Racism and Intolerance following an inspection of the United Kingdom earlier this year. The Government’s full response to the report can be found as an annex to the publication.
We are clear that there is no excuse for hate crime against anyone of any nationality, ethnicity or religious background – it has no place whatsoever in our diverse society. This commitment is underpinned by some of the strongest legislation in the world.
We welcome that the Commission has recognised the strength of our new hate crime action plan which will help reduce hate crime, increase reporting and improve support for victims. The hate crime action plan contains specific measures to increase the rate of prosecution and ensure that enhanced sentencing powers are used where appropriate.
These measures include refreshed Crown Prosecution Service policy and legal guidance for prosecutors on racially and religiously aggravated crime and on prosecuting social media cases, and publicising convictions and information on enhanced sentencing outcomes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-11-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that residents in council areas with low levels of business rates are protected from the effects of the change to funding council tax benefit by retained business rates in 2020.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
By the end of this Parliament, when local government will keep 100% of the £26 billion of business rates they raise locally, our ambition is that local councils will meet their spending needs, including local council tax support, from local taxation and other locally raised income. At the point that we introduce 100% business rates retention, there will continue to be a measure of redistribution to ensure that no authority loses out just because it starts from a relatively weaker position.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-12-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the breakdown of the lay magistracy according to the occupational groups with which applicants are required to identify themselves.
Lord Faulks
The requested information is no longer recorded.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-02-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure that the Bede’s World museum in Jarrow will be able to re-open after its unexpected closure.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
As a local authority heritage attraction, the management of Bede’s World is a matter for South Tyneside Council to address as part of the council’s overall cultural offer. Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund are continuing to liaise closely with the council as they explore practical options for operating Bede’s World in the future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-06-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reduce the level of uncollected tax, and if so, to what extent, and within what timescale.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published its latest tax gap estimates on 22 October 2015 in Measuring tax gaps; 2015 edition. The overall long term trend is a reducing tax gap, from 8.4 per cent in 2005-06 to 6.4% in 2013-14. The UK’s percentage tax gap is one of the lowest in the world.
This overall long term trend demonstrates that our approach is delivering steady and sustained progress. As set out in their Single Departmental Plan, HMRC will raise an additional £5 billion a year by 2019-20 by tackling tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning, evasion and non-compliance, and by addressing imbalances in the tax system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of Deprivation of Liberty orders sought by care home owners and the proportion which are rejected, whether they are considering taking steps to improve the system; and if so, when they will publish details of those planned steps.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has commissioned the Law Commission to carry out a review of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The review is expected to be published at the end of the year.
The Department will consider what steps may be necessary to improve the system in light of the review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the breakdown of the lay magistracy by socio-economic profile.
Lord Faulks
No information is recorded which would give an accurate indication of magistrates’ socio-economic status.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in how many cases since July 2013 employment tribunal fees have been remitted, and at what cost to the public purse.
Lord Faulks
Since July 2013 and until the period of June 2015, around 11,000 cases have had fees remitted in employment tribunal cases at a total estimated cost of funding fee remissions of £4.9m. This information is published on the Government website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-02-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria are being employed to determine the accountability of elected metropolitan mayors that have been agreed as part of devolution deals.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Mayors that have been agreed as part of devolution deals will provide accountable, visible and transparent leadership for their local area. They will be directly elected and accountable through the ballot box. Additionally, they will be held to account by the combined authority, who will be able to reject or amend their spending plans and strategies. Their decisions and actions will also be examined by an overview and scrutiny committee and an audit committee, that must be established following the commencement of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016. These committees will be able to ‘call-in’ decisions and ask that they be reviewed, they can also demand the mayor to answer questions before them, and these hearings will be open to the public, who will have the legal right to film, blog, tweet or use any other type of social media.