theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Michael Payne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the adequacy of the number of wheelchair spaces on (a) buses and (b) other public transport. \p Simon Lightwood: 99% of buses providing local services comply with accessibility regulations that cover the design of vehicles and incorporate a designated space to accommodate at least one wheelchair user. We recognise that in some circumstances such provision may be inadequate, and we welcome efforts by individual operators to provide a second wheelchair space. We also continue to consider the efficacy of existing bus and coach accessibility regulation, and will announce our next steps in due course.

Trains are required to have at least two wheelchair spaces, to meet legal requirements, and each train operator must ensure they are kept clear for wheelchair users. Light rail vehicles (including trams, metros and London Underground) also have wheelchair spaces in compliance with similar legal requirements. The current refurbishment of London Underground’s oldest Tube trains includes the creation of wheelchair spaces where these do not already exist.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of varying fuel prices at nation-wide service station providers; and what steps she is taking to ensure equity for customers. \p Lilian Greenwood: The local pricing of fuel at forecourts is a commercial matter for retailers. The Competition and Markets Authority has powers to monitor competition in the road fuel retail market. The government has committed to introduce legislation to implement Fuel Finder which will increase price transparency and enable drivers to compare prices. Additionally, recognising that pump prices are significantly higher in some rural locations, the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme supports motorists by providing a 5 pence per litre reduction to the standard rate of fuel duty in designated areas.

Policies introduced by the Department for Transport impacting road fuel prices tend to apply UK wide, for example the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The RTFO does not give rise to price pressures which would necessitate regional or geographical variations in pricing at forecourts.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled Public chargepoints for electric vehicles, published on 13 December 2024, what discussions her Department has had with (a) industry leaders and (b) local authorities on compliance with the chargepoint accessibility standard for electric car chargepoints. \p Lilian Greenwood: Publicly Available Standard 1899 was co-sponsored by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and the national disability charity Motability. The standard was developed in close collaboration with industry, disabled users, accessibility experts, charities, consumer groups and the devolved administrations. PAS 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible public EV chargepoints, meeting the industry need for standardised guidance on what accessible public chargepoint design consists of and how it can be deployed.

Whilst compliance with PAS 1899 is voluntary, legal obligations pertaining to the Equality Act 2010 have to be adhered to.

The Government, in collaboration with the British Standards Institute and Motability, is spearheading the Technical Working Group conducting the two-year review of PAS 1899, with results anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of AI road cameras at reducing road accidents in high risk areas. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of AI road cameras at reducing road crashes in high-risk areas.

However, trials of new technology including the use of AI cameras in small scale operational activity has been carried out under the Roads Policing Review. Evidence from these is being considered.

National Highways has also worked with police forces to understand the role of technology to detect and enforce mobile phone and seatbelt violations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of constructing East-West Rail in 2024 prices. \p Lilian Greenwood: £1.3bn has been provided towards the delivery of East West Rail Connection Stage 1 (CS1) which will provide services from Oxford to Bletchley and Milton Keynes.

The capital cost estimate for Connection Stages 2 (Oxford-Bedford) and 3 (Oxford-Cambridge) is £5bn-£6bn in 2021 prices. Final costs for the project will be driven by scope and design choices.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting transport providers to buy British buses. \p Simon Lightwood: On 8 October 2024, the Department announced plans to create a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. This panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. The Department continues to work with officials across Government to engage with British bus manufacturing stakeholders and more details on this will be set out in due course.

UK-based bus manufacturers have benefited the most from the Department’s funding programmes, such as Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA). It is estimated that 60% of ZEBRA-supported buses will be procured from UK-based manufacturers, supporting economic growth and jobs across the zero-carbon transport industry. We want to see domestic manufacturers build on this foundation and stimulate innovation and skills development to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill on safety on trains. \p Simon Lightwood: The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes no changes to existing roles and responsibilities regarding safety or tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. As such, there is no reason to expect any adverse impacts. The Government expects publicly owned train operators to focus relentlessly on the interests of passengers rather than shareholders, resulting in better outcomes for passengers across a range of areas, which will include personal security on trains.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has a strategy for tackling violence against women and girls on trains after the passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill. \p Simon Lightwood: Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for the Government. We have set the ambitious target to halve this figure in the next decade using every lever available to us. The Department is working closely with the central mission delivery unit in the Cabinet Office to achieve the aims set out in the Government’s Safer Streets mission.

The British Transport Police will continue to police the rail network following the transition of passenger services into public ownership to prevent and investigate crime, and in particular to tackle violence against women and girls.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to resolve the strike action by the RMT on Avanti West Coast. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State expects the operator and RMT to do everything they can to avoid further industrial action, and to minimise disruption to passengers in the meantime.

As part of our plans to reform the railways, we are determined to move towards a seven-day working week and end the overreliance on rest day working, giving passengers the certainty and reliability they deserve.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the accessibility of the railways for disabled people. \p Simon Lightwood: We are carefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme. Since April 2024, 13 stations have been completed with a further 18 due to be completed by April 2025. This will be the most stations completed in one year since the programme started in 2006. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Independent report by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee entitled DPTAC position on the eligibility criteria for concessionary bus travel, published on 17 August 2022, whether she plans to carry out a review of the eligibility criteria for bus passes for disabled people. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and, while the Department keeps the scheme under review, any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to ensure that (a) rising mobilisation, (b) due diligence and (c) general programme delivery costs are (i) monitored and (ii) restrained during the transfer of train operator services to public ownership; and whether she plans to publish those costs. \p Simon Lightwood: In line with established Departmental arrangements, a robust governance framework and spending controls have been put in place for the Public Ownership Programme. The Programme will also be included in the Government Major Projects Portfolio.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 9 December 2024 to Question 17895 on South Western Railway: Nationalisation, Question 17896 on C2C: Nationalisation and Question 17897 on Abellio Greater Anglia: Nationalisation, what the evidential basis is for the expectation that transfer costs will be less than the fees provided to private operators. \p Simon Lightwood: Based on previous mobilisations undertaken by the Department and DfT Operator (DfTO), we have an understanding of the base level costs associated with transfer from a private sector operator to public ownership. For example, as set out in the Explanatory Note to the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, mobilisation and due diligence costs are estimated at £1m to £1.5m per transaction. However, the exact costs of each transfer cannot be determined until engagement with each operator has commenced.

For comparison, savings in fees no longer payable to private operators are expected to be between £110m and £150m per annum, once all services have transferred into public ownership from the ten current private-sector operators.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of (a) e-scooters and (b) e-bikes on pavements on pedestrians. \p Simon Lightwood: The use of e-scooters and e-bikes on pavements is unacceptable and can have serious impacts on pedestrians, both by causing injuries and by making it much harder for pedestrians to get about.

Privately owned e-scooters cannot be legally ridden either on roads or on pavements, and in the e-scooter rental trial schemes, the use of e-scooters on pavements is not allowed. Enforcement is a matter for the police.

The Highway Code makes clear that cyclists, including those riding e-bikes, must not cycle on the pavement. The only exception to this is on pavements that are designated as shared use routes, where the Highway Code says that cyclists should always take care when passing pedestrians, especially children, older or disabled people, and should allow them plenty of room. As above, enforcement is a matter for the police.

E-cycles or e-scooters parked obstructively on the pavement also present a safety risk to pedestrians, and particularly so for vulnerable pavement users such as those with visual impairments or mobility issues. Guidance for those operating the e-scooter trials makes clear that appropriate parking provision should be provided to ensure e-scooters do not cause an obstruction. Operators also use geofencing, parking incentives and penalties to prevent pavement riding and obstructive parking. The Government recently announced plans in the English Devolution White Paper to empower local leaders to regulate shared hire bike schemes to tackle issues such as obstructive pavement parking and antisocial behaviour.
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Jamie Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve transport links between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. \p Simon Lightwood: Whilst transport is devolved, the Department for Transport is committed to is enhancing links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Department is providing funding for Transport Scotland’s feasibility study to explore options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 and is supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes. The Government is also supporting key aviation routes, including the Public Service Obligation between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will have responsibility for safety on trains following passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership Bill). \p Simon Lightwood: The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 makes no changes to existing roles and responsibilities regarding safety or tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. Tackling crime is the responsibility of the British Transport Police, who will continue to police the rail network following the transition of passenger services into public ownership. Safety regulation will remain the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of lighting on trains on the levels of violence against women and girls travelling on the network. \p Simon Lightwood: The National Travel Attitudes Survey on perceptions of safety when walking, cycling and using public transport, found that a ‘poorly lit vehicle or carriage’ was the joint seventh most popular reason for feeling unsafe when travelling on a public transport vehicle. The Rail Safety and Standards Board sets requirements around lighting for new rolling stock. We continue to work with the rail industry including the Rail Delivery Group and the British Transport Police to ensure the rail network remains a safe environment for the travelling public.
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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of public ownership on rail fares on the East Coast mainline. \p Simon Lightwood: Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers, and the railway.
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Marie Goldman:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the (a) Ebbsfleet and (b) Ashford services of the Eurostar line. \p Simon Lightwood: Whilst it is a commercial decision for Eurostar to make on the reinstatement of these services, I recognise the continued disappointment felt by local communities and businesses and I too am keen to see the reinstatement of these services. Officials regularly engage with Kent stakeholders, including MPs, councillors and representatives to discuss this and are committed to continue explore potential solutions.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department will continue to support the Rural Housing Enablers Scheme. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is committed to funding the Rural Housing Enabler programme until 31 March 2025.

It is also providing over £5 billion total housing investment in 2025-26 to boost the supply of new housing, including in rural areas. This includes a £500 million top up to the Affordable Homes Programme.

Funding allocations for individual programmes for the next financial year will be determined in upcoming months through the department’s business planning exercise and announced in due course.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the conservation of red squirrels. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species and delivering our legally binding biodiversity targets on species abundance, species extinction and habitat creation and restoration, which will benefit many of our priority native species including red squirrels.

The leading causes of red squirrel decline in England include the squirrel pox virus, habitat availability and competition from non-native grey squirrels. We are considering how to go further to reduce the impacts of grey squirrels on our woodlands and red squirrel populations and shall have an update in due course.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he has met representatives of farming businesses in South Suffolk constituency to discuss recent trends in farm incomes. \p Daniel Zeichner: Ministers and officials regularly meet with a range of farming stakeholders, including the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, and the Tenant Farmers Association. We will continue to meet with stakeholders to ensure their views are heard.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004. \p Mary Creagh: Defra holds no data on the adequacy of the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004 as the enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve border infrastructure for importing (a) large plants and (b) trees. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra continues to work with port operators to ensure that there are effective import inspections of large plants and trees to maintain the UK’s high biosecurity standards, including ensuring equipment is available to handle goods. Defra has laid legislation which will implement an exemption to enable certain large commodities to be unloaded and inspected in outside areas at these facilities, subject to certain requirements. This will come into force on 30 January 2025.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ensure (a) internships and (b) job opportunities in (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies are open to all applicants. \p Daniel Zeichner: The core department complies with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles by ensuring that appointments to the Civil Service are made on the basis of merit following a fair and open competition. Defra’s Non-Departmental Public Bodies are accredited by The Civil Service Commission, which means the relevant HR Policies are similarly compliant with the Recruitment Principles.

Internships in both the core department and Defra’s Non-Departmental Public Bodies are commonly linked to a specific scheme or programme. They are therefore open to all applicants who meet the relevant advertised entry requirements of the individual scheme or programme.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 14034 on Flood Control: Gosport, when her Department plans to confirm the list of projects to receive Government flood resilience funding through the Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. \p Emma Hardy: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided to Dame Caroline Dinenage on 19 November 2024. The list of projects to receive Government funding in 2025/26 will be consented in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation – in order that allocations are confirmed before the start of the financial year.
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Mr Toby Perkins:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Environment Agency has spent on dredging rivers in each year since 2009. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency has no record of dredging the rivers Rother and Hipper during the last 10 years. The Environment Agency (EA) undertakes dredging to manage flood risk where it is technically effective, does not significantly increase flood risk for others downstream and is environmentally acceptable.

In most places there are much more effective and efficient ways to better protect communities and increase their resilience to flooding, as part of a catchment-based approach. Whilst dredging is part of the solution in some locations, it is not a universal solution to what is a complex issue.

Since 2009, the EA has spent the following amounts on dredging rivers.

Note that more funding was used on dredging in 2016/17 mainly due the winter floods of 2015/16 and an additional £40 million resource funding that was announced in March 2016. This allowed teams to undertake more maintenance activities, including dredging.

Financial Year

Channel Maintenance (£M)

Dredging (£M)

2010/11

45

5

2011/12

39

10

2012/13

45

8

2013/14

30

4

2014/15

45

12

2015/16

47

9

2016/17

59

22

2017/18

59

8

2018/19

45

5

2019/20

45

5

2020/21

34

4

2021/22

29

3

2022/23

36

6

2023/24

38

7
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the number of additional homes in (a) Runcorn and Helsby constituency and (b) the North West at risk of flooding by 2050. \p Emma Hardy: On 17 December 2024 the Environment Agency published the ‘National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024’ report on GOV.UK which provides a picture of current and future flood and coastal erosion risk across England.

On 28 January 2025 they will publish the new NaFRA data on check your long term flood risk and on data.gov.uk​ which will cover all of England, including Runcorn and Helsby constituency. This will include the latest UK Climate Projections and the potential impact of climate change on flood risk in areas across England.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of flood warnings and (b) potential merits of steps to ensure they are as (i) timely and (ii) accurate as possible. \p Emma Hardy: There are 1.6 million users in England signed up to the free flood warning service by the Environment Agency (EA) which sends a message directly by voice message, text or email when a flood warning is issued. In November and December 2024, the EA issued over 1,500 Flood Warnings (977 Flood Alerts, 543 Flood Warnings and two Severe Flood Warnings), two million messages were sent directly to the public via email, phone and text. The EA is developing the next flood warning system, ready for launch by the end of 2025. This will deliver a new flood warning capability that is more resilient.

The EA issues Flood Warnings ahead of flooding so that the public can take action to protect their safety and their livelihoods. The EA undertakes reviews on Flood Warnings issued and makes appropriate improvements to the service, this includes improvements to the forecasts and processes to ensure Flood Warnings are as accurate and timely as possible. As a resilience measure the EA has developed an automated warning system to make sure that communities receive Flood Warnings at all times, even for example when there is significant flood risk across the country.
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Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of reoffending among people released on licence. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: This Government is committed to reducing reoffending by giving prison leavers, including those released early on licence, the tools they need to turn their backs on crime. To do that, we will increase prisoners’ access to purposeful activity, such as education, deliver pre-release plans for all those leaving custody and ensure that people leave prison with a job and the skills needed to lead law abiding lives.

We are determined to help ensure our hard-working probation staff can continue to deliver high-quality supervision, including to those released on licence, and focus their time on those cases which need most attention. We need to increase the size of the workforce and are committed to bringing in at least 1,000 new trainee probation officers across the 2024/25 financial year.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been (a) released in error and (b) released in error and not re-apprehended under the Early Release scheme as of 8 January 2025. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: On 10 September 2024, the Government took the necessary and unavoidable step to move certain release points from 50% to 40%, with an initial tranche of eligible offenders released on this date, and a second tranche released on 22 October 2024.

There was an issue with a repealed Breach of Restraining Order offence, which meant that 37 offenders were released in error in the first tranche because they were incorrectly sentenced. This specific cohort were all returned to custody. All prisoners in custody with this offence recorded against them were reviewed to ensure there were no further releases in error.

We have published data on how many offenders were released on the first day of both initial SDS40 release tranches (1,889 prisoners for Tranche 1, and 1,223 prisoners for Tranche 2). The number of people who have been released in error since September 2024 forms a subset of releases in error data which is scheduled for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of these statistical reports. Annual totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK.
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Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the appropriacy of custodial sentences for pregnant women. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. The sentencing framework, maximum penalties and the Sentencing Council’s sentencing guidelines apply to all offenders.

Sentencing guidelines are clear that there are factors that sentencers should take into account to reflect personal mitigation, including pregnancy, or the impact on dependent relatives. Guidance makes clear that where an offender is on the cusp of custody, imprisonment should not be imposed where there would be an impact on dependents, that would make a custodial sentence disproportionate to achieving the aims of sentencing. However, in some circumstances, custody would be the only appropriate punishment for the most dangerous and violent offenders.

This Government has delivered on a manifesto commitment by launching an Independent Review of Sentencing, chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke. The Review will assess whether the sentencing framework appropriately considers the specific needs or vulnerabilities of women, including pregnant women. Additionally, we are establishing a Women’s Justice Board with a clear ambition to reduce the number of women in prison and to address their distinct needs within the Criminal Justice System.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on support for victims of rape and sexual assault who are under 18 and in the education system. \p Alex Davies-Jones: This Government is committed to ensuring that all victims of crime, including child victims of rape and sexual assault, have the support that they need to cope with their experiences and move forward with their lives. My Department provides funding to over 60 specialist support organisations through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund. This supports the delivery of tailored support programmes for all victims and survivors, including child victims.

I regularly meet with the Minister for Children and Families (DfE). This includes a recent joint meeting with her and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls (HO) where we discussed matters relating to Violence Against Women and Girls.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of those convicted for their involvement in Pakistani heritage grooming gangs (a) are still in prison, (b) have been deported, (c) have been released back into the same community and (d) did not serve a custodial sentence. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Information on whether individuals are part of ‘Pakistani heritage grooming gangs’ is not centrally identified in the data systems relevant to these questions. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the specific information requested.

It is also not possible to identify an offender’s nationality from the centrally collated convictions data. This information may be held on court records: however, to identify the nationality of people convicted of specific crimes would require the examination of individual court records. This would incur disproportionate costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_190

Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons offer the provision of braille transcription services for prisoners with visual impairments. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Braille translation services are available in publicly operated prisons through the national translation and transcription contract, which is currently held by thebigword Group Limited. Privately managed prisons must have arrangements in place using either this national contract or equivalent arrangements.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_191
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_191

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted for offences related to human trafficking since January 2020. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for human trafficking offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: June 2024.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_192
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_192

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) her Department, (ii) the (A) courts and (B) prison estates and (iii) each of her Department's arm's length bodies. \p Alex Davies-Jones: There has been no change in the Ministry of Justice’s management of artwork or heritage assets across our estate since the previous administration.

As separate entities, the responsibility for creating policy and guidance for artwork sits with each individual Arm’s Length Body, rather than with the Department.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_193
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_193

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the Minister will make an assessment of the potential merits of immediately releasing of all court transcripts related to the Pakistani heritage grooming gangs. \p Sarah Sackman: The release of court transcripts to interested parties in relation to individual court cases is a matter for the trial judge to consider. There is a standard process all applicants must follow to request and access a Crown Court transcript. An application form must be submitted to the court where the trial took place, and it is then considered by the judge. The provision of transcripts is also subject to payment of the relevant charge to cover the cost of transcription. Additionally, in certain high-profile cases, the judge’s sentencing remarks are published online on judiciary.uk.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_194
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_194

Liz Saville Roberts:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of routinely publishing disaggregated data for Wales. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice recognises the value of routinely publishing disaggregated data for Wales. This is important for the effective delivery of justice.

The Ministry of Justice already collects, disaggregates and routinely publishes a wealth of data for Wales, including headline data on prison population (for example by age, offence group and ethnicity, and whether on remand or sentenced) and headline safety in custody data (for example deaths, self-harm and assaults on staff). We routinely publish a variety of probation data too, for example numbers of offenders starting community orders, accommodation, and employment activity. In addition, nearly all published courts and tribunals data is available for England and Wales separately.

In line with our approach to all our statistical publications, we continue to keep the content under review.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_195
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_195

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time is between a complaint being (a) received and (b) logged at the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber – Residential Property). \p Sarah Sackman: Administrative complaints uploaded into the HMCTS complaints handling system direct from the gov.uk online complaints portal are logged immediately automatically. These constitute the vast majority of administrative complaints received by the tribunal. Complaints received by other methods (e.g. phone, email, post) require manual entry and we do not hold timeliness information on the logging of these. The target for the first response to administrative complaints is ten working days.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_196
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_196

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the prevalence of human right abuses in Hong Kong] and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such instances on civilians. \p Catherine West: China's imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong has seen opposition stifled and dissent criminalised. The UK continues to call for the National Security Law to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it, including Jimmy Lai.

The UK will continue to stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong. The Foreign Secretary has raised human rights in every meeting with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including during his recent visit to China on 18 October. I again raised these concerns with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on my visit to Hong Kong on 14-15 November.

On Christmas Eve, the Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the Hong Kong police's targeting of individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression and called on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law. Officials have raised concerns directly with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_197
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_197

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the action by the Israeli Air Force on 8 September 2024 in Libya on Hezbollah's armed capability. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Israel has not taken any action against Hezbollah in Libya.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_198
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_198

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19314 on Belarus: Sanctions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of sanction avoidance by Belarus in alcohol (a) imports and (b) exports. \p Stephen Doughty: The Government is committed to working with partners to hold the Lukashenko regime to account for its lack of respect for human rights and support for Putin's illegal war. That includes ensuring our sanctions are as effective as possible. That is why we have legislated to strengthen our sanctions enforcement powers, with the formal launch of the new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, and launched a cross-Government review of sanctions enforcement to ensure we have the right powers, approach and resourcing. We are also coordinating closely with G7 partners on our efforts to tackle circumvention risks across priority countries, ranging from technical support to diplomatic engagement at all levels.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_199
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_199

Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Mauritius has requested in (a) reparations and (b) annual subsidy in the negotiations on sovereignty of the Chagos islands. \p Stephen Doughty: A financial element was crucial to securing the agreement between the UK and Mauritius on 3 October. It is not normal practice to reveal payments for military bases and we have not done so for any other base. Further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny, after signature and before ratification, in the usual way.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_200
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_200

Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help tackle anti-Semitism. \p Anneliese Dodds: Antisemitism has no place in our, or any, society and the UK has a long-standing track record of fighting it. Last year, the UK contributed to drafting new Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, which were launched in Buenos Aires in July and endorsed by 36 countries. We currently hold the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and are demonstrating global leadership in tackling antisemitism and promoting Holocaust remembrance, education, and research. We are championing the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our bilateral work and engagement in multilateral fora.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_201
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_201

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the provision of weapons to Sudan. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Foreign Secretary regularly raises the Sudan conflict with his international counterparts, including UK concern over violations of the UN arms embargo. We have regularly condemned, including in the UN Security Council, the flow of external arms into Sudan and urged those who have influence over the parties to use it to bring them to the negotiating table to seek a political resolution to the conflict.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_202

Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assist the Central Bank of Bangladesh in repatriating UK-based assets diverted illegally from that country. \p Catherine West: The UK is committed to assisting investigative, prosecuting and judicial authorities in combating international crime. We have robust illicit finance legislation and instruments which can be used to support asset recovery requests. We would not comment on any individual Asset Recovery cases but we are in discussions with the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency and the International Centre for Asset Recovery on how to support the Interim Government of Bangladesh. In October 2024, the UK National Crime Agency visited Dhaka as part of the UK's effort to support Bangladesh in this area, as well as wider engagement on law enforcement issues. We will continue to support these recoveries to the extent that we can.
wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_203
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-15 conversation_203

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times Ministers in his Department have engaged with the leadership of the Southern African Development Community since 5 July 2024. \p Anneliese Dodds: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers, including the Foreign Secretary and I, have enjoyed broad engagement with the leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) during visits to South Africa, Malawi and Zambia. The Minister for Africa, Lord Collins, has had three ministerial engagements with the Tanzanian government and the current Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs. Lord Collins is due to meet with Southern African Development Community leadership during his upcoming visit to Botswana (14-16 January 2025), discussing areas of mutual interest, including energy reform and regional security.