Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides compensation for financial losses incurred by people who have (a) weddings and (b) other bookings cancelled as a result of her Department's contracts with hotels to accommodate asylum seekers (i) generally and (ii) when standard wedding insurance does not cover the loss. .
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Successive years in which record numbers of people have crossed the Channel in small boats has placed our asylum infrastructure under immense strain. In order to meet our statutory obligations to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, we have been forced to temporarily house asylum seekers in hotels. The use of hotels is a short term solution and we are working hard with Local Authorities and our accommodation providers to find more appropriate accommodation.
Hotel owners are under no obligation to enter into a contract with our providers. However, they recognise a commercial benefit from this arrangement. The decision to cancel any pre booked reservations is the responsibility of the hotel and not the Home Office.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that perpetrators of shoplifting are charged.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the significant impact that shoplifting can have, not only on businesses but also the wider community and consumers.
We are working closely with retailers, trade organisations, police and enforcement partners across England and Wales via the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to ensure the response to crimes affecting the retail sector, including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.
We also support the police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council to help ensure businesses and police are working effectively together to tackle shoplifting. This includes encouraging businesses to report incidents when they occur, gather relevant evidence and work closely with the police to ensure incidents are dealt with appropriately.
The Crime and Policing Minister wrote to PCCs and Chief Constables in September 2020, setting out that the theft of goods valued up to £200 from a shop should be prosecuted as a criminal offence and therefore should not constrain the ability of the police to arrest or prosecute someone in the way they feel is most appropriate.
We expect that all reported crimes, including shoplifting, should be taken seriously and properly investigated.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which financial year will the revised police national funding formula take effect.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government has committed to reviewing the police funding formula before the next General Election and our intention is to introduce new arrangements at the earliest opportunity.
Reviewing the funding formula will be a complex process that will require close working with the policing sector and relevant experts to develop proposals, and a full public consultation will take place before any new funding arrangements are put in place.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many ongoing cases the Independent Office for Police Conduct has been investigating for more than 12 months.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
As at 18 May 2021, the IOPC has 29 cases that have been open for longer than 12 months.
For context, in 2020/21 the IOPC started 465 independent investigations.
Of the investigations it completed in 2020/21, it completed 86% within 12 months. When major investigations are excluded, the IOPC completed 91% of investigations in 12 months or less (against a target of 85%).
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff work for the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
As at 30th April 2021, the IOPC workforce totalled 1,004 people.