Tag: Lord Scriven

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 November (HL2849) on the review of retention of custody images by police forces, when the review will be completed, and when the guidance will be published.

Lord Bates

The review is ongoing, and is anticipated to report before the Christmas recess. Specific stakeholders consulted as part of the review include the Biometrics Commissioner, the Information Commissioner, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, the National DNA Database Ethics Group, the National Police Chiefs Council , the College of Policing and local police forces. The report can be expected to address the operational and legal issues and risks, and set out plans for implementation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-12-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 10 December (HL4243), whether the specific power of the Mayor to veto a vote by not voting for a motion, as set out in paragraph 4 of the Sheffield City Region Devolution Agreement, remains negotiable.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

All deals are agreed in principle, and we are therefore open to extending or amending existing devolution deals. However, it is vital that any alternative arrangement offered by Sheffield City Region would ensure that the Mayor will retain the same or stronger powers as the currently agreed arrangements.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 10 March (HL6471), when they were informed of the NHS England plan to introduce a sugar tax on its premises by 2020.

Lord Prior of Brampton

We have a range of conversations about key issues at Ministerial and official level with NHS England. NHS England is independent and the decision on a sugar levy on the National Health Service estate is a matter for them operationally. We are interested to see the results of their consultation on a sugar levy.

The Childhood Obesity Strategy will be published in the summer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which minister was informed of the move of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills office from Sheffield to London, why they were informed, and whether they had any decision-making role in that move.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Permanent Secretary and Executive Board have made the proposal to relocate policy roles to London. They are responsible for the day to day running of the Department. The proposal is part of the BIS 2020 programme agreed with Ministers to deliver £350m savings and be more effective in delivering Ministerial priorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many faces have been uploaded onto the police facial recognition database since the ruling against the Metropolitan Police Service in 2012; which police forces made those uploads; and how many faces each force has uploaded.

Lord Bates

There is no facial recognition database as such. The Police National Database (PND) includes photographs of persons taken on their arrest. These images can be uploaded onto the PND by police forces.

Full face images of a suitable size and quality are then enrolled in the facial image recognition gallery within PND, which can be searched using automated facial recognition software. Information on the number of facial images loaded by forces since June 2012 is not readily available

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-12-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the status of the Northern Powerhouse rail network, what schemes are incorporated into its remit, what budget it has allocated to it and by whom, what the governance structure is, and what powers it has.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The government and Transport for the North (TfN) published the Northern Transport Strategy in March 2015, setting out the vision for the Northern Powerhouse Rail network: radically improved journey times and frequencies between the major cities of the North, building on the substantial improvements to rail in the North to which the government is already committed.

In November, the government and Transport for the North published the Northern Transport Strategy: Autumn Report, providing a progress update on the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network.

The government has also committed a total of £50 million of funding over this parliament to Transport for the North, to help it develop plans to transform the North’s rail connections and build a single regional economy.

Work on Northern Powerhouse Rail is governed jointly by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for the North as set out in Principles for Governing the Relationship Between TfN and DfT.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 10 March (HL6471), what specific advice they were asked for before NHS England announced its plan to introduce a sugar tax on its premises by 2020.

Lord Prior of Brampton

We have a range of conversations about key issues at Ministerial and official level with NHS England. NHS England is independent and the decision on a sugar levy on the National Health Service estate is a matter for them operationally. We are interested to see the results of their consultation on a sugar levy.

The Childhood Obesity Strategy will be published in the summer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-04-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 27 April (HL7786), what temporary measures they plan to take, pending the review by the Lord Chancellor of the recommendations arising out of the review of extremism, to ensure that literature of a homophobic nature is not handed out by prison chaplains.

Lord Faulks

Prison chaplains are already aware that they should not distribute any unacceptable material, including material of a homophobic nature, to prisoners. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Justice is considering the recommendations of the review of Extremism. As the Secretary of State told the House on 26 April, a summary document will be published in due course. The full report cannot be published due to sensitive security issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have carried out to determine whether the police facial recognition database complies with the Data Protection Act 1998; and what were the findings of that review.

Lord Bates

There is no facial recognition database as such. The Police National Database (PND) includes photographs of persons taken on their arrest. These images can be uploaded onto the PND by police forces. Full face images of a suitable size and quality are then enrolled in the facial image recognition gallery within the PND, which can be searched using automated facial recognition software. As set out by the Code of Practice on the Operation and Use of the PND, chief police officers are responsible for the development and implementation of appropriate procedures and systems so that personal data is processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and other relevant legislation and guidance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-12-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timescale for the delivery of the HS3 rail scheme, and what budget is allocated to it.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Since March, the government and Transport for the North have undertaken significant work to develop options for transformational improvements to the North’s rail network; building on committed upgrades in the North of England and integrating with HS2.

By March 2016 we will conduct an initial prioritisation of options to focus further work and inform the development of an appropriate timeline for implementation.

The government has also established a new £300 million Transport Development Fund, which following advice from the National Infrastructure Commission, could support the development of proposals such as Northern Powerhouse Rail (HS3).