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1718571

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Dual Nationality: Hong Kong
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of dual allegiance among British citizens who are current or former Hong Kong government officials who hold dual citizenship under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990; and the implications of this for (1) transnational crime, and (2) intimidation of Hong Kong democrats and their families who have fled Hong Kong.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL4672
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>We do not comment on the detail of security or intelligence matters, however we continually assess potential threats to the UK public, including transnational crime and threats to individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety. Any attempt by any foreign power, or any individuals acting on their behalf, to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated.</p><p>Where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective the full range of tools available to protect them.</p><p>The National Security Act 2023 brings together vital new measures to protect our national security and ensure our law enforcement and intelligence agencies have everything they need to respond to the full range of modern-day state threats including those that may emanate from Hong Kong and China.</p><p>More broadly, Home Office officials work closely with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and DLUHC, as well as other government departments, to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) status and other Hongkongers.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 23/05/2024 12:29:33 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1718572

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Oppression: Hong Kong
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to examine the efficacy of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 in dealing with hostile elements in the United Kingdom who owe political allegiance to the People’s Republic of China and pose a risk to those who have fled Hong Kong; and whether they will consider strengthening the legislation to address these concerns.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL4673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. Where we identify activity that threatens individual's rights, freedoms, and safety we are front footed in deploying all the tools available to us including, where appropriate immigration action, to mitigate this.</p><p>As you would expect we keep our legislative framework under constant review and update it where appropriate based on the latest information and intelligence.</p><p>The National Security Act 2023 brings together vital new measures to protect our national security and ensure our law enforcement and intelligence agencies have everything they need to respond to the full range of modern-day state threats, including those that may emanate from Hong Kong and China.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 23/05/2024 12:29:57 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

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

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

1696554

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: British National (Overseas)
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of redefining criminality rules for British National (Overseas) visa applications.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL3311
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>Part 9 of the Immigration Rules, in relation to criminality and other adverse behaviour, apply to applications to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route. All applications are carefully assessed against the latest country information. Guidance for caseworkers provides flexibility to ensure that overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK do not result in the automatic refusal of an application.</p><p>Following representations from stakeholders, we are considering whether the current approach to criminality remains appropriate given the situation in Hong Kong.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 03/04/2024 12:49:47 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1692239

registered interest
date	27/02/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Nicaragua
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers from Nicaragua have arrived in the UK in each year since 2018; and how many of those have been granted asylum so far.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2784
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data on asylum as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ which is published on gov.uk. Data on asylum applications and initial decisions by nationality are published in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#asylum-applications-decisions-and-resettlement" target="_blank">‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’</a>. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Please note, the applications data in Asy_D01 relates to applications for asylum – not arrivals. Individuals must be in the country to apply for asylum; some will apply immediately upon arrival, but some may be in the country for a period of time before applying. Arrival information for refugees is not collected as part of the asylum application.</p><p> </p><p>Please note that initial decisions in Asy_D02 are based on date of decision and do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period. For example, a decision in 2023 may relate to an application made in 2022.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 12/03/2024 13:09:43 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom attachment 1 file name Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets.xlsx title Asy_D01 and Asy_D02
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1688019

registered interest
date	06/02/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	INTERPOL: Databases
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to Interpol regarding (1) arrest warrants being issued by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities for Hong Kong dissidents and (2) their targeting through Interpol, including through its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2218
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government strongly supports INTERPOL’s efforts to ensure systems are in place that protect individuals’ human rights in line with Article 3 of INTERPOL's Constitution which strictly forbids any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office continues to work with INTERPOL and the National Crime Agency (NCA), which acts as the UK’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL, to monitor the effectiveness of existing safeguards. We encourage INTERPOL to uphold international human rights obligations and we won’t hesitate to recommend further reforms to INTERPOL as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to strengthen our collective efforts to deter the misuse of INTERPOL systems and support organisational reform and governance at INTERPOL.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom grouped question UIN HL2219 HL2220 question first answered 20/02/2024 12:36:17 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1688020

registered interest
date	06/02/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	INTERPOL: Databases
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports of the Turkish government's use of the Interpol Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database to target dissidents abroad, what representations they have made to Interpol regarding misuse of the SLTD database.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2219
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government strongly supports INTERPOL’s efforts to ensure systems are in place that protect individuals’ human rights in line with Article 3 of INTERPOL's Constitution which strictly forbids any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office continues to work with INTERPOL and the National Crime Agency (NCA), which acts as the UK’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL, to monitor the effectiveness of existing safeguards. We encourage INTERPOL to uphold international human rights obligations and we won’t hesitate to recommend further reforms to INTERPOL as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to strengthen our collective efforts to deter the misuse of INTERPOL systems and support organisational reform and governance at INTERPOL.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom grouped question UIN HL2218 HL2220 question first answered 20/02/2024 12:36:17 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1688021

registered interest
date	06/02/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	INTERPOL: Databases
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports of the Turkish government's misuse of the Interpol Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, what assessment they have made of the Chinese government's ability to use the SLTD database to target Chinese and Hong Kong dissidents abroad.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL2220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government strongly supports INTERPOL’s efforts to ensure systems are in place that protect individuals’ human rights in line with Article 3 of INTERPOL's Constitution which strictly forbids any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office continues to work with INTERPOL and the National Crime Agency (NCA), which acts as the UK’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL, to monitor the effectiveness of existing safeguards. We encourage INTERPOL to uphold international human rights obligations and we won’t hesitate to recommend further reforms to INTERPOL as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to strengthen our collective efforts to deter the misuse of INTERPOL systems and support organisational reform and governance at INTERPOL.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom grouped question UIN HL2218 HL2219 question first answered 20/02/2024 12:36:17 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1679276

registered interest
date	19/12/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 18 December 2023 (HL Deb cols 2046-2049) how many members of the Hazara community targeted by the Taliban and IS-K in Afghanistan have been resettled to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1315
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2024 answer text <p>Resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority for this Government.</p><p>The latest published Immigration system statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) show that at the end of September 2023, around 24,600 vulnerable people affected by the events in Afghanistan have been brought to safety so far.</p><p>Statistics on individuals resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes is available in the immigration system statistics release. For detailed data, see table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement datasets.</p><p>The Home Office does not publish data on resettlement by ethnicity, as ethnicity is not routinely collected in a way that is reportable.</p><p>The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and difficult decisions have to be made on who will be prioritised for resettlement.</p><p>We continue to work with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans.</p> answering member printed Lord Sharpe of Epsom question first answered 10/01/2024 17:32:41 answering member 4888 label Biography information for Lord Sharpe of Epsom
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool