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1712621

	registered interest
	date	22/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Drugs: Smuggling
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that online sales representatives, working for illicit Chinese pharmaceutical and chemical companies, are producing and smuggling illegal drugs into the UK, what action they are taking to combat the sale and advertisement of such drugs on the internet, and what response they have received from any representations they have made to the government of China in this regard.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL3982
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>Illicit production of synthetic drugs is a growing global concern, and we assess that criminal groups involved in illicit production are present in numerous countries around the world, including China. UK law enforcement agencies regularly engage with counterparts in countries where websites supplying and advertising illicit drugs are hosted. We have provided additional resources to the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Home Office international networks in key source and transit countries to work with other governments to identify and disrupt criminal groups who seek to exploit the UK. We are also working closely with partners to monitor developments in source countries, to assess how changes are likely to affect the drugs threat to the UK.</p><p>With regards to action being taken to combat the sale of illicit drugs on the internet, our Online Safety Act will introduce measures requiring platforms to remove content relating to the sale of illegal drugs online and prevent users from being exposed to it. If they fail to comply, they risk stiff financial penalties or in the most serious cases, having their sites blocked by the independent regulator, Ofcom.</p><p>Additionally, the NCA, along with policing colleagues across the UK target key offenders operating online and work to ensure they have the resources and powers they need to keep our country safe. For example, proposals are being taken forward in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new power enabling law enforcement to suspend IP addresses and/or domain names being used for criminal purpose, including the sale of illicit drugs. This new power will allow agencies to obtain a court order to formally request action by organisations both domestically and outside of the UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 07/05/2024 14:35:25 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1712622

	registered interest
	date	22/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Devon and Cornwall Police: Community Policing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) police officers, and (2) police community support officers, were employed in neighbourhood policing in Devon & Cornwall Police in each year from 2010 to present.
	tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
	uin	HL3983
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the function of police workers, as at 31 March each year, in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales</a>.</p><p>Since 2012, the Home Office has published statistics on the functions of police workers which includes a “neighbourhood policing” function. From 31 March 2015 onwards, the Home Office replaced the ‘old’ functions framework with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Police Objective Analysis (POA) framework. The POA framework also includes a “neighbourhood policing” function although the two frameworks are not directly comparable.</p><p>Data on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in neighbourhood policing roles, collected under the CIPFA POA framework, in Devon and Cornwall, between 31 March 2015 and 2023, can be found in Tables F1 and F3 of the data tables accompanying each publication. The Home Office do not hold directly comparable data on the number of police officers and PCSOs employed in neighbourhood policing roles for years prior to 2015.</p><p>Table 1 shows the number of FTE police officers and PCSOs employed in neighbourhood policing roles in Devon and Cornwall between the 31 March 2015 and 2023. As at 31 March 2023, there were 264 FTE police officers employed in neighbourhood policing roles in Devon and Cornwall, an increase of 1.6% (4 FTE) compared to March 2015. The number of officers in neighbourhood policing roles had been declining between 2015 and 2018, when it reached a low of 220 FTE, before increasing year on year to levels seen in March 2015. Whilst the number of officers in neighbourhood police officers is similar to 2015, the proportion has decreased by 1.2 percentage points from 8.9% in 2015 to 7.7% in 2023.</p><p>As at 31 March 2023, there were 129 FTE PCSOs employed in neighbourhood policing roles, a decrease of 61.2% (204 FTE) compared to March 2015 when there were 333 FTE PCSOs employed in neighbourhood policing roles. Whilst the number of PCSOs has been declining, the proportion of PCSOs employed in neighbourhood policing roles has remained consistent.</p><p><strong>Table 1: Number and proportion of full-time equivalent police officers and PCSOs employed in neighbourhood policing roles, as at 31 March 2015 to 2023, Devon and Cornwall</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>As at 31 March</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Police officers</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>PCSOs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion (%)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion (%)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>260</p></td><td><p>8.9</p></td><td><p>333</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>240</p></td><td><p>8.4</p></td><td><p>339</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>231</p></td><td><p>8.2</p></td><td><p>300</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>220</p></td><td><p>7.7</p></td><td><p>245</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>228</p></td><td><p>7.9</p></td><td><p>203</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>228</p></td><td><p>7.7</p></td><td><p>189</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>236</p></td><td><p>8.0</p></td><td><p>164</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>253</p></td><td><p>7.9</p></td><td><p>154</p></td><td><p>99.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>264</p></td><td><p>7.7</p></td><td><p>129</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong><br> </strong>Some forces are not able to make a clear distinction between certain subfunctions and therefore record the majority of, or all, employees under one function. This is particularly apparent for the ‘Neighbourhood Policing’ (1a) and ‘Incident (Response) Management’ (1b) functions, so the Home Office recommends using the wider function of “Local Policing”. Data for local policing is shown in Table 2 below.</p><p><strong>Table 2: Number and proportion of full-time equivalent police officers and PCSOs employed in local policing roles, as at 31 March 2015 to 2023, Devon and Cornwall</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>As at 31 March</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Police officers</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>PCSOs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion (%)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Proportion (%)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>1,393</p></td><td><p>47.5</p></td><td><p>333</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>1,310</p></td><td><p>45.8</p></td><td><p>339</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>1,259</p></td><td><p>44.9</p></td><td><p>300</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>1,291</p></td><td><p>45.5</p></td><td><p>245</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>1,304</p></td><td><p>45.0</p></td><td><p>203</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>1,416</p></td><td><p>47.6</p></td><td><p>189</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>1,459</p></td><td><p>49.5</p></td><td><p>164</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>1,522</p></td><td><p>47.7</p></td><td><p>154</p></td><td><p>99.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>1,679</p></td><td><p>48.8</p></td><td><p>129</p></td><td><p>100.0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Data for the ‘as at 31 March 2024’ publication will be published in July 2024 as part of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 07/05/2024 12:45:20 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley

1712636

	registered interest
	date	22/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Counter Terrorism Command: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total allocation of funds to the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command in (1) the current, and (2) previous, financial year; and what proportion of those funds in each period was allocated to the War Crimes Unit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3997
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>Budget allocations are set by Counter-Terrorism Policing Headquarters, who work with the Home Office and police forces to advise on funding for the counter-terrorism police network, including for specific units. Breakdowns of allocations to police forces or specific units are not provided publicly for national security reasons.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 07/05/2024 15:13:03 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

1712652

	registered interest
	date	22/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Identity Cards
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have given any consideration to the use of ID cards.
	tabling member printed	Lord Swire
	uin	HL4013
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office is not considering ID cards at this time.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 07/05/2024 14:21:12 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire

1712657

	registered interest
	date	22/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Youth Mobility Scheme: EU Countries
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following news that they have rejected an offer by the European Commission for a youth mobility scheme, what factors they considered when deciding to reject the offer.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL4018
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>The UK notes the publication by the European Commission on 18 April 2024 setting out a proposal to EU Member States and seeking their agreement to negotiate a UK/EU wide Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS). This is currently a matter for the EU and its Member States and the UK has not been formally approached.</p><p>The UK currently operates 13 successful bilateral YMS schemes with international partners, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and continues to believe bilateral schemes with international partners are the most effective and efficient way of facilitating opportunities for young people.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 07/05/2024 13:52:12 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1702310

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Drugs: Smuggling
	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 production and distribution of illicit drugs from China, especially synthetic opioids such as nitazenes; and what estimate they have made of scale on which such drugs are smuggled into the UK.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL3921
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>Tackling Class A drugs, including synthetic opioids, is a priority for the Government due to the harm caused to users, society and the economy.</p><p>We assess that the scale of trafficking of synthetic opioids into the UK remains small, relative to countries like the USA where they have caused devastation. However, nitazenes, which the National Crime Agency (NCA) assess as often being produced in illicit labs in China, have been linked to more than 100 deaths in the UK during the last year, and we are taking action.</p><p>The cross-Government Synthetic Opioids Taskforce is working with partner agencies, such as the NCA, the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council to deliver an evidence-based response to the risk posed by synthetic opioids, and to implement effective action to stem the demand and supply of these dangerous substances.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 02/05/2024 16:13:16 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1702314

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the official evaluation of Operation Tacit to be published; and what steps they are planning in response.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL3925
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) has undertaken an independent review of Operation Tacit. The objectives of the upcoming report can be found here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-operation-tacit/review-of-operation-tacit#reporting" target="_blank">Review of Operation Tacit - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>. The DLME will publish her findings in due course. The Home Office will consider all recommendations and respond appropriately.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 02/05/2024 16:13:38 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1702330

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Fraud: Crime Prevention
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the guidance relating to failure to prevent fraud offences, as required under section 204 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
	tabling member printed	Lord Garnier
	uin	HL3941
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The government is currently working on the guidance for the new offence. We hope to publish it in early summer. The offence will then come into effect after an implementation period of 6 months is complete.</p><p>The offence is similar to the existing offence of failure to prevent bribery and failure to prevent facilitation of tax evasion, both of which have had success in changing business culture.</p><p>It will drive a culture change towards improved fraud prevention procedures in organisations and hold them to account if they profit from fraud by their employees, agents or other persons providing services on their behalf.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 02/05/2024 11:30:32 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	337 label Biography information for Lord Garnier

1702346

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Home Office: Convictions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many people employed by the Home Office have been convicted of abuse of public office and given custodial sentences in each of the past 20 years; and how many of those individuals have subsequently been re-employed in the Home Office or other departments or agencies in central government.
	tabling member printed	Lord Marlesford
	uin	HL3957
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>In the last twenty years there have been 24 Home Office officials who have been convicted of Misconduct in Public Office. All received a custodial sentence, and all were convicted before 2015. Since then, the Crown Prosecution Service have moved towards using more specific charges such as theft, assisting unlawful immigration and bribery.</p><p>A breakdown for each year is provided below:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Convicted of abuse of position</p></td><td><p>Custodial sentence received</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The Home Office conducts robust pre-appointment checks in accordance with the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standards prior to employment being offered. The Home Office also carries out National Security Vetting on all its employees, which considers both spent and unspent convictions for this and all other offences.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 02/05/2024 16:12:48 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	1854 label Biography information for Lord Marlesford

1701996

	registered interest
	date	17/04/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Police: Orphans
	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 Orpheopolis system of French orphanages for the orphaned children of police officers; and what assessment they have made of the benefits of introducing such a facility in England and Wales.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Southwark
	uin	HL3911
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>This Government has no plans to introduce a facility specifically for orphaned children of police officers.</p><p>The death of an officer is devastating for all in policing, but most deeply felt by their loved ones and children. It is important that bereaved families have access to the appropriate support, primarily from the police force. Depending on the particular circumstances, there is a range of benefits payable to children on the death of an officer under both the occupational pension and injury benefit schemes. There are also a number of police charities providing support for bereaved families and children, which provide access to counselling and peer support.</p><p>This Government also introduced the Police Covenant, to support the police workforce and their families, recognising the risks and demands that can be involved. We have funded the National Police Wellbeing Service to develop and launch the first national family support package, providing advice for the families of officers on mental health and fatigue, as well as practical resources for those with young children to help them understand the role of policing.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 01/05/2024 11:11:05 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
	tabling member	4345 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Southwark