Tag: Lord Falconer of Thoroton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-11-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government with which countries the UK is currently negotiating prisoner transfer agreements.

Lord Faulks

Revealing negotiations regarding prisoner transfer agreements can be counterproductive given their sensitivity. My Ministerial colleagues and I are actively engaging with a number of countries and remain determined to secure compulsory agreements wherever possible. Currently the UK has over 100 prisoner transfer agreements with other countries and territories.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of, prison governors have worked at two or more prisons in the last five years.

Lord Faulks

Of the governors of public sector prisons in post at 30 September 2015, a total of 90 (85%) had worked at two or more prisons in the previous five years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department has overall responsibility for deradicalisation programmes in prisons.

Lord Faulks

Deradicalisation work in prisons forms part of the Government’s Prevent strategy, which is the responsibility of the Home Office. The delivery of this work in England and Wales is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, through the National Offender Management Service. In Scotland, responsibility for delivery lies with the Scottish Government, through the Scottish Prison Service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to reform legal aid provision for victims of domestic abuse in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment The Queen (On The Application Of Rights Of Women) v The Lord Chancellor And Secretary Of State For Justice [2016] EWCA Civ 91 on 18 February.

Lord Faulks

We are pleased the court confirmed that the Lord Chancellor did have the power to set domestic violence evidence requirements. We are now carefully considering the judgment as we decide how best to respond to the court’s concerns. We are determined to make sure victims of domestic violence can get legal aid whenever they need it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the monthly sales figures for (1) e-cigarettes, and (2) tobacco products, in prison shops in the past year.

Lord Faulks

For prisons in England and Wales monthly sales (number of units sold[1]) for the period December 2014 to November 2015 were as follows:

	TOBACCO & CIGARETTES	SUNDRIES[2]	E CIGARETTE
DECEMBER 2014	318,300	252,500	310
JANUARY 2015	352,500	284,200	140
FEBURARY 2015	283,600	228,300	80
MARCH 2015	291,700	228,400	20
APRIL 2015	344,100	282,500	40
MAY 2015	290,800	230,100	60
JUNE 2015	286,000	216,000	60
JULY 2015	350,400	268,400	40
AUGUST 2015	286,900	220,400	6,500
SEPTEMBER 2015	280,200	219,100	5,600
OCTOBER 2015	344,200	268,700	3,000
NOVEMBER 2015	278,400	220,200	1,500

It should be noted that some of the variation in monthly sales is due to months having four weekly accounting periods and other months having five.

From December 2014 to mid-August 2015 e-cigarettes were only available in prisons in Wales plus the three Public Sector Prison establishments in England, (Eastwood Park, Stocken, and Preston) hence the relatively low sales. From 17 August 2015 all public sector establishments offered an e-cigarette on their Local Product List (prison shop form). The decrease in e-cigarette sales since August is thought to be due to an initial peak in sales when these products were first introduced.

[1] Rounded to the nearest 100, or nearest 10 when sales are less than 1,000.

[2] Sundries include, for example, rolling papers, lighters, matches, filter tips and rolling machines.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to implement the second legal aid fee cut when its suspension ends on 1 April 2017.

Lord Faulks

We will review the matter in due course and any announcement will be made in the usual way.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prison inmates are enrolled on courses or treatments to help them stop smoking.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Validated information is not available centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of planned changes to personal injury law and whiplash claims on access to justice.

Lord Faulks

The Government will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course, including any necessary safeguards. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions the fire brigade has been called to an incident at a migrant detention centre in each of the last five years.

Lord Bates

Information for the complete data period requested is not held centrally.

Provisional management information available on the number of attendances by the fire brigade for fires at immigration removal centres from January 2013 is provided below in line with the period for published statistics:

Jan to Dec 2013 – 12 incidents

Jan to Dec 2014 – 10 incidents

Jan to Sep 2015 – 8 incidents

Attendances by the fire brigade for incidents other than fires during the same data period could only be provided by examination of individual records so this information cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the Justice Secretary Michael Gove’s letter to the Justice Select Committee chair dated 19 February regarding errors in the processing of warrants, how many staff have been suspended or have had disciplinary action taken against them as a result of such errors.

Lord Faulks

To date formal disciplinary action has been initiated against eight members of staff in Greater Manchester. Two of the eight have been suspended pending the formal disciplinary proceedings.

These are inexcusable errors, for which we sincerely apologise. HMCTS is conducting a full investigation and will take appropriate disciplinary action. Immediate steps have been taken to ensure that proper procedures are now being followed.