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Written Question
Visas: Overseas Visitors
Wednesday 3rd April 2019

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether caring responsibilities for grandchildren constitutes unpaid work for the purposes of Visit Visa applications under the Home Office Immigration Rules Appendix V (V4.2-4.10).

Answered by Caroline Nokes

The Visit Guidance makes clear that where a family member is coming to look after a child in the UK, this is permitted provided it is for a short visit and does not amount to the relative being employed as a childminder. The decision maker must be satisfied that the visit is of a short duration, the relative is a genuine visitor and will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits.


Written Question
Migrant Workers: Nurses
Thursday 28th March 2019

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Tier 2 visa salary exemption for nurses will (a) remain his policy after the UK leaves the EU and (b) be extended to EEA citizens.

Answered by Caroline Nokes

We have been clear that we want all EU nationals, including those working in the NHS and the care sector, to stay in the UK after we leave the EU.

In their report, EEA migration in the UK, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended maintaining the existing system of salary thresholds.

The Government has been clear that we will undertake an extensive programme of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, including with the private, public and voluntary sector and local government, as well as industry representatives and individual businesses before taking a final decision on the level of salary thresholds.


Written Question
Migrant Workers: Social Workers
Thursday 28th March 2019

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that care workers from EU Member States can work in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Answered by Caroline Nokes

In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “the UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. The White Paper proposals include a new route for skilled workers which will be open to anyone at RQF level 3 and above, irrespective of where they are applying from. This route will not be capped allowing all of those who meet our requirements to come to the UK.


The White Paper also includes a transitional route for temporary workers which will be open to anyone from qualifying countries, wishing to fill posi-tions at any skill level, for up to 12 months. We do not intend to impose a cap on the number of people wishing to use the route.


Written Question
Metropolitan Police: Finance
Monday 18th March 2019

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the £100m additional funding in 2019-20 to tackle serious violence will be allocated to the Metropolitan Police.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 13 March that an additional £100 million funding in 19/20 will help in the police’s immediate response to the rise in serious knife crime, enabling priority forces to immediately begin planning to put in place the additional capacity they need. The funding will also be invested in Violence Reduction Units, bringing together a range of agencies including health, education, social services and others, to develop a multi-agency approach in preventing serious violence altogether. It is important that we recognise that greater law enforcement on its own will not reduce serious violence and that we must continue to focus on prevention.

The majority of the investment will go towards supporting police forces where violent crime is impacting the most, to take immediate action to suppress the violence we are seeing, to make our streets safer. We are engaging with partners including the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and we are developing the criteria by which forces will receive this funding.


Written Question
Police: Finance
Monday 18th March 2019

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the £100m in additional funding for 2019-20 to tackle serious violence announced in the Spring Statement will be allocated to each police force.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 13 March that an additional £100 million funding in 19/20 will help in the police’s immediate response to the rise in serious knife crime, enabling priority forces to immediately begin planning to put in place the additional capacity they need. The funding will also be invested in Violence Reduction Units, bringing together a range of agencies including health, education, social services and others, to develop a multi-agency approach in preventing serious violence altogether. It is important that we recognise that greater law enforcement on its own will not reduce serious violence and that we must continue to focus on prevention.

The majority of the investment will go towards supporting police forces where violent crime is impacting the most, to take immediate action to suppress the violence we are seeing, to make our streets safer. We are engaging with partners including the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and we are developing the criteria by which forces will receive this funding.


Written Question
Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence
Monday 28th January 2019

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in full.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Government signed the Istanbul Convention to signal the UK’s strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). On 30 October 2018, in line with the requirements of the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017, we published a progress report which set out that, in most respects, the UK already complies with, or goes further than, the Convention requires. We have significantly strengthened the legislative framework; introduced new protective tools; and issued a range of guidance and support for frontline professionals.

We have always been clear on our commitment to ratifying the Convention. The Domestic Abuse Bill will be another step towards meeting that commitment by extending extraterritorial jurisdiction over offences required by the Convention which, for England and Wales, is the final legislative step necessary for ratification. We published the Domestic Abuse Bill in draft form for pre-legislative scrutiny on 21 January 2019.

As the criminal law and the majority of the areas covered by the Convention are devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Devolved Administrations are considering what legislative or other changes are necessary for compliance with the Convention in their territories. The Government liaises regularly with the Devolved Administrations on VAWG issues and we will continue working closely with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive.


Written Question
John Worboys
Friday 2nd February 2018

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of complaints by victims and alleged victims of John Worboys which were subsequently marked as cleared up for the purposes of her Department's counting rules.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The investigation of offences is an operational matter for the police. In the case of alleged offences already reported to the police which did not meet the evidential threshold for prosecution, the police may decide to resume investigations where new evidence comes to light.


Written Question
John Worboys
Friday 2nd February 2018

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of complaints made by victims and alleged victims of John Worboys which were subsequently deemed to have been taken into consideration.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The investigation of offences is an operational matter for the police. In the case of alleged offences already reported to the police which did not meet the evidential threshold for prosecution, the police may decide to resume investigations where new evidence comes to light.


Written Question
John Worboys
Friday 2nd February 2018

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of victims and alleged victims of John Worboys who were subsequently told that their complaint had been marked as cleared up.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The investigation of offences is an operational matter for the police. In the case of alleged offences already reported to the police which did not meet the evidential threshold for prosecution, the police may decide to resume investigations where new evidence comes to light.


Written Question
John Worboys
Friday 2nd February 2018

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of victims and alleged victims of John Worboys who were told that if their complaint was deemed to be cleared up and the subject of no further action that there could be no further reinvestigation of that complaint.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The investigation of offences is an operational matter for the police. In the case of alleged offences already reported to the police which did not meet the evidential threshold for prosecution, the police may decide to resume investigations where new evidence comes to light.