Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Goldie on 17 October 2022 (HL Deb col 953), what progress they have made in implementing the provisions in Part 12 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to enable those convicted of historical homosexual offences repealed by the Act to be pardoned.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
In addition to assisting with applications for a ‘disregard of Service convictions relating to sexuality’ from the Home Office under the current Disregards and Pardons scheme, Defence has been working proactively to establish new processes which will come into effect once the scheme is expanded; this is now expected in the coming spring months.
It will always remain deeply regrettable that historically, valued Defence personnel were treated less favourably due to their sexuality. Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 6 February (HL Deb col 961), what representations they have made to the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner, if any, regarding expediting the gross misconduct hearing proceedings for Mr Mike Veale through the use of statutory powers possessed by the Home Secretary.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Arrangements concerning the establishment of misconduct hearings are a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC), and the management of the hearing itself is the responsibility of the independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC) in charge of it. Decisions made concerning a hearing are done so independently of PCCs as well as Government and the Home Secretary has no powers to make directions in relation to those hearings. Given the independence of PCCs and LQCs, it would be inappropriate for the Government to seek to influence those decisions.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 6 February (HL Deb col 961), in what circumstances legally qualified chairs in police misconduct cases are entitled to remain anonymous.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
There are no provisions in legislation which entitle legally qualified chairs of police misconduct hearings to remain anonymous. Identification of an individual Chair would be a matter for the relevant Office for Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), as the body which appoints Chairs to the panel
Since 2015, there has been a presumption that all misconduct hearings are held in public
On completion of the hearing, the legally qualified chair must, subject to the harm test, require the police force to publish the panel’s outcome report for that hearing, for a period of at least 28 days.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why Home Office statistics on corruption in the Metropolitan Police are lower than those disclosed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner; and what steps they are taking to bring them into line.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on public complaints and conduct matters. Data is published on an annual basis and the latest publication, which can be found on GOV.UK covered cases finalised in the year ending 31 March 2022.
A user guide accompanying these statistics can be found on GOV.UK, explaining the scope of these statistics, how this information has been gathered and differences to other published sources of information about the police discipline system.
These statistics are designated as ‘experimental statistics’ to acknowledge that they should be interpreted with caution and that further development is currently taking place. The Home Office will continue to work with Professional Standards Departments within police forces and users of the statistics to improve the quality of these data, increase transparency and provide more detailed published statistics in the future.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Independent Office for Police Conduct about the timing for the publication of the report on Mr Mike Veale, which was completed in February 2021; and whether they received any indication on when it will be published.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is independent of government and publication of investigation reports is a matter for the IOPC in accordance with its policy on the subject,
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether individuals awaiting the outcome of gross misconduct hearings conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct are eligible for appointment to roles (1) in the police service, or (2) in the offices of Police and Crime Commissioners.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Existing officers who apply to change roles or transfer to another force will be subject to relevant vetting checks. Police forces carry out their vetting in line with the statutory code of practice on vetting and vetting authorised professional practice (APP) guidance which are issued by the College of Policing.
The guidance states that professional standards checks, which includes complaint and misconduct history, should be carried out on applicants and transferees. It also states that where an individual is subject to a complaint or conduct investigation that is not yet complete, they should not be allowed to transfer without the permission of the appropriate authority of the parent force and Head of PSD of the receiving force. Decisions on appointment in the police service are made by chief officers.
Decisions on appointment in the offices of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are made by PCCs as the directly elected, local representatives for policing.”
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland about appointments made by him; whether any such discussions included (1) disqualifying factors for prospective employees, and (2) the need to seek employment references prior to appointment; and if so, what were the results of those discussions.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As the directly elected, local representative for policing, it is for PCCs to make decisions about the appointment of their staff and the size, composition, and resourcing of their office.
PCCs are required by legislation to seek the views of their Police and Crime Panel (PCP) when appointing senior positions within their office. The PCP must hold a confirmation hearing in public with the proposed candidate, and subsequently produce and publish a report and recommendation for the PCC on whether the PCP supports the proposed senior appointment. The ultimate decision on appointment lies with the PCC, and they may accept or reject the recommendation made by the PCP.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many special advisers were appointed to assist ministers on (1) 1 January 1997, (2) 1 January 1998, (3) 1 January 2010, (4) 1 January 2011, (5) 1 January 2016, and (6) 1 December 2022.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The data relating to 1997 and 1998 pre-dates the requirement of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG) for the Government to prepare an annual report on the numbers and costs of Special Advisers. Therefore, this information has been taken from data that is publicly available in Hansard [1]:
In the year 1997/8, Hansard reports that there were 70 Special Advisers employed in Government.
In the year 1998/9, Hansard reports that there were 72 Special Advisers employed in Government.
Since 2010, as per the requirements of CRAG, the Cabinet Office has published an annual report on Special Adviser numbers and costs. Therefore, the information requested in relation to 2010 - 2022 has been taken from the relevant report on Gov.uk:
In the Annual Report on Special Advisers published in 2010, there were 61 special advisers employed in Government as at 10 June 2010. [2]
In the Annual Report on Special Advisers published in 2011, there were 72 special advisers employed in Government as at 10 March 2011. [3]
In the Annual Report on Special Advisers published in 2016, there were 83 Special Advisers employed in Government as at 21 December 2016. [4]
Following the centralisation of all Special Advisers onto the Cabinet Office payroll in 2019, internal data is also available as at the requested date for 2022. As at 1 December 2022, there were 102 special advisers employed in Government.
[1] https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1999-11-11/debates/a5ac908d-ba91-443b-81ee-0b3a84b75393/SpecialAdvisers
[2] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62377/special-advisers-in-post-June-2010.pdf
[3] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62374/spads-in-post100311_0.pdf
[4] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579892/List_of_special_advisers_in_post_as_at_21_December_2016.pdf
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the increase in the size of the Privy Council in recent years.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Appointments to the Privy Council are made by His Majesty The King on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Appointment to the Privy Council is for life. Those appointed comprise Ministers, other parliamentarians and members of the judiciary. Only serving Government ministers have a role in advising on Privy Council matters. Therefore the majority of Counsellors play no part in the Privy Council’s day-to-day business.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what have been their principal economic and political achievements in Northern Ireland since May 2010.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Since May 2010, His Majesty’s Government has delivered significant political and economic achievements in Northern Ireland.
His Majesty’s Government is proud of its political achievements in Northern Ireland, including the Stormont House Agreement, The Fresh Start Agreement and the New Decade, New Approach Agreement, which most recently restored the Northern Ireland Executive in 2020 after the three-year political impasse.
In recent months, His Majesty’s Government has taken steps through the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation, Etc.) Bill in an attempt to restore political stability once more and protect the delivery of vital public services.
His Majesty’s Government has invested £150m in Northern Ireland as a result of the Stormont House Agreement in 2014, and a further £500m through the Fresh Start Agreement in 2015.
In recent years, His Majesty’s Government has invested over £3.5bn in Northern Ireland through the New Deal for Northern Ireland (£400m), City and Growth Deals (£617m), PEACE PLUS (£730m) and the New Decade, New Approach financial package (£2bn) which provided for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2020. His Majesty’s Government is also investing over £170m in Northern Ireland through the Levelling Up Fund, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and Community Ownership Fund.
The unemployment rate in Northern Ireland has decreased from 6.9% in 2010 to 3% at present whilst the employment rate in Northern Ireland has increased from 66.2% in 2010 to 70.1% today. This amounts to 68,000 more working-age adults that are employed in Northern Ireland, boosting Northern Ireland’s economic vibrancy. Identifiable public spending per head in Northern Ireland stands at 21% higher than the UK average.
As we approach the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, His Majesty’s Government is focused on the long-term political and economic prosperity of Northern Ireland as set out under that Agreement.