Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the amount (a) her Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on procurement was paid to small and medium-sized enterprises (i) directly and (ii) through the supply chain in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Government has overhauled public procurement to open it up to businesses of all sizes. On 25 February 2015, we announced that central government spent an unprecedented £11.4 billion with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in 2013-14, a record 26.1% of direct and indirect spend. This meets our aspiration, set in 2010, that 25% of government procurement spend would be with SMEs by the end of this Parliament.
The data on central government spend with SMEs in 2013-14 is available on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/central-government-spend-with-smes-2013-to-2014.
The Home Office has exceeded its SME spend target in each year since the targets were introduced, in conjunction with reducing overall spending with Third Party Suppliers over the same period.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of suppliers to her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies paid subcontractors within 30 days in the last period for which figures are available.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Home Office insists that its suppliers have a payment policy in place to ensure payment is made within 30 days.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many apprentices employed by (a) her Department and (b) its executive agencies and associated bodies are aged (i) 16 to 18, (ii) 19 to 24 and (iii) 25 years or older; and how many of those apprentices employed in each form of body and of each age group were previously employed by the Government.
Answered by Karen Bradley
There are currently (a) 15 apprentices employed by the Home Department and (b) 0 in the Department’s Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies ( formerly Executive Agencies and associated bodies) (as at 31 January 2015). It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the ages of the apprentices employed as it would breach the Department’s obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 not to disclose, to a third party, personal information about another person.
The Department does not hold a full employment history for all of our staff so we are not able to identify whether any apprentices have previously been employed by another Government Department.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests there have been in (a) Lambeth, (b) Greater London and (c) the UK related to transphobic hate crime since 2010; and how many such arrests have led to prosecution.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Home Office does not collect information to this level of detail. The Home Office collects arrest data at offence group level by police force area.
The Home Office collects data on the number of offences recorded by police that involve transgender hate crime as part of a special collection, but this does not include details on arrests or prosecutions.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle transphobia in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The cross-Government action plan on hate crime outlines the areas in which we are taking action. In particular, we are encouraging people who are victims of hate crime to report it in order to better focus resources to tackle its
causes. In 2013-14, 555 transgender hate crimes were recorded by the police, an increase of 54% from 361 recorded in 2012-13.
Since the action plan was launched, the Government has also amended section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to include transgender-identity in the suite of aggravating factors, whereby courts have the power to increase the sentence
length for crimes motivated by hostility towards the victim based on a personal characteristic. In addition, the Government held a national seminar in November 2012 of transgender organisations to identify ways of improving communications
and to increase reporting. In April, the Crown Prosecution Service launched educational resources for schools to address hostility towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she gives to local authorities to tackle female genital mutilation; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
Female genital mutilation is an extremely harmful practice which the government is committed to tackling. We are strengthening the law on FGM. The Serious Crime Bill includes provisions to extend extra-territorial jurisdiction over
offences of FGM committed abroad, to provide lifelong anonymity for victims of FGM, and to create a new offence of failing to protect a girl from the risk of FGM. We are also introducing a new civil protection order to protect victims or
potential victims of FGM.
We are improving the police response to FGM working with the College of Policing and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
The College of Policing is introducing a new authorised professional practice on FGM to raise awareness amongst investigators and better equip them to tackle the practice. In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary will be conducting a force level inspection on the police response to so-called honour based violence with a focus on FGM.
In order to support local areas the government has launched an e-learning tool so that all front line practitioners are able to undertake an introduction to FGM. The government is also funding training for Local Safeguarding Children
Boards which will be delivered this financial year and has launched an online FGM resource for local areas. The aim of the resource is to emphasise what works in tackling FGM and highlight examples where effective practice has been
identified.
The government has part funded a new study by Equality Now and City University into the prevalence of female genital mutilation in England and Wales. The interim report, published in July 2014, has estimated that approximately 60,000
girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had had FGM, and that approximately 103,000 women aged 15-49 and approximately 24,000 women aged 50 and over who have migrated to England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM. In addition, approximately 10,000 girls aged under 15 who have migrated to England and Wales are likely to have suffered FGM. The full report, with data disaggregated to a local level, will be released in the new year.
In addition, since April 2014 NHS staff have been required to record in a patient’s healthcare record whenever it is identified that the patient has suffered FGM. This applies to all NHS clinicians and healthcare professionals
across the NHS. The collection became mandatory on 1 September 2014.The first aggregated monthly data return from acute hospital providers in England, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, reported that in
September 2014 there were 1,279 patients identified as having undergone FGM prior to the reporting period, who were still being actively seen or treated for FGM-related conditions or any other non-related condition, and 467 newly
identified cases of FGM nationally.
The government does not hold information on the number of arrests related to FGM in the UK.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she gives to the police to tackle female genital mutilation; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
Female genital mutilation is an extremely harmful practice which the government is committed to tackling. We are strengthening the law on FGM. The Serious Crime Bill includes provisions to extend extra-territorial jurisdiction over
offences of FGM committed abroad, to provide lifelong anonymity for victims of FGM, and to create a new offence of failing to protect a girl from the risk of FGM. We are also introducing a new civil protection order to protect victims or
potential victims of FGM.
We are improving the police response to FGM working with the College of Policing and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
The College of Policing is introducing a new authorised professional practice on FGM to raise awareness amongst investigators and better equip them to tackle the practice. In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary will be conducting a force level inspection on the police response to so-called honour based violence with a focus on FGM.
In order to support local areas the government has launched an e-learning tool so that all front line practitioners are able to undertake an introduction to FGM. The government is also funding training for Local Safeguarding Children
Boards which will be delivered this financial year and has launched an online FGM resource for local areas. The aim of the resource is to emphasise what works in tackling FGM and highlight examples where effective practice has been
identified.
The government has part funded a new study by Equality Now and City University into the prevalence of female genital mutilation in England and Wales. The interim report, published in July 2014, has estimated that approximately 60,000
girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had had FGM, and that approximately 103,000 women aged 15-49 and approximately 24,000 women aged 50 and over who have migrated to England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM. In addition, approximately 10,000 girls aged under 15 who have migrated to England and Wales are likely to have suffered FGM. The full report, with data disaggregated to a local level, will be released in the new year.
In addition, since April 2014 NHS staff have been required to record in a patient’s healthcare record whenever it is identified that the patient has suffered FGM. This applies to all NHS clinicians and healthcare professionals
across the NHS. The collection became mandatory on 1 September 2014.The first aggregated monthly data return from acute hospital providers in England, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, reported that in
September 2014 there were 1,279 patients identified as having undergone FGM prior to the reporting period, who were still being actively seen or treated for FGM-related conditions or any other non-related condition, and 467 newly
identified cases of FGM nationally.
The government does not hold information on the number of arrests related to FGM in the UK.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
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 incidents of female genital mutilation that were carried out on women and girls residing in (a) Lambeth, (b) Greater London and (c) the UK in each of the last three years.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
Female genital mutilation is an extremely harmful practice which the government is committed to tackling. We are strengthening the law on FGM. The Serious Crime Bill includes provisions to extend extra-territorial jurisdiction over
offences of FGM committed abroad, to provide lifelong anonymity for victims of FGM, and to create a new offence of failing to protect a girl from the risk of FGM. We are also introducing a new civil protection order to protect victims or
potential victims of FGM.
We are improving the police response to FGM working with the College of Policing and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
The College of Policing is introducing a new authorised professional practice on FGM to raise awareness amongst investigators and better equip them to tackle the practice. In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary will be conducting a force level inspection on the police response to so-called honour based violence with a focus on FGM.
In order to support local areas the government has launched an e-learning tool so that all front line practitioners are able to undertake an introduction to FGM. The government is also funding training for Local Safeguarding Children
Boards which will be delivered this financial year and has launched an online FGM resource for local areas. The aim of the resource is to emphasise what works in tackling FGM and highlight examples where effective practice has been
identified.
The government has part funded a new study by Equality Now and City University into the prevalence of female genital mutilation in England and Wales. The interim report, published in July 2014, has estimated that approximately 60,000
girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had had FGM, and that approximately 103,000 women aged 15-49 and approximately 24,000 women aged 50 and over who have migrated to England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM. In addition, approximately 10,000 girls aged under 15 who have migrated to England and Wales are likely to have suffered FGM. The full report, with data disaggregated to a local level, will be released in the new year.
In addition, since April 2014 NHS staff have been required to record in a patient’s healthcare record whenever it is identified that the patient has suffered FGM. This applies to all NHS clinicians and healthcare professionals
across the NHS. The collection became mandatory on 1 September 2014.The first aggregated monthly data return from acute hospital providers in England, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, reported that in
September 2014 there were 1,279 patients identified as having undergone FGM prior to the reporting period, who were still being actively seen or treated for FGM-related conditions or any other non-related condition, and 467 newly
identified cases of FGM nationally.
The government does not hold information on the number of arrests related to FGM in the UK.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce violence against women and girls in the London Borough of Lambeth; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Coalition Government has made the tackling of violence against women and girls a high priority. Our approach is set out in our strategy, ‘Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls’ published in November 2010, together with a
supporting Action Plan. A revised version of the Action Plan was published in March 2014 and contains 150 actions across Government departments.
For the first time, this Government has put stable funding in place, ring-fencing nearly £40 million for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services, rape crisis centres, and national helplines. This includes £20,000 funding provided by the Home Office for the provision of an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser at Mosaic in Lambeth, £15,000 to Lambeth Council towards Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) provision and
£20,000 to Eaves Housing towards provision for an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor. Through the Female Rape Support Fund 2014-16 the Ministry of Justice provides £70,000 per annum to Rape Crisis South London to support female
victims of rape or sexual violence.
Asked by: Chuka Umunna (Liberal Democrat - Streatham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to ensure that a multi-agency approach is taken to address gender-based violence; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Coalition Government has made the tackling of violence against women and girls a high priority. Our approach is set out in our strategy, ‘Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls’ published in November 2010, together with a
supporting Action Plan. A revised version of the Action Plan was published in March 2014 and contains 150 actions across Government departments.
The Home Secretary chairs the Inter-Ministerial Group on violence against women and girls which meets quarterly and oversees the co-ordination of cross-departmental activity to tackle violence against women and girls.
For the first time, this Government has put stable funding in place, ring-fencing nearly £40 million for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services, rape crisis centres, and national helplines. Local domestic and sexual abuse co-ordinators provide an important local strategic lead on this issue, linking statutory and voluntary partner agencies and promoting and improving multi-agency approaches to tackling sexual and domestic violence.
In July, we published a report to share findings from the Home Office funded project to better understand the multi-agency information sharing models that are in place. These models, the most common of which is referred to as a
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), aim to improve the safeguarding response for children and vulnerable adults through better information sharing and high quality and timely safeguarding responses.