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171838

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Crime
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to address the drivers of crime.
	tabling member constituency	Gosport
	tabling member printed	Caroline Dinenage
	uin	906752
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Crime is down by more than a fifth under this Government, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. <br><br>We are addressing the key drivers of crime by reshaping our approach to alcohol; tackling illicit and harmful drug use; taking action in a number of areas to stop young people getting involved in crime; and closing off opportunities to commit crimes, for example, by legislating on metal theft.<br><br>We have also established the Crime and Policing Knowledge Hub to improve our understanding of crime trends and the drivers of crime. <br><br>At the end of the month the Home Office will also host the first International Crime and Policing Conference to bring together leading academics and law enforcement professionals to further understand the drivers of crime and our response.</p><p /> <p /> <p> </p> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone question first answered 13/01/2015 16:41:46 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone
	tabling member	4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage

170478

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	British Nationality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce legislative proposals to prevent anyone who has entered or stayed illegally in the UK being granted British citizenship.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
	tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
	uin	218768
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>Applicants for naturalisation need to meet the statutory requirements in the British Nationality Act 1981 which specify that a person must not have been in breach of the Immigration Rules during the required residential qualifying period.<br />In addition, a person is required to be of good character. If a person meets these requirements, the Home Secretary may, if she thinks fit, grant a certificate of naturalisation. <br /><br />We have recently substantially strengthened our policy on both the good character and residence requirements. Our revised policy on good character makes it clear that entering the UK illegally or evading immigration control will <br />usually mean that a person is prevented from acquiring citizenship for a period of 10 years. In terms of assessing the residence requirements, new guidance has been published on how the Home Secretary will exercise her discretion. We <br />will no longer overlook lengthy periods of unlawful residence, as was the case under previous governments. Whereas previously discretion would have been exercised in cases where a person who deliberately entered or remained in the UK without permission had attempted to regularise their stay by making an application to the Home Office, we will no longer tolerate this. We will normally only exercisediscretion to overlook periods of unlawful residence if they are short and genuinely inadvertent or outside the applicant’s control.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 13/01/2015 14:44:41 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

171177

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Offences against Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to increase the (a) reporting, (b) detection and (c) prosecution of child abuse.
	tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
	uin	219340
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>Child abuse is an abhorrent crime no matter when or where it occurs. The Government is clear that if child abuse takes place, it must be thoroughly and properly investigated, and those responsible are arrested and brought to <br>justice. It is vital that victims feel empowered to come forward to report abuse<br><br>All chief constables have committed to a policing action plan that aims to raise the standards in tackling child sexual exploitation so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young <br>people. The National Policing Lead for child protection and abuse investigation has taken action to revise the action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report in Rotherham and other recent publications. <br><br>The Home Secretary has written to all chief constables to ask them to take on board the lessons from the Jay report into the failings in Rotherham, and from the rolling HMIC inspections into how forces are protecting children.<br><br>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the College of Policing have issued guidance for police in relation to child abuse and exploitation. The guidance aims to move the focus of investigations away from testing the credibility of <br>victims onto the credibility of the allegation and ensuring victims are listened to by the police. In addition, a joint National Policing Lead and CPS review panel was established last year. The national panel re-examines <br>historical cases of sexual abuse where a decision was made that no further action would be taken and identify whether any issues require further exploration and investigation.<br><br>We must never accept a situation where police forces and other agencies fail in their fundamental duty of care towards vulnerable children.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone grouped question UIN 219336 question first answered 13/01/2015 16:34:22 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone
	tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

171184

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Offences against Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the satisfactoriness of the police's historic record of investigating allegations of child abuse.
	tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
	uin	219336
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>Child abuse is an abhorrent crime no matter when or where it occurs. The Government is clear that if child abuse takes place, it must be thoroughly and properly investigated, and those responsible are arrested and brought to <br>justice. It is vital that victims feel empowered to come forward to report abuse<br><br>All chief constables have committed to a policing action plan that aims to raise the standards in tackling child sexual exploitation so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young <br>people. The National Policing Lead for child protection and abuse investigation has taken action to revise the action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report in Rotherham and other recent publications. <br><br>The Home Secretary has written to all chief constables to ask them to take on board the lessons from the Jay report into the failings in Rotherham, and from the rolling HMIC inspections into how forces are protecting children.<br><br>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the College of Policing have issued guidance for police in relation to child abuse and exploitation. The guidance aims to move the focus of investigations away from testing the credibility of <br>victims onto the credibility of the allegation and ensuring victims are listened to by the police. In addition, a joint National Policing Lead and CPS review panel was established last year. The national panel re-examines <br>historical cases of sexual abuse where a decision was made that no further action would be taken and identify whether any issues require further exploration and investigation.<br><br>We must never accept a situation where police forces and other agencies fail in their fundamental duty of care towards vulnerable children.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone grouped question UIN 219340 question first answered 13/01/2015 16:34:22 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone
	tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

169566

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Deportation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on removing foreign nationals in each year since 1997.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	218023
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>Home Office spend on removing foreign nationals includes the costs incurred in transporting foreign nationals to their country of origin, and third party cost incurred as part of the Facilitated Removals and Assisted Voluntary Returns <br>(AVR) removal programmes. It includes associated flight costs, and the costs of escorts used when removing foreign nationals from the country.</p><p><br>£m Total <br>2009-10 - 68.0 <br>2010-11 - 71.8 <br>2011-12 - 54.2 <br>2012-13 - 57.3 <br>2013-14 - 55.3 <br><br>Notes: <br>1. The following costs are excluded from the figures given above: Home Office staff costs; overheads; any related EU funding; areas of expenditure where costs could only be attributed to the removals process at disproportionate <br>cost; and the cost of escorting foreign nationals within the UK to a port of departure where such costs could only be identified at disproportionate cost. <br><br>2. Due to changes in the structure of the Home Office group (the Departmental boundary), data prior to 2009-10 is not available except at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 13/01/2015 14:42:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire previous answer version 33441 answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

170746

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many international students living and studying in the UK have not had their passports returned to them by the Passport Office in time to travel abroad before Christmas 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
	uin	219051
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>In January 2014 UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) introduced a new set of service standards for fee-paying in-country applications.<br><br>Applications from Tier 4 students will be completed within 8 weeks of application provided that the customer has complied with application requirements and has provided the necessary documentation.<br><br>Since January, UKVI has processed over 98% of in-country Tier 4 student applications within the 8 week service standard.<br><br>Students that applied in good time and complied with all application requirements could therefore have expected to receive their passports back before Christmas 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 13/01/2015 14:45:13 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire previous answer version 36882 answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

171837

	registered interest
	date	02/01/2015
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on a minimum alcohol unit price.
	tabling member constituency	Cheadle
	tabling member printed	Mark Hunter
	uin	219597
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>Minimum Unit Pricing remains a policy under consideration but is not being taken forward at this time, while we continue to monitor the legal developments and the implementation of this policy in Scotland. In May 2014 we introduced a ban on alcohol sales below the cost of duty plus VAT. This fulfilled the Coalition Government's commitment and will stop the worst cases of very cheap and harmful alcohol sales.</p><p /> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone question first answered 13/01/2015 16:37:02 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone
	tabling member	1598 label Biography information for Mark Hunter

172810

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2015
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fines relating to performance have been levied on providers of the COMPASS service in each of the past two years; how many such fines were levied on each provider in each year; what those fines were for; and what the amount was of each fine.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
	tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
	uin	220186
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>The COMPASS contract includes terms for monitoring and measuring performance against required standards. If the standards are not met then the Home Office will take action to apply Service Credits in accordance with the agreed <br>contractual arrangements. A ‘Service Credit’ is a rebate / money deducted from the monthly invoice.</p><p><br>There were 48 service credits recovered from providers of the COMPASS accommodation, of which 39 were recovered in 2013 and 9 recovered in 2014 (up to November). The service credits were issued to providers for not meeting <br>requirements under accommodation standards, dispersal within the timescale and management of the complaint service. We are unable to provide an individual cost for each service credit. The total amount of Service Credits recovered in <br>the period outlined above is £5,942,147.03.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 13/01/2015 14:43:47 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

172248

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2015
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Drugs: USA
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 217748, what assessment she has made of the implications for UK policy of the comments by William Brownfield on UN drug control conventions; and whether the Government plans to support the policy position expressed in those comments at international forums and the UN General Assembly.
	tabling member constituency	Lewes
	tabling member printed	Norman Baker
	uin	219817
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>The Coalition Government promotes a balanced and evidence-based approach to drug policy within the UN drug control conventions. As Ambassador Brownfield made clear, it is important that the international community respects the <br>integrity of UN conventions in this area. We will continue to champion our balanced drug strategy, which since 2010 has focused on reducing demand, restricting supply, and building recovery. This includes at international forums, including the forthcoming UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs in 2016.</p><p /> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone question first answered 13/01/2015 16:35:47 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone previous answer version 37708 answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone
	tabling member	28 label Biography information for Norman Baker

172207

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2015
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	India
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations the Indian Diaspora Champion has made concerning proposed reductions of UK visa staff in Mumbai.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester East
	tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
	uin	219917
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>The Home Office has no record of any representations made by the Indian <br>Diaspora Champion concerning this matter. The changes planned by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) relate to the decision making function for applications and will not affect customers applying for their visas or the service UKVI offers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 13/01/2015 14:42:59 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz