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1718267

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	Home Office: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost to the public purse was of staff diversity networks in his Department in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	26338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>Our financial records show that for the five financial Years 19/20 to 23/24 costs recorded for our staff networks total £215, 835.</p><p>This does not include expenditure by all staff networks which may have had costs met through central budgets based on specific business cases and other ad-hoc requests during the period. Disproportionate effort would be required to identify such costs.</p><p>In addition, the Government has audited the cost-effectiveness of all equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) activities, through the review of EDI spending announced last June. On 14th May the Minister without Portfolio made a <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fquestions-statements.parliament.uk%2Fwritten-statements%2Fdetail%2F2024-05-14%2Fhcws464&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAndy.Woodgate%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7Ca2dead7049594ac44e9908dc78b50ae2%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C638517966170842951%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=jfX2Y7EDyLGFfM8crpfMsC25JQJ%2FmKsFV0fWlnEqCZg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">written statement</a> on the latest findings from the review.</p><p>In response to these findings, the Cabinet Office has published the Civil Service EDI Expenditure Guidance. This includes an end to all external spending on EDI activity, unless cleared and authorised by Ministers.</p><p>The Cabinet Office is also developing new guidance for staff diversity networks. This will outline clear expectations and parameters around the role and function of networks so that they support productivity and are aligned to Civil Service Values, Civil Service D&amp;I Strategy and Government Reform commitments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 23/05/2024 15:39:32 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1718296

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	Home Office: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
tabling member constituency	Romsey and Southampton North
tabling member printed	Caroline Nokes
uin	26427
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office has supported the Disability Confident Scheme since August 2016, as a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader. The Home Office attained subsequent re-accreditation, at Level 3, in March 2021, and, again in March 2024.</p><p>The Home Office remains committed to being a Disability Confident Leader and seeks to break down the barriers to career progression, to maximise the talent disabled people bring to the workplace.</p><p>The Department takes an evidence-led approach, to closely monitor disability representation, at all points of the employee life cycle.</p><p>The Home Office:</p><ul><li>has a dedicated workplace adjustments team, to support colleagues and line managers, alongside a dedicated team to support those that use assisted technology in the workplace. To supplement this, the Home Office has a workplace adjustment guidance, and line managers are invited to attend awareness session to increase line management capability.</li><li>have dedicated guidance on reasonable adjustments in recruitment for vacancy holders to work with. This is designed to ensure that disabled applicants experience a level playing field in the recruitment process.</li><li>regularly evaluates the effectiveness of Disability related policies and practices, alongside wider inclusion interventions.</li><li>work closely with our accessibility team to ensure our website is compliant with Public Sector Body Accessibility Regulations. For example, all our videos have closed captions, audio description versions and are accompanied by transcripts.</li><li>website also includes information on how to request reasonable adjustments when applying.</li><li>has a dedicated Disability champion at Director General level, who reports directly to the Permanent Secretary. The Home Office Disability champion chairs a Disability champion board every six weeks, which is attended by directorate level champions and the chair of the Home Disability staff network, where they monitor progress against the internal Home Office Disability action plan.</li><li>evaluates disability representation at all grades within the Department and have met or exceeded our internal target of 12%</li><li>has also enhanced its British Sign Language provision for D/deaf colleagues.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Department encourages disabled staff to participate in all Home Office led talent programmes, in line with their chosen career progression. The tables below show the Disability representation as of March 2024.</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p>Delegate Grades</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Group</p></td><td><p>Target</p></td><td><p>AA</p></td><td><p>AO</p></td><td><p>EO</p></td><td><p>HEO</p></td><td><p>SEO</p></td><td><p>Grade 7</p></td><td><p>Grade 6</p></td><td><p>SCS</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Disability</p></td><td><p>12%*</p></td><td><p>20%</p></td><td><p>18%</p></td><td><p>15%</p></td><td><p>13%</p></td><td><p>13%</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td><td><p>12%</p></td><td><p>13%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>*The Home Office Disability target reflects the economically active population, or the existing Home Office representation, whichever is higher.</p><p>Home Office Disability recruitment data shows a year-on-year increase in the percentage representation of candidates with disabilities at each stage of the recruitment process, which can be seen in the table below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>% of disabled candidates</p></td><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p>2023</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Application stage</p></td><td><p>8.5%</p></td><td><p>9.1%</p></td><td><p>9.6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Successful Sift</p></td><td><p>9.6%</p></td><td><p>10.1%</p></td><td><p>10.4%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Successful Interview</p></td><td><p>8.8%</p></td><td><p>9.3%</p></td><td><p>9.8%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ready to Hire</p></td><td><p>8.8%</p></td><td><p>9.1%</p></td><td><p>9.5%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/05/2024 17:14:32 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes

1718316

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	Knives: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) meetings and (b) other discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on knife crime in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	26416
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Secretary and Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire regularly meet with the Mayor of London and Police and Crime Commissioners to discuss crime and policing matters.</p><p>Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £43m of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) in London which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime in London. In addition, c.£8.1m has been awarded in 2024/25 to deliver the ‘Hotspot Response’ programme and enable additional, high visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the areas worst affected by serious violence and ASB.</p><p>Additionally, just under £1.3m has been awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty in London.</p><p>Following a surrender scheme, the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes that are designed to look intimidating but have no practical purpose will be outlawed from 24 September 2024.</p><p>Additionally, through the Criminal Justice Bill, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.</p><p>We are also providing £3.5 million into the research, development, and evaluation of new technologies to reduce knife crime, including knife detection technologies. The Metropolitan Police has been given £547,863 for further live facial recognition mobile units to be deployed across their 75 London hotspots.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 23/05/2024 15:37:45 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1718352

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	National Police Chiefs' Council
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 Answer of 9 May 2024 to Question 24750 on National Police Chiefs' Council, on what dates the five meetings between Ministers and the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for sex work took place.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	26386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal in England and Wales. Research the Home Office commissioned in 2019 on the nature of sex work and prostitution in England and Wales found that some sex workers use technology to manage their safety, and so criminalising the enablement of prostitution online could put these individuals at greater risk of harm.</p><p> </p><p>However, we recognise that advertising of sexual services has increasingly moved online, and that adult service websites can be used enable sexual exploitation. That is why the Online Safety Act 2023 ensures online platforms are responsible and accountable for content on their sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Act will make the UK the safest place to be online and will require online platforms to proactively identify and remove content linked to priority offences, including controlling and inciting prostitution for gain.</p><p> </p><p>Safeguarding Ministers met the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for sex work on 31 January 2023, 24 May 2022, 6 February 2019, 19 April 2018 and 27 Nov 2017.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris grouped question UIN 26387 question first answered 20/05/2024 16:54:52 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1718353

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	Exploitation
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 Answer of 9 May 2024 to Question 24749 on Prostitution: Internet, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of criminalising the (a) enablement of and (b) profiting from prostitution of others.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Dame Diana Johnson
uin	26387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal in England and Wales. Research the Home Office commissioned in 2019 on the nature of sex work and prostitution in England and Wales found that some sex workers use technology to manage their safety, and so criminalising the enablement of prostitution online could put these individuals at greater risk of harm.</p><p> </p><p>However, we recognise that advertising of sexual services has increasingly moved online, and that adult service websites can be used enable sexual exploitation. That is why the Online Safety Act 2023 ensures online platforms are responsible and accountable for content on their sites and take proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. The Act will make the UK the safest place to be online and will require online platforms to proactively identify and remove content linked to priority offences, including controlling and inciting prostitution for gain.</p><p> </p><p>Safeguarding Ministers met the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for sex work on 31 January 2023, 24 May 2022, 6 February 2019, 19 April 2018 and 27 Nov 2017.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris grouped question UIN 26386 question first answered 20/05/2024 16:54:52 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1718354

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
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 Answer of 14 May 2024 to Question 24982 on Oppression, what his expected timetable is for the publication of his Department's review on transnational repression.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	26457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The UK will not tolerate transnational repression (TNR) and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our legal powers to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.</p><p>The Defending Democracy Taskforce, is reviewing the UK’s response to TNR to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.</p><p>The review is nearing completion and I will be updating Parliament in due course. The review is an in-depth exploration of the issue, including material which is classified, it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the document in full. I intend to provide the House with a statement which summarises the key findings and recommendations.</p><p>It is crucial that those who believe themselves to be victims of state-backed threats report concerns to the police. At the UK - Hong Kong Symposium on 27 April, I set out that the police are in the process of finalising a new suite of resources to raise awareness and capabilities of frontline officers across the UK, which will be launched over the next few months. This will enable frontline officers to increase their understanding of the threats that foreign powers present, support their engagement with communities who may be at risk, and respond appropriately to reports from members of the public.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat grouped question UIN 26458 26459 question first answered 20/05/2024 16:34:48 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1717839

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Foreign Influence Registration Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress his Department has made on the (a) implementation and (b) operation of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	26078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>It remains an absolute priority for the government to take all necessary steps to protect the United Kingdom from any foreign state activity which seeks to undermine our national security, prosperity and democratic values.</p><p>The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), introduced under Part 4 of the National Security Act 2023, will support this aim by increasing transparency of foreign influence in UK politics and by providing greater assurance around the activities of specified foreign powers or foreign power-controlled entities.</p><p>We intend that the scheme will become operational in Autumn 2024. The work to deliver this is underway, including ensuring regulations on the new powers covered in the National Security Act are fully consulted on and are laid in Parliament as Statutory Instruments in advance of ‘go live’ of the scheme.</p><p>The Government expects to publicise the intended ‘go live’ date several months in advance to ensure those affected by the scheme are given sufficient time to prepare.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 21/05/2024 15:53:37 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1717848

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Home Office: Motor Vehicles
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 (a) cars and (b) other vehicles used by his Department were made in Britain.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	26047
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government Car service (GCS) provides vehicles to a number of Government departments. Due to logistical and operational reasons the type of vehicles deployed at each department can vary on a daily or weekly basis. The GCS fleet currently has 122 vehicles, 58 (48%) of which are vehicles made in Britain.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 23/05/2024 06:20:58 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1717854

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Animal Experiments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to strengthen sanctions for those who breach conditions of a licence to conduct animal experiments for scientific research.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	26091
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously.</p><p>The Animals in Science Regulation Unit applies sanctions in cases of non-compliance in accordance with its compliance policy, which aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.</p><p>More rigorous sanctions are used in cases where animal welfare is impacted or there are significant systems failures.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 21/05/2024 15:56:17 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1717857

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Animal Experiments: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the corporate report entitled Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report 2022, published on 25 April 2024, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for increases in incidents involving failure to provide adequate care for animals.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	26092
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously. The numbers of non-compliance cases vary in any given year. In 2022 the Animals in Science Regulation Unit introduced improvements in how non-compliance is reported, which includes self-reporting. The self-reporting of non-compliance by establishments is vital to assure a culture of compliance. The increase in numbers of reported non-compliances in the annual report was driven by increased self-reporting.</p><p>The Animals in Science Regulation Unit will further evaluate trends in non-compliance as its regulatory reform programme develops. Every case is investigated, and remedies and sanctions applied according to its published non-compliance policy.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 21/05/2024 15:54:53 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy