Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by her Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Contingent labour contracts are awarded against tendered fixed day rates. Consultancy contracts are awarded either at fixed day rates by consultant grade or by maximum or capped prices for delivery of a package of work and are not normally subject to change. Such contracts may be extended or varied by means of contract change variations from time to time where contract terms allow and a business need exists which would result in a change to the overall value of the contracted services as a consequence of that change.
To provide information on every contract awarded since May 2010 would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the change in the number of front-line police jobs in Wales since May 2010.
Answered by Mike Penning
Table 1 contains statistics on the number of operational frontline police officers, police staff and police community support officers in Wales as at 31 March 2010 and 31 March 2014, as well as the change between the periods.
Table 2 shows that over the same period, police recorded crime (excluding fraud) has fallen by 21% in Wales.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the preparedness of the police to respond to a cyber-attack.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Government takes the threat of cyber attack seriously. Last year we created the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency, to lead the national response to cyber crime. We are also investing in the cyber teams in Regional Organised Crime Units, and training police officers in local forces, to ensure we are fully equipped to tackle cyber attacks at every level. And we are strengthening the Computer Misuse Act to ensure that the punishments available to prosecute cyber criminals fit the crime.