Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 13 July (HL1749), how many vessels by (1) size, and (2) type, are operated by UK Border Force.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Border Force Maritime Command’s fleet includes five cutters and six coastal patrol vessels as well as niche capability in the form of tactical watercraft (TWC) and dedicated mobile RHIB capability. Each cutter carries a jet driven RHIB capable of delivering a boarding team. The type of asset deployed will reflect the operational task and may be deployed as a standalone asset or as a combination, to allow for a broad range of tactical options, that can respond to a specific threat or event.
Border Force Vessels undertake strategic patrols, tactical surveillance and enforcement activity in support of Border Force and other government agencies providing a law enforcement capability at sea.
As a minimum a Cutter and two CPV’s will be permanently deployed to the south east to the 30-mile stretch of coast covering the Dover Straits with additional vessels deployed as operationally required.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vessels by type are operated by UK Border Force.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Border Force Maritime Command’s fleet includes five cutters and six coastal patrol vessels as well as niche capability in the form of tactical watercraft (TWC) and dedicated mobile RHIB capability. Each cutter carries a jet driven RHIB capable of delivering a boarding team. The type of asset deployed will reflect the operational task and may be deployed as a standalone asset or as a combination, to allow for a broad range of tactical options, that can respond to a specific threat or event.
Border Force Vessels undertake strategic patrols, tactical surveillance and enforcement activity in support of Border Force and other government agencies providing a law enforcement capability at sea.
As a minimum a Cutter and two CPVs will be permanently deployed to the south east to the 30-mile stretch of coast covering the Dover Straits with additional vessels deployed as operationally required.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have suspended the registration of births during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) has advised that birth registration appointments should, where possible, be deferred while the current measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 are in place. Where there is an urgent need for a birth to be registered, GRO and Local Authority registrars are considering how this can be achieved on a case-by-case basis within public health guidance and local authority policy.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the absence of a birth certificate would prevent a mother travelling abroad with her new-born baby.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The absence of a birth certificate for a new born does not prevent a passport application being submitted to enable travel, however alternative evidence will need to be provided.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how long the suspension of registration of births will continue; and what measures have been put in place to allow babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic to travel on their mother’s passport until such time as a birth certificate and passport can be obtained.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) has advised that birth registration appointments should, where possible, be deferred while the current measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 are in place.
There are no plans to allow babies to travel on their mother’s passport. The absence of a birth certificate for a newborn does not prevent a passport application being submitted, however alternative evidence will need to be provided.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 4 June (HL15866), whether they will now answer the question put; whether they have conducted a risk assessment for the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and if so, whether they will publish any such assessment.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Police Counter Terrorism Security Advisers have provided advice and guidance to the developers of the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, regarding terrorist threats and their mitigation, as they do nationally for significant new buildings and refurbishments. It would not be appropriate to publish assessments of threats and their mitigation.
National Planning Policy in England requires the consideration of malicious risks to higher risk sites, and steps that can be taken to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience. Associated planning practice guidance provides greater detail on proportionate security measures, which are a central consideration to the planning and delivery of appropriate new developments and substantive retrofits.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 15 May (HL15445), whether the proposed siting of the new Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens would increase the threat level around Parliament compared to its current usage as a park and children's playground.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
I refer to my response to my noble friend on 5th February (HL1427), that the Government provide a wide range of advice and guidance to the public about threats and how they can be mitigated. It is a matter for the owners and operators of crowded places to consider this advice and take forward appropriate security measures.
The Metropolitan Police Service CTSA security assessment for the proposed Holocaust memorial would have assessed the future use of that part of Victoria Tower Gardens as a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.
Parliamentary security is a separate matter dealt with by the House Parliamentary security department.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 5 February (HL Deb, col 1428), whether they have conducted a full security assessment of the implications of siting the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens; if so, by whom; and whether any such assessment is available for scrutiny.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government funds a national network of Police Counter Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSAs) to ensure owners, operators, and local authorities, are aware of terrorist threat methodologies and steps they can take to reduce their vulnerability to terrorist attacks. This includes the provision of advice and guidance on protective security measures to planners, designers and architects at significant new builds such as the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. A Metropolitan Police Service CTSA has been part of the security assessment process for the Holocaust memorial, working jointly with the other partners involved.
Security advice, as part of planning policies in England, is provided through the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework and associated Guidance. On 12 July 2017, the Chief Planning Officer wrote to all local planning authorities to reiterate the role the planning system plays in ensuring appropriate measures are in place to help prevent terrorist threats. There is also a range of further Government advice and guidance available online, including the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure’s ‘Protecting Crowded Places: Design and Technical Issues’ guide.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there was a demand for maritime assets to respond to a number of recent incidents; and who in the Joint Maritime Operations Coordination Centre has the authority to decide on priorities and allocate forces accordingly.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Each incident and response is judged and decided on its own merits. At present JMOCC (Joint Maritime Operations Coordination Centre) focuses on intelligence sharing and coordination support to operations. It is the aspiration for JMOCC to have the authority to decide on prioritising and allocation of cross government capabilities by 2019.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which individuals may be held to account in the Joint Maritime Operations Coordination Centre if assets are not allocated to the highest priority incident.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The JMOCC has a number of cross-Government partners each with their own priorities, each of whom retain command and control of their various assets. The role of the JMOOCC is to respond to tasking requests, facilitate a discussion with all agencies to agree relative priorities and capability allocation. Each partner organisation owns the risk and decision on whether their capabilities are allocated.