Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department are taking to improve the speed of delivery of full compensation under the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Windrush Compensation Scheme is determined to ensure everyone who was affected receives every penny of the compensation to which they are entitled at the earliest point possible. The scheme is making significant progress towards achieving this aim. As of the end of January 2024, the scheme had paid over £80 million in compensation and over 82% of claims received had been given a final decision.
The time to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration has been reduced significantly, from 18 months to under 4 months. The 4-month period includes all essential eligibility checks, together with a Preliminary Assessment to make an initial payment of £10,000 wherever possible.
However, each person’s claim is deeply personal and deserves to be processed with the utmost care and sensitivity so that the maximum payment can be made to them.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce fire and rescue service response times.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to do their important work and to keep the public safe.
In 2023/24, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.6 billion. Decisions on how their resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet their core functions including crewing and meeting response times, is a matter for each fire and rescue authority, based on risks identified within local Community Risk Management Plans (CRMPs).
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to increase crewing levels for fire and rescue services.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to do their important work and to keep the public safe.
In 2023/24, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.6 billion. Decisions on how their resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet their core functions including crewing and meeting response times, is a matter for each fire and rescue authority, based on risks identified within local Community Risk Management Plans (CRMPs).
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to help protect firefighters from harmful fire contaminants.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The health and safety of firefighters is of paramount importance and emerging research indicating that they may be exposed to contaminants is concerning. The Home Office are commissioning a literature review of such research that will involve a comprehensive review of published literature on the risk contaminants pose to firefighters along with related decontamination protocols.
Fire and rescue authorities, as the employers, must take seriously their responsibility for the health and wellbeing of firefighters, they should be mindful of the emerging research in this area and take appropriate action to protect their workforce – including appropriate decontamination processes for equipment.
We are working closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council and partners across government to understand the potential risk and whether further action is needed.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of provisions in the new Police Pensions Scheme on protected pension rights and potential sex discrimination claims.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government is taking steps to remove discrimination on the grounds of age, associated with the transitional protection arrangements linked to the 2015 pension reforms, which was identified by the courts.
The Home Office undertook an equality analysis of its amendments to the Police Pension Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, and this included careful consideration of the impact on women, including part-time workers. Since 1 April, all active members are in the career average reformed scheme and accrue future pension benefits on the same basis irrespective of sex.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many calls have been made to the helpline for non-British nationals in need of assistance in Afghanistan as of 7 September 2021; what the average wait time has been for calls to be answered to that helpline; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of her Department making that helpline free to call.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
From 20 August 2021 to 7 September 2021 there have been 5,357,322 calls made (offered) to the helpline. The Home Office brought in 250 extra staff to help ensure average waiting times were kept to a minimum.
The telephone number (02475 389 980) is a geographical number therefore call charges vary depending on the phone provider and whether a landline or mobile is used to make the call. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/call-charges
When setting up the helpline the primarily focus was to ensure it was easily accessible for those calling from the UK and abroad – A freephone option would not have provided that accessibility.
The department continues to closely monitor and review the volume of calls being made to the helpline; as the volumes have significantly reduced over this period there is currently no scope to move the helpline to a freephone number however this decision will remain under review.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has been made on ensuring that the Serious and Organised Crime Group (a) is provided with the necessary resources for and (b) is giving sufficient priority to disrupting the threat posed by illicit Russian financial activity as recommended by the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report on Russia published on 21 July 2020.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Money obtained through corruption or criminality, including that linked to Russia, is not welcome in the UK.
The government, with the Home Office as a core partner, is continuing to bring all the capabilities of UK law enforcement to bear where there is any evidence of malign intent, serious and organised crime or illicit financial activity.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress she has made on her review of the effectiveness of the Computer Misuse Act 1990; and when she expects that review to be completed.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary launched the review of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 on 11 May, announcing a public Call for Information to seek the views of stakeholders on how the Act, and law enforcement powers to investigate the offences in the Act, can be enhanced. The Call for Information has now closed, and the Home Office is reviewing the proposals made.
We will provide an update to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to progress closer working between MI5 and police regional Counter- Terrorism Units on countering Hostile State Activity, as recommended by the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report on Russia published on 21 July 2020.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government agrees with the Intelligence and Security Committee on the benefits of close working arrangements between law enforcement and the security and intelligence services.
As noted in the Government’s response to the ISC’s report, MI5 has already developed closer working with Police and Home Office partners in tackling the threat posed by State Threats, including working together closely on a number of State Threats cases. The Salisbury response and investigations in 2018 were led by Counter Terrorism Policing, drawing on its expertise in investigating matters which pertain to national security. The Agencies continue to collaborate closely and productively with Police on all relevant State Threats cases.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether, in line with former Foreign and Commonwealth Office policy, non-UK nationals formerly employed by the Department for International Development and now working for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will have the combined time spent serving in both the UK and overseas counted as being ordinarily resident in the UK in support of applications for UK citizenship.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The requirements for naturalisation as a British citizen are based on a period of residence in the United Kingdom. UK Visas and Immigration would normally consider exercising some discretion over excess absences where a person had established their home, employment, family and finances in the UK, and the excess absences were the result of postings abroad in Crown service, or in accompanying a British citizen spouse or civil partner on an appointment overseas. This applies to all permanent and established Crown servants, irrespective of their department.