Tag: Lord Condon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-02-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prevent children being detained in police cells overnight because no suitable local authority accommodation is available.

Lord Bates

The Government is committed to ensuring that young people are protected and treated appropriately while in police custody. This is why in January last year, the Home Secretary commissioned a multi-agency Working Group on Section 38(6) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which concerns the transfer of children from police custody to local authority care when charged and denied bail. The purpose of the group is to better understand the problems with the operation of the law and to develop solutions to enable forces and local authorities to meet their respective statutory responsibilities. The group is currently finalising a package of measures and will present these to the Home Secretary once the work is complete.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Sir Stephen Bubb The Challenge Ahead and his proposal for a Commissioner to protect and promote the rights of people with learning difficulties.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Government welcomes Sir Stephen Bubb’s report Time for Change – the Challenge Ahead which focuses on improving the experience of care and outcomes for people with learning disabilities. Sir Stephen’s report acknowledges the real progress that has been made in the last year.

The Department will consider the recommendations in Time for Change – the Challenge Ahead in our development of a Learning Disability Action Plan. However, new statutory roles and legislation are not necessarily the answer to achieving the changes envisaged by the Steering Group. We believe that we can make more rapid and meaningful progress by ensuring that the rights that exist under current laws and statutes are properly understood, implemented and exercised by those with learning disabilities and/or autism.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the current Police and Crime Commissioners are standing for re-election in May.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Twenty seven of forty current police and crime commissioners (PCCs) for police force areas where ordinary PCC elections are taking place this May are standing for re-election.

This excludes Greater London, where the elected mayor exercises PCC functions in respect of the Metropolitan Police, and Greater Manchester, where the ordinary PCC election has been cancelled to pave the way for the transfer of PCC functions to an elected mayor in May 2017, with the term of the current PCC extended to that point.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in response to the recent news that one in eight cases at Crown Court are not proceeded with by the Crown Prosecution Service, even though the defendants have been formally charged.

Lord Keen of Elie

All cases are kept under constant review as they progress through the criminal justice system. If new evidence comes to light, a witness decides to no longer support a prosecution or a co-defendant pleads guilty to the offence, the CPS will then review the case. If there is no longer sufficient evidence or if it is no longer in the public interest, the CPS will stop a prosecution.

The Transforming Summary Justice (TSJ) and Better Case Management (BCM) initiatives, introduced nationally, are recent programmes which will have a material and positive impact on both levels and timing of discontinuance. These include earlier, pre-first magistrates’ hearing case review by prosecutors; an emphasis on early defence engagement; listing periods that support the time required to prepare the case; and improved processes to gather and serve evidential material and disclosure prior to court hearings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 10 most recently appointed Chief Constables in the UK were not internal candidates from the appointing police force, and over what period of time those appointments have taken place.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Three of the ten most recently appointed chief constables in England and Wales were not internal candidates from the appointing police force, although eight of the chief constables have served as a chief officer outside of the force.

These appointments have taken place over the period from June 2015 to March 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-06-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the disruption to rail passengers in Kent on 6 June, what action they are taking to ensure a more reliable service for rail passengers travelling between Kent and London terminals.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

My Hon Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Claire Perry MP, as Rail Minister, chairs a monthly meeting with Network Rail, train operators in the South East, Transport Focus, and Department for Transport officials. This group monitors performance and passenger experience and it is absolutely committed to identifying improvements and ensuring rail passengers see the benefits of these improvements being delivered. Network Rail and Southeastern both need to show much greater improvement in their ability to fix faults quickly and communicate with their passengers more effectively. The Department will ensure that lessons are learned from the disruption in Kent that day.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage first aid training in secondary schools, and whether, in particular, they are taking steps to offer CPR training, which is offered free of charge by some volunteer organisations.

Lord Nash

All schools are required to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for adult life. The new national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils.

Schools have the freedom to teach subjects or topics such as First Aid training beyond the prescribed curriculum to ensure that children receive a rounded education.

The Government welcomes the work of expert organisations such as the British Red Cross, St John Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation to support schools in this aspect of teaching and are currently working with the sector to provide information to young people about first aid, CPR and how to deal with medical emergencies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken, or propose to take, to support Kent County Council with the increased number of young people seeking asylum in Kent.

Lord Bates

The Government recognises the outstanding work of Kent County Council in caring for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, but believes a national response is required. We have offered additional funding to other Local Authorities willing to accept cases from Kent and are working closely with the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to finalise plans for a new scheme to disperse unaccompanied child asylum seekers to the care of other local authorities.

At the same time we continue to work with French authorities to monitor the pressures of illegal immigration at the UK border and work with port operators to bolster security. Significant investment has been made by the UK and French governments to provide additional security measures in Coquelles, including fencing, extra private security personnel, round-the-clock searching and additional French mobile policing units.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the review of the publication of Taser data and other use of force by police officers, and whether that review will include an assessment of the use of Tasers on men from ethnic minorities.

Lord Bates

Chief Constable David Shaw’s Use of Force Data Review is expected to report to the Home Secretary later this year. The review will present options for collecting, collating and publishing data on how force including Taser is being used by the police, who it is being used on and what the outcomes are. The Government supports the need for transparent and accurate data on how the police are using force. As with sensitive powers like stop and search, the police use of force warrants proper accountability and transparency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2014-06-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times since the permitting of ship to ship oil transfers off the coast of Southwold, Suffolk, in 2011, Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors, or other relevant staff, have boarded vessels engaged in ship to ship transfers to carry out a Port State Control Inspection.

Baroness Kramer

Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors, or other relevant staff, have undertaken a total of 38 Port State Control inspections in support of Ship to Ship transfer operations, during the period 1 January 2011 to 27 June 2014.