Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) children and (b) young people under the age of 20 referred to Prevent in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office published its annual statistics on individuals referred to and supported through Prevent programme on December 7th 2023. The release covers Prevent data reported between April 2022 and March 2023, and for the first time includes statistics to show the number of minors referred to Prevent. In the year ending 31 March 2023, there were 3,773 referrals to Prevent for individuals aged 17 and under.
This comprises 56% of referrals where the age was known. Combining those aged 17 and under with those aged 18, 19 and 20, there were 4,322 referrals to Prevent for individuals aged under 21.
This comprises 64% of all referrals where the age was known. More information and detailed data tables are provided in the latest release, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-prevent
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to people who have been misreferred to Prevent.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Where the police take a decision that a referral is not suitable for Prevent, the referral will be closed. The person being referred will not routinely be made aware of the referral. Where the person is signposted for support via other services – which could include social care or mental health services – they will receive support via the appropriate service.
It will process complaints from both the public and practitioners, and will take instruction from Ministers to conduct investigations and publish findings. The unit will be delivered by the Commission for Countering Extremism, and will be answerable to Ministers on the Prevent oversight board.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the date by which he will next receive an update on the independent policing productivity review.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Policing Productivity Review was commissioned in August 2020 to produce clear, practical, and deliverable recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of policing functions. They have provided their report to the Home Office, which has now been published.
The Government welcomes this review and is supportive of any effort to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for the police to do their jobs. The Home Office is considering each of the recommendations and will engage with relevant stakeholders to respond to the report in due course.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the extent of the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in police stations.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
My officials continue to work closely with policing partners to assess any safety issues resulting from the life expiry of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
All police forces are aware of the potential risks and have been working alongside industry experts since 2021 to ensure site inspections by qualified building surveyors and condition surveys are conducted. Individual police forces have rightly taken a variety of steps to mitigate any potential issues and ensure everyone’s safety – including vacating buildings, and demolishing or replacing structures where issues have been identified. Where there is any uncertainty forces are conducting prompt further investigations
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff vacancies were there for the Border Force in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost. The link to Home Office annual reports and accounts which hold detail on staff costs is enclosed below:
HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff worked for the Border Force in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Staffing figures for Border Force can be found at Home Office annual report and accounts:
HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, (b) police forces, (c) the National Crime Agency, (d) HMRC and (e) the Food Standards Agency on the traffic of illicit and counterfeit food goods across the channel.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Border Force work closely with the lead department DEFRA in relation to Products of Animals Origins and food smuggling data.
The DEFRA link below will provide further detail in relation to the questions asked:
www.gov.uk/guidance/import-or-move-food-and-drink-from-the-eu-and-northern-ireland-to-great-britain
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the levels of cross-channel food smuggling in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Border Force work closely with the lead department DEFRA in relation to Products of Animals Origins and food smuggling data.
The DEFRA link below will provide further detail in relation to the questions asked:
www.gov.uk/guidance/import-or-move-food-and-drink-from-the-eu-and-northern-ireland-to-great-britain
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the current average wait time for a decision to be made on a modern slavery case under the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics regarding the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). These include the average time taken to make a Conclusive Grounds Decision. The latest published NRM statistics can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1154119/modern-slavery-national-referral-mechanism-statistics-uk-quarter-1-2023-january-to-march-tables.ods
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average time taken to investigate cases at Action Fraud.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Action Fraud is the national reporting service for fraud but is not responsible for investigations. Reports submitted to Action Fraud are considered by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and evaluated to assess the information available which could assist an investigation.
The NFIB currently aims to review every report for vulnerability within 72 hours of it being received on the NFIB technology platform. All allegations where viable lines of enquiry are identified should be disseminated to the appropriate force within 7– 28 days of reporting, depending on the level of information and evidence available.
We are working with City of London Police to refresh and upgrade the current Action Fraud service. Improvements include using automation within NFIB to increase its effectiveness.