UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • 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 access foreign security services have in the UK to 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.

  • 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 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates have resigned from their positions in each of the last 24 months.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    It is not possible to provide the requested information at this time, as the central database on which the information is recorded is being replaced. I will write to the honourable member in due course.

  • Karl McCartney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Karl McCartney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communications of the hon. Member for Lincoln since his election; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.

    As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.

    The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and, electronic surveillance and equipment interference, when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.

    It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to review the safety of roads and highways in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport has not undertaken a review of safety of the roads of highways in the West Midlands as this is a matter for the local highway authorities and Highways England.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were subject to the benefit cap between May 2015 and August 2015 had been in receipt of working tax credit at any point during the 12 months prior to May 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Benefit cap statistics for the period to August 2015 have been pre-announced for publication on 5th November 2015, however the information you have requested cannot be provided due to disproportionate costs.

  • John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Baron on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by local authorities to tackle loneliness; and what support the Government has provided to local authorities for such work.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has not carried out an assessment of the impact of loneliness in England or in Basildon and Billericay. The Campaign to End Loneliness report Loneliness: the State We’re In (2012) demonstrated that loneliness has a very negative impact on health. Research identified by the Campaign to End Loneliness has shown it has an effect on mortality that is similar in size to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is worse for us than obesity. Loneliness and social isolation is also associated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, poor sleep and depression.

    The Government has not made an assessment of the steps the National Health Service and local authorities have taken to tackle loneliness. Given the complexity of loneliness and the different ways that people are affected there is no single solution that can tackle loneliness and having a range of interventions and solutions is helpful. The Department has funded the Social Care Institute for Excellence to develop and run the Prevention Library which includes examples of emerging practice to prevent, reduce or delay peoples care and support needs from deteriorating. This includes examples of what NHS bodies and local authorities have done to tackle loneliness such as the NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group Living Well programme and LinkAge supported by Bristol City Council.

    Prevention is core to the Government’s approach to people managing their health and care needs. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health set out in his speech to the Local Government Association on 1 July that we all have a responsibility at an individual, family, and community level to identify people with care needs such as loneliness and provide support and improve their wellbeing.

    Through the Care Act 2014 the Government has placed a duty on local authorities to have measures in place to identify people in their area who would benefit from universal services to help reduce, delay or prevent needs for care and support. This includes needs that may arise from loneliness and social isolation.

    The Department has supported a ‘digital toolkit’ for local commissioners, which was developed by the Campaign to End Loneliness, and is now incorporated in their guidance Loneliness and Isolation: Guidance for Local Authorities and Commissioners. This supports commissioners in understanding, mapping and commissioning for loneliness and social isolation in their communities, and includes promising approaches to tackling loneliness.

    We are building a better understanding of how prevention can maintain people’s wellbeing and the evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions is expanding. Through the Prevention Library local authorities can learn from emerging practice, and exchange ideas and experience of the impact of information, advice and befriending services.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Palestinian Authority on action to prevent terrorist attacks in Israel.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    I spoke to President Abbas on 9 October about the violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and urged him to do everything in his power to reduce tensions and restore calm. In recent weeks, Her Majesty’s Consul General in Jerusalem has also pressed several senior Palestinian figures on the need to de-escalate the current tension.

    I strongly condemn the recent terrorist attacks. The effect that they are having on innocent civilians is appalling. I also strongly condemn all incitement to commit acts of violence by both sides.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register in each of the last five years; and what the number of such people was in each region of the UK.

    Jane Ellison

    The number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register in each of the last five years, broken down by region, can be found in the table below:

    Number on the NHS Organ Donor Register by region: 31 March 2011-31 March 2015, together with the most up-to-date figure as of 18 October 2015

    Area

    31 March 2011

    31 March 2012

    31 March 2013

    31 March 2014

    31 March 2015

    18 October 2015

    North East

    692,025

    724,367

    755,971

    786,099

    817,354

    846,355

    North West

    1,819,300

    1,898,176

    1,984,094

    2,061,533

    2,154,676

    2,238,884

    Yorkshire and the Humber

    1,402,162

    1,470,360

    1,531,114

    1,595,261

    1,652,951

    1,703,749

    East Midlands

    1,203,101

    1,254,266

    1,312,788

    1,368,396

    1,432,189

    1,486,106

    West Midlands

    1,289,144

    1,352,095

    1,410,060

    1,470,151

    1,527,821

    1,582,604

    East of England

    1,698,671

    1,785,398

    1,866,624

    1,955,199

    2,040,484

    2,111,254

    London

    1,842,526

    1,952,484

    2,038,271

    2,132,217

    2,228,770

    2,297,952

    South East Coast

    1,402,501

    1,465,911

    1,528,297

    1,568,285

    1,660,143

    1,737,706

    South Central

    1,274,839

    1,344,484

    1,406,769

    1,476,392

    1,533,499

    1,584,697

    South West

    1,790,479

    1,871,061

    1,943,719

    2,035,651

    2,119,347

    2,198,641

    Wales

    900,250

    938,406

    969,276

    1,005,213

    1,047,039

    1,076,199

    Scotland

    1,856,932

    2,024,867

    2,146,305

    2,110,394

    2,166,994

    2,248,191

    Northern Island

    485,050

    520,975

    548,291

    582,554

    618,543

    649,678

    Isle of Man

    9,779

    10,596

    11,115

    11,629

    11,984

    12,119

    Channel Islands

    12,772

    13,257

    14,347

    15,923

    16,326

    16,865

    UK Unknown

    72,264

    66,846

    65,765

    64,818

    69,233

    67,454

    Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

  • Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of sexual abuse of women in the Calais refugee camp; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women’s safety in that camp is protected.

    James Brokenshire

    The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including the involvement of any particular organisation, is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK has, however, provided specific financial assistance to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the camps. This project was agreed by the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister in the UK-France Joint Declaration of August 2015. The project aims to increase observation in the camps to identify vulnerable migrants including those who may be victims of human trafficking; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system.

  • Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Tyrie on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of making Chichester Combined Court Centre compliant with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    All reasonable adjustments have been made at Chichester Combined Court Centre and a temporary measure is in place to meet staff access requirements. The estimated cost of a permanent solution would be £20,000.