Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of levels of anti-Palestinian racism in the media and political discourse; and what steps they are taking to reduce levels of anti-Palestinian racism.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government strongly opposes all forms of racism, and is committed to promoting tolerant society for people of all ethnicities, religions and nationalities.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of social media platforms in inciting the riots in Southport between 30 July and 5 August 2024.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government engages constructively with all social media platforms, whilst being clear about their responsibility to deal with harmful content.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of a youth mobility agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK has a range of cultural exchange schemes that offer young people from the UK and partner countries the chance to experience life in another country and to make lifelong ties and friendships overseas.
Regarding a youth mobility arrangement with the EU, the EU has not approached the UK with a formal proposal. The Government routinely discusses a range of issues with European counterparts, but we are clear that there will be no return to free movement, and that we must reduce the UK's levels of net migration after the record highs reached under the last government.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with the European Union about a youth mobility agreement; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK has a range of cultural exchange schemes that offer young people from the UK and partner countries the chance to experience life in another country and to make lifelong ties and friendships overseas.
Regarding a youth mobility arrangement with the EU, the EU has not approached the UK with a formal proposal. The Government routinely discusses a range of issues with European counterparts, but we are clear that there will be no return to free movement, and that we must reduce the UK's levels of net migration after the record highs reached under the last government.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the transition to the eVisa system in January 2025; and what consideration they have given to postponing it.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
eVisas have been rolled out incrementally and with support available to help customers make the transition away from physical documents. eVisas have been tried and tested over several years, and millions of people in the UK already use them to prove their immigration status and their rights.
In addition, while we encourage all BRP holders to switch to using their eVisa via their UKVI account before their BRP expires, if a customer has not created a UKVI account by 1 January 2025 and their BRP has expired, they will be able to do so quickly and easily next year, using their expired BRP if needed.
We have also listened to concerns about the risk to customers who are travelling after 31 December, where their underlying status has not expired, but their BRP card has expired. In order to smooth the transition to eVisas, we have announced that we will allow carriers to accept a BRP or EUSS BRC expiring on or after 31 December 2024 as valid evidence of permission to travel with a valid passport until at least 31 March 2025. People travelling in the early part of the year are therefore advised to continue carrying their expired BRP, as this will add to the range of checking options already available to carriers.
For many people, the expiry of BRPs at the end of this year will have no impact. A person’s immigration status will not be affected by this change, and most people don’t need to prove their immigration status on a day-to-day basis.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the implications of the judgment of Mr Justice Humphreys in the High Court in Belfast on 13 May regarding the Illegal Migration Act 2023, in particular for the continuing operation of (1) Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, and (2) the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Government remains firmly committed to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework which ensures no diminution of rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity protections set out in the relevant chapter of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement as a result of the UK leaving the EU.
This judgment has no operational bearing on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 or the implementation of the policy. Those who have been served a notice for removal to Rwanda are being considered under the Safety of Rwanda Act and existing immigration legislation.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between police forces in England and Wales and journalists; and what discussions they have had with those police forces in this regard.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The College of Policing publishes guidance in the form of Authorised Professional Practice designed to assist those working in police forces who engage with the media. It takes account of the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry in 2012 and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services 2011 report on police relationships with the media and other parties.
The Leveson Inquiry made eight recommendations (68 and 75-81) concerning the press and the police, focused on providing greater transparency and openness. These were accepted by the Government, the College of Policing and the then Association of Chief Police Officers (superseded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council). All the recommendations have been addressed.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
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 - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the explanatory memorandum on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill’s compliance with Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way it does in the rest of the UK. This is set out on the face of the Bill, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter. There is nothing in the Windsor Framework that affects that. The Bill does not engage the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, including the rights chapter – those rights seek to address longstanding and specific issues relating to Northern Ireland’s past and do not extend to matters engaged by the bill. The Government remains fully committed to that Agreement in all its parts.
I have written to Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in relation to this. The letter will be published in the House Library in due course.
To provide further reassurance on these points, the published factsheet on this Bill has been updated to reflect this: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill conforms with the requirements of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way it does in the rest of the UK. This is set out on the face of the Bill, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter. There is nothing in the Windsor Framework that affects that. The Bill does not engage the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, including the rights chapter – those rights seek to address longstanding and specific issues relating to Northern Ireland’s past and do not extend to matters engaged by the bill. The Government remains fully committed to that Agreement in all its parts.
I have written to Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in relation to this. The letter will be published in the House Library in due course.
To provide further reassurance on these points, the published factsheet on this Bill has been updated to reflect this: Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)