Tag: Lord Ramsbotham

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government by what process Dr Tony Sewell was appointed to the Youth Justice Board.

Lord Faulks

The Secretary of State for Justice, appointed Dr Tony Sewell to the Youth Justice Board with the agreement of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The process followed was that recommended by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Details of the appointment were published on the Government website on 29 October.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Registered Intermediary Scheme will be extended to defendants in accordance with section 104 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Lord Faulks

We are currently considering the provision of intermediaries for vulnerable defendants as part of our on-going work around the communication needs of all vulnerable court users.

The Judiciary can grant the use of an intermediary, to meet the needs of vulnerable defendants, to ensure a fair trial.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the terms of reference for the Ministry of Justice’s internal review of the Registered Intermediary Scheme.

Lord Faulks

We are not currently undertaking a review of the Witness Intermediary Scheme. The provision of intermediaries forms part of our wider on-going work on the communication needs of all vulnerable court users.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of short-term prisoners in receipt of satisfactory probation supervision; and how that is being assessed.

Lord Faulks

We assess the standard of supervision for all offenders, including those sentenced to under 12 months, through a range of service levels and, for Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), through a robust contract management process. Performance information for the National Probation Service and CRCs against these service levels is published quarterly. The most recent statistics were published on 28 April.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Citizens Advice Bureau report Catching Up: improving council tax arrears collection published on 8 July, and of why that report does not refer to the guidance to local councils on good practice in the collection of council tax arrears in respect of vulnerable people published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in June 2013.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Government made its position clear in our ‘Guidance to Local Councils on Good Practice in the Collection of Council Tax Arrears’, June 2013. This highlights the importance of councils being sympathetic to those in genuine hardship and that they are proportionate in their enforcement action, as well as noting the support that should be provided to vulnerable people.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to publish the Short Term Holding Facility Rules and the statutory guidance governing such facilities following the most recent consultation on those rules, which ended on 14 April.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Having considered the very detailed responses received to the consultation exercise, we intend to make the statutory rules governing the regulation and management of immigration short term holding facilities in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-09-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the final report of the review of the youth justice system will be published.

Lord Keen of Elie

The estimated total cost of the review of the youth justice system is £350,000. This figure is subject to audit at the end of the 2016-17 financial year and may change.

Ministers are currently considering Charlie Taylor’s review of the youth justice system. The final report and the government’s plans for reform of the youth justice system will be published later in the autumn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-09-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost of the review of the youth justice system.

Lord Keen of Elie

The estimated total cost of the review of the youth justice system is £350,000. This figure is subject to audit at the end of the 2016-17 financial year and may change.

Ministers are currently considering Charlie Taylor’s review of the youth justice system. The final report and the government’s plans for reform of the youth justice system will be published later in the autumn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the discussions with the government of the US over the extension of the 1966 agreement concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory will be followed by discussions with Mauritius over the future sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government is disappointed at recent action by Mauritius in seeking a UN General Assembly resolution requesting “an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965”. We believe this is an inappropriate use of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion mechanism and sets an unwelcome precedent for other bilateral disputes. Whilst we are disappointed that this item has been added to the UNGA agenda, we are pleased that discussions at UNGA will be deferred until at least June 2017 in order to allow for bilateral discussions with Mauritius. We are hopeful that we can reach an agreed way forward through such bilateral discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they have drawn from the research commissioned by the Department for Education in 2010 into the development of government guidance on governance arrangements in children’s services: Research governance in children’s services: the scope for new advice.

Lord Nash

This report highlighted the importance of governance and ethical consideration in children’s services research. The report suggested that at the time of the research, local practice was variable, but there were, and still are, a number of accepted research governance arrangements in place for local authorities and other research organisations to seek guidance and approval, including the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), the Social Research Association, the NSPCC, and university ethics boards. The Department for Education has concluded that these arrangements are the best route for local authorities and external research organisations to obtain external guidance on research governance and ethics.

Following publication of the report, the Department, in consultation with the ADCS Research Group, has developed ethics guidance and an ethics checklist for its own funded research and evaluation. This is based on the Government Social Research Professional Guidance, which sets out the principles that should be used when conducting social research for the Government. It states that those conducting, commissioning or managing Government social research have a responsibility to ensure that research is conducted using appropriate methods and that the rights and interests of all those involved in the research process are protected. Research should be conducted in a manner that:

• ensures valid, informed consent is obtained before individuals participate in research (for children under 16, parents/legal guardians as well as the children themselves must be approached for consent to participate);

• takes reasonable steps to identify and remove barriers to participation;

• avoids personal and social harm; and

• protects the confidentiality of information about research participants and their identities.