Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing a scheme similar to the Homes for Ukraine scheme for Palestinians.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority. The UK is also calling for unimpeded humanitarian access in Gaza so that essential aid can reach civilian populations, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
The Home Office has not considered establishing a separate route for Palestinians to come to the UK. Since 2015, over half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK. We are not able to provide a tailored route for every conflict.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 introducing a family reunion scheme to support Israeli and Palestinian relatives of UK residents to come to the UK for the duration of the war.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no plans to create a bespoke family reunion scheme.
We will accept applications, which would normally have to be made in the country where the person is living, at any of the UK’s Visa Application Centres.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers waiting for the outcome of visas they have sponsored to be determined have been waiting for a decision for (a) over three months, (b) over six months, (c) over one year and (d) over two years as of 16 October 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
UKVI are unable to determine how many employers are awaiting the outcome of visa applications, as numerous applications may be linked to one employer and we do not produce published data on this.
The latest published data that shows the breakdown by the length of time taken to process a sponsorship application and the average length of time taken (days) to process a sponsorship application can be found here at Sponsorship transparency data: Q2 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long on average it has taken for visa applications sponsored by employers and identified as complex to be processed in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
UKVI are unable to determine how many employers are awaiting the outcome of visa applications, as numerous applications may be linked to one employer and we do not produce published data on this.
The latest published data that shows the breakdown by the length of time taken to process a sponsorship application and the average length of time taken (days) to process a sponsorship application can be found here at Sponsorship transparency data: Q2 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers sponsored applications for visas in the last 12 months; and how many of those applications were identified as complex.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
UKVI are unable to determine how many employers are awaiting the outcome of visa applications, as numerous applications may be linked to one employer and we do not produce published data on this.
The latest published data that shows the breakdown by the length of time taken to process a sponsorship application and the average length of time taken (days) to process a sponsorship application can be found here at Sponsorship transparency data: Q2 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers are awaiting the outcome of a visa application they have sponsored to be determined as of 16 October 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
UKVI are unable to determine how many employers are awaiting the outcome of visa applications, as numerous applications may be linked to one employer and we do not produce published data on this.
The latest published data that shows the breakdown by the length of time taken to process a sponsorship application and the average length of time taken (days) to process a sponsorship application can be found here at Sponsorship transparency data: Q2 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of employers making sponsorship applications for visas received a decision within eight weeks in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not publish data that would cover this request.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce incidences of (a) violent crime, (b) theft in which a weapon is used and (c) theft in which no weapon is used.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Homicide, gun crime, and knife crime are all below their pre-pandemic levels. The Home Office is investing over £110m to tackle serious violence in 2023/24. This includes:
We are also banning certain types of large knives (such as zombie style knives and machetes), giving the police more powers to seize dangerous weapons, creating a new offence of possession of a bladed weapon with an intent to harm, and increasing sentences for those who import, manufacture or sell dangerous weapons to under 18s.
On theft, we welcome the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales data, which shows a 77% per cent fall in robbery and a 52% fall in theft from the person in the year to March 2023 compared to the year to March 2010.
The Safer Streets Fund lies at the heart of the Government’s strategy for cutting crime, protecting the law-abiding majority, and making neighbourhoods safe. We have invested £120m since 2020 into the Safer Streets Fund to increase the safety of public spaces for all, targeting neighbourhood crimes such as theft and robbery. The Fund is also intended to boost trust in the police and make communities feel safer.
On 28 August police forces across England and Wales committed to a ministerial request to follow up on ‘reasonable lines of enquiry’ where there is a reasonable chance it could lead them to catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. This will include taking full advantage of footage from CCTV, phones and smart doorbells to help identify suspects and tracking stolen items where reasonable and proportionate to do so.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her oral contribution of 18 September 2023, Official Report, column 1097, whether she plans to monitor the extent to which individual police forces follow up on (a) CCTV footage, (b) online evidence of resale and (c) other actionable evidence.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 28 August, the Home Secretary announced that police forces across England and Wales have committed to pursuing all leads where there is a reasonable chance it could result in catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. This commitment applies to all crime types, meaning all material and potential evidence should be considered when there is information to suggest the offender could be identified. New guidelines and updated authorised professional practice on investigation from the College of Policing provide clear direction on applying a consistent standard of service to have the greatest chance of securing a positive outcome for a victim.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services will use their existing inspections framework to assess how thoroughly forces are investigating crime, including whether they follow all reasonable lines of enquiry. We will closely monitor their findings and engage closely with the NPCC on implementation of the new College of Policing guidelines and updated authorised professional practice.
Operational decisions are a matter for individual police chiefs and their force, and each incident is looked at on a case-by-case basis on the evidence available and in proportion to the crime. As the locally elected representative for policing, PCCs are responsible for holding their Chief to account for their performance.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) time taken for the police to respond to a reported incident procedures and (b) the effectiveness of that response.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). As the locally elected representative for policing, PCCs are responsible for holding their Chief to account for their performance.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services regularly inspects forces’ performance and makes recommendations for improvement where necessary. On 7th July HMICFRS published “Police performance: Getting a grip” which included recommendations on responding to the public. We expect Chief Constables to ensure that appropriate action is taken within their force to address these recommendations, progress against which is monitored by the Inspectorate.
The public want to see police taking visible action in communities, being responsive, and thoroughly investigating crime. On 28 August, the Home Secretary announced that police forces across England and Wales have committed to pursuing all leads where there is a reasonable chance it could result in catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. New guidance from the College of Policing provides clear direction on applying a consistent standard of service to have the greatest chance of securing a positive outcome for a victim.
Operational decisions are a matter for individual police chiefs and their force, and each incident is looked at on a case-by-case basis on the evidence available and in proportion to the crime.