Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police constables have been employed in the Metropolitan Police Service in each of the last 12 years for which figures are available.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Information on the total number of police officers by rank and Police Force Area as at the 31st March each year since 2007, can be found in the workforce open data tables published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-open-data-tables
While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount terms only) in England and Wales, also broken down by PFA. Data are available here: Police Officer uplift statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Home Office also collects and publishes data on agreed police funding in England and Wales from the financial year ending March 2016 on an annual basis in the ‘Police funding for England and Wales statistics’, available here: Police funding for England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Force-level funding breakdowns before the financial year ending March 2016 are not available due to a number of significant changes in the structure of police funding and policing.
For 2022/23, the Metropolitan Police Service will receive up to £3,236.5 million.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to proposals in the 2021 Queen’s Speech on reforms to the immigration system, what steps her Department is taking to (a) meet the specific experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and (b) ensure that LGBTQ+ asylum seekers are not penalised in their asylum applications in the event that they do not reveal their sexual orientation or gender identity immediately upon arrival in the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office has and continues to work closely with a diverse range of organisations specialising in asylum and human rights protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people (LGBTQ+) communities, not only to facilitate the development of bespoke guidance and training products but also to further our work for LGBTQ+ within our asylum system.
We ensure LGBTQ+ asylum seekers are signposted to relevant NGOs specialising in the support of these individuals. This is done through an information leaflet given to all asylum claimants at the point of claim which includes sections on legal advice, additional help and assistance with links to relevant legal bodies and support organisations. LGBTQ+ asylum seekers can also access support from Rainbow Migration (formerly the UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group), who provide both practical and emotional support for LGBTQ+ people including how to help improve their confidence and self-esteem and to reduce isolation.
The Home Office recognises discussing persecution may often be distressing and those seeking asylum are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken. Our caseworkers are very mindful many asylum seekers come from cultures which shun any open expression or discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity. We recognise the intimate nature of disclosure set against the individual’s cultural background may have made it difficult for some to disclose and discuss their sexuality or gender identity with officials at a port of entry.
Where it appears a claimant has been in the UK for a prolonged period of time before either coming to immigration attention or voluntarily seeking protection, this will be explored with the claimant. Consideration will be given to any explanation offered for not seeking protection at the first available opportunity, or for not disclosing the issue of sexuality or gender identity as a claim basis at the first available opportunity. Adverse inference however will not solely be drawn from someone not having immediately identified their sexual or gender identity as a basis to their claim.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure that all protected characteristics are treated equally under hate crime legislation in advance of the Law Commission’s final report in respect of its Hate Crime review.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In 2018, the Government asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of current hate crime legislation, including whether additional protected characteristics, such as sex, gender and age, should be included.
The Law Commission is due to publish its recommendations later this year, following which the Government will formally respond.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking in advance of the publication of the Law Commission's final report in respect of its Hate Crime review, due to be published in 2021.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In 2018, the Government asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of current hate crime legislation, including whether additional protected characteristics, such as sex, gender and age, should be included.
The Law Commission is due to publish its recommendations later this year, following which the Government will formally respond.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of forensic science services for police forces have been carried out by private sector companies in England and Wales, in each year since 2012.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does not hold this information. Procurement of forensic science services is a matter for forces and PCCs.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list the private sector companies which have delivered forensic science services to police forces in England and Wales since 1 April 2012.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does not hold this information. Procurement of forensic science services is a matter for forces and PCCs.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 22 April 2021 to Question 183092 on Asylum: Clothing, if she will provide an itemised breakdown of what was purchased for the £5,415.90.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Home Office department, the Clandestine Channel Threat Command are responsible for the provision of basic clothing to migrants who are disembarked at the Tug Haven (having been intercepted crossing the channel in small boats). Migrants often cross the channel in poor weather conditions and without adequate clothing. In such circumstances they are invariably very wet and cold and at risk of hypothermia if dry clothing is not provided. This provision of dry clothing forms part of our duty of care in these circumstances, wherever possible we use recycled clothing from charitable organisations rather than buying new.
The following items were purchased, 225 pairs of lace up canvas shoes, 26 pairs of flip flops, 440 T-shirts, 333 sweatshirts and 337 jogging bottoms.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 22 April 2021 to Question 83092, who in her Department is responsible for distributing clothing to incoming migrants; and what the process is for that matter.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Home Office department, the Clandestine Channel Threat Command are responsible for the provision of basic clothing to migrants who are disembarked at the Tug Haven (having been intercepted crossing the channel in small boats). Migrants often cross the channel in poor weather conditions and without adequate clothing. In such circumstances they are invariably very wet and cold and at risk of hypothermia if dry clothing is not provided. This provision of dry clothing forms part of our duty of care in these circumstances, wherever possible we use recycled clothing from charitable organisations rather than buying new.
The following items were purchased, 225 pairs of lace up canvas shoes, 26 pairs of flip flops, 440 T-shirts, 333 sweatshirts and 337 jogging bottoms.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2021 to Question 183092, on Asylum: Clothing, if he will publish in full the receipts for the expenditure of £5,415.90.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
This expenditure refers to articles purchased for immediate relief of asylum seekers arriving in small boats, by providing warm and dry clothing which reduces the risk of hypothermia.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's expenditure of £5,415.90 at Primark in September 2020 for the purpose of clothing people seeking asylum, which company her Department procured to distribute that clothing.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Dangerous and unnecessary crossings of the Channel are made by migrants in small boats, which are often overloaded. Many of those arriving in this way are soaking wet and at significant risk of hypothermia if not changed into dry clothes quickly. The Home Office has a duty of care to those migrants and ordinarily has sufficient stocks of dry clothing on hand for arriving migrants. However, last September saw an unprecedented number of migrant arrivals in small boats and supplies ran low, requiring emergency replenishment from a local retail outlet. This is the basis of the expenditure at Primark quoted here. As the clothing was distributed directly to arriving migrants by HO officials, no third party company was employed in the distribution.