Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise standards of integrity in government.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is a government of service and it is committed to restoring trust and confidence in public life. The Prime Minister will soon issue his Ministerial Code which outlines the standards expected of all Ministers.
In addition, the Government will establish a new independent Ethics and Integrity Commission, with its own independent Chair. We will ensure that this Commission has the powers and remit necessary to fulfil its responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of knife-related homicides between 2000 and 2024 were by machete.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
16 October 2024
Dear Lord Roberts,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of knife-related homicides between 2000 and 2024 were by machete (HL1510).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes figures on crime in England and Wales based on two main data sources: police recorded crime data, and the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). As a victimisation survey, the CSEW cannot ask respondents about their experience of homicide. Homicide data is supplied to us by the Home Office as part of police recorded crime.
We publish breakdowns of the type of weapon used in homicide by a sharp instrument in table 9 of our Homicide in England and Wales appendix tables1. These breakdowns were introduced to the Homicide Index in April 2022. The latest period for which data are currently available is the year ending March 2023. These data have been presented in Table 1 below.
Of the homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was used, 5.7% of them were carried out using a machete in the year ending March 2023. See table 9 for a full breakdown. Data for the year ending March 2024 is provisionally scheduled for release in February 2025.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
1https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/appendixtableshomIcideinenglandandwales
Table 1: Number and percentage of offences currently recorded as homicide by a sharp instrument[1],[2].
Type of sharp instrument | Apr 2022 to Mar 2023 | Percentage |
Axe | 2 | 0.8 |
Combat / Rambo / Military style knife | 5 | 2.0 |
Flick knife | 6 | 2.5 |
Hunting knife | 4 | 1.6 |
Kitchen knife | 101 | 41.4 |
Lock knife | 7 | 2.9 |
Machete | 14 | 5.7 |
Sword | 3 | 1.2 |
Zombie knife | 7 | 2.9 |
Other knife[3] | 37 | 15.2 |
Other sharp instrument | 6 | 2.5 |
Sharp instrument involved but type not known/not recovered | 52 | 21.3 |
Total | 244 | 100 |
Source: Homicide Index from the Home Office
[1]As of 12 December 2023; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.
[2]Type of sharp instrument was introduced in the Homicide Index on 1 April 2022.
[3]Other knife includes those which do not fit into the other published headings.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Ministers may make personal statements that do not reflect Government policy.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duty. Notably:
Section 8.3: Ministers should ensure that their statements are consistent with collective Government policy;
Section 6.5: Ministers are free to make their views about constituency matters known to the responsible Minister by correspondence, leading deputations or by personal interview provided they make clear that they are acting as their constituents’ representative and not as a Minister.
The Ministerial Code can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-code
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to reform the right of a Prime Minister who has served for a short period to submit a resignation honours list.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
It is a long-standing convention that outgoing Prime Ministers can draw up a ‘Dissolution’ or ‘Resignation’ List. This has been the case under past governments from across the political spectrum. This convention has been the case throughout the 20th Century, originating in the 19th Century.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend the Procurement Bill to ensure that no preferential treatment for public contracts can be given to organisations recommended by Members of Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
This question was debated in the House of Lords, during the Report stage of the Procurement Bill on Wednesday 30 November 2022.
The Bill’s current clauses provide strong safeguards to preserve the integrity of a procurement. Clause 76 sets out the people in respect of whom conflicts of interest should be identified. This covers anyone acting for or on behalf of the contracting authority in relation to a procurement, including those who influence a decision made by, or on behalf of, a contracting authority related to the procurement. Clause 77(3) states that if a conflict of interest puts a supplier at an unfair advantage, and if steps to mitigate cannot avoid that advantage, the supplier must be excluded.
This, combined with the Bill’s requirements on transparency and equal treatment, will mean that contracting authorities will not be allowed to give preferential treatment to suppliers recommended by Members of Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what Public Duty Cost Allowance will be paid to (1) Boris Johnson, and (2) Liz Truss, following their resignations as Prime Minister.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Public Duty Cost Allowance is available to former Prime Ministers and is a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary office and secretarial costs arising from the fulfilment of public duties, up to a maximum of £115,000. The amount claimed by each recipient under the Public Duty Cost Allowance is published each year in the Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, and if so when, resignation honours lists will be published following the resignations of (1) Boris Johnson, and (2) Liz Truss.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
It is a long-standing convention that individuals can be nominated for an honour in recognition of their public and political service, and that Prime Ministers can draw up a ‘Dissolution’ or ‘Resignation’ List (after a general election or when resigning from office). This has been the case under past governments from across the political spectrum.
It would not be appropriate to speculate on any possible Resignation Honours Lists which is a matter for both former Prime Ministers and the current Prime Minister.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the application of the restrictions imposed by the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 in relation to recommendations for the appointment of new peers.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
It is against the law to 'sell' honours or peerages - offering cash for awards - under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. Life peerages are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission for matters of propriety, who seek advice from Government Departments and Agencies where appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the restrictions contained within the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 are a factor in their consideration of recommendations for the appointment of new peers.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
It is against the law to 'sell' honours or peerages - offering cash for awards - under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. Life peerages are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission for matters of propriety, who seek advice from Government Departments and Agencies where appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which recommendations from the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction have so far been implemented; and which they plan to implement in the future.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (the Framework) was agreed and adopted in March 2015. Many of the principles underpinning the Framework are integral to ongoing UK work on resilience as part of integrated emergency management and the UK has a range of robust mechanisms in place for planning, responding and recovering from emergencies. The UK continues to play a leading role in the international risk reduction agenda through FCDO and the UK is committed to helping the most vulnerable anticipate and prepare for shocks and access support in disasters.