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1660912

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrant Workers: Visas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of applicants for Global Talent Visas, and the reasons for any shortfall in that number, and whether they intend to review associated policies which might deter applicants, such as increased health surcharges.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL10196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2023 answer text <p>The Global Talent route is for individuals recognised as leaders, or who have demonstrated promise to become leaders, in their field. It forms part of the wider offer for skilled workers.</p><p>Since its launch in 2020, the Global Talent route has seen a significant increase in applicants. In the year ending June 2023, there was a 76% rise (+1,679) in Global Talent visas to 3,901 grants, compared to the year ending June 2022. Applications across work routes, such as Skilled Worker, are at record highs.</p><p>As with all immigration routes, we keep the requirements under review. We continue to work closely with the Global Talent endorsing bodies, who assist in setting endorsement criteria by virtue of their position as the UK’s leading experts in the scientific, digital technology, and arts and culture sectors.</p><p>Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) rates have not increased since 2020, and the cost of providing public services has increased in that time. It is right that we keep the IHS level under review to ensure that it reflects the genuine cost to the NHS of providing healthcare to those who pay it.</p> answering member printed Lord Murray of Blidworth question first answered 26/09/2023 13:39:09 answering member 4950 label Biography information for Lord Murray of Blidworth
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1650587

registered interest
date	05/07/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Defence: Technology
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the Defence Science and Technology handbook on collision reduction equipment (1) is informed on issues of best practice in enforcement technology, and (2) accords with other police evidential and handling protocols; and what consultation they undertook with relevant stakeholders.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL9078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2023 answer text <p>The Home Office Type Approval requirements and testing regime are amongst the most stringent in the world. This is due to the nature of the UK justice system, and to minimise the number of complex legal challenges.</p><p>The Home Office and DSTL recognise the need to improve the type approval process and update the handbook and have been working together to do this in a way that maintains confidence in type approved devices and considers the responsible use of public funds.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom grouped question UIN HL9079 question first answered 19/07/2023 12:24:55 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1650588

registered interest
date	05/07/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Enforcement: Technology
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the most recent Home Office Type Approval system for enforcement technology, what steps if any they are taking to reduce (1) the length of time taken for the approval process to complete, and (2) the impact that this process has on (a) employment and investment in the industry, and (b) industry innovation and development of new products; and what steps if any they are taking to ensure that suppliers are able to communicate directly with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory scientists.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL9079
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2023 answer text <p>The Home Office Type Approval requirements and testing regime are amongst the most stringent in the world. This is due to the nature of the UK justice system, and to minimise the number of complex legal challenges.</p><p>The Home Office and DSTL recognise the need to improve the type approval process and update the handbook and have been working together to do this in a way that maintains confidence in type approved devices and considers the responsible use of public funds.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom grouped question UIN HL9078 question first answered 19/07/2023 12:24:55 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1611067

registered interest
date	17/04/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Educational Visits: EU Nationals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Tourism Alliance that there was an 83 per cent decline in EU student group visitors to the UK in 2022; what estimate they have made of the financial impact on the UK economy of this decline; what assessment they have made of the reasons for this decline; what plans they have (1) to return to policy of accepting ID cards in place of passports for educational group visits, and (2) to reduce the costs of visas for participants in such visits who require them.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL7157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>All visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.</p><p>In implementing this policy, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). We will continue to monitor the ongoing impact of these documentary requirements.</p><p>At the summit in Paris on 10 March 2023 the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. Further details will be announced in due course.</p><p>Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review however, there are no plans to reduce the level of fees charged. Income from fees plays a vital role in our ability to run a sustainable migration and borders system and reduce the burden on UK taxpayers.</p> answering member printed Lord Murray of Blidworth question first answered 02/05/2023 12:22:42 answering member 4950 label Biography information for Lord Murray of Blidworth attachment 1 file name ID_cards_removal_-_Impact_Assessment_-_2021.pdf title Impact Assessment
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1489471

registered interest
date	14/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: EU Countries
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the requirement following UK's departure from the EU that passports must be stamped on a fresh page upon each entry and exit to the EU, what consideration have they given to increasing the number of pages in passports, particularly for airline flight crew; and what steps the Passport Office is taking to ensure that essential workers are supplied with new documents within 24 hours of request.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL1775
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2022 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to increase pages in the British passport.</p><p>Frequent travellers already have the option to apply for a 54-page passport.</p><p>Her Majesty’s Passport Office prioritises applications which meet its urgent and compassionate criteria. The criteria include employees in the aviation industry who can evidence their need for a passport for work purposes.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 26/07/2022 15:46:19 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1489472

registered interest
date	14/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been informed by any (1) airports and (2) airlines, of any cases where staff shortages have been exacerbated by slow response times for replacing passports that have already been exhausted because they no longer have space for additional stamps.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL1776
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2022 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Passport Office prioritises applications which meet its urgent and compassionate criteria. This criteria includes employees in the aviation industry who can evidence their need for a passport for work purposes.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 26/07/2022 15:45:59 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1453870

registered interest
date	23/03/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Officers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 March (HL6429), what is the percentage increase in the number of staff allocated to passport control at points of entry and exit from the UK since the start of this year; and what plans they have to increase the numbers of staff (1) employed, (2) trained, and (3) available, to undertake this work in the next six months.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL7294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2022 answer text <p>Ports constantly review their resourcing levels and Border Force’s National Operations centre monitors passenger flow across the UK, deploying staff to respond to pressure points and deprioritising non-essential work. This includes identifying and acting appropriately to mitigate the impact of COVID on staffing levels and maximising resource at the front line.</p><p> </p><p>Border Force has increased its workforce by 3% over 2020/2021 financial year to over 9,300 staff, with a large proportion of those staff trained and deployed to front line operations.</p><p> </p><p>Border Force is sending extra officers to ports to help manage passenger flow, by redeploying existing staff, using temporary staff and contractors, moving trained staff out of back-office functions, and offering overtime to increase frontline resilience where we can.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 06/04/2022 16:04:36 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1453472

registered interest
date	22/03/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Controls
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 24 February (HL6429), what are the current average waiting times for passport control clearance for passengers at (1) ports, (2) airports, and (3) the Channel Tunnel terminus; and what discussions they have had with representatives from organisations in the tourism sector about the impact of passport clearance delays.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL7224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>Resource and staffing requirements at every port are continually reviewed by Border Force who work closely with port operators to ensure resources are deployed flexibly as and when they are required.</p><p>Border Force is committed to ensuring that passengers arriving in the UK receive an excellent service. But this must also be balanced with our responsibility to Border Security, checking 100% of passports and making sure that anyone or anything that might cause harm to the UK is properly dealt with.</p><p><br> Performance against our passenger wait time SLA can be found in Border Force Transparency data available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q4-2021" target="_blank">Border Force transparency data: Q4 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>We regularly engage with stakeholders form a range of sectors about the operation at the UK Border</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/04/2022 14:58:19 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1435387

registered interest
date	24/02/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Officers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional passport control staff they plan to deploy at (1) ports, (2) airports, and (3) the Channel Tunnel terminus, to handle the increasing number of international travellers following the removal of COVID-19 restrictions; and what assessment they have made of (a) the current waiting times for passport control clearance, and (b) the impact on the tourism industry.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL6429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2022 answer text <p>Our utmost priority is protecting the safety and health of the public. This means occasionally passengers will occasionally need to accept an increase in the time taken to cross the border.</p><p> </p><p>We will never compromise on border security and remain committed to keeping the border secure. We are deploying additional officers to provide support as and when required to do this.</p><p> </p><p>Resource and staffing requirements at every port are continually reviewed by Border Force working and resources are deployed flexibly as and when they are required.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/03/2022 16:03:40 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson

1404191

registered interest
date	18/01/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Roads: Accidents
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports of a significant reduction in (a) the number of traffic cameras in active use, and (b) the number of breathalyser tests administered, in the last five years; and (2) the relationship between any such changes and an increase in road traffic accidents.
tabling member printed	Baroness Randerson
uin	HL5508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2022 answer text <p>How police use speed cameras and administer breathalysers is an operational matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners. Police use their professional judgement and discretion as to what they consider most effective, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.</p><p>There may be several reasons why the number of breathalyser tests administered has reduced, including drivers being more aware of the law or police deciding to prosecute drivers under more serious offences.</p><p>The Government has not conducted an assessment of the relationship between any such changes in the number of traffic cameras in active use or in the number of breathalyser tests administered, and the number of road traffic accidents.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 01/02/2022 14:55:43 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4230 label Biography information for Baroness Randerson