Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in prison have been held on remand for longer than (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) 2 years by offence group.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to launch a nation-wide public awareness campaign on the withdrawal of copper wire telecommunications.
Answered by John Whittingdale
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18th December to Question 6770
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what guidance she has issued with the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities to local authorities on the costs of moving to digital telecare.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) both regularly provide information to local authorities about the PSTN migration. Officials from both departments also attend a Digital Switchover Working Group, hosted by the Local Government Authority.
DSIT is shortly looking to publish further guidance to local authorities about how the switch-off of analogue landlines may impact them. Among several other issues, this guidance will cover aspects of the provision of adult social care.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with neurodiverse people on the potential impact of the Prevent duty on them.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office keeps the needs of people referred to Prevent under review. Over the past 3 years, this has included training for Prevent practitioners - including Intervention Providers and Channel panels - from the National Autistic Society to ensure that people with neurodiverse conditions are effectively supported throughout their engagement with Prevent.
Neurodiversity was also considered as part of the Prevent Duty Guidance Equality Impact Assessment, which was updated in September 2023.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of neurodiverse people referred to Prevent in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of neurodiverse people referred to Prevent, as neurodiversity is not recorded on either the police or Home Office-owned Prevent databases.
A new Prevent case management system will be launched next year which will be able to capture data more accurately, including information relating to neurodiversity.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) children and (b) young people under the age of 20 referred to Prevent in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office published its annual statistics on individuals referred to and supported through Prevent programme on December 7th 2023. The release covers Prevent data reported between April 2022 and March 2023, and for the first time includes statistics to show the number of minors referred to Prevent. In the year ending 31 March 2023, there were 3,773 referrals to Prevent for individuals aged 17 and under.
This comprises 56% of referrals where the age was known. Combining those aged 17 and under with those aged 18, 19 and 20, there were 4,322 referrals to Prevent for individuals aged under 21.
This comprises 64% of all referrals where the age was known. More information and detailed data tables are provided in the latest release, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-prevent
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to people who have been misreferred to Prevent.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Where the police take a decision that a referral is not suitable for Prevent, the referral will be closed. The person being referred will not routinely be made aware of the referral. Where the person is signposted for support via other services – which could include social care or mental health services – they will receive support via the appropriate service.
It will process complaints from both the public and practitioners, and will take instruction from Ministers to conduct investigations and publish findings. The unit will be delivered by the Commission for Countering Extremism, and will be answerable to Ministers on the Prevent oversight board.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the withdrawal of copper wire telecommunications to local authorities.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The change to digital landlines will affect many sectors of the economy, including services delivered by local authorities. We cannot definitively comment on the estimated cost of the upgrade on local authorities, since the services and devices vary from one local authority to another.
The Government engages regularly with local authorities to raise awareness of the PSTN migration. As part of that engagement, we have encouraged local authorities to collate and share cost data related to the migration with DSIT and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). We have also made clear that local authorities should plan ahead for how they may be impacted by the migration, including by considering the budgetary implications of upgrading outdated devices.
With regards to communicating the migration, industry is best placed to inform their respective customers. Communications Providers have varying strategies and timelines for the migration, as well as a better understanding of the needs of their individual customers. By contrast, there is a significant risk that a nationwide campaign would be misleading and counterproductive, for example by not giving appropriate advice to vulnerable customers.
That said, DSIT has published a webpage on GOV.UK about the PSTN migration as a way to increase public awareness. This resource provides guidance about how consumers can prepare for the switchover and where they can find additional information. The webpage can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-transition-from-analogue-to-digital-landlines. We also regularly engage with Ofcom and Communication Providers to discuss how best to communicate with end users, particularly vulnerable customers.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with the Construction Industry Council on decarbonising the cement industry.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Officials have regular discussions with the Green Construction Board and with other bodies on a range of issues relating to the decarbonisation of cement. The Government is committed to exploring opportunities to decarbonise this critical foundation material and regularly engages with the Mineral Products Association and the sector to discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in decarbonisation, and potential ways forward. The Department for Business and Trade is working with the Construction Leadership Council, with a key priority being net zero and biodiversity, to support use of lower carbon materials and products such as cement and concrete in the construction sector.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding to support the development of the low-carbon cement sector.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State regularly discusses a range of issues with my Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer. Carbon Capture Usage and Storage will be crucial for decarbonisation of industries, such as cement, which otherwise lack viable alternatives to achieve deep decarbonisation. CCUS and low carbon hydrogen are vital to transforming these sectors. In March, the Chancellor announced £20 billion investment in the early development of CCUS to help meet the Government’s climate commitments. The Government is taking forward the Hanson Padeswood Cement Works to proceed to negotiations for support under the Industrial Carbon Capture business model.