Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed attachment file name title question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

101194

registered interest
date	27/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Closures
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the date of closure was of each court building which closed but was not disposed of between May 2010 and 30 June 2014.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	211999
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department is committed to disposing of surplus property assets expeditiously and reducing holding costs.</p><p> </p><p>The date of operational closure of each court building which has been closed but not disposed of since May 2010 is detailed below. The majority of these courts were closed as part of the Court Estate Reform Programme (CERP). CERP is expected to save the taxpayer £152m by 2015 while ensuring the courts continue to operate effectively. As of 29 October 2014 a total of 66 buildings closed under the programme have been sold attracting disposal receipts of £42.9m.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the courts announced for closure under CERP, the Ministry of Justice has closed and disposed of a number of court buildings as a result of the integration and co-location.</p><p> </p><p>The sale of former court buildings is dependent on a number of factors including the state of the market, potential future use of the property (including its development potential) and their location. Furthermore, some of the buildings are occupied in part by the police and local authorities, which can also delay or prevent swift disposal.</p><p> </p><p>When disposing of surplus property assets we will always seek best value for the taxpayer.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table: Date of operational closure of each court building which has been closed but not disposed of since May 2010 as at 30 June 2014</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><thead><tr><td><p><strong>Court Building</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Date of operational closure <sup>1, 2</sup></strong></p></td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p>Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ &amp; County Court <sup>4</sup></p></td><td><p>13 July 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bridgwater Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>30 March 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bridport Magistrates' Court <sup>3</sup></p></td><td><p>18 March 2010</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Burton-upon-Trent County Court</p></td><td><p>22 March 2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cirencester Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Coleford Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dorking Magistrates' Court <sup>3</sup></p></td><td><p>18 March 2010</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Epping Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>30 March 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Flint Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Frome Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Goole Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>16 December 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Haywards Heath (Mid Sussex) Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>30 March 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Honiton Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Houghton Le Spring Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Keighley (Bingley) Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>16 December 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lewes Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lyndhurst Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Market Drayton Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oswestry Magistrates' Court &amp; County Court</p></td><td><p>07 October 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Pontefract Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>22 March 2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Rochdale Magistrates’ Court<sup>5</sup></p></td><td><p>22 December 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Selby Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>22 March 2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sherborne Magistrates' Court <sup>3</sup></p></td><td><p>18 March 2010</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Stoke-on-Trent Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>07 December 2012</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Totnes Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Towcester Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Weston Super Mare Magistrates’ Court <sup>6</sup></p></td><td><p>Not used since September 2006</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wimborne Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>01 April 2011</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Witham Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>30 March 2012</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Footnotes:</strong></p><p>1. The date the building was decommissioned and available for disposal is not held centrally. Court buildings may have been used for administrative purposes following their operational closure until space could be found at alternative locations to facilitate this work</p><p>2. Where two courts shared the same building then the operational closure date of the last court to close is shown</p><p>3. The closures of Bridport Magistrates’ Court, Dorking Magistrates’ Court and Sherborne Magistrates’ Court were announced on 18 March 2010</p><p>4. Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ Court and County Court building was sold on 11 August 2014</p><p>5. Rochdale Magistrates’ Court was sold on 28 August 2014</p><p>6. Former Weston Super Mare Magistrates’ Court is integral with the police station. Avon and Somerset Policy Authority will lead on the future of the building</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 30/10/2014 16:07:00 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

100754

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 17 September 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs M Lawson.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Sir Gerald Kaufman
uin	211688
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>A response to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton was sent on Tuesday 21 October 2014.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 30/10/2014 15:59:22 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	451 label Biography information for Sir Gerald Kaufman

100755

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Clwyd
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on the closure of courts in the Vale of Clwyd; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such closures on staff numbers and levels of service.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	211759
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service keeps the use of its estate under review in order to make the best use of its resources for users and taxpayers alike.</p><p> </p><p>The decision to close Rhyl County Court and move its work to Prestatyn Magistrates’ Court was announced by the Lord Chancellor in December 2010. The closure required enabling work at Prestatyn Magistrates' Court to accommodate the additional work, which has not yet been finalised. The court will not close until this work has been concluded. The effects on staff and levels of service were considered in response to the consultation and will form part of any closure implementation plan.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 30/10/2014 16:17:33 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

100775

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Disability Living Allowance: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals against disability living allowance there have been since 2010; and how many such appeals resulted in a reversal of the original decision.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	211764
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service (HMCTS), an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice, hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ decisions on a range of benefits, including disability living allowance (DLA).</p><p> </p><p>Information on the number of DLA appeals received by the Tribunal and the number found in favour of the appellant is published by Ministry of Justice in Tribunal Statistics Quarterly. Reports for DLA appeals dating back to 2010 can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 30/10/2014 16:26:14 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

100823

registered interest
date	23/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Magistrates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates there are in each local authority area; what the gender and ethnic composition is of magistrates in each such area; and what recruitment of magistrates there has been in each such area in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	211837
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>Each magistrate in England and Wales is assigned to a local justice area. I have therefore interpreted the reference to ‘local authority area’ in the question to mean local justice area.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1 provides the number of magistrates in each local justice area along with their gender and ethnic breakdown.</p><p> </p><p>The number of magistrates recruited in each local justice area is dictated by the business needs of the magistrates’ courts. Due in part to falling crime levels, the workload of the magistrates’ court has reduced in recent years. Table 2 provides the number of magistrates recruited in each local justice area in the last five years.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara attachment 1 file name Table 1 - 211837 - Number of magistrates.xls title Table 1 2 file name Table 2 - 211837 - Number of magistrates.xls title Table 2 question first answered 28/10/2014 15:17:56 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

100479

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spends each year on legal aid to support women suffering from domestic abuse.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	211432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>Prior to 2013, when people applied for legal aid they were not asked to declare whether domestic violence had occurred. Since 2013, applications for legal aid do not routinely request this information as it is not required. Therefore the data requested is not available.</p><p> </p><p>People seeking protective injunctions, like restraining orders, remain eligible for legal aid. Legal aid also remains available in private family cases that involve domestic violence. We have listened closely to any concerns about how the system has been operating, and made changes in response, such as making it easier to prove abuse and so get legal aid.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 03/11/2014 16:08:52 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

100480

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what further training is planned for (a) the probation service, (b) magistrates and (c) judges on the new stalking laws.
tabling member constituency	Mid Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Nadine Dorries
uin	211540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p><strong>(a)</strong> The National Probation Service is a new organisation that has only been in existence since June 2014. The Professional Skills Training team are in the process of putting together the national training plan and stalking awareness will be part of this.</p><p> </p><p>(<strong>b</strong>) &amp; <strong>(c)</strong> The responsibility for judicial training for courts judiciary lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College. Magistrates sit with legal advisers in court who advise them on the law.</p><p> </p><p>The new stalking laws came from the amendments made to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 by the Protection of Freedom Act 2012. The Judicial College provides regular updates to judges and legal advisers on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter, and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office also issued a circular [Ref: 018/2012] on the new provisions in October 2012. This was issued to the Association Of Chief Police Officers (in England And Wales And Northern Ireland), Association Of Magisterial Officers, Central Council Of Magistrates Courts, Justices Clerks Society, Law Society, Magistrates Association, Ministry of Justice, and the Judicial College.</p><p> </p><p>In addition the Justices Clerks Society also issued a circular to their members outlining the new provisions in December 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, judges use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 03/11/2014 16:40:29 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries

100486

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Intimate Image Abuse: Internet
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with internet service providers about bringing forward legislative proposals to tackle revenge porn websites.
tabling member constituency	Islwyn
tabling member printed	Chris Evans
uin	211554
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government is creating, in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, a new criminal offence which targets those who disclose private sexual photographs and films without consent and with intent to cause distress.</p><p>The Internet Services Providers Association took part in an online discussion hosted by the Ministry of Justice during its development. Mike Penning MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, has also discussed the issue of revenge porn with internet service providers during discussions of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, of which he is one of the joint chairs.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 03/11/2014 15:33:59 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

100487

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates in England and Wales have been given training on the new laws on stalking to date.
tabling member constituency	Mid Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Nadine Dorries
uin	211545
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The responsibility for the training of Magistrates lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College.</p><p> </p><p>Magistrates sit with legal advisers in court who advise them on the law. The Judicial College is not responsible for teaching and updating Legal Advisers on the law. However, reference to any relevant law will be made at training events for the topics being covered.</p><p> </p><p>The Judicial College provides regular updates to Legal Advisers on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012. In addition, the Home Office also issued a circular [Ref: 018/2012] on the new provisions in October 2012, and the Justices Clerks Society issued a circular to their members outlining the new provisions in December 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, magistrates use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 03/11/2014 16:34:59 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries

100488

registered interest
date	22/10/2014
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many judges in England and Wales have been given training on the new laws on stalking to date.
tabling member constituency	Mid Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Nadine Dorries
uin	211546
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The responsibility for the training of judges lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College.</p><p> </p><p>The Judicial College is not responsible for teaching and updating judges on the law; judges are professional lawyers and are expected to keep themselves up to date. However, reference to any relevant law will be made at training events for the topics covered. The Judicial College provides regular updates to judges on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, judges use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 03/11/2014 16:12:46 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	1481 label Biography information for Ms Nadine Dorries