Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) practical and (b) emotional support is provided to rape victims.

    Karen Bradley

    Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes which we remain committed to tackling. We have made protecting women and girls from violence and supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence a key priority. A refreshed version of the previous Government’s strategy, A Call to End Violence against Women and Girls, will be published later this year.

    We recognise the importance of specialist services for victims.

    Since 2010 the Government has placed funding for rape support centres on a sustainable footing, and in 2015/16 is spending £4.7m to fund 86 rape support centres across England and Wales, including 15 new centres opened since 2010.

    We have set up a dedicated fund specially to support male victims of rape and sexual violence, funding 12 male rape support centres, a support line and a website. We have also ring-fenced £1.72 million per year since 2010 up to 2016 to part-fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisers who provide appropriate and independent support for victims.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what fields of data are held about people recorded by CCTV cameras with facial recognition and biometric tracking capabilities.

    Mike Penning

    I have received no representations about the use of CCTV cameras with facial recognition and biometric tracking capabilities.

    The use of any CCTV system operating in a public place in England and Wales (whether or not any facial recognition or biometric tracking technology is being used) is subject to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, issued as guidance under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The police, as a relevant authority, are duty bound to have regard to the Code when performing their functions. Any use of such technology for covert investigative purposes by a public authority would be subject to the requirements of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and its related Code of Practice. Further, the use and disclosure of personal data, such as CCTV images, is generally governed by the Data Protection Act 1998.

    Information on the fields of data which any CCTV system operator may use to identify individuals of interest is not held centrally. Further, any person (including those not suspected of an offence) may make a subject access request to a police force in respect of personal information which is held about them (including CCTV images). In broad terms, pursuant to the Code of Practice on the Management of Police Information (MOPI) and accompanying guidance published by the College of Policing, this should trigger a review of whether or not to delete such material based on an assessment of danger to the public and its value for policing purposes.

    It is the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the monetary value has been of criminal courts charges (a) imposed and (b) collected since the introduction of those charges.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Information on the enforcement of financial impositions is contained within an annex to Criminal Court Statistics Bulletin published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice.

    The data for the period April to September 2015 will be published on 17 December 2015. This will separately identify the monetary values of the criminal courts charge imposed and collected since 13 April 2015.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of noise on residents living across open land, with no sound barriers, from the proposed High Speed 2 route through Eddisbury.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The latest noise appraisal that has been completed for Phase Two of HS2 follows Government’s Transport Appraisal Guidance. This guidance evaluates the noise impact on residential properties near proposed HS2 infrastructure. The results of this appraisal are reported in the Sustainability Statement (July 2013) and include results with and without additional indicative noise mitigation.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people with cancer who will be affected by proposals under the Welfare Reform and Work Bill to reduce the amount paid to new claimants in the employment and support allowance work related activity group.

    Priti Patel

    The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/welfarereformandwork/documents.html

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of cash retentions on the viability of small businesses in the construction sector; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    The Government does not collect data on the different types of unsecured debts and the creditors to whom they are owed across the full range of formal insolvency procedures.

    The Government acknowledges that some people are unhappy with the system of retentions as it stands, but it is an embedded feature of the construction industry.

    Therefore, our general approach is towork with the industry through the Construction Leadership Council and its supply chain payment charter; endorsing its commitment to zero retentions by 2025. Achieving this commitment will involve far-reaching changes to the way the sector works.

    It is not clear that requiring money to be placed in trust funds is the best way to overcome any shortcomings in the system of retentions: it would impose a financial burden on construction clients, many of whom are themselves small businesses, and where there is financial weakness, may itself make insolvency more likely. The Government is commissioning research on the costs and benefits of the retention system and alternatives, including the use of trust funds. This will inform future action.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many young people in young offenders institutions receive 30 hours education each week.

    Andrew Selous

    Since 16 August 2015, education providers in public sector Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) are required to provide 27 hours of education a week, which is supplemented by 3 hours of physical exercise. On average, 27 hours of education is being provided in these YOIs.

    Although the majority of education time is protected, the number of hours of education actually received by young people is sometimes lower than this due to a variety of necessary interruptions, such as court appearances, family visits, or medical appointments. The number of people in YOIs receiving 27 hours of education each week is not recorded centrally. The Youth Justice Board is currently working with the National Offender Management Service, YOIs and education providers to increase the number of education hours received by young people.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8139, what (a) correspondence and (b) meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust on patients being admitted to private facilities outside Lancashire in 2014.

    Ben Gummer

    There has been no such correspondence or meetings. These are operational matters for the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust.

  • Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total forecast spending on alcohol treatment services is for the future years for which information is available.

    Jane Ellison

    Figures for the 2016-17 and future public health grants will not be known until after the 2015 spending review. There is currently a consultation on the proposed target allocation formula for the 2016-17 public health grant, which includes a formula for substance misuse services, which closes on 6 November.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by his Department with the Saudi Arabian government.

    Dominic Raab

    The Information Commissioner’s Office has upheld the decision not to publish this Memorandum of Understanding. That correspondence can be found here: https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2015/1432375/fs_50579089.pdf.