Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Office for National Statistics' latest annual population statistics to June 2014, what steps she is taking to ensure that annual net migration is brought back down to the tens of thousands.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Uncontrolled, mass immigration makes it difficult to maintain social cohesion, puts pressure on public services, and can force down wages. That's why we are working to reduce net migration.
Under the last government, we cracked down on visa abuse, including removing licences from nearly 900 bogus colleges, and introduced the 2014 Immigration Act to create controls on accessing benefits and services which are among the tightest in Europe.
But this government will go further still. Our new Immigration Bill will create a new offence of illegal working and extend our deport-first-appeal-later approach to ensure even more illegal migrants are removed from the UK.
We are also working with the independent Migration Advisory Committee to reduce economic migration from outside the EU, and we will reform our labour market rules to crack down on the exploitation of low-skilled workers.
As the Prime Minister has set out, we will address the incentives for migration from the EU which have led to mass immigration from Europe. We will deliver these proposals, and our commitments in the manifesto, with a new Immigration Taskforce, chaired by the Prime Minister, which will ensure every part of government plays a part in helping control immigration.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (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 potential risks posed to UK national security by investments in critical national infrastructure by foreign (a) state-owned enterprises and (b) sovereign wealth funds; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by John Hayes
Foreign investment, including into our critical national infrastructure, is vital for our prosperity and this Government welcomes it. We must, though, consider carefully any risks that such investments may present, including to our national security. Prosperity and security are mutually reinforcing. The National Security Council undertakes this important task.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce legislative proposals to prevent anyone who has entered or stayed illegally in the UK being granted British citizenship.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Applicants for naturalisation need to meet the statutory requirements in the British Nationality Act 1981 which specify that a person must not have been in breach of the Immigration Rules during the required residential qualifying period.
In addition, a person is required to be of good character. If a person meets these requirements, the Home Secretary may, if she thinks fit, grant a certificate of naturalisation.
We have recently substantially strengthened our policy on both the good character and residence requirements. Our revised policy on good character makes it clear that entering the UK illegally or evading immigration control will
usually mean that a person is prevented from acquiring citizenship for a period of 10 years. In terms of assessing the residence requirements, new guidance has been published on how the Home Secretary will exercise her discretion. We
will no longer overlook lengthy periods of unlawful residence, as was the case under previous governments. Whereas previously discretion would have been exercised in cases where a person who deliberately entered or remained in the UK without permission had attempted to regularise their stay by making an application to the Home Office, we will no longer tolerate this. We will normally only exercisediscretion to overlook periods of unlawful residence if they are short and genuinely inadvertent or outside the applicant’s control.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements she has made with the governments of (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria on the sharing of (i) DNA and fingerprints and (ii) other criminal intelligence; and what form such arrangements take.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Exchange of DNA and fingerprint information with Romania and Bulgaria takes place through the International Criminal Policing Organisation (Interpol).
Criminal Intelligence may be shared through Interpol or alternatively through European Police Office (Europol). Within the UK the international sharing of DNA, fingerprints and other criminal intelligence is co-ordinated through the
National Crime Agency.
Under the terms of Article 7 of Council Framework Decision 2006/960/JHA of 18 December 2006 on simplifying the exchange of information and intelligence between law enforcement authorities of the Member States of the European Union
(the Swedish Initiative), Member States may spontaneously exchange information and intelligence in cases where there are factual reasons to believe that the information and intelligence could assist in the detection, prevention or
investigation of offences.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police (a) constables, (b) sergeants, (c) inspectors, (d) chief inspectors, (e) superintendents, (f) chief superintendents and (g) ACPO-rank officers were compulsorily retired in each police force under Regulation A19 (Police Pension Regulations) in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2013-14.
Answered by Mike Penning
Data on this specific issue is not held centrally. Police forces are permitted to retire officers under regulation A19 at their own discretion and are not obliged to provide any information to the Home Office on this.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average annual capitation rate is for a police (a) constable, (b) sergeant, (c) inspector, (d) chief inspector, (e) superintendent and (f) chief superintendent.
Answered by Mike Penning
We do not use or compile "capitation rates" for the police but do produce estimates of "on costs" for the police which are used in published impact assessments and other analysis. The "on costs" estimate the full hourly cost
of using a police officer, this includes not just the wage per hour actually worked but includes expenses, tax payable, pensions, premises, transport, training and other costs. We provide estimates for police community support
officers (PCSO), sergeants and below and senior police officers (inspectors and above). The "on cost" of a PCSO per hour is £28.90, a sergeant and below is £36.51 and a senior police officer is £58.79.
The figures use publically available data from a variety of sources including the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Office for National Statistics
(ONS) and the Metropolitan Police Service. The first step works out the number of annual hours available for work by subtracting absence, training and leave from contracted weekly hours. The second step totals the wage and non-wage
costs per head for the three categories of police officer. The total costs are then divided by the number of hours available for work.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the policing budget was classified as Official Development Assistance in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2013-14.
Answered by Mike Penning
On occasion, police forces provide international police assistance to foreign Governments or organisations. International police assistance would normally be funded by the requesting organisation or the FCO.
How much of the policing budget is allocated to a specific workstream or activity within a police force area is a matter for individual Police and Crime Commissioners (before 2012 Police Authorities) in consultation with their Chief
Constable.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to replace the current Border Force cutters; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Border Force are examining requirements for the next generation of cutters to ensure a comprehensive and continuing capability to support the delivery of the National Strategy for Maritime Security.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Bermuda government and the Hampshire Constabulary, signed in October 2013, relating to the framework for police co-operation on the investigation of serious crimes on board Bermudan-registered ships.
Answered by Mike Penning
I will place a redacted copy of the requested Memorandum of Understanding between Hampshire Constabulary and the Bermuda Police Service, in the House Library shortly.