Tag: Lord Kennedy of Southwark

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the housing of prisoners in the event of the closure of HM Prison Holloway and HM Prison Pentonville.

Lord Faulks

On 9 November 2015, the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice announced their intention to build a prison estate which allows prisoners to be rehabilitated, thereby enabling them to turn away from a life of crime. This will involve closing old and inefficient prisons which do not support the aims of a redesigned estate and replacing them with modern facilities that support rehabilitation.

The Secretary of State for Justice announced on 25 November 2015 that HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Holloway will close as the first part of this programme. The buildings at Holloway are poorly designed and the site is cramped. The majority of sentenced women will transfer to HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Downview, which we which will open this spring. Downview has been refurbished and will provide better facilities and more appropriate conditions for sentenced women than Holloway. However, where suitable, the opportunity is being taken to ensure sentenced women are placed in accommodation elsewhere that reflects their specific needs, including proximity to home.

Many remand prisoners currently held at Holloway will move to HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Bronzefield, which has modern, high quality accommodation.

No other decisions have yet been made about the future of other prisons in England and Wales.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-04-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We consider the human rights situation in Zimbabwe to be fragile. This Government’s manifesto included a commitment to stand up for the rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2015 Annual Human Rights Report lists Zimbabwe as a Priority Country. We continue to call, both bilaterally and in partnership with others, for an end to abuses and the restoration of internationally accepted standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future contribution of tidal lagoons to meeting the UK’s energy requirements and decarbonisation targets.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Government recognises the potential that could exist in harnessing tidal energy around the coastline of the UK. That is why we have commissioned an independent strategic review to assess the case for tidal lagoons and consider whether they could represent value for money for the consumer. Charles Hendry will lead the independent review.

The review is underway and the Government will carefully consider the recommendations from the review before making decisions on future development of tidal lagoons.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to combat metal theft.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Through the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, the Government created a robust licensing regime to support legitimate dealers whilst providing local authorities and the police with the powers needed to tackle rogue dealers and reduce metal theft. The legislation is supported by co-ordinated enforcement action by police, local authorities and other partners. Latest available statistics for 2014/15 show that 27,512 metal theft offences were recorded by police compared with 62,348 offences in 2012/13.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the RAC, AA and other motoring organisations regarding the timely conduct of pothole repairs on roads in England.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Department for Transport discusses a wide range of issues with the RAC, AA and other motoring organisations with respect to highways maintenance and other issues that affect road users.

The Department for Transport is investing over £12 billion in this Parliament for highways maintenance. This comprises over £6 billion to local highway authorities in England, outside London, including £250 million between now and 2021 to help repair potholes and other defects.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to broaden the remit of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Lord Bates

Within our Manifesto, this Government gave a commitment to “…develop the role of our elected and accountable Police and Crime Commissioners.”

We have already announced proposals to enhance the PCCs current role in relation to police complaints and emergency services collaboration.

We are actively looking for further opportunities to develop the PCC role as we move forward towards the next national PCC elections in 2016 so that they are able to shape policing services to local needs, as they are now doing in commissioning victims’ services, setting policing priorities and driving reform.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the case of Waleed Abu Khair.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We continue to be concerned by the case of Waleed abu Al-Khair and have raised it at a senior level with the Saudi authorities. We will continue to follow this and other cases closely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reorganise local government in England.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Government’s policy is to work with local areas to deliver effective devolution with the governance necessary to support this, including moves to more unitary structures where this is wanted locally. Our aim, as it has been throughout our devolution discussions with areas, is to build consensus and the provisions in the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, to which the House of Commons gave an unopposed Third Reading on Monday 7 December, provide the flexibility that no one council can reasonably refuse to discuss with others the potential for reforming their area’s governance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the UK Athletics report A Manifesto for Clean Athletics.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

I welcome UK Athletics contributing to the debate on anti-doping and underlining its commitment to clean sport.

It’s important that all sports continue to look at ways they can further promote clean sport and we will continue to work closely with UK Anti-Doping, World Anti-Doping Agency and sports governing bodies on tackling doping.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the level of subsidy from the public purse provided for council housing.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Local housing authorities do not receive subsidy from the Exchequer; the Localism Act 2011 abolished Housing Revenue Account Subsidy.

The Housing Revenue Account Self-Financing Determinations published in 2012 provided a once and for all settlement that allows local housing authorities in England to keep all their rental income in return for a rebalancing of housing debt.