Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of fees for firearms licences.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Fees for firearms licences were last increased in 2015 and the Government is currently considering proposals for new firearms licensing fees.
I hope to make an announcement about fees shortly.
Income received from firearms licensing fees should be invested into ensuring forces’ licensing teams are adequately resourced, trained and equipped.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle domestic violence.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime and tackling it remains a top priority for this Government.
We remain committed to delivering our Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and complimentary Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. We have doubled funding for the National Domestic Abuse Helpline and added violence against women and girls - including domestic abuse - to the revised Strategic Policing Requirement elevating it to a national threat for police forces to respond to accordingly.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will meet with the Master Locksmiths Association to discuss the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to regulate the locksmith industry.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government currently has no plans to regulate the locksmith industry.
All locksmiths approved by the Master Locksmith Association (MLA) undergo strict vetting including a criminal record check; are regularly inspected to ensure they conform to legal requirements and customer charters; and must pass the MLA’s qualifications to demonstrate competence.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to make permanent the temporary powers within the Coronavirus Act 2020 enabling the electronic registration of deaths.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Although the current easements to death registration in the Coronavirus Act 2020 have not enabled the electronic registration of deaths, the General Register Office continues to look for opportunities to modernise the death registration process.
The current easements for death registration are currently planned to expire in line with the Coronavirus Act 2020, to retain them would require changes to the Primary Legislation which underpins the death registration process
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to review the covid-19 regulations in respect of funerals to protect funeral directors and staff cemeteries and crematoriums in the event of breaches of those regulations at funerals.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ provides a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England. The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, whilst preserving the health and safety of the country. The scientific evidence shows that opening too early or too quickly risks a further lockdown. The approach focuses on data, not dates. Each step has a “no earlier than” date, five weeks later than the previous step, to allow time to assess the impact of the previous step and provide a week’s notice before changes occur.
Ahead of Step 4 (no earlier than 21 June), Government will launch the Events Research Programme, to consider how and when restrictions can be lifted from large events including funerals and wakes. Subject to the outcomes of the review, we hope to be able to lift restrictions.
It is the responsibility of the funeral director or venue owner to take all reasonable steps to ensure a funeral is Covid secure, and takes place in a way that complies with all relevant legislation, including around attendance.
A funeral director or venue owner can seek support from the police if they reasonably believe that the numbers attending are likely to breach the legal limits despite their best efforts to prevent this, or the numbers in attendance have unexpectedly exceeded the legal limits. The police can then decide the most appropriate action to take, which may include issuing a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing a protocol to be agreed between police forces and funeral and death care sector businesses to ensure a consistent approach to compliance with covid-19 restrictions at funerals.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government’s guidance for those managing funerals is available through the Deceased Management Advisory Group website. This guidance details the actions funeral directors and others managing funerals should take to ensure funerals take place in a COVID-19 safe and secure way. This includes ensuring a COVID-19 risk assessment is in place and that all reasonable steps are taken to limit the risk of transmission, taking into account the risk assessment and relevant legislation including around attendance.
The Home Office does not provide guidance to police forces as they are operationally independent. Operational guidance is provided by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
A funeral director should notify the police if they reasonably believe that despite their best efforts, the numbers attending are likely to breach the legal limits. The police can decide the most appropriate enforcement which may include issuing a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces in respect of mourners that breach covid-19 social distancing regulations at funerals.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government’s guidance for those managing funerals is available through the Deceased Management Advisory Group website. This guidance details the actions funeral directors and others managing funerals should take to ensure funerals take place in a COVID-19 safe and secure way. This includes ensuring a COVID-19 risk assessment is in place and that all reasonable steps are taken to limit the risk of transmission, taking into account the risk assessment and relevant legislation including around attendance.
The Home Office does not provide guidance to police forces as they are operationally independent. Operational guidance is provided by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
A funeral director should notify the police if they reasonably believe that despite their best efforts, the numbers attending are likely to breach the legal limits. The police can decide the most appropriate enforcement which may include issuing a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) guidance and (b) support his Department has provided to funeral directors and death care sector workers to help ensure compliance with covid-19 restrictions at funerals.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government’s guidance for those managing funerals is available through the Deceased Management Advisory Group website. This guidance details the actions funeral directors and others managing funerals should take to ensure funerals take place in a COVID-19 safe and secure way. This includes ensuring a COVID-19 risk assessment is in place and that all reasonable steps are taken to limit the risk of transmission, taking into account the risk assessment and relevant legislation including around attendance.
The Home Office does not provide guidance to police forces as they are operationally independent. Operational guidance is provided by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
A funeral director should notify the police if they reasonably believe that despite their best efforts, the numbers attending are likely to breach the legal limits. The police can decide the most appropriate enforcement which may include issuing a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK (a) retains and (b) attracts highly skilled contractors from the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government set out its proposals for the future skills-based immigration system in the White Paper published on 18 December. It states that those wishing to base themselves in the UK to work on a self-employed or freelance basis will continue to able to do so where they are able to qualify under the exceptional talent, business start-up or innovator routes. In addition, those skilled professionals who are technically self-employed but effectively filling a position with a UK-based business, for example, barristers, will continue to be able to be sponsored under the new route for skilled and highly skilled workers.
The UK has existing commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services and bilateral free trade agreements concluded between the EU and third countries which provide for the admission of contractual service suppliers and self-employed professionals where they are coming under contract to supply a service to a UK client. These commitments, which the UK expects to continue to be bound by following the UK’s exit from the EU, are currently implemented through existing provisions in the UK immigration system, and these arrangements will continue after the UK leaves the EU. The Government expects to build upon these existing commitments in future trade agreements with the EU and other key trading partners.
The White Paper on the UK’s future relationship with the EU sets the Government’s intention to agree reciprocal mobility arrangements with the EU that support businesses’ ability to provide services.
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the future skills-based immigration system will enable highly skilled contractors from overseas to fill temporary roles on a (a) self-employed and (b) employed basis after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government set out its proposals for the future skills-based immigration system in the White Paper published on 18 December. It states that those wishing to base themselves in the UK to work on a self-employed or freelance basis will continue to able to do so where they are able to qualify under the exceptional talent, business start-up or innovator routes. In addition, those skilled professionals who are technically self-employed but effectively filling a position with a UK-based business, for example, barristers, will continue to be able to be sponsored under the new route for skilled and highly skilled workers.
The UK has existing commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services and bilateral free trade agreements concluded between the EU and third countries which provide for the admission of contractual service suppliers and self-employed professionals where they are coming under contract to supply a service to a UK client. These commitments, which the UK expects to continue to be bound by following the UK’s exit from the EU, are currently implemented through existing provisions in the UK immigration system, and these arrangements will continue after the UK leaves the EU. The Government expects to build upon these existing commitments in future trade agreements with the EU and other key trading partners.
The White Paper on the UK’s future relationship with the EU sets the Government’s intention to agree reciprocal mobility arrangements with the EU that support businesses’ ability to provide services.