Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether foreign nationals entering the UK from Schengen countries are subject to the same rules on the validity of passports as UK nationals travelling to Schengen countries.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Visitors to the UK can enter using a passport which is valid for the whole of the intended visit. UK border measures are set in the interests of the UK.
The border measures and passport eligibility requirements of other countries vary globally and are a matter for their governments.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the names of all those in the UK who were listed as agents or informers of the former German Democratic Republic Ministry of State Security (Stasi).
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
It is a longstanding principle that the Government will neither confirm nor deny allegations, assertions or speculation about UK intelligence agencies’ operations. Confirming or denying sensitive details about their work could reveal methods and techniques, undermining their ability to keep the country safe.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many working hours have been spent on policing issues raised by hunt saboteurs in each of the last five years; and how this is broken down by each police force in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect data on the impact of police resourcing in pursuit of hunt saboteurs.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of policing issues related to pursuing hunt saboteurs in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect data on the impact of police resourcing in pursuit of hunt saboteurs.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution on 18 July 2018, Official Report, col 408, if he will ensure that the Windrush report commissioned by Sir Alex Allan is published promptly without redactions or deletions and made available to hon. Members.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
As the Prime Minister said in her answer, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is considering this matter very carefully.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2017 to Question 116256, what discussions she has had with police authorities on improving the effectiveness of enforcing the law against cycling on pavements.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Enforcement of law is an operational matter for Chief Officers of police, in line with priorities set by Police and Crime Commissioners in their Police and Crime Plan.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies she has licensed to investigate the use of medical cannabis as a medicine.
Answered by Nick Hurd
No licences have been granted to companies to investigate the use of medicinal or ‘herbal’ cannabis in its raw form and nor has the Home Office commissioned any reports into medical cannabis.
The World Health Organisation’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence has committed to reviewing the scheduling of cannabis under the UN’s 1961 Convention. This is due to consider the therapeutic use as well as dependence and the potential to abuse constituent parts of cannabis.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has commissioned any reports into the use of medical marijuana.
Answered by Nick Hurd
No licences have been granted to companies to investigate the use of medicinal or ‘herbal’ cannabis in its raw form and nor has the Home Office commissioned any reports into medical cannabis.
The World Health Organisation’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence has committed to reviewing the scheduling of cannabis under the UN’s 1961 Convention. This is due to consider the therapeutic use as well as dependence and the potential to abuse constituent parts of cannabis.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to pre-screen young refugees from the camp in Calais before they enter the UK.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The EU’s Dublin Regulation clearly sets out the criteria for transferring asylum claims between Member States. The Government wishes to reaffirm that migrants in Calais have not yet been determined as refugees, and furthermore, the Dublin Regulation is the EU’s mechanism for transferring asylum claims, rather than a resettlement route. Section 67 of the Immigration Act sets out that ‘unaccompanied refugee children’ will be relocated to the UK. In respect of Calais, the Government has been clear that unaccompanied children will be prioritised if they meet the Dublin criteria.
We work closely with the French authorities and their partner agencies to ensure all those who come to the UK from the camps in Calais are eligible under the Dublin Regulation. All individuals are referred to the UK authorities by the NGO France Terre D'asile (FTDA) and are then interviewed by French and UK officials. Basic security checks are conducted on all individuals prior to arrival, with further verification carried out once in the UK.
Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age. Where we believe someone is significantly over 18, they will be refused. The Home Office does not use dental x-rays to confirm the ages of those seeking asylum as they have been described by the British Dental Association as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical.
Since June the Home Office has been working closely with local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK to ensure that we have the structures in place to support the transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children, both within the UK and from Europe.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the age of young refugees from the camp in Calais received into the UK.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The EU’s Dublin Regulation clearly sets out the criteria for transferring asylum claims between Member States. The Government wishes to reaffirm that migrants in Calais have not yet been determined as refugees, and furthermore, the Dublin Regulation is the EU’s mechanism for transferring asylum claims, rather than a resettlement route. Section 67 of the Immigration Act sets out that ‘unaccompanied refugee children’ will be relocated to the UK. In respect of Calais, the Government has been clear that unaccompanied children will be prioritised if they meet the Dublin criteria.
We work closely with the French authorities and their partner agencies to ensure all those who come to the UK from the camps in Calais are eligible under the Dublin Regulation. All individuals are referred to the UK authorities by the NGO France Terre D'asile (FTDA) and are then interviewed by French and UK officials. Basic security checks are conducted on all individuals prior to arrival, with further verification carried out once in the UK.
Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age. Where we believe someone is significantly over 18, they will be refused. The Home Office does not use dental x-rays to confirm the ages of those seeking asylum as they have been described by the British Dental Association as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical.
Since June the Home Office has been working closely with local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK to ensure that we have the structures in place to support the transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children, both within the UK and from Europe.