Asked by: Lord Maclennan of Rogart (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of victims of female genital mutilation in each of the four nations of the UK; and what steps they are taking to eradicate that practice throughout the UK.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The most recent NHS data released on 7 June showed 1,242 newly identified cases of FGM within the NHS between January and March 2016. 98% of cases were in adult women, and in the vast majority of these the FGM took place in Asia or Africa.
A 2015 prevalence study part funded by the Home Office estimated that approximately 137,000 women and girls in England and Wales are affected by FGM and 60,000 girls were born to women who had undergone it.
We have significantly strengthened the law through the Serious Crime Act 2015, including introducing FGM Protection Orders to protect girls at risk, and a mandatory reporting duty requiring specified professionals to report known cases in under 18s to the police.
We are improving the response of professionals through the Department of Health’s £4m FGM prevention programme, up to £2m from the Department for Education to support the Barnardo’s and Local Government Association’s National FGM Centre which is strengthening the social care response; and updated multi-agency guidance which we published on the 1 April and which is statutory for the first time.
FGM is a devolved matter and we work closely with the Devolved Administrations in taking forward this work.
Asked by: Lord Maclennan of Rogart (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the tax breaks to orchestras will be implemented; and what value they estimate the tax breaks will represent to orchestras.
Answered by Lord Deighton
At Autumn Statement 2014, the government announced it would introduce a new tax relief for orchestras from April 2016. The government launched a consultation on 23 January 2015 to help inform the design of the relief. The value of the relief will depend on the final design and more detail will be set out later this year.
Asked by: Lord Maclennan of Rogart (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have decided to leave the European Union Crime Prevention Network.
Answered by Lord Bates
On 1 December 2014 the UK opted out of more than 100 EU police and criminal justice powers including the European Union Crime Prevention Network.
The Government has always been clear that we wanted to remain part of a smaller number of measures which give our police and law enforcement agencies vital and practical help in the fight against crime. The European Union Crime Prevention Network is not one of those measures.