Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Wright Excerpts

Thursday 18th April 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vaizey]

I have visited Folkestone on many occasions. It not only has the adornment of my hon. Friend as its Member of Parliament, but benefits from the extraordinary philanthropic work of Roger De Haan, who has invested millions in Folkestone. He understands that investing in culture is one of the key ways of ensuring regeneration.

[Simon Wright (Norwich South) (LD)]

11. What progress her Department has made on its review of B2 gaming machines and other aspects of gaming machine stake and prize limits.

[The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Hugh Robertson)]

The consultation period for the triennial review of gaming machine stakes and prize limits closed on Tuesday 9 April, at which point my Department had received over 9,000 responses. Officials are currently in the process of analysing them.

[Simon Wright]

My constituent David Armstrong became addicted to B2 machines, losing more than £100,000 over four years. Real people are suffering real hardship from these machines. Although the Government are seeking more evidence of the link, that will take time, so may I urge the Minister to take a precautionary approach in the meantime and limit the maximum stake to £2?

[Hugh Robertson]

It goes without saying that I am extremely sad to hear about the case my hon. Friend raises. I very much hope that he was able to respond as part of the review and that his response is one of those being analysed by my officials. If that review produces the sort of evidence that he has cited, I absolutely give him the assurance both that we are very aware of the problem and that we will not hesitate to act on the basis of that evidence.

Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Wright Excerpts

Tuesday 5th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

I take seriously the issue of cautions being administered for serious offences. Indeed, one of the first things I did as Justice Secretary was commission work on the issue, and I am due to meet senior police officers to discuss it in the next few days. I do, however, caution the House to be careful. For example, we would all view a caution for rape as completely unacceptable, but in some cases where the victim is absolutely unwilling to give evidence it may be the only way to get something on the record about an offender. We must be careful about this issue and try to get it right.

[Simon Wright (Norwich South) (LD)]

T10. What assessment has the Secretary of State made of the potential to reduce reoffending by providing treatment in prisons for gambling addiction?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jeremy Wright)]

We recognise that prisoners have a variety of causes for their offending and my hon. Friend is right to highlight one of them. We want to ensure that prisoners have access to the necessary schemes and interventions—both in prison and through the gate to the outside—to deal with whatever their issues may be. I will certainly look carefully at what my hon. Friend says about gambling and at whether more can be done.

Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Wright Excerpts

Tuesday 18th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

I am a bit puzzled by the right hon. Gentleman’s comment, because the Human Rights Act enacts the convention in the law of this country. I think, and many in the House agree, that the remit of the Court has expanded beyond its creators’ original intention, which is why we need reform.

[Simon Wright (Norwich South) (LD)]

T3. Will the Secretary of State seek to make an example of some of the best practice work experience schemes for serving prisoners such as the big society award-winning custody and community project at Norwich’s Chapelfield shopping centre, which is highly effective in cutting reoffending?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jeremy Wright)]

I certainly agree with my hon. Friend that we want more prisoners to have experiences, such as the one he mentions, in the right controlled conditions, and we want to make sure, as I said, that prisoners have experience of work as well as of work experience.

Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Wright Excerpts

Tuesday 13th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Nick Herbert]

We do not see restorative justice as an alternative to the criminal justice system; we want to see it embedded in that system. The idea of offenders making amends to victims is a good one, but we have to remember that the figures show that three quarters of those brought before the courts in relation to the riots had previous convictions and that a quarter of them had been in prison before. Perhaps people were caught up in those riots, but a great number of those involved had been in trouble with the law before and we should remember that.

[Simon Wright (Norwich South) (LD)]

17. What recent representations he has received on securing justice for victims of road accidents.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Crispin Blunt)]

Following calls from road safety groups, victims and their families and from right hon. and hon. Members, we have added a new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, which is subject to a five-year maximum prison sentence, to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which is currently being considered in another place. Since then, we have not received any further representations.

[Simon Wright]

I thank the Minister for his response and welcome the measures he is taking. Does he agree that in order effectively to deliver justice to victims of road accidents, we need sentencing powers that reasonably and consistently reflect the too often appalling consequences of driving offences?

[Mr Blunt]

I agree with my hon. Friend and no doubt that is why the House agreed to add that measure to the Bill.

Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Wright Excerpts

Tuesday 8th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Blunt]

Of course.

[Simon Wright (Norwich South) (LD)]

3. What plans he has to increase the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Jonathan Djanogly)]

This month we extended the Freedom of Information Act to a further three bodies—the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Financial Ombudsman Service and UCAS. Additionally, we intend to extend the Act to over 100 more organisations through the Protection of Freedoms Bill. We have also begun consultations with more than 200 further bodies about their possible inclusion. Next year we plan to consult 2,000 housing associations and the housing ombudsman.

[Simon Wright]

I thank the Minister for his response and for the progress made by his Department. As he knows, Network Rail is responsible for spending billions of pounds of public money each year. Will he ensure that that organisation is brought within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act?

[Mr Djanogly]

The Government are committed to making Network Rail more accountable to its customers, and believe that there is a strong case for its inclusion in the FOI.