PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament

999W
Written Answers
26 MARCH 2013
Written Answers
1000W
The Solicitor-General: Not all compromise agreements
since 2010 have included a specific financial consideration
for confidentiality. For those that did, the average sum
was £214.
The total cost to the Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) of entering into compromise agreements during
this period is £2,478,033,
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General
pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2013, Official
Report, column 364W, on the Crown Prosecution
Service, how many of the compromise agreements
referred to in the Answer involved a waiver of the right
to make claims of (a) unfair dismissal, (b)
discrimination and (c) entitlements to redundancy
payments. [149552]
The Solicitor-General: All 46 of the compromise
agreements made by the Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) since 2010 have included a waiver to (a) future
unfair dismissal and (b) discrimination claims. 10 included
the additional waiver against (c) entitlements to redundancy
payments.
Domestic Violence
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on
how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service
took no further action with regard to a suspect whose
file had been marked with a domestic violence flag in
each of the last five years. [149482]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) has recorded the following information with
regard to the number of occasions no further action has
been taken in cases flagged as domestic violence:
Domestic
violence flagged
pre-charge
decisions
(PCD)
Domestic
violence flagged
PCD where no
further action
was taken
(NFA)
Percentage NFA
2008 79,195 20,467 25.8
2009 87,499 22,712 26.0
2010 100,460 27,094 27.0
2011 97,642 25,716 26.3
2012 88,202 22,746 25.8
Rape: Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1)
whether a second specialist prosecutor’s decision is
sought in all cases where the Crown Prosecution
Service decides to drop or substantially alter charges
against a rape suspect; [149485]
(2) whether a second specialist prosecutor’s decision
is sought in all cases where the Crown Prosecution
Service decides to take no further action regarding the
file of a rape suspect referred to it for a charging
decision. [149486]
The Solicitor-General: All Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) rape specialist prosecutors, deciding to drop or
substantially alter a rape charge, are required to obtain
the agreement of a second rape specialist prosecutor
before a final decision is taken.
The same procedure also applies to any decisions
made to take no further action on a rape file referred for
a charging decision.
INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY
STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE
Members: Payments
Mr Leigh: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne,
representing the Speaker’s Committee for the
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how
many duplicate payments to hon. Members has the
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
(IPSA) made in error during the last 12 months; how
IPSA has recovered such payments; and how such
payments are reported. [148474]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls
within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary
Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 25 March 2013:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards
Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary
Question relating to duplicate payments to Members of Parliament.
IPSA does not record duplicate payments systematically and
providing the requested information could only be achieved at
disproportionate cost.
If a duplicate payment were to be identified, the method of
recovery would depend on the original purpose of the payment.
The rules on the recovery of overpayments are set out in Chapter
Two of the MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses,
available on our website:
www.parliamentarystandards.org.uk
Where an MP makes a repayment to IPSA, this is reported in
the regular two-monthly publication round.
Staff
Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for
Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for
the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority,
how many staff in each pay band are employed by the
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
[149524]
Mr Charles Walker [holding answer 25 March 2013]:
The information requested falls within the responsibility
of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 25 March 2013:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards
Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary
Question asking for staffing figures.
IPSA currently employs staff in the following pay bands:
Grade Salary range Number of staff
A £19,500 to £25,000 1
B £23,000 to £30,500 19
C £30,500 to £37,000 7
D £35,000 to £46,000 4
E £46,000 to £61,500 8
F £60,000 to £73,000 1
G — 1
SCSequivalent
— 1
The above figures include 2 temporary staff members directly
employed by IPSA and exclude those on secondments, whose pay
is administered by their home departments. Other temporary staff
are engaged and paid through recruitment agencies.