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514083

registered interest
date	19/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Forced Marriage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many interventions by the Forced Marriages Unit led to criminal prosecutions of people perpetrating forced marriages.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Greg Mulholland
uin	34529
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>The jointly led Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leads on the Government’s forced marriage policy, outreach and casework. Figures on the number of cases reported to the FMU via its public helpline and email inbox are published annually and are available on GOV.uk. The figures include a breakdown of cases by age range. The FMU acts in an advisory capacity, and information on the number of cases which resulted in prosecutions is therefore not collated centrally.</p><p>We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to send a clear message that this brutal practice will not be tolerated in the UK. We are encouraged by the first conviction in June 2015, and the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) most recent report shows that the volume of referrals from the police to the CPS has risen from 67 in 2013-14 to 82 in 2014-15. But there is still work to be done, and we will continue to work with partners to lead efforts to tackle this abhorrent crime.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 34530 question first answered 26/04/2016 11:41:20 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	1540 label Biography information for Greg Mulholland

514090

registered interest
date	19/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Vetting
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average waiting time is for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	34656
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>Performance data for the Disclosure and Barring Service for March 2016 indicates that average processing time for DBS applications was 14.8 days. Certificates dispatched to applicants by the DBS in March 2016 involving (a) Cleveland Police and (b) the Metropolitan Police Service took an average of (a) 24 days and (b) 122 days.</p><p>Protecting the public is a priority for this Government and it is important that checks undertaken are thorough; a proportion of the applications received by the DBS must be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process. In the vast majority of cases these checks are completed within target. The DBS is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 34657 34658 34659 question first answered 26/04/2016 11:42:15 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

514091

registered interest
date	19/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Vetting
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	34657
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>Performance data for the Disclosure and Barring Service for March 2016 indicates that average processing time for DBS applications was 14.8 days. Certificates dispatched to applicants by the DBS in March 2016 involving (a) Cleveland Police and (b) the Metropolitan Police Service took an average of (a) 24 days and (b) 122 days.</p><p>Protecting the public is a priority for this Government and it is important that checks undertaken are thorough; a proportion of the applications received by the DBS must be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process. In the vast majority of cases these checks are completed within target. The DBS is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 34656 34658 34659 question first answered 26/04/2016 11:42:15 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

514092

registered interest
date	19/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Vetting
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with the Metropolitan Police Service to reduce the time taken to complete pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	34658
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>Performance data for the Disclosure and Barring Service for March 2016 indicates that average processing time for DBS applications was 14.8 days. Certificates dispatched to applicants by the DBS in March 2016 involving (a) Cleveland Police and (b) the Metropolitan Police Service took an average of (a) 24 days and (b) 122 days.</p><p>Protecting the public is a priority for this Government and it is important that checks undertaken are thorough; a proportion of the applications received by the DBS must be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process. In the vast majority of cases these checks are completed within target. The DBS is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 34656 34657 34659 question first answered 26/04/2016 11:42:15 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

514094

registered interest
date	19/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Vetting
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average waiting time is for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service involving (a) Cleveland Police and (b) the Metropolitan Police Service.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	34659
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2016 answer text <p>Performance data for the Disclosure and Barring Service for March 2016 indicates that average processing time for DBS applications was 14.8 days. Certificates dispatched to applicants by the DBS in March 2016 involving (a) Cleveland Police and (b) the Metropolitan Police Service took an average of (a) 24 days and (b) 122 days.</p><p>Protecting the public is a priority for this Government and it is important that checks undertaken are thorough; a proportion of the applications received by the DBS must be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process. In the vast majority of cases these checks are completed within target. The DBS is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 34656 34657 34658 question first answered 26/04/2016 11:42:15 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

513711

registered interest
date	18/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to protect and support victims of stalking.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	34342
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2016 answer text <p>Stalking is a deeply disturbing crime which can leave its victims living in fear for years. That is why we introduced new legislation in 2012 which made stalking an offence in its own right.</p><p>The latest published figures on stalking show that this legislation is taking effect. In 2014-15, over 1,100 prosecutions were commenced under the new offences, a nearly 50% rise from the previous year. The number of referrals by the police to the CPS, the number of convictions and the number of custodial sentences have also risen.</p><p>However, legislation alone is not enough and we are determined to provide all victims of stalking with the protection and support that they need. As part of the dedicated funding to tackle violence against women and girls we provide support to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for its National Stalking Helpline to provide support and advice to victims.</p><p>The Home Office is currently considering the results of a public consultation on the possible introduction of a Stalking Protection Order aimed at providing immediate and earlier protection for victims. Through the Police Innovation Fund, we are supporting the police to identify ways to manage the significant volume of online material in abuse, harassment and stalking cases, so that evidence can be collected more easily and a strong case built to bring a prosecution.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley question first answered 25/04/2016 13:59:44 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

513721

registered interest
date	18/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a public statement of support for (a) survivors of stalking and (b) National Stalking Awareness Week.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	34439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2016 answer text <p>Stalking is a deeply disturbing crime which can leave its victims living in fear for years. That is why we introduced new legislation in 2012 which made stalking an offence in its own right.</p><p>The latest published figures on stalking show that this legislation is taking effect. In 2014-15, over 1,100 prosecutions were commenced under the new offences, a rise of nearly 50% from the previous year. The number of referrals by the police to the CPS, the number of convictions and the number of custodial sentences have also risen. However, legislation is not always enough and we are determined to provide all victims of stalking with the protection and support that they need.</p><p>The Home Office is currently considering the results of a public consultation on the possible introduction of a Stalking Protection Order aimed at providing immediate and earlier protection for victims.</p><p>We welcome National Stalking Awareness Week and the opportunity to bring attention to these crimes. As part of the dedicated funding to tackle violence against women and girls we provide support to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for its National Stalking Helpline.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley question first answered 25/04/2016 10:06:43 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

513065

registered interest
date	14/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Vetting
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time was for a Disclosure and Barring Service check to be completed in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
uin	34032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2016 answer text <p>The Disclosure and Barring Service is a non-departmental public body which provides access to appropriate criminal record information for employers through its disclosure service for England and Wales. It also makes independent barring decisions about people who have harmed, or where there is considered to be a risk of harm to, a child or vulnerable person within the workplace. Given the sensitive nature of this work and the reliance on police forces to provide locally held intelligence, it would not be appropriate to introduce competition.</p><p>Whilst no assessment has been made of the affect of timeliness on the number of job opportunities which may have been lost, the impact which delays may have on applicants is recognised. The DBS is reliant on police forces completing their checks in a timely manner and is working closely with those forces whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. In very exceptional cases, where it is apparent that a delay is likely to cause undue hardship to an applicant, the DBS will do all it can to expedite the process by raising an escalation with the relevant police force.</p><p>The average end to end time taken to complete a DBS check, including the time taken by police forces, is listed in following table.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Average calendar days for a disclosure to be processed</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>13/14</p></td><td><p>11.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>14/15</p></td><td><p>14.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>15/16</p></td><td><p>14.5</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The proportion of checks which took longer than (a) eight weeks (b) 12 weeks and (c) six months is listed in the following table.</p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Disclosures which took longer than 8 weeks</p></td><td><p>Disclosures which took longer than 12 weeks</p></td><td><p>Disclosures which took longer than 6 Months</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>% of Disclosures</p></td><td><p>% of Disclosures</p></td><td><p>% of Disclosures</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>13/14</p></td><td><p>2.6%</p></td><td><p>0.8%</p></td><td><p>0.0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>14/15</p></td><td><p>4.9%</p></td><td><p>2.1%</p></td><td><p>0.1%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>15/16</p></td><td><p>5.2%</p></td><td><p>3.5%</p></td><td><p>0.3%</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 34033 34034 34035 question first answered 21/04/2016 11:55:52 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

513078

registered interest
date	14/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to support National Stalking Awareness Week.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	33956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2016 answer text <p>The Government has committed £80 million to support victims of violence against women and girls, including, stalking, between 2016 and 2020. This includes funding for the National Stalking Helpline run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.</p><p>We have strengthened the law by introducing new offences of stalking in 2012. In 2014-15, there were 1,103 prosecutions commenced under the new stalking offences, an increase of 50% over the previous year (2013-14).</p><p>To mark National Stalking Awareness Week, we are raising awareness of the increases in prosecutions and convictions for these crimes to help improve victim confidence in the criminal justice system.</p><p>Additionally, we have consulted on the introduction of a new civil Stalking Protection Order to tackle perpetrators at an early stage to help prevent victims becoming targets of a prolonged campaign of abuse. Our response to this consultation will be published in due course. Through the Police Innovation Fund, we are supporting the police to identify ways to manage the significant volume of online material in abuse, harassment and stalking cases, so that evidence can be collected more easily and a strong case built to bring a prosecution.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley question first answered 19/04/2016 14:41:25 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk

511418

registered interest
date	12/04/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Crimes of Violence: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Government minister will be responsible for distributing the £80 million Violence Against Women and Girls Transformation Fund.
tabling member constituency	Burnley
tabling member printed	Julie Cooper
uin	33579
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2016 answer text <p>The Government is providing £80 million of dedicated funding up to 2020 to tackle violence against women and girls. This funding will provide core support for refuges and other accommodation-based services, a network of rape support centres and national helplines, and from April 2017 will also include a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Service Transformation Fund.</p><p>The VAWG Service Transformation fund will support local programmes which encourage new approaches that incorporate early intervention, establish and embed the best ways to help victims and their families, and prevent perpetrators from re-offending. Criteria for applications to the fund will support these aims. Full details of the how the fund will be administered and the criteria for applications will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley grouped question UIN 33560 question first answered 18/04/2016 11:07:14 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
tabling member	4405 label Biography information for Julie Cooper