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1303277

registered interest
date	17/03/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Controls: Heathrow Airport
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce queues at Heathrow airport.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	170636
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2021 answer text <p>Wait times in airports can be caused by a number of factors, not just related to resourcing. This includes all mandated border security activity, the volume of immigration case working, additional support and checks in relation to Covid-19, and specific security activity.</p><p>Our teams seek to balance this range of tasking each day. Whilst mindful of passenger wait times and experience, our primary objective is to ensure the security of the border</p><p>Like all public services operating throughout this unprecedented global pandemic, there have been additional pressures placed on Border Force and the safety of the public and our staff remains our priority.</p><p>Resource and staffing requirements at every port, including Heathrow, are continually reviewed by Border Force working with airport operators including Heathrow Airport Ltd. Resources are deployed flexibly as and when they are required.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 26/03/2021 13:25:40 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1290219

registered interest
date	26/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Travel: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has held discussions with Cabinet colleagues on how the UK will allow international travel when the global covid-19 infection rate decreases.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	159304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2021 answer text <p>As set out in the Roadmap to Recovery, future decisions will be considered by the Global Travel Taskforce which will report with recommendations for resuming international travel on 12 April.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/03/2021 13:50:28 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1284523

registered interest
date	08/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrants: Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	If she will waive or reduce the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge for people and families on low incomes coming to the UK under the British National (Overseas) visa scheme.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	911947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2021 answer text <p>BN(O) status holders and their dependants must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Applicants pay the appropriate amount of IHS depending upon the length of leave they apply for (either 30 months or 5 years). Like other nationals coming to the UK, it is only right they contribute to our healthcare system. IHS Income goes directly into our brilliant NHS.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/02/2021 16:40:47 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1253221

registered interest
date	18/11/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Nitrous Oxide: Misuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the use of nitrous oxide by young people.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	117256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government takes the supply of substances for their psychoactive effect very seriously. There are legitimate uses for nitrous oxide, such as in medicine, dentistry and as a propellant for whipped cream canisters, but those who supply nitrous oxide for its recreational use, or who are reckless as to whether it is used for its psychoactive effect, will be subject to an offence under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. This includes a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.</p><p>The Government has published guidance for retailers to satisfy themselves that they comply with the law, available on the gov.uk website. The guidance recommends that retailers, including those operating online, should pay particular attention to the potential for abuse of nitrous oxide, especially where customers seek to buy in bulk or large volumes, and suggests that retailers may wish to carry out age checks to prevent those at highest risk from gaining access to psychoactive substances.</p><p>With regard to the online sale of nitrous oxide, in the Queen’s Speech on 19 December 2019, the Government committed to develop legislation to improve internet safety for all. This will build on the proposals in last year’s Online Harms White Paper, which set out the Government’s plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The Government intends to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The duty of care will ensure companies have appropriate systems in place to deal with harmful content on their internet services and keep users safe. We are working on a full Government response, which will include more detailed proposals on online harms regulation. The Government will follow the full response by introducing Online Harms legislation when parliamentary time allows.</p><p>Schools play a key role in enabling young people to make positive choices about their wellbeing, including resisting drug use. Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) became a compulsory subject in schools from September 2020. However, in light of school closures the Department for Education recognises that some schools may not be able to begin teaching the new content until the start of the summer term 2021. Schools have the freedom to ensure the curriculum meets the need of their pupils. This flexibility allows schools to respond to local public health and community issues such as nitrous oxide misuse and adapt material and programmes to suit the needs of pupils.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 26/11/2020 11:52:10 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1251869

registered interest
date	13/11/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Churches: Theft and Vandalism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with police forces on steps they are taking to protect churches from (a) theft and (b) vandalism during lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	91968
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2020 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic, the police have managed resource to be able to respond to new local pressures as well as maintaining their response levels to existing types of crime including those affecting religious properties. Forces will continue to work with local communities’ groups on prevention measures and opportunities to stop unnecessary crimes from happening.</p><p>The Government is committed to cutting crime and is investing in prevention to ensure that every opportunity is taken to stop unnecessary crimes from happening. The Government is helping to protect churches from hate crime through the Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme. The 2020-21 round launched on 16 June with an uplift to £3.2 million- double the amount awarded last year. Over the last four years we have awarded 183 grants worth approximately 3 million to places of worship across England and Wales - with 76 churches receiving funding.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 19/11/2020 12:46:36 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1244831

registered interest
date	20/10/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Organised Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to address trafficking gangs in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	106348
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, and drug and firearms trafficking.</p><p>Our response to these threats is set out in:</p><ul><li>Serious and Organised Crime Strategy: (<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/698009/serious-violence-strategy.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/698009/serious-violence-strategy.pdf</a>)</li><li>2019/20 Modern Slavery Annual Report: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery</a></li></ul><p>This year, the Home Office is providing £2 million funding to continue to support the police under the new Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Programme (MSOIC). This funding will enable us to support the police to drive forward work to increase modern slavery prosecutions and build capability to respond to organised immigration crime.</p><p>We are also investing £25m over two years (2019/20 to 2020/21) to boost law enforcement efforts to tackle the county lines model of drugs distribution, including through expanding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC), boosting operational activity in the three major exporting force areas (the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, West Midlands), and increasing support for victims.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 05/11/2020 12:51:55 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1240100

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Raves: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help prevent illegal raves during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	98967
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2020 answer text <p>On Friday 28 August, the Government introduced legislation to provide the police in England and Wales powers to issue a £10,000 FPN to anyone holding, or involved in the holding of, an illegal gathering of over 30 people.</p><p> </p><p>Police forces also have the power to direct rave goers to leave, and failure to comply with this direction constitutes a criminal offence. Individuals who attend illegal raves can be fined £200, doubling with each offence up to a maximum of £6,400.</p><p> </p><p>Forces continue to work hard to gather and share intelligence in order to detect and disrupt unlicensed music events which are purposely organised at short notice to avoid detection, and continue to engage, explain, encourage, and enforce these fines where necessary.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 08/10/2020 14:59:14 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1237107

registered interest
date	23/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Espionage
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 implications for her policies on preventing infiltration of the police by foreign intelligence agents of the charges brought against a New York City Police Department officer for spying on Tibetan immigrants for the Chinese Government.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	94424
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government takes the threat posed by hostile state activity extremely seriously, and seeks to protect the UK through strategies and structures that combine the UK’s diplomatic, intelligence and military capabilities, and its hard and soft power, to maximum effect. We act in concert with our allies, seeking to lead the West’s collective response to hybrid threats to our societies and values. And as set out in the Queen’s Speech in December 2019, we are developing new legislation to tackle hostile state activity.</p><p>Decisions on the recruitment of officers across England and Wales are for the chief officer of the police force concerned to make, on a case by case basis. These decisions must be taken in accordance with the statutory Code of Practice on Vetting and Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on vetting, which are issued by the College of Policing.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 01/10/2020 16:17:15 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1236711

registered interest
date	22/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Slavery: Victim Support Schemes
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 provide practical support to people discovered in modern slavery rings by police sting operations.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	93596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2020 answer text <p>Police forces are designated First Responders and are trained to spot the signs of modern slavery, and on how to refer potential victims into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM); the UK’s system for identifying and supporting victims.</p><p>Support to victims of modern slavery is a devolved matter. In England and Wales, potential victims of modern slavery are supported through a mixture of mainstream support and specialist support through the Victim Care Contract delivered by The Salvation Army. In Northern Ireland, Belfast &amp; Lisburn Women’s Aid and Migrant Help are the two specialist support providers, contracted by the Department of Justice.</p><p>In terms of the practical support on offer, potential adult victims can receive accommodation, financial support, assistance in accessing mental and physical health care including counselling, and access to legal support, compensation and protective measures in court to enable them to support the Government in prosecuting their exploiters. This support provision is replicated in Northern Ireland.</p><p>A new Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract was awarded in June for services across England and Wales. During the first year of the contract the government will work with law enforcement partners to test the set-up and operation of a new provision of Places of Safety. The service is aimed at the most vulnerable victims rescued from exploitation and will provide them with a safe place for up to three working days to consider if they want to enter the NRM.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 30/09/2020 15:33:57 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1236254

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	Immigration: Hong Kong
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 is taking to support Hong Kong citizens who are born after 1997 and do not qualify for BN(O) status.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	92769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2020 answer text <p>We are introducing the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa to give BN(O) citizens and their dependants an opportunity to settle in the United Kingdom, in recognition of their historic ties to the UK and China’s breech of its previous commitments through the introduction of new national security legislation.</p><p>Many people in Hong Kong chose to register for BN(O) status, electing to retain their ties with the UK and a British Identity. However, a child born on or after 1 July 1997 to BN(O) parents would not have had the opportunity to be registered for BN(O) status. We do not wish to split family units and therefore the children of a BN(O) citizen who fall into this category and who form part of the same household will be able to apply for this Visa alongside their BN(O) parent.</p><p>Individuals from Hong Kong not eligible for the specific route for British National (Overseas) will still be able to apply to come to the UK under the terms of the UK’s new Points Based System, which will enable individuals to come to the UK in a wider range of professions than in the past. In addition, Hong Kong nationals aged between 18 and 30 are eligible to apply to the existing Youth Mobility Scheme, with 1000 places currently available each year.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 28/09/2020 15:30:38 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon