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1274697

registered interest
date	08/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Yvonne Fletcher
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 Prime minister's oral answer on 1 July 2020, Official Report, column 327 and his meeting with the hon. Member for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock on 29 July 2020 on the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher in 1984, what progress he has made on the release of Government information relevant to that investigation.
tabling member constituency	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
tabling member printed	Allan Dorans
uin	134572
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2021 answer text <p>This question repeats a letter the Honorable Member has recently sent to the Prime Minister. This response is in drafting and he will receive a reply by Friday 22<sup>nd</sup> January 2021.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 13/01/2021 16:03:54 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4740 label Biography information for Allan Dorans

1274737

registered interest
date	08/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre
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 ensure that people in Colnbrook immigration removal centre are able to access (a) legal representatives, (b) their families and (c) other forms of support.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	134497
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2021 answer text <p>Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), including Colnbrook IRC.</p><p>The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met. Following a change of operations in line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA Detained Duty Advice scheme is currently operating by phone. The duty solicitor will directly contact individuals who wish to access this service.</p><p>All individuals in IRCs, including Colnbrook, are provided with a mobile phone and have access to landline telephones, fax machines, email and video calling facilities which can be used to contact legal advisers. In exceptional circumstances, and for individuals facing imminent removal from the UK, face to face legal visits can occur where other means of contact (video calling, telephone, email) are not feasible.</p><p>Social visits to IRCs and Short-Term Holding Facilities (STHF) are operated in line with Government COVID-19 control measures at a local, regional or national level and are carefully controlled and risk-assessed in line with Government advice on social distancing. Detained individuals are being encouraged to utilise virtual means of social contact including video calling, email and mobile telephone; additional weekly mobile phone credit is being provided to support continued social contact in these unprecedented times.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/01/2021 10:01:10 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1274739

registered interest
date	08/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Offenders: Deportation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on the deportation of people who are in the process of appealing a criminal conviction.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	134498
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2021 answer text <p>The department’s policy is to put deportation on hold where we are aware that a person has appealed their criminal conviction.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/01/2021 11:24:46 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1274740

registered interest
date	08/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Removal Centres
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 compatibility with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights of steps taken by her Department’s to remove parents from their children in immigration removal centres.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	134499
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office has a duty to maintain effective immigration control. It may be necessary on occasion to detain a member of the household or another adult who is part of the care arrangements for children, thus separating a family.</p><p>Regular reviews of detention consider whether the ongoing detention is a proportionate interference in the Article 8 rights of each member of the family and take account of any new information that is obtained.</p><p>When assessing whether children should be removed from their family unit, the impact of the separation is considered carefully. Any information concerning the children that is available or can reasonably be obtained must be considered. The conclusion reached will depend on the specific facts of each case. Detention decision makers are also instructed to have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in accordance with our duties under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009.</p><p>The separation of children from their parents for immigration purposes can be justified in exceptional circumstances for safeguarding reasons where the welfare of the child is compromised by their remaining with a parent, for example to prevent children from being at risk of, or witnessing, disruptive or violent behaviour, or when the Independent Family Returns Panel (IFRP) advises that a separation is in a child or the children’s best interests.</p><p>Home Office guidance provides that nursing mothers must not be separated from the child they are nursing, and that a child must not be separated from both adults for immigration purposes, or from one, in the case of a single-parent family, if the consequence of that decision is that the child would be taken into care.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/01/2021 10:43:23 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1274774

registered interest
date	08/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Home Office: Secondment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been on (a) secondment and (b) internship to her Department from (i) the Scottish Government and (ii) Crown and Prosecutor Fiscal Service in each year since 2011; how long on average each such position was held for; and what role each such member of staff performed.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Kenny MacAskill
uin	134594
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2021 answer text <p>This information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/01/2021 16:00:02 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4772 label Biography information for Kenny MacAskill

1273722

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Knives: Young People
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 is taking to educate young people on the illegality of carrying knives without reasonable cause.
tabling member constituency	Ynys Môn
tabling member printed	Virginia Crosbie
uin	134279
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>It is vitally important that we prevent young people from being drawn into violent crime and carry knives in the first place. Raising awareness of the risks and consequences of carrying a knife is an important part of the Government’s approach to knife crime prevention. And there are many sources of funding we have put in place to ensure this education exists for young people:</p><p>The Government has invested over £200 million specifically in early intervention and prevention initiatives to support children and young people at risk of exploitation and involvement in serious violence. The Youth Endowment Fund and their National Centre of Excellence are sharing knowledge and expertise with those working with vulnerable children and young people at risk of involvement in serious youth violence.</p><p>This funding is in addition to the £22 million Early Intervention Youth Fund which ran from 2018 – 2020 that directly funded awareness raising and education programmes, diversionary activities, tailored interventions, and programmes which aimed to cease offending or reoffending.</p><p>Locally we have set up Violence Reduction Units in 18 of the highest violence hotspots whose job it is to bring together police, local government, health and education professionals, community leaders and other key partners to identify the drivers of serious violence, to help them to implement a long term, multi-agency, preventative approach, to stop violence from happening in the first place. We know that a number of these Units are funding education/awareness programmes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 11/01/2021 15:23:47 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4859 label Biography information for Virginia Crosbie

1273743

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Money Laundering
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of anti-money laundering provisions in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002; and what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the 2002 Act on small businesses.
tabling member constituency	North Cornwall
tabling member printed	Scott Mann
uin	133987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The UK is internationally recognised as having some of the strongest controls and legislation worldwide when it comes to tackling money laundering and bringing to justice those who seek to use or hide the proceeds of crime. There has been no recent assessment of the effectiveness of anti-money laundering provisions in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. In 2017, the Regulatory Policy Committee, which considers the impact of legislation on business, rated the Criminal Finances Bill as ‘fit for purpose’. They agreed that the Bill would “involve no significant burden on small businesses”. The Criminal Finances Act amended the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and gained Royal Assent in 2017.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 11/01/2021 15:55:31 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4496 label Biography information for Scott Mann

1273769

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	European Arrest Warrants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are currently subject to outstanding UK requests under the European Arrest warrant.
tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
tabling member printed	Stuart C McDonald
uin	133895
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office does not hold the information requested.</p><p><br>The National Crime Agency handles requests made through the European Arrest Warrant as well as those made under the new surrender arrangements.</p><p><br>Statistics on the European Arrest Warrant have been published by the National Crime Agency for each year of its operation. These figures are published at: https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 11/01/2021 17:22:50 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1273798

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	British Nationality: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applications for British citizenship were concluded within (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months and (d) more than 12 months of those applications being received by her Department in the last 12 months for which information is available.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	133712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office is committed to routinely publishing data as part of the transparency data in the Immigration Statistics quarterly release. The latest data can be found on Gov.uk at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-november-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-november-2020</a></p><p>The available data includes performance against the six-month service standard and applications remaining unresolved, it does not break down the timescales for reaching a decision in any further detail.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 12/01/2021 17:07:58 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

1273847

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Biometrics: Greater Manchester and Kingston upon Hull
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 adequacy of the number of free biometric appointments issued in (a) Hull and (b) Manchester in 2020; and what steps her Department has taken to increase the number of available biometric appointments.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	133750
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>As a result of COVID-19, and national restrictions at the time, all UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service (UKVCAS) sites were closed from 27 March until 1 June 2020.</p><p>Following the reopening of UKVCAS services, capacity was initially reduced due to the need to adhere to social distancing regulations.</p><p>To help reduce the number of customers who needed to attend a physical appointment, we introduced a biometric reuse process which allows UKVI to reuse previously submitted biometrics in order to assess visa and citizenship applications, meaning eligible customers didn’t need to visit a UKVCAS service point to enrol new biometrics. In parallel, customers without reusable biometrics were invited to book a physical appointment in date order from the date in which they applied.</p><p>This approach meant we could resume normal service quicker following the COVID-19 impact, and we were able to return to regular processes from 24 September, with a biometric reuse process still in place for student applications, where eligible. Since late September capacity at UKVCAS service points has continued to increase through site expansion, whilst ensuring the physical locations remain COVID-19 secure. and is now greater than pre-covid levels.</p><p>However, application demand since this time has exceeded forecasts, meaning some customers have experienced delays in securing an appointment.</p><p>The contract we have with Sopra Steria Limited, who run the UKVCAS service on behalf of UKVI, stipulates the percentage of appointments which must be free at the core service points in Cardiff, Croydon, Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester. Details on the relevant performance indicators to measure appointment availability has been published and can be found in Schedule 7 of the UKVI Front End Services contract available here</p><p><a href="https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec5031ea-021e-471a-86cf-af540e8d8efa" target="_blank">https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec5031ea-021e-471a-86cf-af540e8d8efa</a>.</p><p>UKVI monitors appointment levels closely to ensure there are sufficient free appointments made available overall and including in geographical regions where there appears to be most demand. As a result, the UKVCAS service point in Manchester, for example, now has proportionately more free appointments than it did in July. UKVI continues to look at options to enhance capacity further to meet demand.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 11/01/2021 16:54:08 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson