Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long on average detainees have had to stay in prison after their sentence has been served whilst awaiting on an authority to detain notification (IS91) decision in each year since 2010.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government is committed to a fair and humane immigration policy that welcomes those here legally, but tackles abuse and protects the public.
We make every effort to ensure that a foreign national offender’s (FNO) removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with their release from prison on completion of sentence. Detention plays a crucial role in enabling the removal of FNOs and those who are here illegally.
Published Home Office policy, Detention General instructions (publishing.service.gov.uk), is clear that immigration detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary. Where the Home Office intends to detain a time-served FNO under immigration powers at the end of their custodial sentence, detention notices are served in advance of this date, subject to certain exceptions. A timely risk assessment is also carried, out in line with published guidance, which reviews the suitability of the FNOs transfer to the immigration removal estate.
Foreign national offenders held in detention have the option to apply to an independent immigration judge for bail at any point. Once a person is in detention, regular reviews are undertaken to ensure that their detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate. We do not detain people indefinitely.
The Home Office publishes data on people in immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people in detention on the last day of each quarter are published in table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets. The data include those detained under immigration powers in HM prisons from July 2017 and can be broken down by place of detention. The latest data relate to the number of people in detention at the end of September 2021.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation has been paid out to detainees across the prison estate for having to wait for a Home Office decision on an authority to detain notification (IS91) once they have already served their sentence in each year since 2010.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government is committed to a fair and humane immigration policy that welcomes those here legally, but tackles abuse and protects the public.
We make every effort to ensure that a foreign national offender’s (FNO) removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with their release from prison on completion of sentence. Detention plays a crucial role in enabling the removal of FNOs and those who are here illegally.
Published Home Office policy, Detention General instructions (publishing.service.gov.uk), is clear that immigration detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary. Where the Home Office intends to detain a time-served FNO under immigration powers at the end of their custodial sentence, detention notices are served in advance of this date, subject to certain exceptions. A timely risk assessment is also carried, out in line with published guidance, which reviews the suitability of the FNOs transfer to the immigration removal estate.
Foreign national offenders held in detention have the option to apply to an independent immigration judge for bail at any point. Once a person is in detention, regular reviews are undertaken to ensure that their detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate. We do not detain people indefinitely.
The Home Office publishes data on people in immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people in detention on the last day of each quarter are published in table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets. The data include those detained under immigration powers in HM prisons from July 2017 and can be broken down by place of detention. The latest data relate to the number of people in detention at the end of September 2021.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inmates across the prison estate have been detained at the end of their sentence awaiting a Home Office decision on an authority to detain notification (IS91) in each year since 2010.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government is committed to a fair and humane immigration policy that welcomes those here legally, but tackles abuse and protects the public.
We make every effort to ensure that a foreign national offender’s (FNO) removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with their release from prison on completion of sentence. Detention plays a crucial role in enabling the removal of FNOs and those who are here illegally.
Published Home Office policy, Detention General instructions (publishing.service.gov.uk), is clear that immigration detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary. Where the Home Office intends to detain a time-served FNO under immigration powers at the end of their custodial sentence, detention notices are served in advance of this date, subject to certain exceptions. A timely risk assessment is also carried, out in line with published guidance, which reviews the suitability of the FNOs transfer to the immigration removal estate.
Foreign national offenders held in detention have the option to apply to an independent immigration judge for bail at any point. Once a person is in detention, regular reviews are undertaken to ensure that their detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate. We do not detain people indefinitely.
The Home Office publishes data on people in immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people in detention on the last day of each quarter are published in table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets. The data include those detained under immigration powers in HM prisons from July 2017 and can be broken down by place of detention. The latest data relate to the number of people in detention at the end of September 2021.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which units in her Department are responsible for monitoring management performance at (a) Brook House, and (b) Tinsley House immigration removal centres; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Brook House and Tinsley House immigration removal centres (IRCs), located near Gatwick airport, are operated through private contract, with Home Office oversight. This oversight includes daily operational monitoring by Detention and Escorting Services (DES) Compliance teams and second line assurance carried out by DES Audit and Assurance team. Quarterly, high level oversight is carried out by senior Home Office officials and Commercial leads. Cumulatively, this oversight framework ensures the delivery of services and provisions in line with the supplier’s contract, statutory instruments, Home Office policies and published guidance.
In order to support the management of the arrival of migrants, we have temporarily accommodated people under the provisions of the Short-term Holding Facility (STHF) Rules 2018 in a small number of IRCs, including Tinsley House.
Additionally, the Home Office works closely with our providers and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the immigration removal estate, which includes making sure anyone who may have been exposed self-isolates. As part of these safeguards, operational regimes may be adapted to mitigate the spread of the virus. All residents continue to have access to necessary provisions during this time.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent instructions her Department has given to management at (a) Brook House and (b) Tinsley House immigration removal centres on changes to operational regimes.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Brook House and Tinsley House immigration removal centres (IRCs), located near Gatwick airport, are operated through private contract, with Home Office oversight. This oversight includes daily operational monitoring by Detention and Escorting Services (DES) Compliance teams and second line assurance carried out by DES Audit and Assurance team. Quarterly, high level oversight is carried out by senior Home Office officials and Commercial leads. Cumulatively, this oversight framework ensures the delivery of services and provisions in line with the supplier’s contract, statutory instruments, Home Office policies and published guidance.
In order to support the management of the arrival of migrants, we have temporarily accommodated people under the provisions of the Short-term Holding Facility (STHF) Rules 2018 in a small number of IRCs, including Tinsley House.
Additionally, the Home Office works closely with our providers and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the immigration removal estate, which includes making sure anyone who may have been exposed self-isolates. As part of these safeguards, operational regimes may be adapted to mitigate the spread of the virus. All residents continue to have access to necessary provisions during this time.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when findings on the police and CPS response to prosecuting rape offences from the first phase of Project Soteria, which was announced in the cross-Government end-to-end rape review published in June 2021, will be made public.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Operation Soteria is a joint police-Crown Prosecution Service programme designed to drive improvements in the handling of rape cases, with an overarching aim to build a new national operating model for the investigation of rape and serious sexual assault.
The Home Office is providing funding for five police forces – Avon and Somerset, the Metropolitan Police Service, Durham, West Midlands and South Wales - to participating in intensive academic research, and the resulting recommendations, tools and techniques are embedded in each force.
Research has concluded in Avon and Somerset and the Metropolitan Police Service and recently commenced in Durham.
Findings from the research are shared with police and prosecutors nationally as soon as they are available, including through the National Rape and Sexual Offences Learning Network events. The most recent national learning event took place on the 11 January and outlined findings from research in Avon and Somerset and the Metropolitan Police Service. This event was attended by close to 300 practitioners, with 39 forces represented.
In addition, progress updates on Operation Soteria form part of the Government’s regular rape review progress updates, the first of which was published on 9 December 2021.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the data she holds on the number of people reporting offences under the Offences against The Person Act 1861, section 23, and section 24 in each year since 2010.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Information on the number of crimes recorded under the Offences against The Person Act 1861 section 23 and section 24, including the offence subcodes “Administering poison so as to endanger life” and “Administering poison with intent to injure or annoy” for each financial year from 2015/16 to 2020/21 can be found in the attached annex.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have reported street flashing as part of the recorded crime statistics for exposure and voyeurism for each year since 2010.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office collects information on the number of Exposure and Voyeurism offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. However whether or not these offences involved street flashing is not separately identifiable.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number of cases issued under a fixed penalty notice in (a) 2020, (b) 2019, (c) 2018, (d) 2017, (e) 2016 and (f) 2015.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office routinely collects and publishes data on the number of recorded Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by the police in England and Wales for motoring offences. These data are published as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical bulletin and can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/841256/fixed-penalty-notices-police-powers-procedures-mar19-hosb2519-tables.ods.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has been regularly publishing the number of FPNs issued by the police in England and Wales for breaches of the public health regulations that have been introduced this year to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). The latest published information can be found here:
https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/crime-is-close-to-pre-lockdown-levels-and-fines-given-to-the-public-rise-as-new-regulations-are-introduced-1
The Home Office does not collect information on FPNs issued by other public bodies, such as local authorities, who have powers to issue them with respect to anti-social behaviour, environmental breaches and parking offences.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of police capacity to adequately investigate low-level crimes.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We recognise that demand on policing is changing and becoming more complex. That is why we provided an additional £1 billion of funding for policing in 2019/20 and PCCs announced plans to recruit an additional 3000 police officers and over 700 police staff.
The Government is now going even further – the Prime Minister announced on 26 July our commitment to recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales over the next three years.