Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of teaching at police training colleges, in particular in regard to teaching about hate speech and free speech.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring there are consistent, high standards in police training and leadership to help maintain public trust and confidence. That is why the Home Office continues to fund the College of Policing to deliver support to forces and improvements to leadership and training standards through the National Police Leadership Centre.
The College of Policing sets national guidance and standards for policing in England and Wales, which includes publishing Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on hate crime. This APP provides guidance on how police should respond to hate crimes and promotes a proportionate and consistent approach that upholds the rights of victims and protects free speech.
While the College sets the overall framework, individual police forces are responsible for determining their own local delivery of training.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 30 October (HL Deb cols 1501-2), whether they will provide further detail of the way in which asylum seekers will be phased into housing in Ministry of Defence barracks.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Alternative Home Office sites are populated with a phased and incremental approach to full occupancy.
Consideration of both sites is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the scope of the national inquiry into grooming gangs will include the consideration of the historic background and factors behind child sexual exploitation and abuse in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are working urgently to establish the Inquiry and Baroness Casey of Blackstock is supporting this process.
Our immediate priority is appointing a Chair with the credibility and experience to lead the inquiry, ensuring a trauma-informed approach to engaging victims and survivors throughout - from its design to reporting. We aim to announce a Chair as soon as possible.
Under the Inquiries Act, the Minister is responsible for defining the scope and structure of an inquiry. Once a Chair is appointed, in line with the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair will play a central role in shaping the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 30 October (HL Deb col 1501), whether both local authorities were fully consulted prior to making a final decision on the selection of sites to house asylum seekers.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Consideration of both sites is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered. The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with planning regulations.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what date they will announce the appointment of the chair of the national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are working urgently to establish the Inquiry and Baroness Casey of Blackstock is supporting this process.
Our immediate priority is appointing a Chair with the credibility and experience to lead the inquiry, ensuring a trauma-informed approach to engaging victims and survivors throughout - from its design to reporting. We aim to announce a Chair as soon as possible.
Under the Inquiries Act, the Minister is responsible for defining the scope and structure of an inquiry. Once a Chair is appointed, in line with the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair will play a central role in shaping the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role ministers will have in shaping the terms of reference for the national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are working urgently to establish the Inquiry and Baroness Casey of Blackstock is supporting this process.
Our immediate priority is appointing a Chair with the credibility and experience to lead the inquiry, ensuring a trauma-informed approach to engaging victims and survivors throughout - from its design to reporting. We aim to announce a Chair as soon as possible.
Under the Inquiries Act, the Minister is responsible for defining the scope and structure of an inquiry. Once a Chair is appointed, in line with the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair will play a central role in shaping the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Wealden District Council on (a) the steps it is taking to ensure that objections from the public are invited in relation to any proposed development at the Crowborough Training Camp and Asylum Seeker accommodation and (b) how any objections would be fed into their consultation process.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
We continue to engage with local authorities, property partners and cross-government to assess feasibility and accelerate delivery where possible, ensuring any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with planning regulations.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.
We do not comment on legal matters. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether any directions enabling or inviting objections to a section 293B application regarding the Crowborough Training Camp and Asylum Seeker accommodation have been issued Wealden District Council.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
We continue to engage with local authorities, property partners and cross-government to assess feasibility and accelerate delivery where possible, ensuring any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with planning regulations.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.
We do not comment on legal matters. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if Wealden District Council is responsible for leading local stakeholder engagement; and share the stakeholder engagement plan in relation to the proposed use of the Crowborough Training Camp for Asylum Seeker accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
We continue to engage with local authorities, property partners and cross-government to assess feasibility and accelerate delivery where possible, ensuring any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with planning regulations.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.
We do not comment on legal matters. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether Wealden District Council has submitted any (a) legal challenge and (b) letter before action to any aspects of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in relation to the Crowborough Training Camp and Asylum Seeker accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
We continue to engage with local authorities, property partners and cross-government to assess feasibility and accelerate delivery where possible, ensuring any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with planning regulations.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.
We do not comment on legal matters. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.