Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional funding has been allocated to the Border Force at UK airports to ensure it is adequately funded after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
BF received £91.7m ring-fenced funds from HM Treasury in 2018-19 to prepare for EU Exit. BF’s 2019-20 allocation for EU Exit is expected to be confirmed by HM Treasury before the start of the 2019-20 financial year.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of any differences in the definition of serious crime would have on (a) criminal justice and (b) police cooperation between the EU and the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government has made a strong case for an ambitious and mutually beneficial future partnership with the EU that covers: mechanisms for rapid and secure data exchange, practical measures to support cross-border operational cooperation, and continued UK cooperation with EU law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.
Negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU in the area of criminal justice and law enforcement cooperation is ongoing so we cannot pre-judge the outcome, but at this stage there is no reason to expect that differences in the definition of serious crime will be an issue.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on UK citizens using ePassport gates after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We keep the border and immigration system under regular review however the Government has no plans to change the use of e-passport gates by UK citizens.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of the resourcing allocated to Border Force and (b) the effect of the UK leaving the EU on that resourcing.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Border Force will always ensure it has the necessary resources to keep the border secure and will respond flexibly to emerging requirements through ongoing assessments of operational needs.
Border Force has recruited a Readiness Task Force to provide operational resilience to the frontline and allow existing staff to undertake EU exit related training. The c.300 multi-disciplinary Border Force officers will be fully deployed by the end of the year.
An additional c.600 Border Force officers are being recruited in 2018/19 to respond to the new requirements it will face as a result of EU Exit and to provide resilience at key locations.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on UK citizens using ePassport gates after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We keep the border and immigration system under regular review however the Government has no plans to change the use of e-passport gates by UK citizens.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assistance his Department has (a) requested and (b) received from the European Counter-Terrorism Centre on removing online terrorist propaganda.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The UK continues to lead international efforts to prevent terrorist use of the internet. In the UK, the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) refers content to online platforms that is assessed to contravene those platforms’ terms and conditions. Following referrals from CTIRU, online platforms have removed over 300,000 pieces of terrorist-related material since its inception in February 2010.
This successful model was replicated within the EU as a response to the international nature of the online threat. The UK was instrumental in the formation of the European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU), which went live in July 2015 following the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The EU IRU is one initiative of the European Counter-Terrorism Centre, part of Europol.
The UK continues to work closely with the EU and other international partners to push industry to take a more proactive approach to detecting and removing terrorist content from their platforms. The UK and the EU IRU share information, evidence and best practice on an ongoing basis to prevent terrorist use of the internet.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Directive 2017/541 on apprehending foreign fighters under Article 9 of that Directive.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The UK did not opt in to Directive 2017/541 on combating terrorism. UK effec-tiveness on combating terrorism and countering travelling for the purpose of terrorism, as referred to by Article 9 of Directive 2017/541 is not governed through this EU legislation. The UK already has strong domestic legislation in place and opting in would not have increased further public protection.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to support trials of new biometric technologies at UK airports.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office continues to explore a range of digital options to improve the security and efficiency of our visa and border systems. These proposed changes are part of the government’s commitment to ensure the security of the UK border for the safety and benefit of customers and taxpayers.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect on reducing immigration queuing times at airports allowing passengers from five eyes partner countries to use ePassport gates would have.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We keep our border and immigration system under regular review to understand what changes can made to improve the passenger experience without reducing border security.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to support trials of new biometric technologies at UK airports.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office continues to explore a range of digital options to improve the security and efficiency of our visa and border systems. These proposed changes are part of the government’s commitment to ensure the security of the UK border for the safety and benefit of customers and taxpayers.