Tag: Philip Davies

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases related to the Independent Police Complaints Commission have been referred back to the police for investigation in each of the last six years.

Mike Penning

Police forces are required to refer (i) all Death and Serious Injury (DSI) matters and (ii) complaints and conduct matters that meet certain criteria, as set out in regulations, to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The IPCC assesses each referral on a case-by-case basis, by considering the seriousness of the matter and any relevant public interest factors. The IPCC may decide that an investigation is not required, in which case the matter will be referred back to the police force to decide what action to take. Alternatively, if the IPCC decides that the matter requires investigation, the IPCC must make a determination to undertake an independent investigation, an investigation under the supervision or management of the IPCC, or can refer back to the police force to investigate.

In 2013 the Home Secretary announced a commitment to transfer resources to the IPCC to enable it to expand to undertake all serious and sensitive matters involving the police. The IPCC is currently undertaking a change programme to deliver this expansion. In 2013/14 the IPCC commenced 109 independent investigations whilst 241 were opened in 2014/15. The IPCC is on course to meet its target of delivering between 400 and 700 independent investigations in 2015/16.

Reforms in the Policing and Crime Bill will build on this, enhancing the overall level of independence across IPCC investigations by removing managed and supervised investigations. Where the IPCC decides not to refer a matter back to the police force for investigation, it must undertake an independent investigation unless it considers that a directed investigation, a new form of investigation established by the Bill, is more appropriate.

Information on how many cases referred to the IPCC have been referred back to the police for investigation is available on the IPCC’s website for the majority of the last six years (link: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/page/archive-corporate-reports-and-plans). I will ask the IPCC to write to the Honourable Member, providing fuller information, and will ask for this response to be made available in the House Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 27517, how many foreign nationals living in the UK have been prosecuted for a fraudulent child benefit claim for a child living in the EU.

Justin Tomlinson

The Information requested is not available. As DWP does not administer child benefit, we do not legally have any powers to investigate alleged fraudulent claims.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of participation in out-of-court restorative justice on re-offending rates.

Mike Penning

It is vital that victims see swift and certain justice delivered to their offender. It is also vital that victims of crime get the help they need to cope with, and recover from, crime.

That is why we have protected the victims’ budget and given Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) greater flexibility to decide which services are needed in their local area. Restorative Justice can be a part of a wide range of services offered to victims of crime, and we are providing advice and guidance to help PCCs deliver it.

There has been no assessment on the impact on reoffending rates of participation in restorative justice as part of an out of court disposal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a comparative assessment of the proven reoffending rates of the HMP Doncaster and the HMP Peterborough payment by results pilots.

Andrew Selous

We have learned important lessons from these pilots, which have informed our probation reforms. The final process evaluation reports can be found at the following links:

1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-impact-bond-pilot-at-hmp-peterborough-final-report

2) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmp-doncaster-payment-by-results-pilot-process-evaluation-report

The PbR pilot operating in HMP Peterborough began on 9 September 2010 and results for cohort 1 of this pilot were published on 7 August 2014. The final set of results will be published in due course. The PbR pilot that operated in HMP Doncaster started in October 2011 and closed at the end of 2014. Results for cohort 1 were published in August 2014 and results for cohort 2 were published in July 2015.

The published results can be found at the following links:

3) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-results-for-cohorts-1-payment-by-results-prison-pilots

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/payment-by-results-pilot-cohort-2-hmp-doncaster-results

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will conduct a review of the effect of civil court fee increases on people’s ability to enforce their legal rights.

Dominic Raab

We keep court fees under regular review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what new measures she is implementing to encourage take-up of teacher training.

Nick Gibb

The latest published figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service show that teaching remains a hugely popular profession; nearly 28,000 people have been recruited to postgraduate teacher training courses in England in 2016/17, with several weeks of the recruitment cycle remaining.

Our 2017/18 teacher recruitment marketing campaign will commence in the autumn and will feature a new television advert, alongside print, online and social media advertising. Forty recruitment events will take place across the country, and teaching will be promoted also at over thirty graduate fairs where our advisors will meet students, setting out the benefits of a career in teaching.

To support recruitment in 2017/18, we will also be announcing a new package of financial incentives, including bursaries and scholarships to attract top graduates in priority subjects such as physics and maths, in early autumn.

In addition, we are spending up to £67 million on a programme of measures to upskill the existing maths and physics teaching workforce, and increase the number of new maths and physics specialists entering teaching. This package aims to recruit up to 2,500 new teachers and upskill up to 15,000 existing teachers over the term of this parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the self-esteem of female hospital staff of having to wear a uniform.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Department has not assessed the effect on the self-esteem of female hospital staff having to wear uniform.

There is advice available to hospitals on the NHS Employers website via the following links:

http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/plan/building-a-diverse-workforce/need-to-know/dress-codes-and-discrimination

http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/plan/building-a-diverse-workforce/need-to-know/wearing-face-veils-in-the-workplace

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of proposals set out in January 2016 by Lord Justice Jackson to set fixed costs on all personal injury claims valued up to £250,000; and what steps the Government is taking to control costs and promote access to justice in this area.

Sir Oliver Heald

On 15 September, the Government announced that it is keen to extend fixed recoverable costs to as many civil cases as possible. The senior judiciary will be developing proposals and the Government will consult in due course.

In addition, the Department of Health is currently considering the introduction of fixed recoverable costs in lower value clinical negligence claims, on which it expects to consult as soon as practicable; and the Ministry of Justice has asked the Civil Justice Council to consider and make recommendations on the possible introduction of fixed recoverable costs in noise induced hearing loss cases.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Andrea Leadsom

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to Question 15037:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-11-05/15037/.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2015 to Question 12657, if he will commission an independent review into the procedures followed by the Tobacco Control policy team within his Department when awarding section 64 grants to Action on Smoking and Health.

Jane Ellison

There is no requirement to commission an independent review as the award of Section 64 grants to Action on Smoking and Health has followed the appropriate policies and procedures applicable to all Section 64 grants.

The assessment of the grant application for funding from Action on Smoking and Health is undertaken by members of the Tobacco Control policy team.

The assessment process is the same for all grants awarded under Section 64 powers. The assessment process uses standard business case criteria and consists of a Strategic Case, Economic Case, Financial Case, Commercial Case and Project Governance.

The assessment is reviewed by the Department’s Voluntary Sector Grants Hub to ensure that the grant proposal is affordable within Departmental budgets; relevant Efficiency Review Group Controls have been considered; the grant has been assessed as delivering value for money and the grant is considered to be appropriate for the Grant funding route rather than procurement.