Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure political impartiality among magistrates and judges in judicial proceedings.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
An independent and impartial judiciary is one of the cornerstones of the United Kingdom’s constitution and vital to the proper functioning of our democracy based on the rule of law.
There is a statutory prohibition on salaried judges undertaking any kind of political activity or having ties with a political party. This prohibition includes holding political office. The Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals set out guidance for judicial conduct in the Guide to Judicial Conduct which applies to judges, coroners and magistrates. The basic principles guiding judicial conduct are judicial independence, impartiality and integrity and the Guide to Judicial Conduct explains that judges should avoid any appearance of political ties.
As the judiciary is independent of government, it is not appropriate for the government to comment on the actions of a judge during a case. Complaints of judicial conduct may be referred to the independent Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO). What does and does not constitute a question of misconduct is for the JCIO to determine.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to help clear the backlog of cases in rural courts.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We continue to take action to tackle the impact the pandemic has had on our criminal justice system, and we are seeing the impact of our actions.
The backlog in the Crown Court has reduced from around 61,000 cases in June 2021 to around 58,700 cases at the end of November 2021 and in the magistrates’ court, the caseload is close to recovering to pre-pandemic levels. In the civil courts, volumes of final hearings increased from around half of pre-Covid levels in June 2020 to around 80% in May 2021. While the family courts’ sitting day figures for 2021 are yet to be published, 2020 saw us sit our highest ever number of days. The volume of disposals also increased significantly in both public and private family law between Q2 2020 and Q2 2021. In public law there were 6,229 disposals and in private law there were 26,672 disposals in Q2 2021, a 20% and 23% increase on Q2 2020 respectively.
We have continued to ensure our court buildings are safe, rolled out new technology for remote hearings, recruited additional staff and we will be retaining 32 Nightingale Crown Court rooms until the end of March 2022. Furthermore, we are now extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months for a single Triable Either Way offence to allow more cases to be heard in the magistrates' court. This measure will provide vital additional capacity in the Crown Courts to drive down the backlog of cases over the coming years. We estimate that this will save nearly 2,000 Crown Court sitting days per year.
To ensure the regions most at need get the resources required, we are working with the judiciary to move cases across regional boundaries to areas with spare capacity where appropriate, and using a national, flexible pool of judges for regions to draw from as required. We are also taking steps to extend Nightingale Court arrangements, on a case-by-case basis, dependant on local need.
We are investing £477 million in the Criminal Justice System over the next three years to help reduce the backlog and deliver the swift access to justice that victims deserve.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he plans to put in place for people who are (a) experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the rise in energy bills and (b) residing in properties with a council tax band of D or above.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is providing significant financial support – up to £350 – to the majority of households. Households in England residing in properties in bands A-D will receive the £150 Council Tax Energy Rebate. Local authorities will also receive £144m to provide targeted support to lower income households in bands E-H and those exempt from council tax. Domestic electricity customers in Great Britain will also receive a £200 cash rebate on their electricity costs this October, paid back automatically over the next 5 years, spreading the increased costs of global prices over time in a way that is more manageable for households. This is alongside the wider support available, such as the Warm Home Discount, the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payment.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent by police forces on enforcing mandatory mask wearing on TFL services since the end of Plan B covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Face covering enforcement has been incorporated into business as usual patrolling. There is therefore no dedicated funding since the end of Plan B restrictions.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of offering the hepatitis A and B vaccinations as routine vaccinations rather than for high-risk groups.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The approach of vaccinating high-risk groups for both hepatitis A and B vaccination programmes is based on the government expert immunisation advisors, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it emerges.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the yellow fever vaccine available on the NHS.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Yellow fever occurs in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa and South and Central America. There is no risk of transmission in the United Kingdom (UK) from imported cases of yellow fever since the mosquito vector does not occur in the UK. Therefore, there are no current plans make this vaccine available on the National Health Service.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of tensions in the Republic of Moldova between the Moldovan government and Transnistrian separatists.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK supports a sustainable resolution of the Transnistrian conflict, with a special status for the Transnistrian region. Wendy Morton MP, former Minister for Europe and Americas, discussed Transnistria with Moldovan Prime Minister Gavrilita in London in November, and reaffirmed the UK's support for Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our Ambassador to Moldova regularly discusses developments in meetings with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and in meetings with the de facto leader of Transnistria, most recently on 7 February. The UK continues to support the efforts of the OSCE 5+2 format, the high level working group of which meets regularly in order to discuss the conflict. We note the recent appointment of a Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, enabling Chisinau and Tiraspol to each have a Chief Negotiator to discuss a range of issues directly.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent unrest in Kazakhstan.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government continues to follow events in Kazakhstan closely. We greatly regretted the loss of life and injuries sustained as a result of unrest in January and condemned the violence and destruction of property that occurred. We await a full account of what led to these unprecedented events. We have taken note of President Tokayev's characterisation of what happened as an 'attempted coup' and his decision to establish an investigative commission. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State responsible for Central Asia and Human Rights, was assured by President Tokayev's Special Representative, Ambassador Kazykhan, that the work of the commission would be transparent and effective.
As well as being crucial for accountability, a comprehensive understanding of events will be important to securing public support for the programme of social, economic and political reforms outlined by President Tokayev following the January events. The UK supports the aims of the reforms that President Tokayev seeks to bring about, in the context of the close ties we have developed with Kazakhstan over the 30 years since diplomatic relations were established
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the tensions between Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK supports Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) territorial integrity. Threats from within the Republika Srpska to withdraw from BiH State institutions are dangerous. We have called on those responsible to cease this destabilising and divisive rhetoric. We condemn Russian interference in the crisis, which undermines stability. The UK is committed to upholding the Dayton Peace Agreement. The UK, along with our Allies, is offering visible and practical support to BiH's territorial integrity, to maintain the Office of the High Representative, and the peace stabilisation mission (EUFOR). The Prime Minister's appointment of Sir Stuart Peach as Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, demonstrates the UK's ongoing commitment.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress she has made on discussions with her French counterpart on stopping illegal crossings of the English Channel by migrants.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK and France agree on the need to cooperate closely to stop people traffickers. Working together we stopped over 23,000 illegal migration attempts in 2021. The Foreign Secretary underlined the need for a practical and pragmatic approach to migration with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' Meeting in December. The Prime Minister has discussed his commitment to work with France on the shared challenge of illegal migration in the Channel with President Macron, most recently on 5 February.