Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Illegal Migration Bill on the number of undocumented people living in the UK without immigration status.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We will publish an economic impact assessment in respect of the Bill in due course.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any members of the public have been arrested for expressing republican views since 8 September; what steps she is taking to protect freedom of speech; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
This Government supports the peaceful practice of free speech. Individuals have the right to express republican views if they wish to do so. This does not permit or excuse breaches of the law, for example Public Order Legislation, where these apply.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of not funding the legal costs for participants in the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Undercover Policing Inquiry is independent of the Home Office and decisions regarding funding for Core Participants are for the Inquiry to make.
Under section 40 of the Inquiries Act 2005, the Inquiry Chair has the power to award reasonable amounts to cover expenses, including in respect of legal representation for those who give evidence to the Inquiry. This includes witnesses, as well as core participants.
More information can be found on the Inquiry’s website at: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/about-the-inquiry/#costs
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of not providing live audio and video streaming of the Undercover Policing Inquiry on the ability of the (a) public and (b) core participants to engage with that inquiry.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Undercover Policing Inquiry is independent of the Home Office and so, decisions on the conduct of its investigations and hearings are for the Inquiry to make.
The Inquiry has sought the views of Core Participants and relevant parties on how it should conduct its evidence hearings. Following the completion of the November 2020 evidence hearings the Inquiry held a directions hearing in January 2021 which discussed arrangements for Phase 2 of Tranche 1 hearings that are scheduled to commence on 21st April 2021.
The outcome of this directions hearing was published in February by the Inquiry, detailing its provision of live audio and video streaming to the public and the rationale behind this. This can be found on the Inquiry website at: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20210205-directions-t1_p2_hearings.pdf
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of appointing panel members with expertise in (a) institutional racism, (b) sexism, (C) class bias and (d) the other relevant issues in the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The issue was carefully considered in 2018 and it was decided that panel members would not be appointed at that time. A judicial review of the decision was subsequently refused. Sir John Mitting is an experienced High Court Judge and has the necessary expertise to deliver the Inquiry’s terms of reference.
The Inquiry’s Strategic Review of May 2018 set out the Chair’s views that the appointment of a panel to assist in Module three of the Inquiry’s investigations timetable would be useful, and any such appointment would be subject to consultation between the Inquiry Chair and Home Secretary.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of instructing the police and security services to make available to their unredacted registry files to the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The police and Security Service are operationally independent from the Home Office and decisions concerning their engagement with the Undercover Policing Inquiry are a matter for them. It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on or intervene in those organisations’ engagement with the Inquiry while it is ongoing.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been fined for breaching the covid-19 lockdown restrictions in order to seek childcare in (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does not hold the information requested.
Data on the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued under the new emergency COVID-19 health regulations, are published by the NPCC on a fortnightly basis. Information on the reason for which a fine was issued is included however the level of detail requested is not available. The latest statistics can be found here: https://news.npcc.police.uk/resources/fixed-penalty-notices-issued-under-covid-29th-may-v1
Policing is a devolved matter and FPNs issued by Police Scotland and Police Service Northern Ireland are reported separately by the respective forces.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people arrested for violent offences in each of the last 10 years have previously served a prison term.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of arrests made by each police force in England and Wales for violence against the person offences.
Data are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here:
Data on the number of people arrested for violent offences that have previously served a prison term is not included in this collection.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the total spend on legal representation for police (a) forces and (b) staff at inquests on people who have died as a result of police contact.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Home Office does not collect this information. It is a decision for individual Police and Crime Commissioners whether to cover the costs of legal representation for their personnel.
The Home Office has provided guidance for PCCs which is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/0102017-guidance-to-local-policing-bodies-on-providing-financial-assistance-to-police-officers-and-staff-facing-legal-proceedings
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his Department's annual spending was on legal representation for police forces and police staff at inquests relating to people who have died during or following police contact in the last five years for which information is available.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Home Office has not provided funding to forces to cover legal costs relating to deaths during or after police contact.