Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to issue travel documents to Hong Kong residents who were born after 1997 and hold a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport so they do not have to step onto Chinese consulate grounds to renew their documentation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not have plans to issue travel documents to children of parents on the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route or to Hong Kong residents born after 1997 who hold a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport.
Individuals arriving in the UK must produce a valid passport with a photograph or some other document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality, if required to do so by a Border Force officer. Individuals who wish to travel outside the UK will need to comply with the entry requirements of the country they wish to enter, which may require a valid travel document to establish their identity and nationality.
It remains the case that those who hold a HKSAR passport and wish to travel to or from the UK will need to renew that passport or arrange for alternative documentation. The UK cannot assist with the renewal of passports of other nationalities.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to counter Iranian government disinformation in the UK.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
Misinformation and disinformation can come from a range of sources, but we know that certain states routinely use disinformation as a foreign policy tool. The UK – along with our G7 and NATO partners, is working hard to protect our democracies against disinformation. DCMS holds overall HM Government policy responsibility for counter-disinformation and is the convening department for the Cross-Whitehall Counter Disinformation Unit, bringing together cross-government monitoring and analysis capabilities.
DCMS also closely with social media platforms to help them identify and take action to remove disinformation, in line with their revised terms and conditions, and to promote authoritative sources of information. Home Office are supporting DCMS in their response to countering disinformation, including through engagement with platforms.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that Russian oligarchs who sold assets prior to sanctioning by the UK Government are held to account.
Answered by Damian Hinds
We, working under an FCDO-led designation regime, have sanctioned an unprecedented and world-leading number of oligarchs linked to the Kremlin-regime with implementation of financial sanctions led by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in HM Treasury and criminal investigations led by the National Crime Agency.
We have established a Combatting Kleptocracy Cell in the NCA which will target corrupt oligarchs and their associates through their assets hidden in the UK, target the professional enablers of these corrupt oligarchs and support HMG sanctions delivery and enforcement.
The UK is also working with international partners to ensure there is nowhere for dirty Russian money to hide, including through the Russian Elites Proxies and Oligarchs (REPO) Task Force, which brings together international partners to ensure the effective enforcement of financial sanctions implemented against Kremlin-linked elites and entities.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March to Question 126597 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: UK Border Force, if she will update Members on the effectiveness of the Service Level Agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency following its three month initial assessment.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The introduction of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) commenced at 09:00 on the 24 January 2022 and the agreement has been reviewed.
During the review period, all detections have been dealt with at the port and there have been no incidents of Border Force securing information and releasing the animals for APHA inland action.
Border Force and APHA have reviewed the process and the SLA will remain in place for all but exceptional cases and will continue to monitor its effectiveness on a regular basis.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she received the letter from hon. Members from Greater Manchester headed Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Greater Manchester, sent on 12 November 2021; and when she plans to reply to that letter.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
A reply was sent by the Minister for Afghan Resettlement on 4 February 2022.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Border Force continues to work closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency on vehicles suspected of being involved in the Puppy Smuggling industry.
Answered by Damian Hinds
1) The decision to limit the detention time to 30 minutes from the point of notifying APHA was an agreed position between Border Force and APHA at Dover. The SLA commenced on the 24 January and its effectiveness will be assessed after 3 months.
2) Border Force and Defra meet regularly at the Border Force and Defra Steering Group to discuss ways of working to combat puppy smuggling. Border Force continues to work closely with APHA, referring every case identified at the border for the appropriate action.
3) Border Force and APHA have no plans to publish the local operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.
4) There have been no vehicles requiring referral to APAH since the commencement of the SLA.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, if she will publish recent changes made to the operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.
Answered by Damian Hinds
1) The decision to limit the detention time to 30 minutes from the point of notifying APHA was an agreed position between Border Force and APHA at Dover. The SLA commenced on the 24 January and its effectiveness will be assessed after 3 months.
2) Border Force and Defra meet regularly at the Border Force and Defra Steering Group to discuss ways of working to combat puppy smuggling. Border Force continues to work closely with APHA, referring every case identified at the border for the appropriate action.
3) Border Force and APHA have no plans to publish the local operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.
4) There have been no vehicles requiring referral to APAH since the commencement of the SLA.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, how many vehicles have been released from consignment at the Port of Dover following recent changes to the operational agreement between the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Border Force.
Answered by Damian Hinds
1) The decision to limit the detention time to 30 minutes from the point of notifying APHA was an agreed position between Border Force and APHA at Dover. The SLA commenced on the 24 January and its effectiveness will be assessed after 3 months.
2) Border Force and Defra meet regularly at the Border Force and Defra Steering Group to discuss ways of working to combat puppy smuggling. Border Force continues to work closely with APHA, referring every case identified at the border for the appropriate action.
3) Border Force and APHA have no plans to publish the local operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.
4) There have been no vehicles requiring referral to APAH since the commencement of the SLA.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446, on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Border Force’s decision to limit the consignment time to thirty minutes for vehicles suspected to be involved in the puppy smuggling industry.
Answered by Damian Hinds
1) The decision to limit the detention time to 30 minutes from the point of notifying APHA was an agreed position between Border Force and APHA at Dover. The SLA commenced on the 24 January and its effectiveness will be assessed after 3 months.
2) Border Force and Defra meet regularly at the Border Force and Defra Steering Group to discuss ways of working to combat puppy smuggling. Border Force continues to work closely with APHA, referring every case identified at the border for the appropriate action.
3) Border Force and APHA have no plans to publish the local operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.
4) There have been no vehicles requiring referral to APAH since the commencement of the SLA.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Border Force guidance is for handling detained vehicles which are suspected to be involved in the illegal puppy smuggling industry.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Border Force has extensive powers to examine and control traffic for a wide variety of purposes, and through its work at the border is able to examine vehicles and freight and ensure detections of illegal imports are referred to the most relevant authority or enforcement agency for action.
If live animals are detected, Border Force is responsible for the detention of the animals and vehicle, and then referring to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) at the appropriate border control post for further enforcement action.