Tag: Lord Trefgarne

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Criminal Cases Review Commission to make and publish a decision in respect of the case of Sgt Alexander Blackman.

Lord Faulks

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is independent of Government and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on specific cases. I understand the average time that it takes the CCRC to reach an initial decision is seven months, although the length of time will depend upon the complexity of the application and the individual case.

I am informed that the CCRC has assessed Mr Blackman’s case as a level one priority case and this has been communicated to him and his representatives

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers are available to ministers to order the release of prisoners duly sentenced and held in England and Wales.

Lord Faulks

Prisoners are held in accordance with the type and length of sentence they are given by the courts and legislation prescribes when and how they are to be released. The majority are released automatically, with standard determinate sentence prisoners released at the half-way point in their sentence. Some prisoners are released at the discretion of the independent Parole Board – for example, all prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence and some extended sentence prisoners – once they have reached the point in their sentence when they are eligible to be considered for parole.

Legislation also gives the Secretary of State discretion to release sentenced prisoners in certain circumstances. In practice, these decisions are taken on behalf of the Secretary of State by prison governors or other officials in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). For example, some shorter sentenced, low risk offenders may be considered for release before their automatic release date under the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme, at the discretion of prison governors.

There is also a statutory power for the Secretary of State to release any sentenced prisoner if there are exceptional circumstances which justify release on compassionate grounds. Decisions on whether to grant early compassionate release are taken on a case-by-case basis by senior officials in NOMS.

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

To ask the Chairman of Committees what assessment he has made of the progress made in respect of the roadworks underway in Bridge Street at the northern end of Westminster Bridge, and when he expects those works to be completed.

Lord Laming

The work on Bridge Street, Westminster Bridge and Victoria Embankment is due to be completed by the end of this month; remaining works around Parliament Square should be completed by the end of April as planned. There have been detailed and helpful discussions, and ongoing liaison, between the Administrations of both Houses and Transport for London about the scheduling of the work in order to ensure that the plans for the cycle superhighway disrupt access to Parliament as little as possible. Since the works began, there have been no reports that they have adversely affected or disrupted the business of Parliament. Parliament has shared information about these works on the intranet.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-04-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to require cyclists using the public highway to carry photo identification.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We have no plans to make cyclists carry photographic or other forms of identification. The police already have sufficient powers if they are unsure of a person’s identity. There are other users of the highway, for instance pedestrians and horse riders who are also not required to carry personal identification, or have other forms of identification, e.g. registration numbers displayed.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 sets out the general powers available to the police, including in circumstances when an individual’s identity needs to be established, or when false identity information has been provided. Similarly, powers exist under Section 168 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, where the person is suspected of having committed an offence under Sections 28 (Dangerous Cycling) and 29 (Careless Cycling) of the same Act. The application of any such powers is an operational matter for the police.

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

To ask the Leader of the House whether she is satisfied with the existing Standing Orders relating to the consideration of primary legislation in its later stages, and if not, whether she will refer that matter to the Procedure Committee.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will write directly to my Rt Hon. Friend.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-06-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the criteria approved by Ministers for use by the Parole Board when considering whether to authorise the release of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences.

Lord Faulks

Ministers do not set criteria for use by the independent Parole Board when considering the release of indeterminate sentence prisoners. They must serve the minimum term, or tariff, set by the sentencing court after which they may be considered for release by the Parole Board. The Board is required to apply the statutory test for release contained in section 28 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. The Board must assess the level of risk to the public – using reports and assessments from prison, probation and other professionals involved in the management of the offender – and will only direct release if they conclude that the prisoner could safely be managed on licence in the community.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-06-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to secure adequate supplies of anti-TB vaccine for use on badgers, in view of the present shortage.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The ongoing shortage of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, and the need to prioritise available stocks for humans, is impacting on supply for badger vaccination projects. Following advice from Public Health England (PHE) in December 2015, Defra took the decision to suspend attempts to source BCG vaccine for the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme and other private badger vaccination deployment projects in England until this situation is resolved.

We are seeking regular updates from PHE about the vaccine shortage so that once the situation is resolved we can be in a position to re-start ordering of vaccine at the earliest opportunity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-06-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to appoint a permanent Chief Constable of Surrey.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Since their introduction in 2012, the appointment of a chief constable is a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Surrey’s new Police and Crime Commissioner, David Munro, announced on 14 June that Nick Ephgrave is his preferred candidate for the role of Chief Constable of Surrey Police. The appointment is subject to a confirmation hearing by the Surrey Police and Crime Panel on 5 July.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2015-10-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 16 September (HL1895), how many male prisoners over the age of 80 who are currently serving prison sentences were over the age of 70 when sentenced.

Lord Faulks

As at 30 June 2015, of the 133 male prisoners over the age of 80 who are currently serving prisons sentences in England and Wales, 123 were sentenced when they were over the age of 70 years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2014-06-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average time taken by general practitioners to complete the medical forms required by candidates for the Territorial Army and Army Reserve; and what is the number presently outstanding.

Lord Astor of Hever

The average time taken by General Practitioners to complete medical forms for Army Reserve applicants is 29 days. This includes the time taken by the candidate to provide the documents to their General Practitioner as well as the time taken by General Practitioners to process the forms. This has reduced from 37 days which was the average prior to the implementation of the improved medical process for recruits in February 2014.

As at 6 June 2014, 1,315 sets of Army Reserve medical declaration documents were outstanding.