Tag: Philip Davies

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in 10 Downing Street receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

Matthew Hancock

The Prime Minister’s office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

No staff receive a home to work travel allowance or a car allowance. Health insurance is not a benefit offered to staff however, due to a TUPE transfer where Cabinet Office brought staff in from the private sector there a smaller number of staff able to claim subsidised health insurance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what checks are made to determine whether an individual who is not a British citizen has committed any crimes in the UK on a previous occasion at the time of their entry to the UK from another EU country.

James Brokenshire

We take the issue of preventing criminals entering the UK extremely seriously, and we continue to strengthen our borders so that we can prevent crime and protect the public. We carry out 100% checks at passport control to identify persons of interest entering the UK. All passengers are checked against police, security and immigration watchlists and where we are aware of individuals who pose a risk, Border Force officers can – and do – refuse them entry. Checks are also carried out against the vast majority of passengers before they arrive in the UK and, where we can, we stop them from travelling in the first place.

Those required to obtain a visa to enter the UK are also checked against a range of police, security and immigration databases for details of any UK or overseas criminal record. All applicants are required to provide details of their criminal history. Where they fail to declare relevant offences/convictions, their application will be refused and they will be subject to a ten-year ban from applying to enter the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) visas have been granted by each licensed sponsor in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire

I will arrange for the list of current Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) licensed sponsors and the number of certificates of sponsorship they have assigned to migrants for each of the last five years to be placed in the House Library. This includes certificates assigned to migrants who are within the UK as well as overseas.

Each of the sponsors listed have had to provide mandatory documentation to demonstrate that they are bona fide religious organisations, trading lawfully within the UK. This information is assessed and used to validate an application prior to the issuance of a sponsor licence. Visits may also be conducted at the premises of prospective sponsors, to ensure that an organisation is eligible, suitable and genuine. Those who fail to meet UKVI’s requirements will have their application refused.

In cases where an application has already been granted, UKVI continues to monitor their compliance against the published guidance. Those sponsors who fail to adhere to their duties will have action taken again them; this includes but is not limited to the revocation of their licence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will ask her counterpart in the US administration for emissions data and costing information on the Petra Nova carbon capture and storage project; and if she will place a copy of that information in the Library.

Andrea Leadsom

DECC officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in other Governments, including the United States and United Arab Emirates, to exchange information on carbon capture and storage. This dialogue includes, within the limits of normal commercial confidentiality, progress in developing specific projects.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women who were remanded in custody received a custodial sentence of the same or a shorter length than the time they had spent on remand in the last year for which information is available.

Mike Penning

The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders returned under fixed term recalls have (a) submitted requests to be re-released before the end of the 28 day period and (b) been granted re-release before the end of the 28 day period in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous

Any offender who is believed to have committed further offences whilst on licence is liable to be arrested and charged and, if convicted, given a further sentence. If the offence is serious, they can be remanded into custody until trial. Offenders on licence who are charged with further offences are also liable to be recalled, potentially to serve the rest of their sentence in prison, as they will be in breach of the requirement of their licence to be of good behaviour. If the offender is assessed as not presenting a risk of harm to the public they can be assessed as suitable for a shorter, fixed term recall. Those who have been charged with serious sexual or violent offences will not be considered suitable for a fixed term recall.

Such offenders can apply for re-release before their automatic re-release date. In the last five years two offenders in 2011, one in 2013 and two in 2015 applied for release. Three of these offenders were subsequently released.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of suspended sentences is that one person currently has without receiving a prison sentence in a (a) magistrates court and (b) Crown court.

Dominic Raab

Where the court imposes a custodial sentence of two years or less it may suspend the sentence, for up to two years, and also impose one or more community requirements. This is a decision for the independent judiciary. If the offender breaches a suspended sentence order, there is a statutory presumption that the custodial sentence will be given effect, unless it would be unjust to do so in view of all of the circumstances.

Repeat offenders can expect to go straight to prison if they commit a serious offence. Offenders serving suspended custodial sentences, however, have a lower re-offending rate than offenders serving immediate, short custodial sentences.

The highest number of suspended sentences received by one person who has not also received an immediate custodial sentence, as recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC) up to 31 December 2015, and the latest sentencing occasion being (a) in a magistrate’s court was 10 and (b) in the Crown Court was 6.

The highest number of suspended sentences received by one person, as recorded on the PNC up to December 2015, before receiving an immediate custodial sentence in; (a) a magistrate’s court was 9 and (b) the Crown Court was 8.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) internal and (b) externally commissioned research his Department has conducted on potential links between the levels of tax and illicit trade in the alcohol and tobacco sectors.

Jane Ellison

The government considers a number of different factors when deciding duty rates for alcohol and tobacco, including the impact on the illicit trade.

HMRC have published econometric analysis of cigarette and alcohol consumption, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-revenue-and-customs-research-working-papers.

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

To ask the Attorney General, if he will list by offence type the number and proportion of cases in which the Crown Prosecution Service has opposed bail on the grounds of the associated person exception for (a) male and (b) female defendants in each of the last three years.

Robert Buckland

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number cases where bail has been opposed. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 7 July 2016 to Questions 41448 and 41439, what his Department’s priorities are for the 7th Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to be held in November 2016.

Nicola Blackwood

The Department is still giving consideration to the United Kingdom’s priorities for the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The composition of the UK’s delegation is also still under consideration.