Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans the Home Office has to undertake post-legislative review of (1) the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, (2) the Crime (Overseas Production Orders) Act 2019, (3) the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, (4) the Extradition (Provisional Arrest) Act 2020, (5) the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020, and (6) the Windrush Compensation Scheme (Expenditure) Act 2020, in line with the policy of reviewing Acts three to five years after enactment.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
We continue to review all aspects of the Compensation Scheme, listening and responding to feedback received from stakeholders and customers to ensure the Scheme is operating effectively for those affected. The Windrush Compensation Scheme will also undertake a review in October 2024, in line with the published Impact Assessment.
The Compensation Scheme has no end date and there is no cap on the number of claims we will accept or the amount of compensation we will pay out.
There is no planned timetable for post legislative scrutiny of the other bills mentioned in the question.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 22 March (HL6263), what evidence the Permanent Secretary to the Home Office has to demonstrate that officials who advise ministers "are aware of the constitutional significance of Parliament and of the conventions governing the relationship between Parliament and [His] Majesty's Government", as set out in section 3(6) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
All submissions to Ministers ask that Civil Servants have considered Parliamentary handling and followed the Civil Service Code. The Code makes reference to section 3(6) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. All submissions must be signed off by a Senior Civil Servant (SCS) and copied to the Permanent Secretary.
The Home Office also has an extensive parliamentary capability training programme for teams across the department, which at its centre focuses on training civil servants to support Ministers in fulfilling their obligations to Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government who in the Home Office is responsible for ensuring senior civil servants in the Department comply with section 3(6) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, as embodied in the Civil Service Code; and what steps they have taken in the past two years to monitor and ensure compliance with the provision.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
All civil servants are expected to observe the principles of the Civil Service Code as well as relevant departmental rules, policies and procedures relating to conduct, standards and service.
Annual assurance activity takes place to ensure compliance, including a self-assessment assurance framework completed by all Directors overseen by the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC). This is designed as an evidence-based exercise and undergoes moderation by subject matter experts and a central team.
There are also regular communications on this topic to all staff from the Permanent Secretary and official routes are available to raise concerns in the Home Office.
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police forces employ integrated street triage for mental health services; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of such provision; and whether they plan to encourage more police forces to employ this practice.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
There is no single generic model for mental health crisis “street triage” services and the Home Office does not routinely collect information on such schemes. However, the 2018 report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on policing and mental health recorded that mental health triage schemes were operational in 42 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales.
There have been a number of local and academic evaluations of such schemes, however HMICFRS noted that evaluation of schemes was not always consistent and recommended that all forces should review their arrangements using practice guidelines developed by the College of Policing to help forces benchmark their triage activity. HMICFRS will be inspecting on progress as part of their integrated PEEL assessments inspection framework. It is an operational matter for Chief Officers to determine whether to establish or maintain street triage schemes.