Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1131917

	registered interest
	date	12/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Surveillance: Unmanned Air Vehicles
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the use of drones on increasing the effectiveness of countering terrorism, piracy, kidnappings and other offences combatted by surveillance technologies.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL16335
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2019 answer text <p>Decisions to use drones and in which circumstances are operational matters for the Police and other law enforcement agencies.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 26/06/2019 14:14:12 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1134348

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Home Office
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to reassess the working structure of the Home Office.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL16633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>Her Majesty’s Government has no such plans. Nonetheless, in common with all large organisations, the Home Office makes marginal adjustments to its structures routinely.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 08/07/2019 14:13:34 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1183498

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Biometrics
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of staff working at visa application centres, processing biometric data for applicants for UK visas, they directly employ.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL2401
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <ul><li>UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) runs different types of visas application centres in the UK and overseas. Over four 4 million visa and immigration applications each year (visit, work, study, family, other)</li></ul><p>are processed in these centres.</p><ul><li>The majority of application centres overseas are run by commercial suppliers (VFS Global and TLS Contact) who employ their</li></ul><p>own personnel. In the UK, Sopra Steria Ltd run application service points, again with their own employees. Biometric data of customers is taken by supplier staff.</p><ul><li>There are several locations in the UK - UKVI Service and Support Centres (SSCs) - in which biometrics are taken and which are staffed by UKVI directly-employed personnel.</li></ul> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/03/2020 17:25:21 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1183499

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Biometrics
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether staff collecting biometric data from applicants for UK visas are involved in the decision-making process for awarding visas.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL2402
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>Staff employed by our suppliers who collect biometric data from applicants for UKVI are not involved in the visa decision making. Staff in the SSCs are directly UKVI employed and some are trained decision makers involved in the decision making process.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/03/2020 17:25:51 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1235952

	registered interest
	date	21/09/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether migrants crossing the English Channel who are detained by the UK Border Agency receive a COVID-19 test.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL8346
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/10/2020 answer text <p>Since we introduced quarantine measures in June, those who have come to the UK in illegally facilitated crossings have been placed in facilities where they must self-isolate for 14 days, given we cannot be certain which countries they have travelled through.</p><p>Anyone who is symptomatic will be taken to designated accommodation and tested according to Public Health England guidance.</p><p>All immigration removal centres have communicable disease contingency plans, based on guidance by Public Health England (PHE). Measures such as protective shielding, improved hygiene and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are being used to minimise the risk of COVID-19 spreading to vulnerable groups in IRCs.</p><p>On 26 March the High Court ruled that the Home Office was taking sensible, precautionary measures in relation to COVID-19 and immigration detention.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/10/2020 14:37:05 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1274608

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Cybersecurity: Home Office
	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) the current risk to the Home Office of a cyber attack; and (2) whether adequate resources are in place to respond to that risk.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL11906
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2021 answer text <p>Like all major government departments, the Home Office assesses threat from a range of different threat actors. The department uses this information to inform its risk assessments and action plans, both operational and tactical. Risk assessments are updated periodically and whenever a change in the perceived threat is noted.</p><p>The Home Office utilises a tiered system of risk assessment covering tactical (system level), operational (business level) and strategic (departmental level) cyber security risks. The Executive Committee has direct visibility of the Department’s strategic cyber security risk and mitigation plans.</p><p>The Home Office deploys a range of controls designed to provide defence in depth for our systems, which are modelled against the advice provided by the National Cyber Security Centre and the Government’s Minimum Cyber Security Standard. The status of these controls is under continual review by the Office of the Chief Information Security Officer, which routinely works with delivery teams to ensure that controls are practical, applicable and effective.</p><p>Robust cyber security capability requires continued funding and the availability of suitably qualified and experienced personnel. The Office of the Chief Information Security Officer is resourced for the requirements identified for FY 2021-22, balancing the need for investment against cost effectiveness for the tax payer.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 18/01/2021 16:05:06 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1301605

	registered interest
	date	10/03/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	UN Climate Conference 2021: Visas
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that visa applications from COP26 attendees are dealt with efficiently.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL14118
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office is working closely with Cabinet Office, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other government departments on preparations for welcoming participants to COP 26.</p><p>The Home Office has provided the UNFCCC with information on the visa application process and will be supplying event specific guidance in the upcoming months.</p><p>Arrangements are in progress to ensure entry clearance staff will be able to cross reference applications with the UNFCCC to confirm invitations of those registered to attend the event along with an escalation process.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 24/03/2021 17:27:48 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1402543

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Migrants and Refugees
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of (1) a refugee, and (2) a migrant; and what are the practical consequences of the distinction between them.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL5374
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>Refugee status is granted when an individual has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention. Those who are not in need of protection are required to leave the UK or apply for leave to remain on another basis.</p><p> </p><p>Paragraph 334 of the Immigration Rules sets out the circumstances in which an asylum applicant will be granted Refugee Status in the UK. 334(ii) confirms that an individual must be a refugee as defined in regulation 2 of The Refugee or Person in Need of International Protection (Qualification) Regulations 2006.</p><p> </p><p>The 2006 Regulations refer to individuals who fall within Article 1(A) of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees done at Geneva on 28 July 1951 and the New York Protocol of 31 January 1967 and to whom regulation 7 (Exclusion) does not apply.</p><p>The Nationality and Borders Bill is aiming to make the definition of a refugee even clearer, improving the consistency of decisions across all decision makers (including the Courts).</p><p>The conditions of refugee leave which a person will be granted if they qualify for refugee status under the Immigration Rules is broadly five years’ limited leave, access to the labour market and welfare support, and a route to apply for settlement after five years.</p><p>The term migrant is not routinely used in legislation – it is more common to refer to “a person subject to immigration control”. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002A does include a definition of a migrant for the purposes of section 59(3)(a) being “a person who leaves the country where he lives hoping to settle in another country (whether or not he is a refugee within the meaning of any international Convention)”. However, that definition is used in a specific context and not more broadly in terms of legislation.</p><p>In practical terms, an individual subject to immigration control requires specific permission to stay in the UK and will usually be subject to conditions attached to that permission. These conditions vary depending on the type of leave for which an individual applies.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 26/01/2022 16:20:39 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1491793

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Dependants and Married People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the current waiting times for (1) spousal, and (2) dependant, visa applications.
	tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
	uin	HL2053
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/08/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office had been prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Staff from other government departments, including DWP and HMRC, have been surged into the department to help with Ukraine work and enable normal visa routes to return to normal service levels in due course.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 04/08/2022 14:57:45 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1144175

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2019
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Right of Abode: British National (Overseas)
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent calls to restore the right of abode in the UK to holders of British National (Overseas) passports living in Hong Kong; and what action, if any, they intend to take as a result.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL17663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Holders of British National (Overseas) passports living in Hong Kong do not have a right of abode in the UK, unless they are also British citizens.</p><p>Their only route to acquire the right of abode in the UK would be to apply for British citizenship. There are no plans to change the law in this respect.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 08/10/2019 11:15:04 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian