Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has assessed the potential implications for open justice of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision to bar the press and public from recent proceedings.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) is an independent statutory tribunal that hears cases of alleged misconduct by solicitors, registered European Lawyers, registered foreign lawyers, and employees of solicitors’ firms.
The SDT is committed to upholding the principles of open justice. Its default position is that hearings should be held in public and that any departure from this principle must be justified as an exception. Rule 35 of the Solicitors (Disciplinary Proceedings) Rules 2019 governs the SDT's power to hold a private hearing and stipulates the specific exceptions where hearings may be private. The primary ground for holding a private hearing is exceptional hardship or prejudice to a party, witness, or affected person. In addition, a private hearing may be necessary where a public hearing would prejudice the interests of justice. Details of the SDT’s approach to conducting hearings, or parts of a hearing, in private are available here: https://solicitorstribunal.org.uk/resource/policy-public-private-hearings/.
Whilst the Ministry of Justice does not intervene in individual cases or decisions of the SDT, we keep the underlying legislative framework under review to ensure it continues to provide an effective and transparent disciplinary system.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to police forces on including children in live facial recognition camera watchlists.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Guidance on watchlists is provided by the College of Policing in the form of an Authorised Professional Practice. This sets out the categories of people who may be included on a watchlist, which depends on the nature of the deployment. Watchlists must be tailored to a specific policing objective and reviewed before each deployment to ensure they meet the legal tests of necessity and proportionality.
Watchlists may include individuals wanted by the police or the courts, suspects, missing or vulnerable people, or those posing a risk of harm to themselves or others. In some cases, this may include vulnerable individuals such as missing children.
Although there is a legal framework in place, it is complicated, inflexible and difficult for the public and police to understand. That is why we have launched a consultation to support the development of a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to police forces on their deployment of live facial recognition cameras.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Guidance on watchlists is provided by the College of Policing in the form of an Authorised Professional Practice. This sets out the categories of people who may be included on a watchlist, which depends on the nature of the deployment. Watchlists must be tailored to a specific policing objective and reviewed before each deployment to ensure they meet the legal tests of necessity and proportionality.
Watchlists may include individuals wanted by the police or the courts, suspects, missing or vulnerable people, or those posing a risk of harm to themselves or others. In some cases, this may include vulnerable individuals such as missing children.
Although there is a legal framework in place, it is complicated, inflexible and difficult for the public and police to understand. That is why we have launched a consultation to support the development of a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reform funding processes for the provision of SEND support.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The funding and other arrangements for improving the SEND system are under review, and we are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve.
In the meantime, the department is providing total high needs funding this financial year of over £12 billion for children and young people with complex SEND. Of that total, East Riding of Yorkshire Council is being allocated over £42 million through the high needs funding block of their dedicated schools grant. This high needs funding is to help meet the costs local authorities are facing this financial year, as they in turn provide support to schools and other education providers, and ultimately to children with SEND.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish correspondence between Lord Mandelson and Morgan McSweeney on the former's appointment as the British Ambassador to the United States.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In line with longstanding process, it would not be appropriate to comment on individual members of staff.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times Benjamin Wegg-Prosser has visited the UK embassy in Washington since 10 February 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a long-standing practice of successive governments not to comment on private meetings.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times employees of Global Counsel have visited the UK embassy in Washington since 10 February 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a long-standing practice of successive governments not to comment on private meetings.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make an estimate of the costs of (a) the two-week parliamentary sitting between the end of summer recess and the start of conference recess and (b) suspending maintenance work across the parliamentary estate during those sittings.
Answered by Nick Smith
The Commission estimates that the cost of the September sitting to the House of Commons Administration is in the region of £180–260k, assuming it comprises eight sitting days. This estimate includes: i. business as usual operations; ii. maintenance costs; and iii. expenditure on capital projects.
i. For business-as-usual operations that support the House, the saving would be estimated at around £95k, if there were no September sitting. This saving is based on overtime payments and broadcasting, plus additional income that could be generated from tours and retail. Some of this, however, would be offset by reduced income in catering and banqueting.
ii. Further savings would likely be achieved by the Parliamentary Maintenance Services Team (PMST) if the House were to not sit in September. Much of PMST’s work occurs outside of the sitting hours of the House at times which typically command a premium for labour. Moving eight days of out-of-hours labour into regular working hours is likely to save the Team about £60k.
iii. Expenditure on capital projects is more difficult to disaggregate. However, it is an observable trend in the House Administration’s outturn figures across previous years that works are, where possible, arranged around the sittings of the House. As with PMST’s work, this arrangement carries a financial premium directly – through overtime payments and nightwork premiums – and indirectly – through more unexpected disruptions, and greater restrictions on works close to the Chamber, particularly if they are noisy. Therefore, for larger construction projects, drawing on costs from recent years and basing it on construction projects within the Palace over eight days in September, the savings to the House would likely be in the region of £25–105k.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will withdraw outstanding Technical Capability Notices relating to encryption.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
For reasons of national security, it has been a long-standing position that the Government does not confirm or deny Technical Capability Notices under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what information his Department holds on the number of suspected IRA members accused of terrorism offences between 1970 and 1990 that were later acquitted.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office does not hold information relating to charging and prosecutions of terrorism offences; this would be held by the operationally independent PSNI and PPSNI.