Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former special advisers of her Department submitted applications under the business appointment rules between June 2014 and October 2015.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The information requested is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/advisory-committee-on-business-appointments
where details of all recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in response to applications submitted under these rules are published.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the Independent Police Complaints Commission on its decision not to make public the report into allegations of police misconduct at Orgreave in 1984.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales. It is operationally independent of the police, government and complainants, and makes its decisions independently and free from political influence. The Home Office has therefore had no discussions with the IPCC concerning its decision not to make public the report into allegations of police misconduct at Orgreave in 1984.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Prime Minister will meet members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign to discuss the Independent Police Complaints Commission's decision not to make public the report into allegations of police misconduct at Orgreave in 1984.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales. It is operationally independent of the police, government and complainants, and makes its decisions independently and free from political influence. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to discuss the IPCC’s decision. The Home Secretary does though plan to meet members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign immediately after the summer recess to discuss their case on the need for an inquiry into the events at Orgreave in 1984.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of EU nationals who will be eligible to apply for UK citizenship.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has not made an estimate of the number of EU nationals who will be eligible to apply for UK citizenship.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2015 to Question 5979, whether any files relating to child abuse have been destroyed by the intelligence and security services since 1 September 2014; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Karen Bradley
As set out in the Answer to PQ 5979, the Inquiry will have access to all information that it considers relevant, including any records held by the intelligence and security services. The Home Secretary has been clear from the outset that all departments, including the intelligence and security agencies, must comply fully with the Inquiry, ensuring that if any relevant files are held that they are available for the Inquiry to review. That is the basis on which the agencies have been proceeding, and they remain committed to co-operating in full. Furthermore, on 23rd June 2015 the Inquiry served HMG a notice requiring it to retain material of potential relevance to the Inquiry's terms of reference. The Security and Intelligence Agencies will comply with this notice.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the financial support her Department provides to community organisations who provide specialised support services to victims of child sexual abuse; and if she will increase such funding.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Government allocated almost £40 million to specialist support services and national helplines to tackle violence against women and girls over the course of the previous Parliament.
In recognition of the fact that organisations providing specialised support services to victims and child sexual abuse are experiencing increased demand on their services, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice announced an additional £7 million for services supporting survivors of sexual violence in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
£2.15 million of that £7 million was provided as extra funding to 84 existing Rape Support Centres. The remainder was used to establish a £2 million Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund to non-statutory organisations who are reporting an increase in demand as a direct result of the announcement of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. A further £2.85 million was used to establish a Child and Adult Victims of Sexual Abuse Support Fund for non-statutory organisations providing support across England and Wales to help meet the increased demand on those their services.
The administration of these funds, and final decisions on allocation, have been led by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, with the close support of the Home Office. The assessment criteria for both funds are available on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/spend/commissioning/sexual-abuse-victims-fund/apply-for-sexual-abuse-victim-support-funding). Details of the 77 successful applicants were published on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner on 27 March. (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/documents/OPPCN/decisions/2015/Decision%20No%202015.05%20-%20Sexual%20Abuse%20Victim%20Support%20Fund%20-%20Grant%20Awards%20for%202014-15%20and%202015-16.pdf
Whilst the majority of the £4.85 was allocated, a small proportion remains unallocated, and the Home Office is working alongside the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner to consider how to distribute the remaining funds in the most effective way.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library copies of the assessment criteria used to determine applications received to the (a) Sexual Abuse Fund and (b) the Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund since the launch of each such fund.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Government allocated almost £40 million to specialist support services and national helplines to tackle violence against women and girls over the course of the previous Parliament.
In recognition of the fact that organisations providing specialised support services to victims and child sexual abuse are experiencing increased demand on their services, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice announced an additional £7 million for services supporting survivors of sexual violence in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
£2.15 million of that £7 million was provided as extra funding to 84 existing Rape Support Centres. The remainder was used to establish a £2 million Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund to non-statutory organisations who are reporting an increase in demand as a direct result of the announcement of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. A further £2.85 million was used to establish a Child and Adult Victims of Sexual Abuse Support Fund for non-statutory organisations providing support across England and Wales to help meet the increased demand on those their services.
The administration of these funds, and final decisions on allocation, have been led by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, with the close support of the Home Office. The assessment criteria for both funds are available on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/spend/commissioning/sexual-abuse-victims-fund/apply-for-sexual-abuse-victim-support-funding). Details of the 77 successful applicants were published on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner on 27 March. (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/documents/OPPCN/decisions/2015/Decision%20No%202015.05%20-%20Sexual%20Abuse%20Victim%20Support%20Fund%20-%20Grant%20Awards%20for%202014-15%20and%202015-16.pdf
Whilst the majority of the £4.85 was allocated, a small proportion remains unallocated, and the Home Office is working alongside the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner to consider how to distribute the remaining funds in the most effective way.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations have received funding from the (a) Sexual Abuse Support Fund and (b) Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Government allocated almost £40 million to specialist support services and national helplines to tackle violence against women and girls over the course of the previous Parliament.
In recognition of the fact that organisations providing specialised support services to victims and child sexual abuse are experiencing increased demand on their services, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice announced an additional £7 million for services supporting survivors of sexual violence in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
£2.15 million of that £7 million was provided as extra funding to 84 existing Rape Support Centres. The remainder was used to establish a £2 million Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund to non-statutory organisations who are reporting an increase in demand as a direct result of the announcement of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. A further £2.85 million was used to establish a Child and Adult Victims of Sexual Abuse Support Fund for non-statutory organisations providing support across England and Wales to help meet the increased demand on those their services.
The administration of these funds, and final decisions on allocation, have been led by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, with the close support of the Home Office. The assessment criteria for both funds are available on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/spend/commissioning/sexual-abuse-victims-fund/apply-for-sexual-abuse-victim-support-funding). Details of the 77 successful applicants were published on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner on 27 March. (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/documents/OPPCN/decisions/2015/Decision%20No%202015.05%20-%20Sexual%20Abuse%20Victim%20Support%20Fund%20-%20Grant%20Awards%20for%202014-15%20and%202015-16.pdf
Whilst the majority of the £4.85 was allocated, a small proportion remains unallocated, and the Home Office is working alongside the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner to consider how to distribute the remaining funds in the most effective way.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Chair of the Independent Panel Inquiry into child sexual abuse will be given access to files held by the intelligence and security services in the course of that inquiry.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Inquiry will have the full co-operation of Government and will have access to all relevant information, including files held by the intelligence and security services.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the communications of human rights charities, other than Amnesty International, have been intercepted in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by John Hayes
It is the longstanding policy of successive British governments not to comment on intelligence matters. However, as the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) said in its judgment of 22 June 2015 that any interception that occurred was lawful, necessary and proportionate.
While the IPT has found in favour of two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), it has made clear that neither of the NGOs suffered material detriment, damage or prejudice as a result of the breaches.
Caution should be exercised against drawing conclusions from the IPT’s ruling about the target of any such interception that may have taken place. A finding in favour of an individual or organisation does not necessarily mean that they themselves were the target; it could equally mean that they were simply in communication with a target. However I can neither confirm nor deny specifics relating to this or any other case.