Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many prosecutions were brought against the biological parents of children in foster care for incidents involving (a) inappropriate, (b) threatening and (c) abusive contact with their child’s foster parents since May 2024.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Threatening or abusive behaviour can amount to an offence under the Public Order Act 1986. To establish whether defendants charged with Public Order Act offences committed these offences against the foster carers of their children would require a manual review of case files and this would be at disproportionate cost.
Management information is held showing the number of offences charged by way of Section 4 (fear or provocation of violence), Section 4A (intentional harassment, alarm or distress) and Section 5 (harassment, alarm or distress) in which a prosecution commenced during the period from 1st May 2024 to 31st December 2024. The table below shows the number of these offences during that period.
| May 2024 - December 2024 |
Public Order Act 1986 { 4 } | 5,879 |
Public Order Act 1986 { 4A } | 7,815 |
Public Order Act 1986 { 5 } | 4,964 |
Total Offences Charged | 18,658 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System | |
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for offences created by the Public Order Act 1986.
The figures relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.
There is no offence of inappropriate behaviour.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many staff in the Law Officers' Departments respond to Freedom of Information requests.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Any member of staff in the Law Officers’ Departments might respond to Freedom of Information requests, depending upon the nature and substance of each individual request and who within the different departments is best placed to answer.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions the Law Officers' Departments took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I refer the hon. Member to my Answer of 20 March to PQ 68035.
FoI statistics do not refer to requests responded to within 30 days as the statutory deadline is 20 days.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what the average response rate was of the Law Officers' Departments to individual Freedom of Information requests in each month since July 2016.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The information requested is detailed in the following table. The percentage figure shows how many Freedom of Information requests were answered on time.
Data for February and March 2017 has not been provided as the majority of requests received in these months are still being processed.
HMCPSI did not receive any FOI requests in August, September and December 2016, or in January 2017.
| July 2016 | Aug 2016 | Sept 2016 | Oct 2016 | Nov 2016 | Dec 2016 | Jan 2017 |
GLD | 98% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
AGO | 93% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 94% | 100% |
HMCPSI | 100% | N/A | N/A | 100% | 100% | N/A | N/A |
CPS | 85% | 94% | 97% | 93% | 96% | 94% | 95% |
SFO | 80% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 94% | 100% | 89% |
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of senior civil service graded posts in the Law Officers' Departments classified as (i) deputy director, (ii) assistant director, (iii) team leader and (iv) policy manager have been based outside London in each year since 2014.
Answered by Robert Buckland
In the Law Officers’ Departments the proportion of Senior Civil Service staff classified as Deputy Director or SCS Pay Band 1 based outside London over the period requested was as follows:
2014 | AGO | CPS | SFO | GLD | HMCPSI |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total (i) | 1 | 7 | 10 | 107 | 1 |
Outside London | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.93% | 0% |
2015 | AGO | CPS | SFO | GLD | HMCPSI |
Total (i) | 1 | 8 | 12 | 114 | 1 |
Outside London | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 4.3% | 0% |
2016 | AGO | CPS | SFO | GLD | HMCPSI |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total (i) | 1 | 10 | 10 | 117 | 1 |
Outside London | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
% | 0% | 10% | 0% | 4.27% | 0% |
There are no staff across the Law Officers’ Department’s that are classified as assistant director, team leader or policy manager.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from The Law Officers' Departments in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.
Answered by Robert Buckland
All of the Law Officers’ Departments exercise appropriate controls over the purchasing and issue of stationery to mitigate against any potential for material loss or theft. However no central records are held of stationery items that may have been lost or stolen and it is therefore not possible to make any estimates without incurring a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials in the Law Officers' Departments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Non-consolidated performance related awards are only paid to reward excellence, for example to recognise and incentivise those responsible for delivering high quality public services and savings to the taxpayer. Those one-off payments are not pensionable. Furthermore, since 2010/11 the Government has restricted awards for senior civil servants to the top 25% of performers (from 65% in previous years), saving around £15 million overall.
A table showing information on performance related awards made by the Law Officers’ Departments during the past three financial years is presented below.
Law Officer’s Departments – Performance awards | ||||||
Financial Year | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | |||
Year end | In year | Year end | In year | Year end | In year | |
Government Legal Department ** | £531,105 | £144,013 | £755,080 | £139,635 | * | £182,376 |
Crown Prosecution Service *** | £128,347 | None | £98,261 | None | £115,453 | None |
Serious Fraud Office | £235,872 | £34,293 | £236,051 | £75,946 | £232,080 | £92,505 |
* The year-end figures for the 2014/15 performance year are not yet finalised.
** The increase in the sums for GLD reflects the fact that the department has significantly increased in size each year since 2011, as a result of consolidation of government legal teams into a single department. The GLD data also covers the Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
*** The only bonus scheme operated within the CPS is for SCS grades or the equivalent Senior Legal Manager (SLM) grades.
Further details on staff numbers and costs, including performance related pay are published in the respective departmental Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by the Law Officers' Departments is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the Law Officers' Departments most recent departmental real estate valuation.
Answered by Robert Buckland
It would not be in the public interest to disclose any specific retail or real estate valuation information, as this information is commercially sensitive and any disclosure could adversely affect the Government’s future ability to negotiate efficiencies and achieve value for money to the taxpayer.
The Crown Prosecution Service has a total owned and leased estate of 81,085 sq metres. Of that estate 9.3% is currently not in regular use. The total rental cost of those sites not in regular use is £961,235 (ex VAT).
The proportion of the office space owned or leased by The Government Legal Department (GLD) which is not in regular use comprises 9% of the total estate. The rental value of all unused office space is £248,680.69.
Both departments keep their estates under regular review and expect to have significantly reduced the proportion of office space which is not in regular use by December 2016.
The remaining Law Officers’ Departments do not own or lease any property which is not in regular use.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, which buildings occupied by the Law Officers' Departments are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The information requested in respect of the Attorney General’s Office, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Government Legal Department (formally TSol) remains unchanged from that given in the former Solicitor General’s answer to question 183631 on 22 January 2014 (Official Report, Col 192W). Information relating to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is detailed below.
The SFO is a tenant in 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5BS which is owned by the Crown Estate. The Canadian High Commission (CHC) has taken out a 101 year lease from the Crown Estate for the building and the SFO makes rental payments to the CHC for the space it occupies. The rent paid by the SFO for 2014-15 financial year amounted to £1,733,619 (including non-recoverable VAT).
In March 2015 the SFO rented additional temporary office space as part of one of its blockbuster investigations. Following discussions with the Government Property Unit (GPU) a short term lease for temporary accommodation was agreed with Regus Management. This lease is due to run from 16 March to 30 June 2015 and rental payments for the 2014-15 financial year amounted to £15,690 (including non-recoverable VAT).
According to records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) property managing agent (DTZ), the CPS leases the following buildings that are owned or part-owned privately. The rent figures exclude VAT.
Property | Town | Landlord | Rent £p/a |
Emlyn Hughes House | Barrow-in-Furness | Barrow-in-furness Borough Council | 33,000 |
Colmore Gate | Birmingham | CIP Property (AIPT) Ltd | 1,167,925 |
Riding Gate House | Canterbury | James Hay Pension Trustees Ltd | 143,000 |
Capital Tower | Cardiff | Topland Mercury Ltd | 229,716 |
Stocklund House | Carlisle | Chartsand Ltd | 28,880 |
County House | Chelmsford | IPT Property Holdings ltd | 688,000 |
Fox Talbot House | Chippenham | PFC Asset Management Ltd | 185,000 |
Southern House | Croydon | London & Continental Railways Ltd | 205,239 |
Black Horse House | Eastleigh | Eastleigh Borough Council | 96,777 |
Gateway | Guildford | Napier Capital No 1 Ltd | 356,850 |
City Gate | Hove | Altyre Properties | 150,750 |
St Vincent House | Ipswich | Seacourt Properties Ltd | 72,500 |
Jefferson House | Leeds | Bunbury Holdings Ltd | 234,000 |
Princes Court | Leicester | Daffodil General Partner Ltd | 290,000 |
The Regatta (Suites 1-3) | Lincoln | Melbourne Holdings Ltd | 61,275 |
Rose Court | London | Grandiose Investments Pte Ltd | 4,345,800 |
Sunlight House | Manchester | Scottish Widows Investment Partnership PT | 615,377 |
Hudson Quay | Middlesbrough | Middlehaven Properties Ltd | 160,410 |
Mold Business Park | Mold | WEPRE INNS Limited | 40,000 |
St Anne's Quay | Newcastle | M & F Finance (Ireland) Ltd | 530,000 |
Carmelite House | Norwich | Jarrold Properties | 246,000 |
King Edward Court | Nottingham | Nottingham & County Constitutional Club Ltd | 10,500 |
King Edward Court | Nottingham | The Saxon Graphics Pension Scheme (SAPS) | 15,400 |
King Edward Court | Nottingham | Highclare Properties Ltd | 120,000 |
Gemini One | Oxford | Arlington Business Parks Partnerships | 263,880 |
Preston | Preston | Landmarq LLP | 203,600 |
Queens House | St Albans | Queens House Ltd | 232,500 |
Etruria Office Village | Stoke | Bunbury Holdings | 189,300 |
Central Police Station | Swansea | Police & Crime Commissioner for South Wales | 103,000 |
Penhaligon House | Truro | Daejan Commercial Props Ltd | 53,300 |
South Parade | Wakefield | Yorkway Construction & Trewint Construction | 96,000 |
Burnley Wharf | Burnley | Judith McFarlane-Davidson | 105,600 |
Vantage Point House | Cwmbran | Vantage Point Business Park | 120,863 |
Priory Gate | Maidstone | Eaton Assets UK Ltd | 366,300 |
Afon House, | Newtown, Powys | Trillium (Prime) Property GP Ltd | 27,200 |
Parker Court | Stafford | Edward Barry Davey & Maria Davey | 130,910 |
Bankside Chambers | Warrington | Dukeminster 80 Ltd | 87,685 |
Bromfield House | Wrexham | G Walker Properties Ltd | 79,000 |
The Regatta Suites 4 - 5 | Lincoln | Melbourne Holdings Ltd | 43,677 |
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with the Director of the Services Prosecution Authority about its effectiveness in prosecuting rape and other sexual offences in the armed forces in the UK and overseas.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Attorney General and I meet regularly with the Director of Service Prosecutions and discuss casework issues at these meetings. This includes the prosecution of rape and other sexual offences.