Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent the intimidation and harassment of asylum seekers; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The wellbeing, welfare and safety of those in our care is our primary concern. Nobody should be subject to harassment or intimidation and anyone who experiences such treatment should ensure they report it to their local police force to take appropriate action.
For the many asylum seekers currently housed in hotels the Home Office has taken extensive action to ensure their safety. The Home Office and our accommodation providers work closely with the police and keep security under constant review.
Home Office contractors, their subcontractors and hotel staff on site are responsible for addressing the immediate safety and needs of those in their care. Security is in place at each site including a full team of security personnel on site 24 hours a day to ensure the safety of asylum seekers and staff in accommodation. All incidents at asylum accommodation sites are reported by providers to the Home Office immediately. We then work with the provider to put in additional safety measures if required.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Illegal Immigration Bill, what steps she plans to take to ensure that children are not separated from their parents.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Family groups with children will remain together wherever possible during the detention and removal process.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether pregnant women will be exempt from immediate detainment and removal under the Illegal Immigration Bill.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Appropriate healthcare provision will be provided for all those in immigration detention.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the financial stability of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
In 2022/23, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Authority has a core spending power of £61.8 million, an increase of £4.7 million (8.2 per cent) compared to 2021/22. As at 31 March 2021, the Authority held £35.2 million in resource reserves; an increase of £21.0 million since 31 March 2020.
For 2023/24, local government funding allocations and the council tax referendum principles will be announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.
In advance of this, we are working with the Local Government Association, National Fire Chiefs Council, DLUHC and HM Treasury to obtain the right settlement for Fire and Rescue Authorities taking into account, among others, evidence of inflationary pressures. The provisional settlement will set out funding allocations and the precept referendum limits for Local Government as a whole.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to increase funding for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to meet rising costs.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
In 2022/23, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Authority has a core spending power of £61.8 million, an increase of £4.7 million (8.2 per cent) compared to 2021/22. As at 31 March 2021, the Authority held £35.2 million in resource reserves; an increase of £21.0 million since 31 March 2020.
For 2023/24, local government funding allocations and the council tax referendum principles will be announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.
In advance of this, we are working with the Local Government Association, National Fire Chiefs Council, DLUHC and HM Treasury to obtain the right settlement for Fire and Rescue Authorities taking into account, among others, evidence of inflationary pressures. The provisional settlement will set out funding allocations and the precept referendum limits for Local Government as a whole.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police staff have been made redundant in Lancashire in the last year for which data is available.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police staff leavers in England and Wales in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Data on the number of police staff who left during the financial year, on both a full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount basis, since 2007 can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1093591/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-270722.ods
This data includes the leaver type ‘Dismissal/Contract termination’. This category includes individuals who have been made compulsorily redundant. It also includes those who were required to resign such as dismissals for misconduct or have had their contract terminated.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of police responses to reports of antisocial behaviour.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We have ensured that police have flexible tools and powers to tackle ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. They decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. The Home Office provides statutory guidance which supports police to make effective use of these powers.
Last week I was delighted to chair a roundtable with PCCs to share best practice in responding to ASB.
I was also thrilled to read about the operation led by Lancaster Police to crack down on ASB in the city centre.