theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_98
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_98

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason have the annual armed forces equipment statistics not been published. \p Maria Eagle: The UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations 2024 publication has been delayed due to a data quality review and has a provisional release date of February 2025. This is stated in the Statistics release calendar: UK armed forces equipment and formations 2024 - Accredited official statistics announcement - GOV.UK
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_99
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_99

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department’s policy to notify successful applicants that they have been issued with an eVisa. \p Seema Malhotra: All applicants issued with an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status receive a written notification, either via email or post, once their immigration application has been successful, and their immigration permission granted. This notification confirms that the person has been issued an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status. It also includes information on what an eVisa is, and how to access and use it.

Immigration status holders who are not making an application but who take action to create a UKVI account to access their existing eVisa receive a notification via email once they complete the UKVI account creation process, confirming they can access their eVisa.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_100
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_100

Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of Electronic Travel Authorisation exemptions for tourists travelling from Dublin to Northern Ireland for one week or less. \p Seema Malhotra: The introduction of ETAs is a significant change to our migration and border system, affecting a cohort of travellers who have previously been able to travel without making any prior application to the Home Office.

To ensure that the requirement is fully understood by eligible nationals, including visitors to Northern Ireland from Ireland, we have been working with a wide range of partners so that ETAs are not seen as a barrier to cross-border tourism on the island of Ireland.

This includes developing specific ETA comms for Northern Ireland in conjunction with umbrella organisations for the Northern Irish and Irish tourism industries, and individual members of those organisations.

We have also worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government since the inception of the ETA policy. ETAs are crucial in delivering the Government’s commitment to strengthening the security of the UK border and the Common Travel Area. The ETA application is quick and light-touch, and many applications are decided within minutes.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_101
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_101

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle organised immigration crime. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Since entering office, we have already launched the Border Security Command (BSC), led by Martin Hewitt CBE QPM, with £150m invested over this financial year and next.

The Border Security Command will act as the system leader across HMG leveraging functions across policy, operations, international engagement and uplifted capabilities to tackle organised immigration crime, driven by outcome focussed, system-wide plans.

Since the establishment of the Border Security Command, successes against organised immigration crime include:
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_102
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_102

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps with City of London Police to improve (a) the (i) support services and (ii) reporting tools available to victims of fraud and (b) the quality of intelligence on fraud provided to police forces. \p Dan Jarvis: We are replacing the current Action Fraud service with a new improved service. The new service will have an upgraded call centre and a new user-friendly, accessible website for reporting fraud, offering simpler pathways to support and guidance. The service will also offer a new data and intelligence platform to speed up the analysis and dissemination of reports to police forces for investigation.

Victims will also get better updates on the progress of their report and there will be faster identification of the most vulnerable victims to receive enhanced support, including through the National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit (NECVCU).

The aim of NECVCU is for victims to feel safe and more confident following contact, whilst assisting them to cope and recover from the crime and significantly reduce the likelihood of repeat victimisation. Since its inception in 2018, NECVCU has supported 440,994 victims of fraud and since January 2021, NECVCU has also helped victims recover £3,685,201.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_103
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_103

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports were revoked due to links to terrorist activity in each month since January 2023. \p Dan Jarvis: Since the beginning of 2023, one British passport has been revoked due to links to terrorist activity. This occurred in January 2024.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_104
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_104

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question 7443 on Trade Unions: Subversion, whether the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme will regulate foreign actors seeking to (a) lobby and (b) influence trade unions. \p Dan Jarvis: The scheme’s political influence tier seeks to increase transparency of foreign power influence over the core aspects of the UK’s democracy, including elections, political party proceedings, parliamentarians and decisions of the Government, but is limited in scope to ensure its proportionality.

However, where a foreign power is specified under the enhanced tier, those acting at the direction of that foreign power to carry out a broad range of activities will be required to register. This could include activities involving lobbying of, or influence over, trade unions.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_105
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_105

Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) help tackle far right extremism. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism. To understand such threats, we maintain expertise and capabilities to understand terrorist and extremist online communications, in order to produce rapid, high-quality assessments designed to support the Prevent programme.

The Prevent programme tackles the ideological causes of terrorism and provides early intervention for people at risk of radicalisation. The programme deals with all forms of terrorist ideology, including Islamist, Extreme Right-Wing, other threats.

We work closely with law enforcement and multi-agency partners to respond to any such activity which may pose a threat.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_106
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_106

David Davis:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces on the use of surveillance powers to carry out surveillance on journalists and lawyers. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA) contain additional safeguards and protections, where the intention is for relevant public authorities to acquire sensitive material, such as information relating to confidential journalistic material, journalists' sources and matters subject to legal professional privilege. Further specific detail is set out in the statutory codes of practice pursuant to the powers under these Acts.

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner provides oversight of the use of investigatory powers and publishes annual reports which provide statistical information relating to the operation of powers.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_107
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_107

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2024 to Question 18268 on Firearms: Licensing, when she last held discussions with (a) the police, (b) gun control groups, (c) the British Shooting Sports Council and (d) the British Association for Shooting and Conservation on firearms licensing in England, Scotland and Wales. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office regularly meets with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for firearms licensing and other officers.

We also meet with representatives of other relevant stakeholder groups from time to time, including most recently, on 13th January 2025.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_108
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_108

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) review and (b) update the definition of anti-social behaviour in the (i) Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003 and (ii) Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 was repealed and replaced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Section 2(1) of the 2014 Act defines antisocial behaviour as “a) conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person; b) conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises; c) conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance to any person”.

Section 101(2) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 defines anti-social behaviour as “behaviour by a person which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more other persons not of the same household as the person”.

There are no current plans to amend these definitions.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_109
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_109

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when Ministers in her Department held meetings on grooming gangs in the last five years; and who the external attendees at those meetings were. \p Jess Phillips: It is not for this Government to comment on meetings held by previous Government ministers, but I would refer the Rt Hon Member to the quarterly publications of transparency data on ministerial meetings available on the Home Office website.

Since coming to office in July, current Home Office Ministers have been prioritising engagement with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation, child protection organisations, law enforcement partners, members of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and colleagues across Government to further strengthen the response to child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Whilst not always published as some are internal meetings, I can assure the Rt Hon Member that I have taken meetings every single week on this subject since my appointment as a Minister. I have also convened the first dedicated cross-Government group to drive forward change in this crucial area.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_110
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_110

Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase public trust in the Metropolitan Police Service. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commissioner’s ‘New Met for London’ plan sets out the force’s work to improve its performance. The Mayor for London established the London Policing Board to hold the Commissioner to account for delivery of the plan. Home Office Ministers are in regular contact with the MPS Commissioner and Mayor of London to ensure progress is being made.

The MPS is also currently in the enhanced ‘Engage’ phase of routine monitoring by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The force has developed an improvement plan and on 13 November, HMICFRS closed one of the four causes of concern that led to the MPS being placed into ‘Engage’. The Home Office will continue to monitor progress through attendance at HMICFRS’s Police Performance and Oversight Board.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_111
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_111

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of making cuckooing a crime. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Cuckooing is an appalling practice associated with violence, exploitation and anti-social behaviour.

The Government’s Safer Streets Mission aims to tackle these issues and we will make further announcements in the normal way in due course.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_112
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_112

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that interim Serious Crime Prevention Orders are not used to target individuals engaging in lawful political dissent. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Serious Crime Prevention Orders are a powerful tool for preventing and disrupting the activities of the highest-harm criminals involved in serious crime. SCPOs are not intended to target individuals who conduct themselves lawfully, including lawful political dissent.

SCPOs were established in the Serious Crime Act 2007. Schedule 1 of the Act sets out the serious offences for which an SCPO can be imposed. This includes a range of serious offences including drug trafficking, slavery, people trafficking, terrorism and firearms offences. Under section 2(2)(b) of the Act the court can impose an SCPO to prevent offences not in schedule 1 where the court considers the offence is sufficiently serious it should be treated as if it were set out in that list.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_113
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_113

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) national and (b) local inquiries have been carried out into rape grooming gangs. \p Jess Phillips: It is essential that we continue to learn from past failings on group-based Child Sexual Exploitation to improve and strengthen our ongoing response to grooming gangs offending.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), led by Professor Alexis Jay, was conducted over seven years and engaged with more than 7,000 victims and survivors. None of the 20 recommendations from the final report were implemented by the previous Government. IICSA also conducted a dedicated two-year investigation into abuse by organised networks and published a report in February 2022. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue (HMICFRS) published an inspection into the effectiveness of the police response to group-based Child Sexual Exploitation in December 2023. Local inquiries have also taken place in many local authority areas including Rotherham, Oldham, Rochdale, Bradford and Telford.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_114
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_114

Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the recommendations of 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation to be implemented. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling child sexual abuse is a cross-government priority and we are working at pace to identify how we can best deliver against the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).

The Safeguarding Minister has met Professor Alexis Jay and victims and survivors and has convened the first dedicated cross-Government group to drive forward change and deliver an ambitious programme of activity in response to the inquiry. To ensure that victims’ voices remain at the very heart of this process, we will set up a new victims and survivors panel to work on an ongoing basis with the inter-ministerial group and will set out more details and timescales based on that work in due course.

The Government has already announced action on three key recommendations on mandatory reporting, making grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences and introducing a new performance framework for policing.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_115
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_115

Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle underreporting of stalking. \p Jess Phillips: Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. That is why this Government is fully committed to tackling it.

On 3 December the Government announced six new measures to tackle stalking. This included legislating to introduce multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking and providing for the courts to impose Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) on conviction and acquittal of their own volition. We will bring forward legislation to introduce measures at the earliest opportunity.

The College of Policing provides an Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and e-learning on stalking to support the police. This includes guidance on identifying and investigating stalking and applying for and managing SPOs. The guidance and e-learning are being updated to reflect the findings from a recent super-complaint on stalking and will be kept under regular review. The CPS provides guidance for prosecutors with the general principles to be applied when making decisions about prosecutions involving stalking.

We know there is a gap between the prevalence of stalking and stalking offences reported to the police. For example, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates 3.1% of adults over 16 experienced stalking in the year ending June 2024 while police recorded 131,912 stalking offences. This is why we are committed to playing a more active role in policing to ensure officers have the right support, to significantly improve standards across the board and to ensure justice is delivered for victims.

Raising awareness of stalking is an important part of this and there are existing examples of local initiatives funded by police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners or local authorities. We are considering how raising awareness of VAWG crimes including stalking could form part of the upcoming new VAWG strategy.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_116
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_116

Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the processing time for Disclosure and Barring Service checks for people working in the health and social care sector. \p Jess Phillips: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent from the Home Office and operates to service standards of completing 85% of Basic check applications within 2 days, 85% of Standard check applications within 3 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.

The DBS year to date performance against these targets up to November 2024 is 87.9% for Basic checks, 90.2% for Standard checks, and 75.7% for Enhanced checks. These attainments apply to applications across all employment sectors, including the health and social care sectors.

Specific support to the health and social care sectors is provided by the DBS Partnerships Team who have held recent meetings with NHS England, NHS Employers, Skills for Care, Care Quality Commission and Home Care Association, as well as on a regional level with local NHS, local authorities and care providers, about how checks are processed and how to improve the quality of applications submitted to the DBS in order to reduce processing times.

The DBS also provides the ‘adult first’ service to employing organisations in the care sector. Under this service, organisations can request a check of the DBS adults’ barred list and, depending on the result, a person can be permitted to start work, under supervision, with vulnerable adults before the result of an Enhanced DBS check.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_117
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_117

Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish perpetrator ethnicity data for (a) grooming and (b) sexual violence collected by the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme. \p Jess Phillips: The Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX) continues to work to develop a whole system approach to improving intelligence, analysis, and tasking to enhance the law enforcement response to the exploitation of vulnerable people, including sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes supporting the work of the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to give practical, expert, and on the ground support for local forces investigating child sexual abuse, with a focus on complex and organised child sexual exploitation.

In November 2024, the Taskforce published its latest 2023 data on group-based offending, including any offence with two or more perpetrators. That data is available publicly online via https://www.hydrantprogramme.co.uk/publications/hydrant-publications#LatestNews) which includes available data on ethnicity. The Government will be working with the Taskforce to improve data collection, including seeking to improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of data on ethnicity.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_118
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_118

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of airside transit electronic travel authorisation on the UK's international competitiveness. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme was launched to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.

ETAs form part of our long-term plan for a more efficient UK border, with a greater number of passengers able to benefit from automation and other technological advancements.

We continue to engage positively with industry and support the aviation sector in evaluating the impact of ETAs on passengers and airport services.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_119
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_119

Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the UK has any agreements with countries under which asylum seekers could be sent to them as a safe third country. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Government has been clear that it will be ending the Migration and Economic Partnership with Rwanda. The UK has no other such agreements.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_120
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_120

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) operational and (b) support staff Border Security Command employs as of 1 January 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Border Security Command (BSC) provides cross-system strategic leadership across partners in the border security system to tackle the facilitators of organised immigration crime (OIC) and wider border security threats.

The BSC is being appropriately resourced to ensure it can deliver this cross-system effort. Roles are being filled in line with departmental practices and wider recruitment is ongoing as part of the broader organisational set up.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_121
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_121

Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 December 2024 to Question 20254 on Asylum: Housing, what difference each of the Contract Change Notices made to the contract. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The information sought on costs and changes related to the Contract Change Notices referenced in Question 20254 has been identified as being of operational and commercial sensitivity and cannot therefore be disclosed.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_122
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_122

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to redistribute sea worthy boats used in migrant crossings to youth groups such as Sea Scouts. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The material and equipment rescued by Border Force from small boat crossings is usually totally unsuitable for any use, and there are therefore no plans to redistribute it as suggested.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_123
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_123

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will deport (a) foreign nationals prosecuted for membership of a rape gang, (b) UK dual nationals prosecuted for membership of a rape gang scandal and (c) foreign national family members of those prosecuted with complicit knowledge. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Any foreign national convicted of a crime in the UK and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity.

Section 3(5)(b) of the Immigration Act 1971 also provides for the deportation of a family member of a person being deported. This includes the spouse, civil partner or children under the age of 18.

British citizens who have dual nationality have a right of abode in the United Kingdom and are not liable to deportation.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_124
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_124

Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on Syrian immigrants who have been granted leave to remain status. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Any Syrian nationals who are resident in the UK with valid permission to stay will need to apply for further permission to stay or settle before their current permission to stay expires. For Syrian refugees who apply for settlement protection after five years residency in the UK, in line with published policies, a safe return review will be undertaken to assess whether it is safe for the applicant to return to Syria.

For more information on the settlement protection policy, please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/settlement-protection-asylum-policy-instruction.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_125
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_125

Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the asylum applications of Palestinian refugees who were formerly residents of Syria and left under the Assad regime. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office acted swiftly to temporarily pause decisions on Syrian asylum claims whilst we assess the current situation. This includes Syrian nationals as well as those who have previously been habitually resident in Syria.

We keep all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review so we can respond to emerging issues.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_126
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_126

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and which hotels are being used to house asylum seekers in Mid Leicestershire constituency; and how many asylum seekers there are in each hotel. \p Dame Angela Eagle: For the safety and security of residents and staff at its accommodation sites, the Home Office does not publish details of sites in use.

However, data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_127
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_127

Andy Slaughter:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of ineffective Crown Court trials which started after day one of the set trial date in 2024 reached completion. \p Sarah Sackman: Of all Crown Court trials that were ineffective between January and September 2024, 21% were subsequently effective on a later date (up to the end of September 2024). The remainder will include trials listed for a date beyond the end of September 2024, as well as those cases no longer requiring a trial date (for example the defendant has pleaded guilty).

Of all ineffective trials that subsequently started between January and September 2024, 80% had reached conclusion by the end of September 2024.

These data are management information and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics. The data provided is the most recent available and for that reason might differ slightly from any previously published information. Recent data are especially vulnerable to quality checking and so may be subject to change.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_128
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_128

Andy Slaughter:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether trials in the Crown Court starting on day two or later are classified as ineffective. \p Sarah Sackman: If the trial does not go ahead on the scheduled day of listing due to action or inaction by the prosecution, the defence or the court (see list of reasons in table below), and a further listing for trial is required, it is termed ‘ineffective.’

Court

W1 - Another case over-ran

W2 - Judge / magistrate availability due to illness etc.

W3 - Case not reached / insufficient cases drop out / floater not reached

W4 - Equipment / accommodation failure

X - Insufficient jurors available

Defence

Q1 - Defence not ready: disclosure problems (inc. late alibi notice)

Q2 - Defence not ready: specify in comments (inc. no instructions)

Q3 - Defence asked for additional prosecution witness to attend

R - Defence witness absent

S1 - Defendant absent - did not proceed in absence (judicial discretion)

S2 - Defendant ill or otherwise unfit to proceed

S4 - Defendant absent - unable to proceed as Defendant not notified of place and time of hearing

T - Defence increased time estimate, insufficient time for trial to start

U1 - Defence advocate engaged in other trial

U2 - Defence advocate failed to attend

V - Defendant dismissed advocate

Other

S3 - Defendant not produced by PECS

W5 - No interpreter available

Y - Outstanding cases in a Magistrates' Court

Z - Outstanding cases in other Crown Court centre

Prosecution

M1 - Prosecution not ready: served late notice of additional evidence on defence

M2 - Prosecution not ready: specify in comments

M3 - Prosecution failed to disclose unused evidence

N1 - Prosecution witness absent: police

N2 - Prosecution witness absent: professional / expert

N3 - Prosecution witness absent: other

O1 - Prosecution advocate engaged in another trial

O2 - Prosecution advocate failed to attend

P - Prosecution increased time estimate - insufficient time for trial to start

Where a trial is not ready to go ahead, it is recorded as ineffective and listed again, either for the following day, or if not possible, for some future date agreed by the court. If the trial starts on the second day, it will then be marked as effective. However, if it is still unable to proceed on the second day, it will be marked as ineffective again.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_129
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_129

Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the recall to prison programme. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Government’s absolute focus is on public protection. Offenders on licence can be swiftly recalled to prison if they breach their licence conditions in such a way as to indicate that their risk to the public has increased and they are about to commit further offences. The recall of an offender to custody is an important public protection measure. We remain focused on reducing reoffending and the risks presented by offenders, so that they do not need to be recalled in the first place.

The HMI Probation Thematic Report on Probation Recall Culture & Practice, published in 2020, found that: “Public protection and the protection of victims are central to probation service decision-making on recall.”

We continue to work across Government to ensure that we take the necessary steps to reduce the recall population and keep the system functioning safely, whilst protecting the public which is our top priority.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_130
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_130

Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Prison pathfinder meetings are provided with intelligence risk assessments on the release of prisoners that could pose a threat to national security. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The improvements being made to the Pathfinder process, to further enhance our ability to make informed decisions about offenders who pose national security risks, are set out in the Ministry of Justice’s response to the Prevention of Future Deaths Report by H M Coroner, following the inquest into deaths resulting from the terror attack in Forbury Gardens, Reading (https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-0276-Response-from-Ministry-of-Justice.pdf). In addition, new guidance and templates have been produced for prison security departments to improve the quality and detail of the intelligence assessments that inform pre-release planning under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_131
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_131

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of custodial sentences for child sexual offences in preventing reoffending. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.

As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_132
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_132

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate she has made of when the Independent Review of Sentencing will be complete. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: This Sentencing Review is chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke and aims to ensure that there is always a place in prison for violent offenders.

The Review launched on Tuesday 22 October 2024 and is estimated to run for six months. We therefore expect that the review will report in Spring 2025.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_133
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_133

Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) programmes and (b) interventions are used to reduce reoffending among domestic abusers in the community; and what the reoffending rates are among people who participate. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: HM Prison and Probation Service currently offers five Accredited Programmes that may be undertaken by those convicted of domestic abuse offences. These are the Building Better Relationships programme, Becoming New Me +, New Me Strengths, Building Choices (available in prisons and probation), and Kaizen (available in prisons only). These programmes may also be undertaken by offenders with a range of offending types, however, so it is not possible to provide re-offending outcomes specifically in relation to domestic abusers.

Accredited Programmes more generally are well-evidenced. Most international reviews indicate that programmes reduce reoffending generally by about 20% to 30%.

In addition to Accredited Programmes, a number of approved interventions are also delivered by HMPPS and other partners, including Third Sector organisations. The National Framework for Interventions Policy Framework - GOV.UK sets out the minimum design standards for these types of interventions.

Structured Interventions are available as a sentence of the court, by inclusion in a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. They are part of a set of interventions delivered by regional interventions teams in the community. Those which focus specifically on domestic abuse include Stepwise Relationships, Positive Pathways Plus, Help, and Developing Assertiveness for Women in Relationships.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_134
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_134

Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the average processing times for deputyship applications by the Court of Protection. \p Sarah Sackman: Data on the average processing time for deputyship applications, from receipt to disposal by the Court of Protection, is not currently available.

The court has recently migrated to a new case management system and work is in hand as part of the HMCTS data strategy to develop management information data.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_135
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_135

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to appoint country-specific trade envoys. \p Gareth Thomas: The House will be notified of any Trade Envoy appointments in due course.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_136
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_136

Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to appoint Trade Envoys. \p Gareth Thomas: The Trade Envoy programme will continue and the House will of course be notified of any appointments in due course.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_137
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_137

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Nissan on safeguarding jobs in Sunderland, in the context of the potential merger of Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi. \p Sarah Jones: While we cannot comment on the commercial affairs of private companies, I can say that the Department of Business and Trade is in contact with both Nissan and Honda and we will work with the companies to support the future of the UK’s world-leading automotive industry.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_138
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_138

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to include appointments to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair appointment will be classified as a significant appointment. \p Sarah Jones: The Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC) is an independent, non-statutory, expert committee and as such these appointments are not in scope for addition to the Order in Council or Significant Appointments under Cabinet Office guidance. We have committed to putting the Council on a statutory footing, and this will be reviewed after doing so.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_139
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_139

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to ensure the availability of positive mental health initiatives including (a) on-site mental health resources, (b) training for employers in mental health first aid and (c) helplines for the construction industry. \p Sarah Jones: Considerable investment has been made in improving mental health in the construction sector. Since 2018, the Construction Industry Training Board has supported 950 employers and invested over £1.5m in mental health projects, including training mental health first aiders, and providing awareness training and other resources.

The Construction Leadership Council is working in partnership with the Mates in Mind charity, the University of Warwick, and firms in the construction industry, to identify the underlying factors leading to poor mental health, and how to tackle these.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_140
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_140

Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21859, on Flexible Working Taskforce, on what dates that taskforce met in each year from 2018 to 2022. \p Justin Madders: The Flexible Working Taskforce met on fourteen occasions between 2018 and 2022.

The dates of these meetings were:

29 March 2018; 09 May 2018; 11 July 2018; 12 September 2018; 16 November 2018; 16 January 2019; 27 March 2019; 02 July 2019; 22 September 2020; 14 April 2021; 27 April 2021; 07 July 2021; 13 October 2021; 07 February 2022.

The Government is committed to regular engagement with stakeholders on the topic of flexible working and other related issues.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_141
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_141

Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the deals announced on 16 December 2024 between the Israel Ministry of Defence and Elbit Systems for the supply of advanced communication systems to the Israel Defence Force will include products (a) developed or (b) made by Elbit Systems UK Ltd. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: We cannot comment on individual companies’ commercial plans. Elbit Systems UK Ltd, like all UK companies, would be required to apply for an export licence to export military or dual-use items from the UK.

All such applications are assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and under the terms of our current suspension of certain licences to Israel, any licence application for components that could be used in military operations in Gaza would currently be refused.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_142
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_142

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and( b) value of trade between the United Kingdom and Greece. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: Reinvigorating the UK’s relationship with our European partners is a priority for this Government.

The Prime Minister met with his Greek counterpart in December, when both underlined the importance of the bilateral relationship, and agreed that there were opportunities to deliver further trade and investment for both countries. HM Trade Commissioner for Europe’s visit to Athens in October 2024 also served to strengthen engagement with industry stakeholders.

My officials continue to work to identify opportunities for UK businesses and address barriers to trade with Greece.
wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_143
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_143

Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support communities affected by recent flooding in Leicester; and whether he plans to make a flood recovery grant available to local authorities. \p Emma Hardy: Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. This Government will invest £2.4 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences.

During recent flooding, the Environment Agency has been operating flood assets and working with local partners across England to prevent and reduce the severity of the flooding.

In Leicester, the Environment Agency will continue to deploy officers to affected communities to assess the impacts of flooding to properties and businesses. It will also continue to work with the local resilience forum to identify further opportunities to reduce flood risk in Leicestershire and support the resilience of communities to flooding.

There are no plans to activate Defra's Property Flood Resilience grant scheme as the current scale of flooding has not met the threshold for its activation. Local Authorities should have contingencies in place for flooding and be able to provide support through their normal mechanisms.