Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of human trafficking offences in the last three years have been returned to a country of origin (a) within the EU and (b) outside the EU to serve a prison sentence.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Only main offences are recorded centrally, so offenders may have human trafficking offences as secondary offences which could only be found by examining individual case files.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many compensation awards of what amount were made to victims related to each of the 30 convictions for human trafficking recorded in 2015.
Answered by Phillip Lee
Data relating to compensation awarded in respect of convictions for human trafficking in 2015 can be found in the “outcomes by offence” data tool table contained in the annual Criminal Justice Statistics publication, linked below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015
No defendants convicted in 2015 were ordered by the court to pay compensation for the offences of human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012, compensation may be paid to victims of violent crime. However, these payments are on the basis of injury sustained and not related to criminal proceedings: the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority which administers the scheme does not keep records based on convictions, and so cannot provide figures for the number of compensation payments made to victims of human trafficking.
The Government has introduced provisions for bespoke Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Orders in the Modern Slavery Act 2015. These orders are designed to ensure that more money confiscated from convicted traffickers goes directly to their victims.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many private prosecutions have been brought by (a) the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, (b) the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, (c) the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and (d) individual private citizens in England and Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. Our case management and management information systems do not hold the level of detail to provide a total figure for each of the last three years for all of these categories of private prosecution. Providing this information would require the examination of individual case files held locally at courts.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of times that lawyers have not been able to meet their clients in custody in England and Wales at less than 12 hours' notice due to staff shortages, staff disputes or other administrative reasons in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many Crown or magistrates' court hearings have been adjourned or delayed as a result in each of those years.
Answered by Mike Penning
The specific information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. We are committed to ensuring that prisoners have appropriate and early access to their legal representatives. Guidance to both prisons and legal practitioners on facilitating legal visits is published in Prison Service Instruction 16/2011.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on (a) support for independent monitoring boards and (b) consideration of the recommendations which those boards make in their annual reports to his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Independent Monitoring Boards are supported by the IMB Secretariat, which is a small team of civil servants based in the Ministry of Justice. The Secretariat staff are involved in supporting the work of IMBs, the National Council and the IMB President, mainly through providing back-office administrative support. Funding for the IMBs is made from within the MoJ budget.
The Prisons Minister considers each report and responds directly to the Chair of the relevant Board within the agreed eight week timeframe, providing comprehensive answers to any concerns raised for the Minister or the Justice Secretary’s specific attention.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has received on the continuance of the criminal courts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
I have received clarification that the Honourable and Learned member was referring to the Criminal Courts Charge
To date my department has received representations from the magistracy, defence practitioners, the Law Society and the Bar Council
It is important that this change, which has been approved by Parliament to make sure our justice system is fair and that those who offend pay their way, is given time to bed in. This will allow us to form an appropriate view. The government will be reviewing the provisions in due course.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many joint search warrants have been applied for by the police and another applicant and issued by the courts in England and Wales in the last five years; and who the other applicant was in each such case.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
HMCTS does not collate this information centrally. Warrants of entry are issued by Magistrates’ courts and each Magistrates court that issues warrants maintains the data associated with it in a manual log. Courts are required to hold warrants issued for a period of three years. Only manual checks at every magistrates’ court could answer this request, and even then only for the last three years. This would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Lord Garnier (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answers of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 638, on Freedom of Information Act, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to designate the RSPCA as a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Hughes
The Government currently has no plans to extend the Freedom of Information Act to the RSPCA. However, we are considering ways in which the Act can be extended further to enhance transparency.