Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many members of her Department's executive board are disabled.
Answered by Karen Bradley
As at 31 March 2014, there were (a) 9 male and (b) 5 female members of the Home Office Supervisory Board.
As at 31 March 2014, the members of the Home Office Supervisory Board were (a) 36% white British and (b) 0% from any other ethnic background.
The remaining 64% of Home Office Supervisory Board members have not declared their ethnicity.
As at 31 March 2014, fewer than 5 Home Office Supervisory Board members declared a disability.
Data on ethnicity and disability has been reported and anonymised in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act and in line with the Code of Practice for the UK Statistics Authority.
The racial or ethnic identity with which an individual chooses to identify is not self-evident. Information about the racial or ethnic background of an individual is sensitive personal data as defined by section 2 of the Data Protection Act 1998. It would be inappropriate to disclose this information unless the individual concerned had given explicit consent or had taken steps to put the information in the public domain.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to increase the representation of ethnic minorities in leadership roles within law enforcement agencies.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Government is committed to improving diversity in policing: in a modern, diverse society it is essential to building the trust and confidence of all communities.
This Government’s reforms will allow for faster progress on equality and diversity. We established the College of Policing, which has embarked on a major programme looking at recruitment, retention and progression of black and
minority ethnic officers and has recently published advice on positive action for police forces. We are actively engaging with the College, and forces to ensure this work is taken forward, providing access to key diversity data to
evaluate progress within forces, and publishing workforce diversity data online for the public on police.uk. We have also introduced different routes into the police through the Direct Entry schemes and by supporting the development of
‘Police Now’. These schemes have received a more diverse range of applicants compared to the existing police workforce. For example, the ‘Police Now’ scheme received 1,248 applications, of which 48% were from women, and 19% from
people of black or ethnic minority backgrounds. This is in contrast to the current representation levels in the Metropolitan Police, where only 11% of police officers are from an ethnic minority background and 25% are women.
We have also established Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) with responsibility for the totality of policing in their areas, including ensuring that community needs are met, and that forces secure the trust and confidence
of the public. Decisions on when and how to recruit individuals are for the chief officer of a police force.
We welcome the launch of the Gypsy, Roma Traveller Police Association this year, whose aims include fostering better relations between the police and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. This shows that policing takes equality
and diversity seriously and is taking steps to address issues that matter to all communities.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to (a) provide support for the recruitment of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller police officers and (b) in other ways improve relations between the police and the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Government is committed to improving diversity in policing: in a modern, diverse society it is essential to building the trust and confidence of all communities.
This Government’s reforms will allow for faster progress on equality and diversity. We established the College of Policing, which has embarked on a major programme looking at recruitment, retention and progression of black and
minority ethnic officers and has recently published advice on positive action for police forces. We are actively engaging with the College, and forces to ensure this work is taken forward, providing access to key diversity data to
evaluate progress within forces, and publishing workforce diversity data online for the public on police.uk. We have also introduced different routes into the police through the Direct Entry schemes and by supporting the development of
‘Police Now’. These schemes have received a more diverse range of applicants compared to the existing police workforce. For example, the ‘Police Now’ scheme received 1,248 applications, of which 48% were from women, and 19% from
people of black or ethnic minority backgrounds. This is in contrast to the current representation levels in the Metropolitan Police, where only 11% of police officers are from an ethnic minority background and 25% are women.
We have also established Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) with responsibility for the totality of policing in their areas, including ensuring that community needs are met, and that forces secure the trust and confidence
of the public. Decisions on when and how to recruit individuals are for the chief officer of a police force.
We welcome the launch of the Gypsy, Roma Traveller Police Association this year, whose aims include fostering better relations between the police and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. This shows that policing takes equality
and diversity seriously and is taking steps to address issues that matter to all communities.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to increase the representation of ethnic minorities in front-line law enforcement roles.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Government is committed to improving diversity in policing: in a modern, diverse society it is essential to building the trust and confidence of all communities.
This Government’s reforms will allow for faster progress on equality and diversity. We established the College of Policing, which has embarked on a major programme looking at recruitment, retention and progression of black and
minority ethnic officers and has recently published advice on positive action for police forces. We are actively engaging with the College, and forces to ensure this work is taken forward, providing access to key diversity data to
evaluate progress within forces, and publishing workforce diversity data online for the public on police.uk. We have also introduced different routes into the police through the Direct Entry schemes and by supporting the development of
‘Police Now’. These schemes have received a more diverse range of applicants compared to the existing police workforce. For example, the ‘Police Now’ scheme received 1,248 applications, of which 48% were from women, and 19% from
people of black or ethnic minority backgrounds. This is in contrast to the current representation levels in the Metropolitan Police, where only 11% of police officers are from an ethnic minority background and 25% are women.
We have also established Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) with responsibility for the totality of policing in their areas, including ensuring that community needs are met, and that forces secure the trust and confidence
of the public. Decisions on when and how to recruit individuals are for the chief officer of a police force.
We welcome the launch of the Gypsy, Roma Traveller Police Association this year, whose aims include fostering better relations between the police and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. This shows that policing takes equality
and diversity seriously and is taking steps to address issues that matter to all communities.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of (a) her Department's staff and (b) staff working for companies contracted by her Department who are paid less than the Living Wage are (i) women and (ii) men.
Answered by Karen Bradley
All permanent members of staff directly employed by the Home Office are paid the Living Wage or above.
All temporary agency staff are employed in accordance with the Agency Workers Regulations, which ensures parity with directly employed staff after 12 weeks.
The Home Office only keeps information on the legal minimum standards of pay of staff employed by organisations contracted to provide services within the Home Office and does not keep information specifically on the Living Wage.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of (a) her Department's staff and (b) staff working for companies contracted by her Department who are paid less than the Living Wage are (i) white British and (ii) from an ethnic minority background.
Answered by Karen Bradley
All permanent members of staff directly employed by the Home Office are paid the Living Wage or above.
All temporary agency staff are employed in accordance with the Agency Workers Regulations, which ensures parity with directly employed staff after 12 weeks.
The Home Office only keeps information on the legal minimum standards of pay of staff employed by organisations contracted to provide services within the Home Office and does not keep information specifically on the Living Wage.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of (a) her Department's staff and (b) staff working for companies contracted by her Department are paid less than the Living Wage.
Answered by Karen Bradley
All permanent members of staff directly employed by the Home Office are paid the Living Wage or above.
All temporary agency staff are employed in accordance with the Agency Workers Regulations, which ensures parity with directly employed staff after 12 weeks.
The Home Office only keeps information on the legal minimum standards of pay of staff employed by organisations contracted to provide services within the Home Office and does not keep information specifically on the Living Wage.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission a study to establish the prevalence of breast-ironing in the UK amongst the Western, Eastern and Central African disapora communities.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The government condemns violence against women and girls in all its forms and is clear that political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing, identifying and prosecuting practices like breast ironing.
There are currently no plans to commission a study to establish the prevalence of breast-ironing in the UK amongst the Western, Eastern and Central African disapora communities.
However, the government is working with local areas to support them to identify areas of need in their communities in order that they provide services to victims.
Where breast ironing is practised on girls it is child abuse and should be treated as such by all frontline professionals.
The clear legal frameworks that apply to child abuse apply to breast ironing.
As with any other form of child abuse, any cases should be referred to the police who will investigate and where appropriate work with the CPS to prosecute.
It is important that affected communities come together to speak out against such abhorrent practices and denounce them for the crimes they are.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with (a) ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, (b) the Muslim Institute, (c) the Muslim Council of Great Britain and (d) the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain on the legal status of Islamic marriages in England and Wales.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of
international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public
and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and
operational delivery. Details of Ministerial meetings with external
organisations and individuals are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly
basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website, which is
available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/home-office-mnisters-hospitality-data
There are no plans to change the law to recognise in English law Muslim
marriages and divorces which do not conform to the Marriage Act 1949.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many mosques are registered with the General Registry Office to perform civil marriages and partnerships.
Answered by Karen Bradley
No mosques are registered with the General Register Office for England and
Wales for civil marriages or civil partnership.
The governing body of a mosque or other building where the Muslim faith is
practised may apply to have that building certified as a place of religious
worship under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855. Following this, the
building can then be registered for the solemnization of marriages under the
Marriage Act 1949.
There are 258 such buildings registered.