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1133478

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	The Senior Deputy Speaker
	answering dept id	204
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name	Senior Deputy Speaker (HoL)
	hansard heading	House of Lords Chamber: Clocks and Watches
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the cost of the new clocks in the House of Lords Chamber.
	tabling member printed	Lord Palmer
	uin	HL16513
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>The new clocks in the House of Lords Chamber were procured together with new clocks for Grand Committee. Together the new clocks for the Chamber and Grand Committee cost £23,709.60. This includes the cost of the bespoke design, software, hardware and installation. It is inclusive of VAT.</p><p>The clocks are maintained by the same company that maintains the clocks in the House of Commons. Together the two Houses pay an annual maintenance fee of £3,596 per annum. The House of Lords pays 40% of this cost.</p> answering member printed Lord McFall of Alcluith question first answered 26/06/2019 12:15:46 answering member 4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith
	tabling member	3192 label Biography information for Lord Palmer

1133329

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether he has had discussions with the CPS on removing reference to the merits-based approach from (a) guidance and (b) training materials on rape and sexual offences.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	266818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual offences are horrific crimes and can have a devastating impact on victims, and the CPS will always seek to prosecute where there is sufficient evidence to do so. The Attorney General and I regularly discuss issues related to rape and sexual offences with the CPS; however, charging decisions are made independently by the CPS.</p><p> </p><p>There has been no change in policy in how the CPS makes charging decisions in rape cases. Prosecutors in the CPS follow a ‘Code’, which sets out a well-established two stage test that a case must pass before a charge can be made. The first stage of this test is the evidential stage, which considers whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction against each suspect on each charge. That test has remained and continues to remain the same. It applies to every single offence no matter how minor or serious.</p><p> </p><p>The Code that prosecutors follow has never included any specific reference to a merits-based assessment of the realistic prospect of conviction because it is an integral part of the evidential test. The second stage of the test is whether it is in the public interest to proceed with a prosecution, this is considered after the evidential stage is fulfilled.</p><p> </p><p>From 2009, DPP guidance included reference to a merits based approach.</p><p> </p><p>Following an inspection by HMCPSI in 2016, it became clear that including a separate reference to the merits based approach in the guidance was causing confusion leading to the incorrect application of the code test. To avoid this confusion, changes were made to the guidance provided by the DPP to prosecutors, including removing a document on the merits based approach.</p><p> </p><p>Those changes should not have, and did not have any impact on the proper application of the Code test that prosecutors follow when making a decision on whether to charge.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 28/06/2019 12:06:30 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1133384

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Rape: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many cases of alleged rape were referred to the CPS in each year since 2015-16, and in how many of those cases the CPS pressed charges in each of those years; and what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest period of time between referral and charging was for those cases.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	uin	266848
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape is a serious sexual offence which has a profound impact on victims. The CPS works closely with the Police to ensure that cases are thoroughly investigated before charges are brought because it is in the interests of both victims and perpetrators that cases do not collapse mid-trial.</p><p> </p><p>Cases involving rape and serious sexual offences are some of the most challenging, complex cases that the CPS deals with. They involve very little corroborative evidence in comparison with other cases, and this can result them taking longer to progress through the system. However, the CPS recognises that these offences are devastating crimes that have a significant impact on victims.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS maintains a record of the average number of days taken from referral through to a decision to charge. This data can be seen at annex A. However data is not held on the shortest or longest number of days from submission of a rape case by the police to the CPS through to the date of the decision to charge.</p><p> </p><p>There are a number of reasons for the steady increase in the average number of days and average number of consultations per case since 2015/16. Police are now more regularly encouraged to seek ‘early investigative advice’ to help determine what evidence is required for charge more often. Early investigative advice helps to ensure that cases are thoroughly investigated and the evidence to be brought before the court is strong. As a result, the CPS is more often involved at an earlier stage in proceedings which impacts on the average number of consultations and overall timeliness.</p><p> </p><p>There has also been an increase in the complexity of rape cases investigated by the police. Investigations often involve large amounts of electronic material (social media, emails, text messages, video and photographs) which needs to be reviewed by prosecutors before a charging decision can be made. This also impacts on the average number of consultations and timeliness of the pre-charge stage of the case.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 24/06/2019 16:48:06 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer attachment 1 file name 266848 - Annex A.docx title Annex A
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

1133385

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many Rape and Serious Sexual Offences prosecutors have been available to make Crown Prosecution Service charging decisions in each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	uin	266849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual assault offence (RASSO) cases are among the most sensitive and complex cases prosecuted by the CPS, and they have a profound impact on victims. To address this, CPS has undertaken extensive work over the last decade to ensure that specialist prosecutors are fully equipped to deal with the particular complexities of rape cases.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of RASSO cases are handled by specialist prosecutors working in either dedicated Area RASSO units or the dedicated CPS charging service CPS Direct. The first dedicated Area RASSO Units were established in 2014. The number of RASSO unit prosecutors and CPS Direct Prosecutors is displayed at Annex A.</p><p> </p><p>A small number of rape and serious sexual offence cases are dealt with by RASSO trained specialist prosecutors in the Central Casework Divisions (CCDs). It is not possible to provide year on year numbers of RASSO trained specialist prosecutors in the CCDs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 24/06/2019 16:50:29 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer attachment 1 file name 266849 - Annex A.docx title Annex A
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

1133386

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of rape and serious sexual offence cases did not result in CPS charging advice (a) within 28 days, (b) within 2 months, (c) within 3 months, (d) within 4 months, (e) within 5 months, (f) in over 6 months and (g) in over 12 months of being referred to the CPS by the police in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	uin	266850
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual offences are devastating crimes that have a profound impact on victims. Cases involving rape and serious sexual offences are some of the most challenging and complex cases that the CPS deals with. They involve very little corroborative evidence in comparison with other cases which can result in them taking longer to progress through the system. Where evidence submitted by the Police is sufficient to bring charges, the CPS will not hesitate to prosecute. The CPS works closely with the Police to ensure that cases are thoroughly investigated before charges are brought because it is in the interests of both victims and perpetrators that cases do not collapse mid-trial.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS does not maintain a record of the number of days between referral and a non-charging outcome. However, the CPS does maintain a record of the average number of days taken from referral through to a decision to charge, and this data can be found in answer 266848.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 24/06/2019 16:52:12 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

1133147

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Waste Heat Recovery
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2019 to Question 259850 on Waste Heat Recovery, whether Canetis Technologies Ltd have discussed the representations of their own products with the Building Research Establishment.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	266625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>BEIS officials understand that the Building Research Establishment has had discussions with Canetis Technologies Ltd. about the representation of its Flue Gas Heat Recovery System products in the Product Characteristics Database.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 26/06/2019 11:52:17 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1133158

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Climate Change
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 262224, which councils have (a) declared a climate emergency (b) set a target for net zero emissions by 2030; and whether any councils set other dates for net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	266626
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>A list of councils that have declared a climate emergency can be found here: <a href="http://www.caceonline.org/councils-that-have-declared.html" target="_blank">http://www.caceonline.org/councils-that-have-declared.html</a></p><p> </p><p>Several of these councils have committed to becoming carbon neutral, with each council responsible for setting its own target date for achieving net zero emissions.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 25/06/2019 10:26:02 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1133161

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Carbon Emissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 262226, which (a) organisations from the medical sector and (b) other organisations have contacted his Department; and whether any of those organisations called on the Government to meet the net zero target by (i) 2030 and (ii) by any other date earlier than 2050.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	266627
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>Businesses, the scientific community and civil society have been vocal in encouraging us to set a net zero target.</p><p> </p><p>Our independent advisors - the Committee on Climate Change - make clear in their report that they do not currently consider it credible for the UK to aim to reach net-zero emissions earlier than 2050. We have considered their advice and are legislating in line with it, to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 25/06/2019 10:26:09 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1133164

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Business: Carbon Emissions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 262225 on Business: Carbon Emissions, which organisations made those representations; which businesses signed the letter referred to in the Answer; and how many of those (a) organisations and (b) businesses supported net zero (i) by 2030 and (ii) before 2050.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	266628
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>As noted in my previous answer, a number of organisations have written expressing their support for setting a net zero emissions target. This letter can be accessed here:<br><a href="http://www.aldersgategroup.org.uk/asset/download/1435/Net%20zero%20business%20letter%20to%20PM.pdf" target="_blank"><br>http://www.aldersgategroup.org.uk/asset/download/1435/Net%20zero%20business%20letter%20to%20PM.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>Our independent advisors - the Committee on Climate Change - make clear in their report that they do not currently consider it credible for the UK to aim to reach net-zero emissions earlier than 2050. We have considered their advice and are legislating in line with it, to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 26/06/2019 11:52:24 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1133170

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Parental Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264463 on Parental Leave: Childbirth, for how long the consultation will last.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
	tabling member printed	David Linden
	uin	266863
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>We anticipate the public consultation on options for providing further support to parents of premature, sick and multiple babies will last for 12 weeks. This will be confirmed when the consultation document is published.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 26/06/2019 11:52:37 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 124894 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden