Tag: Lord Falconer of Thoroton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether relatives of British nationals who have died as a result of terrorism abroad are entitled to financial compensation from them, and if so, how much compensation they have paid since 2010.

Lord Faulks

The Government provides two compensation schemes for victims of crime, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) 2012 and the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme (VOTCS) 2012. Both schemes are administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

The Scheme is designed to compensate blameless victims of violent crime where the incident took place in Great Britain or a “relevant place” as outlined in Annex C of the scheme. Close relatives of a British citizen may also be eligible for compensation under the scheme. Under the Scheme compensation is only available to those who can demonstrate they are ordinarily resident in the UK at the time of the incident or have another defined connection to the UK.

In fatal cases, compensation may be awarded to qualifying relatives who also satisfy the Scheme’s residency criteria. The meaning of qualifying relative is outlined in paragraph 59 of the Scheme. The CICA does not keep information on the nationality of the deceased in fatal applications, so we cannot identify the amount of compensation paid.

Compensation for relatives of British nationals murdered abroad is not available under the two schemes provided by the Government. UK residents injured as a result of a crime of violence in another country within the European Union (EU) or outside the EU may be able to apply for compensation from that country. The CICA can assist with applications to other EU countries.

The VOTCS was introduced to compensate victims of terrorism injured in incidents outside the UK on or after 27 November 2012. A person may be eligible for an award under VOTCS if they sustain a qualifying injury, which is directly attributable to their being a direct victim of a designated terrorist act. Close relatives bereaved as a result of a designated act may also be eligible for an award. The VOTCS applies to the whole of the United Kingdom.

Claims under the VOTCS can be made by those who have a clear and sufficient connection to the UK, as evidenced by their residence and citizenship. British, European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss citizens who have been resident in the UK for three years immediately before the designated act may be eligible for an award. Data on the value of awards made under VOTCS from 2013 to 2016 are set in the table below.

Year	Amount of awards
2013	£206,607
2014	£11,200
2015	£309,541
2016	£11,000
Total	£538,348

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to publish on the Legal Aid Agency website or legislation.gov.uk a consolidated version of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and related regulations.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The revised version of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 is due to be published and available by the end of 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many immigration and asylum cases in the years 2013–14 and 2014–15 have involved children as claimants in their own right; of those, how many received funding for legal help or representation; and in what percentage of these cases was the child represented.

Lord Faulks

The First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) received 15,134 in 2013-14 and 13,981 appeals in 2014-15 where the appellant stated they were below the age of 18 when their appeal was lodged.

Data on the number of child appellants who are in receipt of funding are not held centrally by HMCTS.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the government of Saudi Arabia, which was signed on 11 September 2014.

Lord Faulks

The Information Commissioner’s Office has upheld the decision not to publish this Memorandum of Understanding. That correspondence, dated 10 August 2015, can be found on the website of the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their timetable for reviewing and amending the capital limit used within Employment Tribunal Fee remission applications.

Lord Faulks

The Government’s recent consultation on Court and Tribunal Fees, published on 22 July 2015, sought views on whether further benefits and payments should be excluded from the fee remission assessment. We will be responding to the consultation in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether and when they expect to introduce proposals on earned release for offenders; whether such proposals will involve legislation; and whether they will be subject to consultation.

Lord Faulks

The level of re-offending following a custodial sentence is too high and we are looking at a variety of ways to make sure that when offenders leave prison they are better rehabilitated and better equipped to lead a crime-free life. We are attracted to the idea of earned release for those offenders who make a commitment to serious educational activity, who show by their changed attitude that they wish to contribute to society and who work hard to acquire proper qualifications which are externally validated and respected by employers. We are currently considering the options available in this area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to introduce proposals to give prison governors more power; and whether any such proposals will be subject to consultation.

Lord Faulks

As the Secretary of State made clear in his speech on 17 July, we need a new and unremitting emphasis on reform and rehabilitation in prisons – and we need to put the tools to drive this change in the hands of those who work with prisoners on a day-to-day basis. Prison Governors need greater freedoms so they can innovate and find new and better ways of rehabilitating offenders. With these freedoms will also come sharper accountability, so prisons are judged and rewarded according to how well they perform. This will make sure that that prisons are best equipped to help prevent reoffending. Further details of our proposals will be provided in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have signed a prisoner transfer agreement with the government of Jamaica.

Lord Faulks

During the recent visit by the Prime Minister, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Government of Jamaica. The Memorandum of Understanding will pave the way to the negotiation of a prisoner transfer agreement between the United Kingdom and Jamaica, in exchange for UK financial support for the construction of a new prison in Jamaica. The funding will only become available after the prisoner transfer agreement is signed and after satisfactory completion of each stage of the prison build.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Faulks on 15 October (HLWS229), how much they have spent to date on the process for procurement of a new criminal court compliance and enforcement services provider; and how much will now be written off.

Lord Faulks

As the Minister for Courts told the House on 15 October 2015, we took the decision not to outsource HMCTS compliance and enforcement services to a single supplier because of the need to ensure that any contract we let provided the best value for the taxpayer.

The total cost of the Compliance and Enforcement Service Project as of end of September 2015 was £8,723,645.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prisons, Probation, Rehabilitation and Sentencing on 9 September (HC5660), how many National Offender Management Service Staff were delivering commercial work for Just Solutions International; and of those, how many had been doing so full-time.

Lord Faulks

Just Solutions international (JSi) was established in 2012 and formally launched in 2013. In September this year, it was announced that JSi would cease to operate.

3.5 full time staff worked under the JSi brand. These staff also worked on other core business within the National Offender Management Service. An additional five staff were temporarily seconded from the Public Sector Prison Service in March 2015. All staff have been reallocated to focus on domestic priorities.