The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-05-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received from (a) Healthwatch England, (b) Healthwatch Enfield and (c) other patient groups on the decision by NHS Royal Free Foundation Trust to grant Google DeepMind access to NHS patient records.
George Freeman
The Department has received no representations from patient groups on this subject.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Northover on 2016-07-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to ensure that aid convoys are permitted and facilitated, and that humanitarian workers, journalists, and staff of relief and aid organisations are permitted entry into the region of Northern Syria and Rojava.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has raised the issue with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Presidential Office, and strongly encouraged the free movement of humanitarian aid. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and to do all we can to ensure the provision of humanitarian access.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the strategic military importance of Gibraltar to the UK and her allies.
Mike Penning
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 September 2016 to Question 45163.
Our assessment of Gibraltar’s strategic importance is shared by our allies and partners, a number of whom make regular use of the military facilities there.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the resolution of discussions on the sovereignty of oil reserves in the Golan Heights.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Government believes that Israel must continue to fulfil its obligations under the Oslo Accords, including through the exploration of shared natural resources. We continue to follow the situation of the oil exploration licences in the Golan Heights closely. We have been clear that Israel must comply with its obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether victims of crime are informed (a) when prisoners appeal against their sentences and (b) the progress of such appeals.
Mike Penning
Victims of crime are informed of any notice of appeal; the date, time and location of any hearing and the outcome of that appeal, including any changes to the original sentence in accordance with the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.
Victims are notified of this information on appeals from the magistrates’ courts to the Crown Court within one working day. For appeals from the Crown Court to the Court of Appeal, vulnerable or intimidated victims will receive this information within one working day and for all other victims of crime within five working days.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-01-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to take in response to the Lord Chief Justice’s Review of the Administration of Justice in the Courts of 2015, which found that our system of justice has become unaffordable to most” and that “no satisfactory means of funding the provision of our system of justice has yet been achieved”.”
Lord Faulks
The Government has put in place measures to support people in resolving their disputes by means of more informal and less costly remedies, and we have made sure that legal aid remains available for the highest priority cases. There is, however, more to do if we are to achieve our vision of one nation justice.
As the Lord Chief Justice made clear in his annual report, the investment the Government is making to modernise our courts and tribunals is a significant step, and one which will enable us to tackle many of the issues he identified.
We will continue to work closely with the judiciary to make sure that our justice system delivers faster and fairer justice for all.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what metrics his Department uses to measure the effectiveness of deposit protection schemes.
Brandon Lewis
The Tenancy Deposit Schemes provide monthly reports on service performance and six monthly statistical returns covering deposits accepted, the number of complaints received and the number of cases adjudicated upon. These reports are discussed quarterly with the Department.
The Tenancy Deposit Schemes in England are currently protecting over 3 million deposits on behalf of tenants, helping to raise standards in the private rented sector and ensuring that tenants are treated fairly at the end of the tenancy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-03-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average length of sentence of offenders sentenced after having been returned to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant.
Lord Faulks
This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The National Crime Agency publishes statistics on the operation of the European Arrest Warrant. These can be found on their website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents involving the use of drone technology have been recorded at each type of prison facility in each of the last three years.
Andrew Selous
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to PQ 20357.
Incidents involving drones are rare, but we remain constantly vigilant to all new threats to prison security. This Government has made it a criminal offence to throw, or otherwise project, any article of substance into prison without authorisation. Anyone using drones in an attempt to get contraband into prisons can be punished with a sentence of up to two years. We take a zero tolerance approach to illicit material in prisons and work closely with the police and CPS to ensure those responsible for a drone incident are caught and, if appropriate, prosecuted.
There were no reported drone incidents in 2013; 2 reported incidents in 2014; and 33 reported incidents in 2015.
These figures include drone finds and sightings of drones by prison staff in and around all types of public and private prisons in England and Wales.
These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-05-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) successfully made an application for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and (b) were unsuccessful in an application for JSA following a Genuine Prospect of Work assessment in the last two years.
Priti Patel
The Department does not record statistics on applications for Jobseeker’s Allowance following a genuine prospect of work assessment.
To collate the information requested would take the costs of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.