Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the risk of the far right and racists targeting (a) Poplar and Limehouse constituency and (b) other diverse areas; and what steps he is taking to protect communities from hate (i) crimes and (ii) speech.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes which target race and religion and expect the police to fully investigate these appalling offences and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. Our priority is to get more police onto our streets, cut crime, protect the public and bring more criminals to justice. We are supporting the police by providing them with the resources they need. Part of this necessitates police recruitment and training - there are now over 149,000 officers in England and Wales, which is higher than the previous peak in March 2010 before the Police Uplift Programme. Funding for the Metropolitan Police Service will be up to £3.5bn in 2024/25, an increase of up to £125.8m when compared to 2023/24. As of 30 September 2023, the Metropolitan Police Service has over 35,000 officers (35,006).
We are committed to protecting all communities from hate crime. In 2023/24, the Home Office is providing up to £50.9 million to protect faith communities. This includes £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, £29.4 million through the new Protective Security for Mosques scheme and a scheme for Muslim faith schools, and £3.5 million for the places of worship of other (non-Muslim and non-Jewish) faiths.
The Government continues to fund True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal designed so that victims of all forms of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We also fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub, a central capability designed to provide expert advice to support individual local police forces in dealing with online hate crime.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the statement entitled Domestic Abuse Commissioner responds to Criminal Justice reforms in the King’s Speech, published on 7 November 2023, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure perpetrators of domestic abuse can be removed from the police force and police staff as well as changes to police regulations to remove warrant cards from police officers under investigation for violence against women and girls offences.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Existing Regulations provide Chief Constables with a power to suspend officers under investigation, including where it is in the public interest to do so.
In February, Government announced that it will legislate for automatic suspension in cases where an officer is charged with an indictable only offence, and a presumption of suspension where an officer is charged with an either way offence. When suspended, an officer is suspended from the Office of Constable and its associated powers. Forces should remove officers’ warrant cards from them where this happens.
The Government is further introducing measures to strengthen the system for removing officers who are not fit to serve. These include a presumption of dismissal where officers are found to have committed gross misconduct and a clarified route to remove officers who fail to hold and maintain vetting.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure the safety and security of East London Mosque.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.
The rise in anti-Muslim hatred across the country since last year has been a cause for concern, and subsequently, the Home Office is providing up to £50.9 million in 2023/24 to protect faith communities. This includes £29.4 million through the new Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, and the Government has confirmed that this level of funding will now be maintained annually through to 2027/28.
Mosques and Muslim faith community centres can register for protective security measures through the Home Office’s Protective Security for Mosques Scheme on GOV.UK. The scheme provides physical protective security measures, such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing. Due diligence checks are carried out by the Home Office; for example, to confirm that applicants are eligible registered charities. Following approval, applicants receive a site survey to assess the most suitable security measures for their site, which are funded by the Home Office and installed by the Department’s delivery partner.
We do not provide information about the funding on specific sites
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant people are detained in (a) prison and (b) an immigration detention centre.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
As of 20 December 2023, there are currently no pregnant women detained in immigration removal centres. Questions regarding pregnant people in prisons should be addressed to the Secretary of State for Justice.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the experiences of the criminal justice system of survivors of domestic abuse.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
In March 2022, we published the cross-Government ‘Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan’, which seeks to transform society’s response to domestic abuse through preventing reoffending, supporting victims, pursuing perpetrators and strengthening the systems processes in place needed to deliver these goals.
To ensure victims are given the support they need, the Government has supported the Domestic Abuse Matters programme which provides specialist domestic abuse training to police forces. We are funding the development of a new module of this training programme, targeted specifically at investigators of domestic abuse offences to enable further improvement in police responses to domestic abuse incidents. A 2020 evaluation of the programme showed a 41% increase in arrests for coercive or controlling behaviour, associated with the training.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have quadrupled funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10. This funding includes £21 million ringfenced per annum for PCCs to commission services supporting victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse. The MoJ are using additional ringfenced funding to increase the number of ISVAs and IDVAs by 300, to over 1,000, by 2024/25 - a 43% increase.
In February 2023, MoJ laid secondary legislation to ensure legal aid will be available for domestic abuse victims seeking a Domestic Abuse Protection Order. The legislation now also allows for more types of evidence to be accepted from victims of domestic abuse, making it easier for victims to evidence their claims and access the support they need.
In March 2023, the Government introduced the Victims and Prisoners Bill to Parliament. Under the Victims’ Code, victims are entitled to have their crime investigated without unjustified delay and to be provided with information about the investigation and prosecution.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the no recourse to public funds status on (a) homelessness, (b) poverty, (c) access to healthcare and (d) violence against women and girls.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Government published an overarching Equality Impact Assessment on the Compliant Environment measures, of which the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is part, earlier this year: Compliant environment: overarching equality impact assessment (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of children's passport renewal applications rejected on the grounds that both parents' consent could not be obtained due to the inability of one parent being unable to obtain a domestic violence related court order in each of the last three years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
An application for a British passport in the circumstances described would not be rejected due to the omission of a Court Order alone. His Majesty’s Passport Office supports customers who are vulnerable or at risk from harm based upon their individual circumstances and will explore all options to enable a passport application to be progressed.
Data relating to the reasons that an application for a British passport is rejected is not held in a reportable format and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
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 allowing people to use Irish passport cards at eGates.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
To be eligible for entry via an e-gate at present, a traveller must hold a machine-readable biometric passport. Cards are not compatible.
The Government has an ambitious vision for the future UK border, in which most people crossing the border will experience an e-gate style arrival, using automation as their only point of contact.
We continue to look at options for expanding the use of e-gates to cohorts of passenger not currently able to use them.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
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 allowing people to use Gibraltan identity cards at eGates.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
To be eligible for entry via an e-gate at present, a traveller must hold a machine-readable biometric passport. Cards are not compatible.
The Government has an ambitious vision for the future UK border, in which most people crossing the border will experience an e-gate style arrival, using automation as their only point of contact.
We continue to look at options for expanding the use of e-gates to cohorts of passenger not currently able to use them.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to process applications for leave to remain for which service standard processing times have been exceeded.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
UK Visas and Immigration are currently operating within their global customer service standards across all of the main legal migration routes for customers who make an entry clearance application from overseas.
Details of current performance against these customer service standards are updated regularly and can be found at:
Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).