Asked by: Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consultation process she has undertaken with the Crown Dependencies on the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Oliver Heald
I have had meetings with the Chief Ministers of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man in recent months, and visited Jersey in October 2016. In each of these meetings we discussed the concerns of the Crown Dependencies surrounding the UK’s exit from the European Union.
In addition, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Exiting the European Union has agreed to hold quarterly meetings with the Chief Ministers of each of the Crown Dependencies. Two of these meetings have taken place and a third is scheduled for later this month.
On 18th November 2016, my department made a submission to the Justice Select Committee on the implications of leaving the EU for the Crown Dependencies. This contains further information on how the UK Government plans to engage with the Crown Dependencies on this important issue.
Asked by: Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on his plans for a consultation on the proposed British Bill of Rights.
Answered by Dominic Raab
We will consult fully on our proposals for a Bill of Rights and announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans for the proposed British Bill of Rights to apply to Scotland.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The government was elected with a mandate to reform the UK’s human rights framework. We are considering the implications of a Bill of Rights on devolution as we develop our proposals. We will, of course, fully engage with the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account he has taken of the distinction between reserved and devolved matters in the devolved administrations in his plans for the proposed British Bill of Rights and for consultation on that proposed bill.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The government was elected with a mandate to reform the UK’s human rights framework. We are considering the implications of a Bill of Rights on devolution as we develop our proposals. We will, of course, fully engage with the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions were brought to court under the provisions of the Human Rights Act in each year since 2005.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Prosecutions are not brought under the provisions of the Human Rights Act. A person may bring a civil claim under the Act or rely on Convention rights in any legal proceedings.
Asked by: Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether all people employed by his Department (a) directly or (b) by sub-contract are in receipt of the living wage or better.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
After the living wage increase in November 2014, there are 283 staff at Civil Service equivalent AA and AO grades currently earning below the living wage. This is against a backdrop of 23,598 direct employees within the Ministry of Justice HQ, HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and Legal Aid Agency (LAA). The 2015 pay award will uplift pay for these staff.
The MoJ pay award that took place in August 2014 addressed the salary levels being at or above the 2014 Living Wage allowance levels.
As of 31 March 2015, there were 89 members of staff who currently earn below the living wage out of a total of 46,442 direct employees in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS, including National Probation Service).
Proposals are due to be submitted to the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) and those below the threshold will be discussed separately with trade unions. For National Probation Service Staff we will seek to uplift pay for those staff so they are in line with the 2014 living wage allowance.