Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conversations they have had with the devolved administrations about plans to resettle Syrian and other refugees in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Bates
The plans to resettle refugees, in particular under the expanded Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme announced on 7 September, will be a national effort involving all parts of the UK.
The Prime Minister and First Minister have already exchanged correspondence on the issue and the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Scotland will work closely with the Scottish administration on the arrangements for resettling refugees, with a Home Office official attending the Scottish refugee taskforce. Further discussions are intended with representatives of the administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland.
We are consulting a range of external partners and charitable organisations on refugee resettlement options and they will need to play a full part in the success of the expanded scheme.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the present numerical strength of the United Kingdom Border Force employed at (1) Heathrow, and (2) Gatwick, airports; and whether they have plans to increase that strength.
Answered by Lord Bates
The requested information has not been released as it is Border Force policy not to release port-specific staff numbers on grounds of national security.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made a decision on the possible inclusion of issues relating to Kincora Boy's Home in East Belfast in the inquiry into the exploitation of children in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Terms of Reference for the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse have been published and the geographic scope is limited to England and Wales. The protection of children is a devolved matter, and it would be inappropriate for the inquiry panel to make recommendations for Northern Ireland concerning the running of the child protection system there.
However, as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set out in her statement to Parliament on 21 October, the Government is determined that no stone should be left unturned to investigate serious allegations of institutional failure. She has also made clear that the Government, Ministry of Defence and the Security Services will give the Inquiry the fullest possible co-operation. We currently believe that the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry is the best place to do that in respect of Kincora and we will work closely with, the Chairman of the Inquiry, Sir Anthony Hart to help to achieve that.
We will monitor carefully the extent to which the Inquiry is able to make progress in respect of material relevant to Kincora and we will look at the situation again if the Inquiry tells us it is unable to determine the facts.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current numerical strength of the UK Border Force; and whether they consider that the present strength is sufficient to meet the demands placed upon it.
Answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
Border Force has a full time equivalent workforce of 7,907 and we believe this is sufficient to meet demand.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how frequently the performance of members of the UK Border Force is reviewed.
Answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
All Border Force staff have a minimum of three performance discussions a year: objective setting, mid-year and end-of-year reviews. Managers are strongly advised that these formal, mandatory meetings are supported by regular informal performance discussions throughout the year.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the criteria for applicants to the UK Border Force.
Answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
Applicants applying for permanent positions with Border Force are required to meet a range of eligibility criteria, depending upon the role and grade. This may include nationality, age, driving licence, academic achievements for the grade and previous experience.
The criteria for the key posts of Border Force Officer and Assistant Officer was formally reviewed in 2012. The requirement to hold a driving licence underwent an internal policy equality review in 2013.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many serving members of the UK Border Force were suspended from duty in 2012 and 2013; and for what reasons.
Answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
The requested information cannot not be released as the number is fewer than five.