Asked by: Lord Evans of Weardale (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 4 July 2023 (HL Deb col 1125), what progress they have made on the consultation on enhancing information sharing.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government will consult the relevant authorities with the aim of finding ways to improve information sharing to facilitate enforcement of existing electoral law and report its conclusions to Parliament by the end of 2024.
Asked by: Lord Evans of Weardale (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many former members of the Afghan Special Police Commando Force 333 have applied to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy; and how many have been rejected.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
It is not possible to provide a breakdown of these figures by job role or specific unit. Not all members of the Afghan Armed Forces, including specific units such as Commando Force 333, will automatically be eligible for ARAP.
Asked by: Lord Evans of Weardale (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether former members of the Afghan Special Police Commando Force 333 benefit from the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The ARAP scheme provides relocation or other assistance specifically to Afghan nationals who worked for or alongside UK forces in support of the UK's mission in Afghanistan, as set out in the specific eligibility criteria in the ARAP policy.
Members of the Afghan national security forces such as Commando Force 333 "whilst their efforts heroic" are not automatically in scope for relocation under ARAP unless they meet these criteria.
Those who are eligible can also apply for support in the UK under Op NEWHOPE. The Ministry of Defence works closely with third sector partners to deliver Operation NEWHOPE, which is our pastoral commitment to support the individuals who have and want to maintain their Defence connection by providing camaraderie, community support, and pathways to employment.
Asked by: Lord Evans of Weardale (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of polygraph tests, as administered under the provisions in the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Prior to mandatory polygraph testing of high-risk sexual offenders on licence being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with such sex offenders was published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).
The Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 introduced polygraph testing for terrorist offenders and came into force in June 2021. As of 12 July 2023, 92 polygraph tests have been administered by polygraph examiners working within the Probation Service National Security Division.
The Government committed to undertake a review of its use with terrorist offenders after a two-year period and report on its findings. The report will be a process evaluation focusing on specific points raised in the House of Lords including the numbers of terrorist offenders subject to testing, how results of polygraph testing have been used, the effect of testing on monitoring of licence conditions, and how frequently terrorist offenders are recalled to prison on the basis of polygraph test results. An impact evaluation is not feasible due to the low volume of eligible cases within this timeframe. The report is scheduled to be laid before Parliament in Autumn 2023.
Asked by: Lord Evans of Weardale (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times a polygraph test has been administered under the provisions in the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Prior to mandatory polygraph testing of high-risk sexual offenders on licence being rolled out across the Probation Service in 2014, an evaluation of its effectiveness with such sex offenders was published in 2012. The report is publicly available here: The evaluation of the mandatory polygraph pilot (publishing.service.gov.uk).
The Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 introduced polygraph testing for terrorist offenders and came into force in June 2021. As of 12 July 2023, 92 polygraph tests have been administered by polygraph examiners working within the Probation Service National Security Division.
The Government committed to undertake a review of its use with terrorist offenders after a two-year period and report on its findings. The report will be a process evaluation focusing on specific points raised in the House of Lords including the numbers of terrorist offenders subject to testing, how results of polygraph testing have been used, the effect of testing on monitoring of licence conditions, and how frequently terrorist offenders are recalled to prison on the basis of polygraph test results. An impact evaluation is not feasible due to the low volume of eligible cases within this timeframe. The report is scheduled to be laid before Parliament in Autumn 2023.