Tag: Philip Davies

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders given custodial sentences for offences committed during the public disorder in London in August 2011 were given terms of imprisonment of 12 months or less.

Mike Penning

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent judiciary, taking account all of the circumstances of the case. Numerous offences were committed during the disorder including theft, criminal damage, burglary and various disorder offences but most commonly violent disorder. As of 10 August 2012, of the 2,138 persons sentenced, 1,396 (65 per cent) were sentenced at the Crown Court, of which 1,137 (81 per cent) received immediate custodial sentences with an average custodial sentence length (ACSL) of 19.6 months. This compares to an ACSL of 11.3 months for offenders committed for sentence at the Crown Court for similar offences in England and Wales 2010.

The latest available data shows that the number of offenders given a custodial sentence of 12 months or less for offences committed during the public disorder in London in August 2011 was 640.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that participants in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 are prevented from staying in the UK illegally after the Games have finished.

Karen Bradley

The rigorous Accreditation Process that contributed to the success of the
Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 has also been central to our preparations
for Glasgow 2014.

To minimise attempts to abuse our hospitality after the Games have ended,
comprehensive record checks on all Commonwealth Games participants and Games
Family Members are conducted before they are cleared to enter the UK. We have
also introduced arrangements to confirm that people given Commonwealth Games
clearance have left the UK within their permitted time limits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial rewards her Department makes available to kinship carers.

Mr Edward Timpson

Children placed in a kinship care arrangement by a local authority are looked after children, in which case their carer must be approved as a foster carer. In these circumstances, kinship carers must receive the same support, including financial support, as all other foster carers.

The majority of kinship carers will be caring for children who are not looked after.

Relatives caring for a child in these circumstances are entitled to support, such as child benefit and any other benefits available to parents, subject to the usual eligibility criteria.

In 2011, the Department for Education issued ‘Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’ which sets out a requirement on local authorities to develop clear, publically accessible policies to describe how they will assess and support children cared for by kinship carers. Such support could include financial help for carers of children who are not looked after, where the local authority assesses this is appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much Bradford Metropolitan District Council received from central government in grants in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins

In 2014-15, Bradford Metropolitan District Council is forecast to receive £655 million in government grants, excluding mandatory housing benefits, equivalent to £3,112 per dwelling. Per dwelling, this is in the top 20 highest in England. Including mandatory housing benefits, the forecast is £838 million (source: Revenue Account budget returns).

In addition to this, Bradford Metropolitan District residents will also benefit from government grant funding to the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, to the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority and to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

We do not hold detailed information on all the individual grants paid out across government departments over the time period.

However, leaving aside schools spending which has changed due to the funding shift from local authorities to academies, in 2014-15, Bradford Metropoliton District Council’s net current expenditure excluding education is forecast to be £596 million (source: Revenue Account budget returns). This compares with £548 million in 2009-10 (source: Revenue Outturn returns), and is thus an increase in cash terms.

Of course, every bit of the public sector needs to do its bit to pay off the deficit left by the last Administration, including local government which accounts for a quarter of all public spending. Yet these figures illustrate how claims in some parts of the local government sector about “cuts” are over-stated and mislead the public.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made implementing the recommendations of Getting It Right for Victims and Witnesses, Cm 8288, published in January 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green

We have made great progress in implementing all recommendations from the ‘Getting it right for victims and witnesses’ consultation.

• From 1^st October this year the majority of support services for victims of crime will be commissioned locally by PCCs, who are best placed to understand the needs of victims in their community. MoJ are nationally commissioning a number of services for victims and witnesses, specifically the Homicide Service, the court based witness service and the rape support fund, as well as some national helplines for victims.

• Support services, whether commissioned locally or nationally, will for the first time be focused on outcomes, supporting victims to cope with the immediate impacts of crime, and as far as is possible, help them to recover.

• The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime came into force on 10 December 2013. The Code gives victims of crime clearer entitlements from the criminal justice system and tailors services to individual need so they get the right support at the right time. It also includes a section dedicated to people under 18, their parents and guardians and a separate chapter for businesses.

• We wanted to give victims a stronger voice in the criminal justice system. That is why the new Victims’ Code entitles victims to make a Victim Personal Statement to leave the in no doubt about the impact of their crime on the victim. The Code now includes an improved complaints process.

• The Government has also published the Witness Charter alongside the Victims’ Code, which demonstrates our commitment to improving all witnesses’ experience of the criminal justice system.

• We are currently piloting pre-trial cross-examination in Leeds, Liverpool and Kingston–upon–Thames Crown Courts, allowing vulnerable witnesses to give evidence in advance and sparing them from facing questioning during the trial.

• We reformed the Victim Surcharge in October 2012 to increase fines and extend it to a wider range of cases to ensure more offenders pay towards the cost of victims’ services. Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) were increased from 1 July 2013 for the same aim. A clause included in the ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014 will prevent offenders sentenced in the magistrates’ courts from discharging the Surcharge as additional days in custody.

• We implemented a revised Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in November 2012 that focuses on seriously injured victims of serious crime.

• More money than ever before will be available for services to support victims of crime, with a potential total budget of up to £100m, double MOJ’s current spending of around £50m.