Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to producing a rural crime strategy which would be fully integrated into the overall Government Crime Strategy, as called for in the National Rural Crime Network’s recent report, Rural Crime: Serious, Organised and International, published on 10 March.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We welcome the National Rural Crime Network’s report and will consider its recommendations.

This Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). In December 2023, we published the 2023 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.

Serious and organised crime is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK. It costs lives, blights communities, hampers economic growth, and corrodes the global reputation of the UK and its institutions.

The Government welcomed the rural and wildlife crime strategy published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in September 2022, this provides a comprehensive framework through which policing, and partner agencies can work together to tackle rural and wildlife crime, including where it is linked to other forms of serious and organised crime such as the drugs trade.

The National Rural Crime Unit works closely with Interpol to share information about stolen agricultural and construction machinery. As a result of the partnership it has established with INTERPOL, equipment has been recovered from criminal gangs across Europe.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the National Rural Crime Network’s call for the Home Office to undertake a comprehensive economic impact assessment of rural crime in its report Rural Crime: Serious, Organised and International, published on 10 March.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We welcome the National Rural Crime Network’s report and will consider its recommendations.

This Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). In December 2023, we published the 2023 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.

Serious and organised crime is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK. It costs lives, blights communities, hampers economic growth, and corrodes the global reputation of the UK and its institutions.

The Government welcomed the rural and wildlife crime strategy published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in September 2022, this provides a comprehensive framework through which policing, and partner agencies can work together to tackle rural and wildlife crime, including where it is linked to other forms of serious and organised crime such as the drugs trade.

The National Rural Crime Unit works closely with Interpol to share information about stolen agricultural and construction machinery. As a result of the partnership it has established with INTERPOL, equipment has been recovered from criminal gangs across Europe.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK’s decision to leave the EU on the UK’s ability to track down or trace stolen plant and agricultural machinery.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We welcome the National Rural Crime Network’s report and will consider its recommendations.

This Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). In December 2023, we published the 2023 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.

Serious and organised crime is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK. It costs lives, blights communities, hampers economic growth, and corrodes the global reputation of the UK and its institutions.

The Government welcomed the rural and wildlife crime strategy published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in September 2022, this provides a comprehensive framework through which policing, and partner agencies can work together to tackle rural and wildlife crime, including where it is linked to other forms of serious and organised crime such as the drugs trade.

The National Rural Crime Unit works closely with Interpol to share information about stolen agricultural and construction machinery. As a result of the partnership it has established with INTERPOL, equipment has been recovered from criminal gangs across Europe.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the links between wildlife offences and the drugs trade, as highlighted in the report Rural Crime: Serious, Organised and International published by the National Rural Crime Network, published on 10 March.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We welcome the National Rural Crime Network’s report and will consider its recommendations.

This Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). In December 2023, we published the 2023 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.

Serious and organised crime is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK. It costs lives, blights communities, hampers economic growth, and corrodes the global reputation of the UK and its institutions.

The Government welcomed the rural and wildlife crime strategy published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in September 2022, this provides a comprehensive framework through which policing, and partner agencies can work together to tackle rural and wildlife crime, including where it is linked to other forms of serious and organised crime such as the drugs trade.

The National Rural Crime Unit works closely with Interpol to share information about stolen agricultural and construction machinery. As a result of the partnership it has established with INTERPOL, equipment has been recovered from criminal gangs across Europe.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have for describing socialism and communism as "united by a set of grievance narratives" in the latest version of the Home Office online Prevent duty training modules amended in July 2023.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Prevent plays a vital role in tackling radicalisation, seeking to intervene early where somebody is at risk of becoming a terrorist or supporting terrorism.

The Prevent duty training service is continually reviewed to align with the recommendations made in the Independent Review of Prevent, new Prevent Duty Guidance and CONTEST 2023. The latest update includes removal of the reference describing socialism and communism as "united by a set of grievance narratives" from the training module.

We will continue to improve and update the training modules to ensure that we can keep the public safe.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in correcting the errors in the Person Centric Data Platform and Atlas system, which have led to the merging of different immigration records.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Person Centric Data Platform (PCDP) holds millions of identities that have been submitted or otherwise provided in support of immigration applications to the UK over many years. The Home Office is aware of issues around ‘merged identity’ - where a single ‘identity island’ has been formed with data belonging to two or more individuals within the PCDP. This is not an issue with Atlas - which provides caseworking capabilities supporting business processing of applicants.

Through detailed analysis of PCDP data, the Home Office has identified around 46,000 records with an identity issue, of which over 13,000 have already been resolved. We have a dedicated team working to resolve the remainder as quickly, and as carefully, as possible.

The Home Office takes data security and accuracy very seriously. Substantial changes have been made to our IT systems to improve data quality, user experience, and caseworking productivity across multiple applications.

Where customers identify an issue with their data, we encourage them to contact the UK Visas and Immigration Contact Centre to enable this to be investigated and resolved.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the National Audit Office’s report Investigation into asylum accommodation, published on 20 March, which found that (1) using large sites to accommodate asylum seekers could cost £46 million more than using hotels, and (2) the Home Office rated their own plans as “high risk or undeliverable”, why the large sites accommodation programme will be continued.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government has always been clear that the use of asylum hotels is unacceptable, and that’s why we acted swiftly to reduce the impact on local communities by moving asylum seekers on to barges and former military sites.

Thanks to the actions the Government has taken to maximise the use of existing space and our work to cut small boat crossings by a third last year, the cost of hotels will fall, and we are now closing dozens of asylum hotels every month to return them to communities.

Large sites provide adequate and functional accommodation for asylum seekers and are designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services. They reduce demand on an already pressured private rental market and their larger capacity allows the Home Office to be agile in responding to fluctuations in demand.

It is better value for money for the taxpayer to continue with these sites than to continue using hotels. The latest assessment of value for money, which excludes committed or spent costs in line with the Green Book methodology, shows that large sites would be £153 million cheaper than hotels.

Despite the need to stand up large sites at speed, controls were in place to assure value for money for the taxpayer. Operational challenges at the sites have changed our costs since original estimates. We continue to keep costs under review while developing ways to reduce it.

The latest Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) review has upgraded the rating of the programme, meaning that the successful delivery of time, quality and cost is feasible.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the time taken for care providers to receive Certificates of Sponsorship for (a) overseas and (b) senior care workers.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The Defined Certificate of Sponsorship process for carers and senior carers from overseas is the same and frequently requires an assessment to establish whether or not the sponsor is able to offer a genuine vacancy. This usually requires the sponsor to submit additional documentation, while the timeframes involved are adequate for the purposes of preventing the exploitation of proposed migrant workers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were charged with criminal offences as a result of Operation Gull in Northern Ireland in 2023.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

In 2023, Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigation teams (CFI) charged 39 individuals with criminal offences as part of Operation Gull.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing physical back-up copies of immigration documents for people on the EU Settlement Scheme.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

As part of our move to a “digital by default” border and immigration system, physical immigration documents are being replaced by fully digital eVisas (an online record of the person’s immigration status).

All EU, EEA and Swiss citizens granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) are now able to prove their rights in the UK digitally, by using the View and Prove service on GOV.UK, instead of using physical documents. Non-EU, EEA or Swiss citizen family members who have a UKVI account can also use the View and Prove service.

Successful applicants continue to receive written notice of their immigration status by email or letter, which they can keep for their personal records if they wish. However, due to the possibility of fraud and abuse this document cannot be used to evidence an individual’s immigration status to external organisations.

There are no plans to provide EU citizens granted status under the EUSS with physical back-up copies of immigration documents.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to expand the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passport to include children of BN(O) passport holders.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The Home Office cannot issue a BN(O) passport to someone who does not hold BN(O) status. BN(O) status was only available by registration before 1 July 1997, and people born on or after that date cannot become a BN(O). There are no plans to retrospectively allow BN(O) status to be acquired by descendants of BN(O) status holders.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps he has taken to help recruit and retain police officers.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

We delivered our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers. There are now over 149,000 officers in England and Wales, higher than the previous peak in 2010. Forces have been fully funded to maintain this uplift.

Retention is a key priority. Voluntary resignation rates, at around 3%, are low compared to other sectors and 72% of new recruits say they intend to stay until retirement.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of unsolved crimes.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are committed to ensuring all partners across the Criminal Justice System (CJS) work better together to increase the number of cases being charged and prosecuted and improve case progression.

We welcome the commitment from police forces across England and Wales to pursue all leads where there is a reasonable chance it could result in catching a perpetrator and solving a crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to improve police recruitment and retention in the London Borough of Havering.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

We delivered our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers. There are now over 149,000 officers in England and Wales, higher than the previous peak in 2010. Forces have been fully funded to maintain this uplift.

Retention is a key priority. Voluntary resignation rates, at around 3%, are low compared to other sectors and 72% of new recruits say they intend to stay until retirement.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish an updated anti-corruption strategy.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

Development of a new Anti-Corruption Strategy is well underway with publication expected shortly.

The new Strategy will build on progress made in the 2017 Strategy and set out how the Government will go further to counter corruption.

The Strategy will outline steps to prevent institutions from being corrupted, bring corrupt actors to justice, address the harms caused and combat corruption internationally.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the (a) needs and (b) vulnerabilities of LGBTQI+ people as part of Operation Maximise.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers in our care is of paramount importance to the Home Office. We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Further details can be found at: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.

Section G.2 of the AASC provides examples of factors which accommodation providers should consider as part of their case-by-case assessment of an individual’s needs in room sharing, including whether they identify as LGBT. This aligns with the allocation of accommodation policy which sets out that the circumstances of every person in asylum accommodation should be assessed individually. Where an individual need or safeguarding concern exists, accommodation may be provided to meet such need.

Additionally, the Home Office has published the Asylum Support Contracts Safeguarding Framework at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-support-contracts-safeguarding-framework. This framework sets out a joint, overarching approach, as well as the key controls and reporting mechanisms in place, across the AASC contracts, for safeguarding arrangements.   All asylum seekers have access to a 24/7 AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help where they can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services and they can get information about how to obtain further support.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of fees for firearms licences.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Fees for firearms licences were last increased in 2015 and the Government is currently considering proposals for new firearms licensing fees.

I hope to make an announcement about fees shortly.

Income received from firearms licensing fees should be invested into ensuring forces’ licensing teams are adequately resourced, trained and equipped.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will hold discussions with the National Police Chiefs' Council on increasing awareness of neurodiverse conditions in recruitment processes.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Our Police Uplift Programme supported forces with a variety of attraction and recruitment strategies, whilst delivering a campaign that was designed to reach diverse audiences.

We continue to work with The College of Policing and NPCC to support efforts to recruit a diverse workforce, and to ensure policing is a career where recruits can thrive.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many complaints to Border Force are not answered within the service standard of 20 days.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The latest transparency data showing performance against service standards in relation to replies to customer complaints for UKVI, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force is available at the following: Customer service operations data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have examined, and from which organisations, to determine that (1) Georgia, and (2) India, are safe countries.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As with all our country assessments to inform asylum and immigration decision making, we have drawn on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what conditions exist in Rwanda that have led them to conclude that appropriate and professional age assessments will be capable of being carried out on people sent there for immigration purposes where special requirements apply in respect of an uncertainty over an individual’s age.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Our age assessment policies for immigration purposes seek to protect genuine children and identify those who are adults.

The UK-Rwanda Treaty makes clear at Article 3 that the agreement reached between the governments of Rwanda and the UK does not cover unaccompanied children and that the UK Government shall not seek to relocate unaccompanied children under the age of 18. It is therefore only those individuals who are confirmed to be, or have been assessed to be, adults who will be removed to Rwanda.

We have already strengthened the age assessment process through measures introduced in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to improve crime reporting in relation to national heritage, including through the development of a heritage crime marker to highlight protected sites and other cultural property in police call handling.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 48% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, this Government recognises the significant impact crimes affecting heritage sites can have.

The Home Office is working closely with Historic England to prevent and tackle theft from historic buildings, monuments and sites, and through the established, expert Stolen Goods Working Group, is collaborating with policing and other partners, to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime, including heritage crime.

The Home Office has encouraged the police, as part of their neighbourhood policing commitment, to work with communities to develop an understanding of the scale and extent of these crimes, whilst welcoming their commitment made last year to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry so more perpetrators can be bought to justice.

In addition, crime prevention advice is published by Secured By Design, the police security initiative, including advice on how to improve the security of buildings and their surroundings, here: Secured by Design - Secured by Design.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to combat the theft of stone from historic sites.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 48% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, this Government recognises the significant impact crimes affecting heritage sites can have.

The Home Office is working closely with Historic England to prevent and tackle theft from historic buildings, monuments and sites, and through the established, expert Stolen Goods Working Group, is collaborating with policing and other partners, to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime, including heritage crime.

The Home Office has encouraged the police, as part of their neighbourhood policing commitment, to work with communities to develop an understanding of the scale and extent of these crimes, whilst welcoming their commitment made last year to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry so more perpetrators can be bought to justice.

In addition, crime prevention advice is published by Secured By Design, the police security initiative, including advice on how to improve the security of buildings and their surroundings, here: Secured by Design - Secured by Design.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, have they made of the number of illegal migrants who have reached the UK from or via Tunisia in each of the last 3 years.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK statistics’ release published on gov.uk. Data on detected irregular arrivals by nationality is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’ with the latest data up to the end of December 2023.

Please note these statistics do not include details of countries of transit, and nationality may differ from country of origin.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what procedures Border Force has in place to learn lessons from incidents of unnecessary detention or of the loss of paper-work such that a complaint takes 11 months to process.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

A Transformation Programme of work is currently underway to reduce the time taken to process incoming complaints within service level agreement. Part of the programme includes identifying and sharing lessons learned to improve the overall service at the border and monitor detention related complaints.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the pay of (1) Police and Crime Commissioners, and (2) Chief Officers of Police in England and Wales, has been increased since November 2012; and when these increases took place.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) makes recommendations to the Government on the pay of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). PCCs are currently placed into five salary groups aligned to the 12 force weightings used to govern chief constables’ pay. The current PCC pay bands range from £68,200 to £101,900.

PCC pay has increased twice since 2012, with uplifts taking effect from 1 May 2018 and 1 May 2022. SSRB reviews in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 pay rounds recommended that the rates of pay should remain unchanged in those years.

PCC pay has increased by 2% to 5% since November 2012. Chief police officer pay has increased by 22% to 27%. PCC pay remains above that for chief inspectors, which ranges from £64,449 to £67,017.

In its last review, the SRRB recommended adjustments to PCC remuneration, including reducing the current five groups to three. The recommendations were not accepted by the Government at that time, who concluded the issue should be considered when the future structure of chief police officer pay is settled. The next review of PCC pay is scheduled to take place in the 2025/26 pay round.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what meetings have taken place between the Home Office and faith communities regarding those claiming asylum in the UK due to genuine faith-based persecution; and what steps are being taken to ensure that they receive appropriate and compassionate support.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

On 22 February, the Home Secretary held an initial meeting with ten Christian faith leaders to discuss the role of religious conversions in asylum applications. Following the meeting, the Home Secretary commissioned the establishment of a working group.

The aim of this group is for Home Office representations and Christian faith leaders to discuss ways in which each party can better scrutinise asylum claims based on religious persecution and ensure those in genuine need of protection by the UK asylum system are supported.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have considered, and from which organisations, which has led them to the conclusion that Rwanda is a safe country.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The list of sources used are listed in the extensive country information notes, and the annexes that accompany them. This – alongside the additional assurances agreed with the Government of Rwanda under the terms of the UK-Rwanda Treaty: Provision of an Asylum Partnership – allow us to conclude that Rwanda is safe.

Detail of these is available via the ‘Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: policy statement and evidence pack’ page on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the pay of Police and Crime Commissioners, which was initially roughly equivalent to that of Assistant Chief Constables, is now roughly equivalent to that of Chief Inspector.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) makes recommendations to the Government on the pay of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). PCCs are currently placed into five salary groups aligned to the 12 force weightings used to govern chief constables’ pay. The current PCC pay bands range from £68,200 to £101,900.

PCC pay has increased twice since 2012, with uplifts taking effect from 1 May 2018 and 1 May 2022. SSRB reviews in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 pay rounds recommended that the rates of pay should remain unchanged in those years.

PCC pay has increased by 2% to 5% since November 2012. Chief police officer pay has increased by 22% to 27%. PCC pay remains above that for chief inspectors, which ranges from £64,449 to £67,017.

In its last review, the SRRB recommended adjustments to PCC remuneration, including reducing the current five groups to three. The recommendations were not accepted by the Government at that time, who concluded the issue should be considered when the future structure of chief police officer pay is settled. The next review of PCC pay is scheduled to take place in the 2025/26 pay round.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government by what percentage the pay of (1) Police and Crime Commissioners, and (2) Chief Officers of Police in England and Wales, has been increased between November 2012 and 15 March 2024.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) makes recommendations to the Government on the pay of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). PCCs are currently placed into five salary groups aligned to the 12 force weightings used to govern chief constables’ pay. The current PCC pay bands range from £68,200 to £101,900.

PCC pay has increased twice since 2012, with uplifts taking effect from 1 May 2018 and 1 May 2022. SSRB reviews in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 pay rounds recommended that the rates of pay should remain unchanged in those years.

PCC pay has increased by 2% to 5% since November 2012. Chief police officer pay has increased by 22% to 27%. PCC pay remains above that for chief inspectors, which ranges from £64,449 to £67,017.

In its last review, the SRRB recommended adjustments to PCC remuneration, including reducing the current five groups to three. The recommendations were not accepted by the Government at that time, who concluded the issue should be considered when the future structure of chief police officer pay is settled. The next review of PCC pay is scheduled to take place in the 2025/26 pay round.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the government of Georgia introducing a bill that would curtail LGBT+ rights on the UK government’s declaration that Georgia is a safe country for immigration purposes.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In line with 80AA of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, we work closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to regularly monitor and review the situation in countries where migrants originate from, including how any new legislation is applied in practice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 26 March (HL3210), when they anticipate that officials will complete their work and that a decision will be taken by ministers.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As per my response on 26^th March, I will return to the House in due course after receiving advice from officials on the considerations of whether the type of review of Operation Conifer the noble Lord and colleagues call for is necessary.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why no reason is given to inward travellers for being held for 6 hours; why they are offered no food or drink during such detention; and why no apology is offered when nothing untoward has been found in their travel to the UK.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

A passenger remains liable to examination on arrival in the United Kingdom until all necessary enquiries have been concluded and a decision is made on their application for permission to enter or admission.

Anyone detained beyond two hours is detained in compliance with the relevant guidance and legislation (notably The Short Term Holding Facility Rules 2018). The detained person is informed of their bail rights and reasons for their detention, and this is explained in a language that they understand.

Temperature controlled food was temporarily withdrawn from BF managed facilities during 2023 whilst we implemented a new training and governance procedure to ensure we were complaint with current food standards. Throughout this period, we followed Government guidance, continuing to serve water, hot drinks and snacks.

We always look to minimise detention as far as possible; however, the power to detain must be retained in the interests of maintaining effective immigration control.

It would not be appropriate for Border Force to apologise for conducting legitimate border security checks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) safe and (b) peaceful protests can take place outside the Envigo laboratory in Loughborough.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather together and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law. This government supports these rights, including the right of individuals to engage in peaceful protest. However, a balance must be struck between the rights of protesters and the rights of others to go about their lives without serious disruption or intimidation.

The management of protests is an operational matter for the police. The government expects the police to act where necessary to maintain public safety. In certain circumstances, the police will have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect those who want to exercise their rights peacefully.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many 16 to 25 year olds have been arrested for rough sleeping under the Vagrancy Act.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government does not collect figures on police usage of the Vagrancy Act where this does not result in prosecution. Policing is operationally independent of the Home Office, and we cannot comment on operational decisions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with the police on taking steps to help tackle shoplifting in rural areas.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities, and consumers. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 48% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.

However, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 32% in the 12 months to September 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 34% in the year ending September 2023, showing that police are taking action.

We have recently taken significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime, including shoplifting.

In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.

This builds on the NPCC commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.

October also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership, which involves retailers providing data, intelligence and evidence to Opal, the national police intelligence unit on organised acquisitive crime, to develop a better strategic picture and help forces crack down on serious offenders.

The Government’s plan – "Fighting retail crime: more action" was launched on 10 April, which highlights five areas of work this Government will drive forward to tackle retail crime:

• Introducing a standalone offence for assaults on retail workers;
• Additional electronic monitoring for prolific shoplifters;
• Working with police and businesses to roll out the latest facial recognition to catch these perpetrators;
• Championing good practice to design out crime; and
• Making it easier for retailers to report crime.

This builds on the police-led Retail Crime Action Plan.

We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), which meets on a quarterly basis, to ensure the response to retail crime, including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals held in the prison estate have previously been deported.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

The information requested is not available from published statistics.

Our Nationality and Borders Act became law in April 2022. A factsheet can be viewed here: Nationality and Borders Bill: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The same act also amended legislation which means a foreign offender who returns to the United Kingdom in breach of a deportation order can be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Anyone who enters the UK without leave, or without a visa, also faces a maximum penalty of four years.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will issue guidance on the exceptional circumstances that would permit an asylum or human rights claim made by a national of a country listed under section 80AA of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 to be declared admissible.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Section 80A(5) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and section 6(5) of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 set out some examples of what may constitute exceptional circumstances, relevant to the substantive consideration of asylum claims and to removal under the Illegal Migration Act to s.80AA(1) listed states (respectively). These examples are neither exhaustive nor relevant to all cases, and do not purport to be.

Exceptional circumstances are not defined or limited in legislation, but will be considered and applied on a case-by-case basis where it is appropriate.

When we commence and implement the wider measures as set out in section 59 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023, we will provide updated guidance to assist caseworkers in their consideration of exceptional circumstances, and the wider provisions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is his Department’s policy that Palestinian citizens of Israel have a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to Israel.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made by considering any relevant extant caselaw and the latest available country of origin information.

Our position for different groups is set out in the respective country policy and information note(s), which are published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that separated displaced Ukrainian families will be able to reunite with their relatives in the UK on the (a) Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme and (b) Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The UK’s Ukraine schemes are not family reunification pathways. The schemes are designed to provide temporary sanctuary in the UK for Ukrainian’s fleeing the war.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open for new applications from those wishing to come to the UK. Ukrainian nationals who would have qualified under the Ukraine Family Scheme will still be able to apply under Homes for Ukraine. Family members wishing to join a relative who is already in the UK may make an application to the Homes for Ukraine scheme provided they have a sponsor who meets the eligibility requirements for sponsorship. Ukrainians may also apply through standard visa or family routes, if they are eligible.

From early 2025, the new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is due to open to those who fled Ukraine because of Russia’s invasion and were granted a Ukraine scheme visa as well as those granted Leave Outside the Rules for the same reason.

We keep all of our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with developments in the ongoing war.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders of which nationality were deported in each of the last five years.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

The Home Office does publish statistics on the returns of foreign national offenders by nationality and year. These returns are published in the Returns Detailed Datasets, Year Ending December 2023; which are available at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The term ‘deportations’ refers to a legally defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is beneficial to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on family reunion pathways for separated displaced Ukrainian families of (a) closure of the Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) changes in sponsor eligibility criteria on the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The UK’s Ukraine schemes are not family reunification pathways. The schemes are designed to provide temporary sanctuary in the UK for Ukrainian’s fleeing the war.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open for new applications from those wishing to come to the UK. Ukrainian nationals who would have qualified under the Ukraine Family Scheme will still be able to apply under Homes for Ukraine. Family members wishing to join a relative who is already in the UK may make an application to the Homes for Ukraine scheme provided they have a sponsor who meets the eligibility requirements for sponsorship. Ukrainians may also apply through standard visa or family routes, if they are eligible.

From early 2025, the new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is due to open to those who fled Ukraine because of Russia’s invasion and were granted a Ukraine scheme visa as well as those granted Leave Outside the Rules for the same reason.

We keep all of our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with developments in the ongoing war.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2024 to Question 17274 on Offences against Children, on what evidential basis the National Crime Agency has stated that the number of child sex offenders in the UK is between 550,000 and 800,000.

Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

The National Crime Agency publishes an overview of the Child Sexual Abuse threat annually as part of the National Strategic Assessment. This includes an estimate of the number of UK based adult offenders who pose varying degrees of risk to children. An explanation of the CSA Scale Methodology has been published as an Annex to the National Strategic Assessment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a regional system for issuing of Tier 2 Skilled Worker visas.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The UK has a single immigration system which works for the whole of the UK. Adding different rules for different locations would introduce further complexity into the system and create frictions where workers move from one location to another.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact on the tourism industry of delays in the processing of Tier 2 visa licences.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

There are currently no delays in the processing of sponsor licence applications.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure the safety and security of East London Mosque.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.

The rise in anti-Muslim hatred across the country since last year has been a cause for concern, and subsequently, the Home Office is providing up to £50.9 million in 2023/24 to protect faith communities. This includes £29.4 million through the new Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, and the Government has confirmed that this level of funding will now be maintained annually through to 2027/28.

Mosques and Muslim faith community centres can register for protective security measures through the Home Office’s Protective Security for Mosques Scheme on GOV.UK. The scheme provides physical protective security measures, such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing. Due diligence checks are carried out by the Home Office; for example, to confirm that applicants are eligible registered charities. Following approval, applicants receive a site survey to assess the most suitable security measures for their site, which are funded by the Home Office and installed by the Department’s delivery partner.

We do not provide information about the funding on specific sites

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has had discussions with representatives of the Fire Brigades Union on the Firefighters’ Manifesto published on 1 November 2023.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has not met with the FBU regarding the specific document, but continues to work with our partners, including all fire unions, to push for meaningful change for the benefit of both the sector and the public.

Minister Chris Philp has had a number of meetings with Matt Wrack and the Department meets the FBU regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern.

The Government is committed to reform in the fire sector and published the response to the Fire Reform White Paper on 12 December setting out plans.

Found: Correspondence to the Home Office regarding Written Parliamentary Questions answering performance in

Found: Minister of State for Legal Migration and the Border 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF www.gov.uk/home-office

Found: The Ministry of Defence, Department for Work & Pensions, HM Revenue & Customs, Home Office and Foreign

Found: Home Office Jack Straw 26th March 2000 One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State (a) 1993

Found: Home Office 26th March 2000 (a) 1993 c, 10. (b) 1946c.36.

Found: for Victims and Safeguarding, Charlotte Breen, Interim Deputy Director, Interpersonal Abuse Unit, Home

Found: The Home Office should have applied properly for planning consent through Bra intree Di strict Council

Found: Communication is also needed with the Home Office on retail crime and with those departments dealing

Found: economy, which significantly impacts the vitality of high streets, should be shifted from the Home

Found: The Home Office argued that it would undermine their rationale for the ETA and that UK border security

Found: Office and other agencies) to exempt individuals’ data protection rights, if those rights would

Found: The Home Office have proposed that the ETA Scheme will be fully in place and introduced worldwide

Found: We are aware that the Home Office, as the lead agency for EES, have been engaging with France and

Found: Wider issues relating to the Government’s strategy on electronic borders and Home Office capability

Found: This allows carriers, airports, and the Home Office and Border Force, to observe and respond to

Found: For this reason, we worked with the Home Office to tailor communications around the ETA to make sure

Found: ABTA welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the Lords Justice and Home Office Committee’s

Found: We therefore recommend greater coordination between the FCDO and the Home Office on the approach

Found: This should be transparent, and should include: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home

Found: Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Legal Migration at the Border, Home

Found: Meg Hillier, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, to Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, Home Secretary, Home

Found: 4 Tatiana Gren-Jardan: We actually warned the Home Office.

Found: The Home Office did an exercise quite a few years ago on improving police data, for example.

Found: I know you are a civil servant, but I do not know whether you are at the Home Office.

Found: Correspondence from Sir Matthew Rycroft KCMG CBE, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Home Office Sovereign

Found: Office contracts to provide accommodation, cultural orientation, clothing, meals and other essential

Found: pre-application material for two Mega prisons to be built on the RAF Wethersfield site and the Home

Found: The Home Office have arranged a number of working groups to ensure safe delivery.

Found: A key ongoing concern is that accommodation procurement by Home Office contractors remains uneven

Found: They will likely be left either being supported indefinitely by the Home Office or being at risk

Found: Of these, some can be removed to their country of nationality because the Home Office views these

Found: We agree with the Home Office plans to move away from utilising hotel accommodation but do not agree

Found: It is not clear whether the Home Office has considered these potential future costs. 4.Even if these

Found: London Councils shared these concerns with the Assurance Team within the Home Office.

Found: Home Office, Home Office, Home Office, and Home Office Oral Evidence

Found: Home Office, Home Office, Home Office, and Home Office Oral Evidence

Found: for Health and Social Care, dated 30 October 2023 Correspondence from the Secretary of State for the Home

Found: considerable experience researching rape and the criminal justice system, including working on the Home

Found: Although the amendment itself is yet to be published, the Home Office press release announcing the measures

Found: Office; data on their use is not routinely collected or published centrally.

Found: The Home Office will work with DSIT and the Cabinet Office (as joint owners of the ATRS) to assess the

Found: for Legal Migration and the Border 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF www.gov.uk/home

Found: The Home Office has been forced to apply a substantial number of exemptions where data subjects who

Found: Home Office, Home Office, and Home Office Oral Evidence

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a breakdown of offences committed by foreign nationals held in the prison estate.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The requested information can be found in the attached spreadsheet.

The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a Government priority and my department continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations.

Published figures show that FNO returns have increased following the pandemic, in the latest 12-month period (ending December 2023) by 27% when compared to the previous 12-month period. Between January 2019 and December 2023 17,795 FNOs have been removed.

The proportion of FNOs held in custody is 12% of the total prison population and has remained stable in recent years while the overall prison population has grown.

On 11 March, the Government set out a plan to increase the number of FNOs removed through:

• The recruitment of 400 additional caseworkers and streamlining the end-to-end removal process;
• Extending foreign national conditional cautions to FNOs with limited leave to remain; and
• Amending deportation policy to enable FNOs given suspended sentences of 6 months or more to be considered for deportation.

These actions build on our expansion of the Early Removal Scheme to allow for removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of the custodial element of their sentence, and expediting prisoner transfers with priority countries such as Albania and seeking to conclude new transfer agreements with partner countries.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals are held in the prison estate by nationality.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Data on how many Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) are held in custody are published in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly: Offender management statistics quarterly: July to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). For data on the prison population by nationality, see prison population table 1_7.

The latest published data from 31 December 2023 shows that there were 10,423 (3,333 remand, 6,697 sentenced and 393 non-criminal) FNOs held in custody; representing 12% of the total prison population. The most common nationalities after British Nationals in prisons are Albanian (13% of the FNO prison population), Polish (9%), Romanian (7%), Irish (6%) and Jamaican (4%).

The removal of FNOs is a Government priority and my department continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations.

Published figures show that FNO returns have increased following the pandemic, in the latest 12-month period (ending December 2023) by 27% when compared to the previous 12-month period. Between January 2019 and December 2023 17,795 FNOs have been removed.

The proportion of FNOs held in custody is 12% of the total prison population and has remained stable in recent years while the overall prison population has grown.

On 11 March, the Government set out a plan to increase the number of FNOs removed through:

• The recruitment of 400 additional caseworkers and streamlining the end-to-end removal process;
• Extending foreign national conditional cautions to FNOs with limited leave to remain; and
• Amending deportation policy to enable FNOs given suspended sentences of 6 months or more to be considered for deportation.

These actions build on our expansion of the Early Removal Scheme to allow for removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of the custodial element of their sentence, and expediting prisoner transfers with priority countries such as Albania and seeking to conclude new transfer agreements with partner countries.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mental illness on the size of the prison population.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The prevalence of mental health needs in prison is higher than amongst the general population and we are firmly committed to delivering improvements to mental health treatment for vulnerable people in the criminal justice system. An HM Inspectorate of Prisons Report 2022/23 highlighted that, of the surveyed prison population, 82% of female prisoners and 59% of male prisoners reported having a mental health need. The report can be found at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/annual-report-2022-23/.

Many people with mental health needs can be well supported in prison, and all prisoners have access to integrated mental health services commissioned by NHS England as per the national Service Specification for Integrated Mental Health Service for Prisons in England.

However, with the right treatment and support to tackle the causes of their offending behaviour, many offenders can be managed more effectively in the community, and we are committed to diverting offenders with mental health needs away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether, where appropriate.

Together with NHS England, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Home Office, we are strengthening Liaison & Diversion services, which are present in police custody suites and criminal courts in England. We are also working to increase the use of Mental Health Treatment Requirements as part of community or suspended sentences.

To reduce inappropriate remands into custody solely on mental health grounds we are piloting a Health and Justice Hub in the Northeast, in partnership with HMCTS and NHS England, to improve the way that courts, health services and prisons work together at a local level to better support defendants with severe mental health needs.

The nationwide expansion of the HMPPS Bail Information Service, as well as the additional funding recently announced by the Chancellor, will also help to ensure judges have the necessary information to make a timely and informed decision on bailing a vulnerable individual with confidence.

Taken together, these steps will help reduce the number of people with mental illness in prisons and divert them into the appropriate support to tackle the root causes of their offending.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people with mental illness held in UK prisons.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The prevalence of mental health needs in prison is higher than amongst the general population and we are firmly committed to delivering improvements to mental health treatment for vulnerable people in the criminal justice system. An HM Inspectorate of Prisons Report 2022/23 highlighted that, of the surveyed prison population, 82% of female prisoners and 59% of male prisoners reported having a mental health need. The report can be found at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/annual-report-2022-23/.

Many people with mental health needs can be well supported in prison, and all prisoners have access to integrated mental health services commissioned by NHS England as per the national Service Specification for Integrated Mental Health Service for Prisons in England.

However, with the right treatment and support to tackle the causes of their offending behaviour, many offenders can be managed more effectively in the community, and we are committed to diverting offenders with mental health needs away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether, where appropriate.

Together with NHS England, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Home Office, we are strengthening Liaison & Diversion services, which are present in police custody suites and criminal courts in England. We are also working to increase the use of Mental Health Treatment Requirements as part of community or suspended sentences.

To reduce inappropriate remands into custody solely on mental health grounds we are piloting a Health and Justice Hub in the Northeast, in partnership with HMCTS and NHS England, to improve the way that courts, health services and prisons work together at a local level to better support defendants with severe mental health needs.

The nationwide expansion of the HMPPS Bail Information Service, as well as the additional funding recently announced by the Chancellor, will also help to ensure judges have the necessary information to make a timely and informed decision on bailing a vulnerable individual with confidence.

Taken together, these steps will help reduce the number of people with mental illness in prisons and divert them into the appropriate support to tackle the root causes of their offending.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what deficiency in NHS England’s Secure Data Environment was described in paragraph 5.1.10 of the minutes from the 29 February meeting of the Advisory Group for Data, and what steps are being taken to rectify that deficiency.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The point made in the meeting was unrelated to any deficiency within the Secure Data Environment (SDE). The requirement from the Home Office is for specific statistical models and systems to be applied across the dataset requested, which is made up of aggregated data. This specific functionality is available from within the Home Office’s own technical environment, and not from within the SDE. There are no plans at this time to migrate this functionality within the SDE.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Hong Kong Watch report, Tuition Fees for BNO Visa Holders: The Case for Home Fee Status, and the impact of the cost of international fees on the ability of young British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa holders to attend university; and whether they will follow the Scottish Government in introducing home fees status for BNO visa holders after three years of residency in the UK.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or ’a recognised connection’ to the UK. A recognised connection includes persons who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement, have long residence in this country or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK.

Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong BN(O) status holders will be able to qualify for home fee status and student finance once they have acquired settled status in the UK (usually after 5 years). Education is fully devolved, and administrations are able to make their own arrangements for accessing home fee status.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 19 February (HL2185), what steps they are taking to ensure financial literacy education is actually reaching the most disadvantaged students.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is crucial that all pupils are equipped with the knowledge and tools to manage their finances well in later life. That is why financial education is embedded in the national curriculum for mathematics at key stages 1 to 4, and in citizenship at key stages 3 and 4.

The national curriculum is compulsory for maintained schools, but all schools are measured by Ofsted on having a broad and balanced curriculum which is comparable to the national curriculum. As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools can choose how to teach financial education and they can tailor what they teach to make sure all pupils are taught what they need to know.

The Levelling Up White Paper identified 55 Education Investment Areas where the department will implement a package of measures to drive school improvement and accelerate progress towards the department’s 2030 ambition that 90% of pupils meet the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of primary school and that the average mathematics and English GCSE grade increases to a 5.

There is a range of financial education support for schools. For example, Oak National Academy, an Arm’s Length Body, has published its initial mathematics resources, with the full curriculum available by this autumn. As part of this, Oak is exploring including additional lessons in real life mathematics. Secondary citizenship resources will become available from autumn 2024 and will be complete by autumn 2025. The Money and Pensions Service has published guidance for schools and there is specialist support for fraud and tax education from the Home Office and HMRC respectively.

The department also works closely with the Money and Pensions Service which exists to help people make the most of their money and pensions, particularly those most in need and those most vulnerable to financial insecurity. The Money and Pensions Service has invested £1.1 million in financial education programmes to support children and young people in vulnerable circumstances and has published guidance to help children and young people's services to embed financial wellbeing into the services they offer.

Found: • The Home Office is committed to scoping a Wildfire Action Plan by mid -2024.

Get the Home Office to point out to Chief Constables that they are not doing the job that the public expects and pays for.

Found: Get the Home Office to point out to Chief Constables that they are not doing the job that the public

Found: Home Office 26th March 2000 (a) 1993 c, 10. (b) 1946c.36.

Found: Home Office Jack Straw 26th March 2000 One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State (a) 1993

Found: Commission; (f) The Health and Safety Executive; (g) His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs; (h) Home

Found: In Novemb er, the Home Office published the latest UK B ritish National (Overseas ) (BN(O)) immigration

Found: be relevant for other contracting authorities whose principal function is not intelligence, e.g. the Home

Found: Department 2007 to 2010 Sarajevo, Deputy Head of Mission 1997 to 2007 Various roles in the FCO and Home

Found: The Home Office is also tabling an amendment which will make it mandatory for the police to notify schools

Found: HAF - Holiday Activities and Food programme ▪ HE - Higher Education ▪ HMT - HM Treasury ▪ HO - Home

Found: The Home Office provided £32m, which was an outlier compared to many other local areas, although 99%

Found: Office.

Found: Of these, the Home Office was the largest contributor.UK ODA Contributors: OGDs with total ODA over £200m

Found: 4823.75740831661 0.37727798987214206 5585.9249142784 0.3633247152682825 762.1675059617901 0.15800286818896445 Home

Found: From: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Home Office Published 9 April 2024

Found: I also want to know if the decision by the home office permanent, temporary or subject to appeal.

Found: Office Police Constabulary or the Ministry of Defence Police to deal with.

Found: Wymott 31 4.29 Foreign national prisoners we spoke to wanted clarity about their status, but the Home

Found: Physical Assets from UAS Attack Funded by the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), the UK Home

Found: The Home Office v Mr J Oxley: [2024] EAT 44

Found: The Home Office v Mr J Oxley: [2024] EAT 44

Found: The Animals in Science Policy Unit at the Home Office has raised this issue with officials from your

Found: The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Home Office are running the RADAR program which aims to further

Found: The SIA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Home Office.

Found: government should consider re -locating the animals in science regulation and po licy function from the Home

Found: Braithwaite, Julian - Director General, Organised Immigration Crime, Home Office - ACOBA Advice

Found: Braithwaite, Julian - Director General, Organised Immigration Crime, Home Office - ACOBA Advice

Found: Braithwaite, Julian - Director General, Organised Immigration Crime, Home Office - ACOBA Advice

Found: From: Home Office, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and The Rt Hon Chris Philp MP Published

Found: Office Drugs and Firearms Licensing Unit (DFLU).

Found: Accelerator (DASA) competition is run on behalf of the National Protective Security Authority, the Home

Found: From: Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration Published 17 April 2024 Get emails about

Found: Page 1 of 29 Published for Home Office staff on 12 April 2024 Appendix

Found: in the USA Guatemala: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa Collection Tuberculosis testing: Home

Found: From: Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration Published 12 April 2024 Get emails about

Found: Office approved training or work experience Requirements for leave to enter for Home Office approved

Found: Page 1 of 18 Published for Home Office staff on 11 April 2024

Found: Office, provide the Home Office with such evidence as the Home Office reasonably requires, to allow

Found: From: Home Office and Immigration Enforcement Published 24 June 2016 Last updated 8 April

Found: For Information : Border Force (Whilst this DSO includes mandatory actions for Home Office Immigration

Found: Information not heldFOI 23/0963) Subsequently I would like to re-request any emails and files between the Home

Found: Wymott 31 4.29 Foreign national prisoners we spoke to wanted clarity about their status, but the Home

Found: Office will fund a new dedicated team in Opal for two years.

Found: Home Secretary 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF www.gov.uk/home -office Dame Diana

Found: To support this effort, Ministry of Defence officials have worked closely with colleagues in the Home

Found: Home Office also announced immediate changes to existing visa schemes about the eligibility criteria

Found: Glasgow City Mission in the operation of the RRWC in Glasgow this year, including as a result of the Home

Found: This income is collected by th e UK Home office and re -distributed to Devolved Governments on a Barnett

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports that five asylum seekers living in hotels in Scotland have attempted suicide.

Answered by Roddick, Emma - Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees

The Home Office is responsible for the provision of asylum accommodation and support, including the use of contingency hotels. The Scottish Government has consistently made clear to UK Government that hotels are not appropriate accommodation and we continue to be concerned about the effect prolonged stays in hotels have on people’s wellbeing.

People seeking asylum living in Scotland are entitled to access healthcare, including referral to mental health services. The Scottish Government funds a range of action that supports mental health and wellbeing which is available to anyone living in Scotland, regardless of their residence status.

Every suicide is a tragedy with a far-reaching impact on family, friends and the wider community. In implementing the Scottish Government and CoSLA’s suicide prevention strategy, Creating Hope Together, and its first 3-year Action Plan, we are working hard to tackle the inequalities that can lead to suicide and are prioritising communities and groups—including asylum seekers and refugees—with a heightened risk of suicide.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to local authorities to ensure that adequate and accessible mental health support is available to asylum seekers in Scotland.

Answered by Roddick, Emma - Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees

The Scottish Government funds a range of action that supports mental health and wellbeing which is available to anyone living in Scotland, regardless of their residence status.

The Home Office is responsible for the provision of asylum accommodation and support, including the use of contingency hotels. People seeking asylum living in Scotland are entitled to access healthcare, including referral to mental health services.

Through our actions in our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Delivery Plan and Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan, we will continue to tackle the underlying causes of mental health inequalities and how we can better support groups most at risk of poor mental health, including asylum seekers and refugees.