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1126071

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
	answering dept id	90
	answering dept short name	Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
	answering dept sort name	Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
	hansard heading	Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: ICT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2019 to Question 249206 on Members: Allowances, what the (a) forecast and (b) final cost was of the new IPSA IT system; and what assessment was made of additional costs that would be incurred by MPs' staff to work on the new system.
	tabling member constituency	Warley
	tabling member printed	John Spellar
	uin	253492
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>I have asked IPSA to reply.</p><p>The original April 2016 business case for IPSA’s new IT system, IPSA Online, estimated a cost of £4.641 million. At that time, IPSA expected the programme to be completed in 2017-18. The full costs of the system are now forecast to be £8.253 million.</p><p>The increase in cost was due in part to the unexpected General Election of June 2017 which diverted all IPSA work for up to nine months to supporting MPs who left or joined parliament, and increased supplier costs. Costs also increased following our change of suppliers in September 2018 to improve the quality of IPSA’s IT support. IPSA also spent longer than anticipated on testing the new system so that IPSA could have confidence that it would be fully secure and free of technical problems. The increases in cost have been partly mitigated by savings elsewhere in IPSA’s budget.</p><p>The new system administers MPs’ pay and business costs more efficiently and effectively, providing improved support to MPs and their staff while saving taxpayers’ money. MPs and their staff will benefit from these improvements by being able to access information and make changes to their staffing budget or office leases without needing to contact IPSA staff. They can now also access IPSA’s system directly through their secure parliamentary digital account without an additional logon. MPs and staff no longer need to send IPSA paper receipts and invoices through the post, but can scan and photograph them and upload them to IPSA digitally. The new system can also reimburse MPs’ staff directly rather than via the MP. On the basis of the experience so far, IPSA estimate that MPs will need to spend around 30 per cent less time overall on the new system than they did on the old one.</p><p>However, IPSA recognise that many MPs and their staff still need to get used to the new system. IPSA are therefore conducting group and one-to-one training in Parliament and have staff available on the phone to answer queries. IPSA are putting on more such training sessions in response to demand, with a regular presence in Portcullis House.</p><p>IPSA will shortly conduct a survey to gather more feedback about the new system, with plans for further improvements in due course. IPSA will report to the Speaker’s Committee for the IPSA later in the year on the overall costs and benefits of IPSA Online.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Mr Charles Walker question first answered 20/05/2019 12:41:32 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	318 label Biography information for John Spellar

1126072

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
	answering dept id	90
	answering dept short name	Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
	answering dept sort name	Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
	hansard heading	Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Buildings
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the cost has been of the move by IPSA to new premises in central London; and what assessment was made of the potential merits of moving the organisation to a cheaper location outside London.
	tabling member constituency	Warley
	tabling member printed	John Spellar
	uin	253493
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>I have asked IPSA to reply.</p><p>IPSA moved into new office premises at 85 Strand in March 2019. The forecasted cost of this move is £732,900. This budget was approved by the Speaker’s Committee for the IPSA in January 2018. IPSA’s Annual Accounts for the 2018-19 financial year are being finalised and will be laid in Parliament in November. The Speaker’s Committee will have an opportunity to scrutinise this and other expenditure.</p><p>After reviewing properties on the market, the offices selected met IPSA’s criteria and offered the best value for money to the taxpayer over the long term, with competitive running cost over the life of the lease after completing initial fit-out work. Locations outside of London were considered. IPSA concluded that basing IPSA’s office in London and within reasonable distance of Parliament would ensure that IPSA can provide a better support to MPs and their staff, including regular meetings between them and their IPSA account managers.</p> answering member constituency Broxbourne answering member printed Mr Charles Walker question first answered 20/05/2019 12:40:18 answering member 1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker
	tabling member	318 label Biography information for John Spellar

1126136

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Attorney General: Brexit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many staff of his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other Departments and (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU have since returned to his Department.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	253465
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Attorney General’s Office had one employee who joined DExEU on loan to support work on preparations for the UK to leave the EU. The employee subsequently moved permanently to another department and will not return to the Attorney General’s Office.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 21/05/2019 08:06:53 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126324

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Mobile Phones: Evidence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 May (HL Deb, col 1220), whether the Attorney General will personally supervise the review of the digital evidence consent form; and whether the views of police and crime commissioners were taken into account in the development of that form.
	tabling member printed	Lord Morris of Aberavon
	uin	HL15684
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/05/2019 answer text <p>The digital evidence consent forms are overseen by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Crown Prosecution Service, and they will continue to engage with victims’ groups and the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure that the right approach is being taken. A draft of the form was issued to a number of stakeholders during development, and this included the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. The Attorney General will be issuing new Attorney General’s Guidelines on Disclosure in the winter. These Guidelines will assist prosecutors and investigators in ensuring that privacy and data protection considerations are properly considered in disclosure practice and procedure.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 28/05/2019 15:14:22 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	565 label Biography information for Lord Morris of Aberavon

1126567

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Attorney General: Sick Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	254076
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has had officials take sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months. However, we are not in a position to release this data, as due to the small size of the office this could lead to individuals becoming identifiable.</p><p>The AGO is highly committed to the health and wellbeing of its staff, and works to help them to manage stress in the workplace. The AGO offers a range of guidance and services in place to support staff, including launching its own wellbeing statement and strategy, and receiving the commitment of the Executive Board to wellbeing. The staff volunteer led wellbeing group has organised numerous events for colleagues to help improve wellbeing and manage stress. The AGO also offers free counselling services for staff members.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 22/05/2019 14:47:16 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126592

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Prosecutions: West Midlands
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2019 to Question 249931 on Prosecutions: West Midlands, what the average time was for the CPS to reach a decision in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	254257
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>Records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), provide data showing the average time (in calendar days) from receipt of the pre-charge case to the decision to charge.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the average number of days from the date a charging decision is requested by the police to the date the decision to charge is taken for the West Midlands Area in each year from 2013/14 to 2017/18.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2013-2014</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014-2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015-2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016-2017</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017-2018</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>10.54</p></td><td><p>10.95</p></td><td><p>11.65</p></td><td><p>14.41</p></td><td><p>17.31</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><em>Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System</em></p><p> </p><p>During this period there has been a shift in the type of pre-charge decisions referred to the CPS. For example, in the period between 2013/14 and 2017/18, there was an increase of over 26% in rape flagged pre-charge decisions referred to CPS West Midlands. Rape and serious sexual offences investigations can be highly complex in nature and typically involve the review of a large quantity of evidence resulting in an increase in the amount of time required for the CPS to come to a charging decision.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 20/05/2019 10:24:38 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1127993

	registered interest
	date	21/05/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Royal Albert Hall
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 18 February (HL13508), when the Attorney General expects to give a decision on the application by the Charity Commission to refer questions concerning the Royal Albert Hall to the Charity Tribunal.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts
	uin	HL15878
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>Last year the Charity Commission wrote to the Attorney General requesting his consent to refer five questions to the First-Tier Tribunal concerning the Corporation of the Hall of Arts and Sciences – i.e. the Royal Albert Hall, which is a registered charity. While the Charity Commission has the power to refer questions to the Tribunal, it may only do so with the consent of the Attorney General, as set out in section 325 of the Charities Act 2011.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Written Answer HL13508, this is a complex case and careful consideration is being given to the detailed representations made by the Corporation and the Commission. While it is not yet possible to provide an estimate as to when a final decision will be made, a preliminary response from officials is being drawn up setting out initial views and inviting further discussion between the parties. This will be sent to the Commission and the Corporation shortly.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 05/06/2019 10:56:09 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	1651 label Biography information for Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts

1128365

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on legal protections for armed forces personnel and veterans.
	tabling member constituency	Llanelli
	tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
	uin	257488
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2019 answer text <p>As a consequence of the long-standing Law Officers’ Convention, the Attorney General does not confirm whether advice has been provided to Ministerial colleagues on any particular issue, or the content of any advice that has been given. Policy responsibility for this matter lies with the Secretary of State for Defence.</p> answering member constituency Torridge and West Devon answering member printed Mr Geoffrey Cox question first answered 05/06/2019 08:32:56 answering member 1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox
	tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

1124882

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review their decision to dismiss Sir Roger Scruton from his post as Chair of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, in the light of reports that his opinions have been misrepresented.
	tabling member printed	Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
	uin	HL15557
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission is an independent body that will advise Government on how to promote and increase the use of high-quality design for new-build homes and neighbourhoods. In the light of the recent decision to discontinue the role of Sir Roger Scruton as Chair of the Commission, the Secretary of State will be selecting and announcing a new Chair in due course. In the meantime, the work of the Commission will continue with Nicholas Boys Smith as interim Chair, with the aim of producing an interim report to the Secretary of State in July and final report in December.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 20/05/2019 14:32:55 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	648 label Biography information for Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

1125236

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Housing: Construction
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the he National Audit's Office press release of 2 May 2019, Investigation into the government’s land disposal strategy and programmes, and its assertion that the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government expects departments to have released enough land for around 65,000 homes by 2020, against a target of at least 160,000, what the evidential basis is for his Department's estimated performance against that target.
	tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
	tabling member printed	John Healey
	uin	251903
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The estimate is based on department’s risk based assessment of their disposal opportunities in the Public Land for Housing programme. The Public Land for Housing programme (2015-20) Programme Handbook for Departments and Arm’s Length Bodies August 2018 sets out how risk ratings are defined, and provides guidance on monitoring, reporting and evidence keeping for the programme. All departments actively manage their pipeline of sites for disposal and apply appropriate risk ratings and mitigation strategies. The Programme Handbook is available via the gov.uk webpages.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 20/05/2019 14:52:56 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey