Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation of the 2021 report by the Commission for Countering Extremism, Operating with impunity: legal review, to establish a legal and operational framework to tackle hateful extremist groups and individuals that undermine democratic norms.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism. We will continue to challenge extremist narratives and disrupt the activity of particularly those who radicalise others but deliberately operate below CT thresholds.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for national security should cross-border data sharing with the EU end as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Much of our national security cooperation with our European partners takes place outside the EU structures and so is not dependent on our membership. We continue to work intensively with operational partners to ensure that we are ready for any eventuality.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date the updated guidelines for the Surveillance Camera Code of Conduct will be published.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government committed in the Home Office Biometrics Strategy 2018 to review the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice and it will be updated in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for national security of the end of data sharing with EU member states.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Much of our national security cooperation with our European partners takes place outside EU structures and so is not dependent on our membership. We continue to work intensively with operational partners to ensure that we are ready for any eventuality.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the service specification, including key performance indicators, agreed with Sopra Steria Limited (SSL) in respect of the contract for UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The contract with Sopra Steria Limited (SSL) has been published and can be found using the following link - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec5031ea-021e-471a-86cf-af540e8d8efa
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons visa applicants are unable to access a local rate 0330 number to contact UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services until they have succeeded in making such an application; what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have had to use the premium rate telephone number; and how much revenue was received in revenue from that premium rate number in the last 12 months.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Home Office holds limited information relating to the number of customers who have used the premium line number to contact the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services. In total, 13937 calls have been made to 0900 premium line number from the start of the UKVCAS contract in November 2018. This represents 5% of UKVCAS customers who made an application during this time period. The Home Office does not hold details of the revenue generated through calls made to the premium rate number.
The premium line referenced is an optional added value service, which offers general support to customers, before, during and after their appointment and assists them in finding information and choosing which Service Point to attend. The service utilises a premium rate (09) telephone number, registered with Ofcom and offers full cost transparency. Customers who do not wish to avail themselves of this chargeable service, may also contact SSL via their website, where they can choose from two options “make an enquiry” or “make a complaint”. Once an appointment has been booked a ‘0330’ number is provided to customers to support with appointment-related queries. The ‘0330’ number is not for general queries relating to the service.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department has had meetings with Sopra Steria Ltd on the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services in the last 12 months; and what was discussed at those meetings.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Home Office regularly meets with Sopra Steria Ltd to discuss a range of issues however the content of these discussions is commercially sensitive and therefore we are unable to disclose this information.
The contract has, within the terms and conditions, a schedule that specifically covers the governance and contract management of the service operation. This is set out in schedule 8 of the contract and can be found using the following link - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/a2ace827-80ca-46df-9fa3-e8eeec62519a
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will undertake a full review of the service and performance of Sopra Steria Ltd regarding the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The contract with Sopra Steria for the provision of Front End Services contains clauses and performance measures (KPIs) designed to ensure the timeliness and quality of service provision.
This also includes the contract management and governance schedule as described above supported by a dedicated Supplier Management Team with responsibility for ensuring the provider delivers to the required performance standards set out in the contract.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations his Department has advertised information to outlining that visa applicants wishing to extend their leave to remain will not be penalised in cases where they have had to wait for an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services service point; and how that information has been publicised.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Information about biometric enrolment timescales for UKVCAS customers is publicised to applicants as part of the online application process on GOV.UK.
If the applicant does not enrol biometrics within this period they are sent a reminder and are given a further period in which to enrol.
If the applicant does not enrol their biometrics within these timescales their application is deemed as invalid and could be rejected. Prior to any action to reject the application UKVI would check to confirm whether an appointment to enrol has been booked. UKVI would not reject an application because the applicant had to wait for an appointment
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum decision makers left their jobs within the first 12 months of employment in Asylum Operations Offices in (a) Bootle, (b) Croydon, (c) Leeds, (d) Liverpool, (e) Newcastle and (f) Solihull in each of the last three years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office is unable to report how many and what proportion of asylum decision makers left their jobs within the first 12 months of employment, to obtain this information would require a manual trawl of staffing records and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The Home Office can provide the total headcount of decision makers that left Asylum Operations Offices in (a) Bootle, (b) Croydon, (c) Leeds, (d) Liverpool, (e) Newcastle and (f) Solihull over the past three years.
This is broken down in the table below:
| Year | Bootle* | Croydon** | Leeds | Liverpool | Newcastle | Solihull | Total |
| Apr 16-Mar 17 | N/a | 39 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 27 | 94 |
| Apr 17-Mar 18 | 33 | 50 | 8 | 30 | 2 | 23 | 146 |
| Apr 18-Mar 19 | 71 | 39 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 147 |
| Total | 104 | 128 | 37 | 56 | 4 | 58 | 387 |
*Bootle established April 2017
** Croydon – includes Third Country Unit (TCU) Decision Makers however TCU was not included in decision makers data in 2016