Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) victims and (b) the (i) family and (ii) friends of victims of crime will be represented on the expert panel for the Independent Sentencing Review 2024 to 2025.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Review will be chaired by the former Lord Chancellor, the Rt Hon David Gauke, supported by a panel which includes expertise drawn from prisons and probation operations, prosecution, academia, law enforcement, victims, and the judiciary.
The process for the appointment of the panel follows the usual public law principles which are applicable to all ministerial decision-making, and within the scope of direct ministerial appointments. Appointments must be rational, procedurally fair, and non-discriminatory.
This Sentencing Review aims to ensure that there is always a place in prison for violent offenders, and victims will always know that justice will be done. It will also aim to ensure that sentences are consistent and make sense to victims and the public. That is why a victims’ representative forms part of the multidisciplinary panel conducting the Review.
Following the launch of the Review on 22 October, appointments were finalised in early and mid-November, and subsequently published on 14 November on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the expert panel to the Independent Sentencing Review 2024 to 2025 will be (a) appointed and (b) announced.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Review will be chaired by the former Lord Chancellor, the Rt Hon David Gauke, supported by a panel which includes expertise drawn from prisons and probation operations, prosecution, academia, law enforcement, victims, and the judiciary.
The process for the appointment of the panel follows the usual public law principles which are applicable to all ministerial decision-making, and within the scope of direct ministerial appointments. Appointments must be rational, procedurally fair, and non-discriminatory.
This Sentencing Review aims to ensure that there is always a place in prison for violent offenders, and victims will always know that justice will be done. It will also aim to ensure that sentences are consistent and make sense to victims and the public. That is why a victims’ representative forms part of the multidisciplinary panel conducting the Review.
Following the launch of the Review on 22 October, appointments were finalised in early and mid-November, and subsequently published on 14 November on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the process will be for appointing members to the expert panel to the Independent Sentencing Review 2024 to 2025.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Review will be chaired by the former Lord Chancellor, the Rt Hon David Gauke, supported by a panel which includes expertise drawn from prisons and probation operations, prosecution, academia, law enforcement, victims, and the judiciary.
The process for the appointment of the panel follows the usual public law principles which are applicable to all ministerial decision-making, and within the scope of direct ministerial appointments. Appointments must be rational, procedurally fair, and non-discriminatory.
This Sentencing Review aims to ensure that there is always a place in prison for violent offenders, and victims will always know that justice will be done. It will also aim to ensure that sentences are consistent and make sense to victims and the public. That is why a victims’ representative forms part of the multidisciplinary panel conducting the Review.
Following the launch of the Review on 22 October, appointments were finalised in early and mid-November, and subsequently published on 14 November on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Number of working-age individuals with a record on the PNC, published on 28 October 2024, what proportion of these records relate to individuals that (a) are convicted, (b) facing pending prosecutions, (c) been issued cautions, (d) involved in cases where no further action was required (e) been arrested but not charged and (f) are deceased.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The information requested is provided in the table attached. This table includes data on the:
Proportion of the records on the Police National Computer (PNC) in each category specified, by offenders of working age.
This analysis looks at the proportion of records that fall into the categories a – d. It does not provide the proportion of individuals as each individual offender may have a record in each category. It is not possible to answer parts (e) and (f), as the Ministry of Justice extract of the PNC does not contain the information required. Arrest information (part e) is a matter for the Home Office.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Government plans to publish its findings from research into the potential costs of geothermal heat in the UK.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The electricity generation and heat supply cost estimates from geothermal energy in the UK commissioned by Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and undertaken by Ove Arup & Partners Limited (Arup) will have completed by the of this calendar year (2024). DESNZ are aiming for this work to be published in the first half of next year, but at this time cannot give an exact date as to when the publication of the outcomes will be.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of the total cost to the public purse of extending HS2 from Old Oak Common to Euston Station.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is considering a range of development models and financing mechanisms to best meet the objectives of the Euston area while delivering value for money for the taxpayer. Decisions around any further investment at Euston are for the second phase of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps Shadow Great British Railways is taking to increase the volume of goods moved by rail.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State has tasked Shadow Great British Railways leaders with producing a delivery plan for both passengers and freight users. Priorities will be communicated in due course.
In the future, Great British Railways will have a statutory duty to promote the use of rail freight and an overall growth target, as confirmed by the Secretary of State when she announced the establishment of Shadow Great British Railways.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the speed of rail electrification.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government expects electrification to play an important role in our programme to achieve our Net Zero 2050 target and improve the passenger experience.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide additional funding for the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Live grant awards for this financial year total £20.8m, which is in line with historic levels of funding for this scheme. Future budgets are being determined as part of the continuing Spending Review.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 8568 on Roads: Freight, what steps her Department is taking to support road haulage businesses.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Small businesses including those in the road haulage sector are the beating heart of our communities, and essential to our economic success. This Government will draw on all resources to support these small businesses and boost productivity by delivering commitments made in our nine-point pledge, Plan for Small Business.
We are working on delivering these commitments and announced on 19th September 2024 measures to tackle the scourge of late payments and long payment terms. We are also creating opportunities for UK businesses to compete and supporting small businesses to access the finance they need to scale up and break into new markets.
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for haulage businesses, by extending the 5p fuel duty cut for one year and cancelling the planned inflation increase for 2025-26. This maintains fuel duty rates at the levels set on 23 March 2022 for an additional 12 months and represents a saving of nearly £1,100 for the average HGV in 2025-26.