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857659

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2018
	answering body	Church Commissioners
	answering dept id	9
	answering dept short name	Church Commissioners
	answering dept sort name	Church Commissioners
	hansard heading	Churches: Infrastructure
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what funding is available for church infrastructure projects.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	904239
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>The Church Commissioners provide financial and administrative support to cathedrals and dioceses. It is up to each self-governing church or cathedral to raise funds for development projects, and the National Church Institutions provide advice and support.</p><p>The changing priorities and declining budget of the Heritage Lottery Fund is a matter of concern, as this is where much fundraising money comes from; officers at national level continue to work with the Heritage Lottery Fund on the specific issues churches face. The HLF is currently reviewing its strategic priorities and I would encourage all Hon. members to consider sending in a response, making the importance of churches as community assets clear.</p><p>The Church of England has been in discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and HM Treasury about the current underspend of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, realocating the underspend would enable the Church to deliver a number of the recommendations in the Taylor Review.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Dame Caroline Spelman question first answered 08/03/2018 14:53:55 answering member 312 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Spelman
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1007043

	registered interest
	date	14/11/2018
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Restraining Orders
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether he has had any discussions with the CPS on introducing tighter restrictions on the circumstances in which a restraining order may be varied to prevent the situation whereby a perpetrator of domestic abuse is granted a variation that permits them to work within a one mile radius from their victim.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	191386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>The Attorney General and Solicitor General meet the director of Public Prosecutions regularly to discuss CPS priority areas which includes ensuring that the CPS continues to protect vulnerable victims of crime. However, the Law Officers do not intervene on individual cases; judges have discretion to make decisions based on the evidence before them.</p><p>Section 12 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 enables courts to make restraining orders at the conclusion of a case. These are civil orders; however, breach of an order is a criminal offence. The Crown Prosecution Service takes domestic abuse seriously and in 2017 in England and Wales 19,216 restraining orders were issued on conviction and 1,932 were issued on acquittal. The Government sees the response to domestic abuse as a top priority and is committed to securing justice for all victims.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Robert Buckland question first answered 27/11/2018 16:10:18 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

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

1145056

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Convictions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to improve the conviction rate for rape and sexual offences.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	287542
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><em>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</em></p> answering member constituency Torridge and West Devon answering member printed Mr Geoffrey Cox question first answered 09/09/2019 16:42:25 answering member 1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1145066

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	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, what steps he is taking to increase the number of reported rape and sexual offences that are brought to trial.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	287545
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><em>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</em></p> answering member constituency Torridge and West Devon answering member printed Mr Geoffrey Cox question first answered 09/09/2019 16:42:49 answering member 1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1145080

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	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, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that more reports of rape, attempted rape and sexual offences end in prosecution.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	287549
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><em>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</em></p> answering member constituency Torridge and West Devon answering member printed Mr Geoffrey Cox question first answered 09/09/2019 16:43:06 answering member 1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1180106

	registered interest
	date	24/02/2020
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Attorney General: Civil Society
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	19824
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2020 answer text <p>The Attorney General’s Office has not allocated any funding to civil society or<br>campaigning bodies in the last three years.</p><p /><p /> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 03/03/2020 13:04:31 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1466112

	registered interest
	date	26/05/2022
	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, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for (a) sexual assault and (b) rape offences.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	900270
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>This Government is determined to increase the number of rape and sexual assault cases going to court.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS is undertaking extensive work to drive up and improve prosecutions through its Joint National RASSO Action Plan with the police, the Rape Strategy, and the Operation Soteria Path Finders, which are testing methods for best practice in six CPS Areas.</p><p> </p><p>Since publication of its strategy, the CPS has continued to see increases in the number of rape charges, prosecutions and convictions.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 26/05/2022 15:53:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1140761

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2019
	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	Homelessness: Families
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What recent representations he has received on the effect of the out-of-area placement of families by borough councils on receiving local authorities.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	912093
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>I have received representation on this matter from a number of local authorities, including that of my Hon Friend, during my recent visit to Harlow. I was also delighted to meet Streets2Homes, a local homelessness organisation, and hear about the excellent work they are doing on homelessness and rough sleeping.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 22/07/2019 16:07:31 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1180078

	registered interest
	date	24/02/2020
	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	Social Rented Housing: Harlow
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he will take to reduce the number of out-of-area placements in permitted development rights buildings in Harlow.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	19823
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>The Government is clear that as far as possible local authorities should avoid placing households outside of their borough. However, where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation, on occasion, it is necessary to place households outside of the local area. This should always be a last resort. Where it does happen, the council should place the household as near as possible to the original local authority. They also have a legal duty to notify the receiving local authority of any households placed into their area.</p><p>Collaboration between local authorities is key. The Government welcomes the initiative taken by the Local Government Association to bring together local authorities from London and around the country to try to address concerns about unsuitable out of area placements, including the use of blocks converted under permitted development rights.</p><p>I also recognise the particular challenges that London boroughs face in securing suitable temporary accommodation, which can affect surrounding areas such as Harlow. To tackle these issues, we have invested £37.8 million into a partnership of local authorities across London who have set up Capital Letters – a not-for-profit company which will support councils to reduce the use of expensive nightly-paid temporary accommodation and help to ensure properties are allocated more locally than they are currently. In total, in 2020/2021 the Government is providing £437 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This marks a £69 million increase in funding from the previous year.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 27/02/2020 17:17:50 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon