Tag: Lord Quirk

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bates, Lord Faulks, and Lord Bridges of Headley on 21 September (HL2010, HL2011, HL2014), to what extent they are examining the potential use of Automatic Speaker Verification in respect of the detection of fraudulent telephone access to government services.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The government currently has no plans to introduceAutomatic Speaker Verification in respect of the detection of fraudulent telephone access to government services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so in what specific ways, they are sponsoring or encouraging research in forensic linguistics with a view to extending its use in the criminal justice system and the immigration services.

Lord Bates

A forensic linguistic process, known as “language analysis”, has been used by the Home Office for immigration purposes for over ten years. The capability is provided by two private suppliers, who were contracted following a competitive tender in 2014.

Language analysis is used to assist in identifying an individual’s true place of origin where it is in doubt, and to deter individuals from making fraudulent asylum claims based on false claims of origin for actual or perceived benefit. It is just one of the tools employed to help confirm an individual’s nationality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the press release by HMRC on 25 June, what initiatives HMRC have put in place to improve performance in respect of relieving public frustration at being able to make contact by telephone.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recognise that their customer service has not been good enough, and have taken major steps to improve, including recruiting 3,000 new staff into customer service roles, available outside normal office hours when many of their customers choose to call them. The process of recruiting and training the new staff is now complete. These improvements have started to make a difference. This month, HMRC have answered more than 80 per cent of calls, and average queue times are now around 10 minutes.

HMRC also recognise that some customers have been waiting too long for a response to their complaint. HMRC have recovery plans in place and their performance is improving week on week.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 9 July (HL896, HL897) and 30 July (HL1654), why according to recent press reports HMRC are still failing to answer telephoned inquiries and complaints from the public within an acceptable time frame.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recognise that their customer service has not been good enough, and have taken major steps to improve, including recruiting 3,000 new staff into customer service roles, available outside normal office hours when many of their customers choose to call them. The process of recruiting and training the new staff is now complete. These improvements have started to make a difference. This month, HMRC have answered more than 80 per cent of calls, and average queue times are now around 10 minutes.

HMRC also recognise that some customers have been waiting too long for a response to their complaint. HMRC have recovery plans in place and their performance is improving week on week.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 November (HL3221) concerning the use of forensic linguistics by the Home Office in immigration cases, whether they have plans to enable the admittance in court, as in some other European jurisdictions, of evidence derived from forensic linguistics, and if not, what are their reasons.

Lord Bates

Evidence derived from language analysis undertaken for immigration purposes is admissible and, in practice, is routinely presented in immigration appeals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 21 December 2015 (HL4282), how they reconcile that answer with the statement by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology in Postnote on forensic linguistics of September 2015 that even recordings of an offender’s voice, verified to the satisfaction of police experts, are not admissible as evidence” in the criminal justice system.”

Lord Faulks

The research briefing to which the noble Lord refers distinguishes between speaker profiling, which courts have yet to find to be sufficiently reliable a technique to constitute admissible evidence in a criminal case, and speaker comparison, evidence of which may be admissible.

Expert evidence is admissible in criminal proceedings at common law. In summary, the evidence must be relevant to what is in issue; it must be capable of helping the court to assess the significance of matters beyond everyday experience (for example, the results of scientific tests); and it must be given by someone who is competent to do so. The Criminal Procedure Rules and the associated Criminal Practice Directions set out the procedure for introducing expert evidence, and list the factors to which the court will have regard in determining the reliability of expert opinion.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the report Living with Difference published on 7 December 2015 by the Woolf Institute, following the work of the Institute’s Commission chaired by Baroness Butler-Sloss; and what action they plan to take on the recommendations made.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Government welcomes this report and its contribution to the debate on faith in Britain today. We continue to celebrate the role of faith in society, with a particular emphasis on cooperation between different faiths as a way of breaking down barriers and strengthening communities.

The report raises a number of questions for a range of organisations. I will ensure that all Government Departments consider the recommendations relevant to their individual policy areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2016-02-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Building Skills for all: A Review of England, published in January, in respect of the report’s findings that (1) seven per cent of university graduates in England under the age of 35 have numeracy skills below level 2, and that 3.4 per cent have literacy skills below level 2; (2) competition between universities in England for the ablest students has intensified to the point that less successful universities have lowered their admission demands to attract applicants; and (3) with a record number of students now entering for degree courses, money should be diverted from universities and deployed to enhance basic school education.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government agrees it is critical that all students acquire the essential literacy and numeracy skills they need to make the most of their courses and progress into a fulfilling career.

Alongside the reforms to raise standards in schools and increase the number and quality of apprenticeships, our Higher Education Green Paper sets out further measures to ensure all students benefit from high-quality teaching.

Decisions about which students to admit is ultimately a matter for individual institutions, but by lifting the cap on student numbers we are ensuring that more students can benefit from higher education than ever before.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 2 December 2014 (HL2982) about young offender institutions, what progress has been made in providing more than 12 hours a week of purposeful activity since new education contracts came into operation in spring 2015.

Baroness Mobarik

Since the new education contracts came into operation in public sector under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) in August 2015, young people have accessed an average of more than 12 hours education per week.

We are committed to continually improving the youth custodial system in England and Wales. We are considering the recommendations of Charlie Taylor’s Review of the Youth Justice System and will publish his review and our response later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2016-10-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Mobarik on 21 September (HL1561), how many hours of education per week is currently provided in Young Offender Institutions.

Lord Keen of Elie

Since 16 August 2015, education providers in public sector under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) have been required to provide 27 hours of education a week, supplemented by three hours of physical education.

YOI Parc is operated by G4S and is currently contracted to provide 25 hours of education and 5 hours of interventions each week.