Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will use sanctions including visa penalties on countries that do not cooperate with the removal of their nationals.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Where cooperation with countries on returns falls below the levels expected, and where appropriate, we stand ready to use all levers available to us to encourage cooperation, including the power to impose visa penalties.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will instruct the Southport public inquiry to make an assessment of the adequacy of public communications by the Government in the aftermath of those murders.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are moving swiftly to set up the inquiry.
We will consult the families and other interested parties on its scope to ensure all critical issues are addressed while remaining manageable and sensitive to the needs of those most affected.
We will announce further details about the inquiry in due course.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been spent on the CONNECT computer software since its introduction by the Metropolitan Police on (a) further development of the software, (b) training including (i) accommodation, (ii) travel, (iii) classrooms, (iv) trainers and (v)overtime incurred by officers), (c) internal IT services to resolve CONNECT issues including ConnectHub, (d) shifts covered by officers to support staff with CONNECT, (e) initial purchase fees and installation, (f) other costs and (g) in total.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police forces and Policing and Crime Commissioners are responsible for their procurement and commercial strategies for Records Management Systems.
Each force is responsible for evaluating the performance of their Record Management System in line with those strategies and their local requirements.
It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on the individual performance of one supplier in relation to the factors mentioned.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time spent by people in custody in police holding cells was in the two years (a) before and (b) after the introduction of the CONNECT software; and how many people have been detained in police holding cells by each police force for (i) 0 to 12 hours, (ii) 13 to 24 hours, (iii) 25 to 36 hours, (iv) 37 to 48 hours and (v) 49 hours or more since January 2019.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police forces and Policing and Crime Commissioners are responsible for their procurement and commercial strategies for Records Management Systems.
Each force is responsible for evaluating the performance of their Record Management System in line with those strategies and their local requirements.
It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on the individual performance of one supplier in relation to the factors mentioned.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time it takes an officer to complete a case file is on (a) CONNECT and (b) Case Overview and Prosecutions Application (COPA).
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police forces and Policing and Crime Commissioners are responsible for their procurement and commercial strategies for Records Management Systems.
Each force is responsible for evaluating the performance of their Record Management System in line with those strategies and their local requirements.
It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on the individual performance of one supplier in relation to the factors mentioned.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police forces purchased CONNECT computer software; and how many such forces (a) no longer and (b) continue to use the software.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police forces and Policing and Crime Commissioners are responsible for their procurement and commercial strategies for Records Management Systems.
Each force is responsible for evaluating the performance of their Record Management System in line with those strategies and their local requirements.
It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on the individual performance of one supplier in relation to the factors mentioned.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average annual number is of case files rejected due to incorrectly submitted documents using (a) Case Overview and Prosecutions Application (COPA) and (b) CONNECT computer software.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police forces and Policing and Crime Commissioners are responsible for their procurement and commercial strategies for Records Management Systems.
Each force is responsible for evaluating the performance of their Record Management System in line with those strategies and their local requirements.
It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on the individual performance of one supplier in relation to the factors mentioned.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average number of case file (a) rejections and (b) discontinuations by the Crown Prosecution Service was (i) before and (ii) after the introduction of the CONNECT computer software.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police forces and Policing and Crime Commissioners are responsible for their procurement and commercial strategies for Records Management Systems.
Each force is responsible for evaluating the performance of their Record Management System in line with those strategies and their local requirements.
It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on the individual performance of one supplier in relation to the factors mentioned.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average number of open custody records was in (a) 2019, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not currently held centrally.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on detentions in police custody in England and Wales, available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK.
This data includes the number of detentions by financial year, with the most recently available data up to March 2023. Data for the year ending March 2024 will be available in February 2025.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 18968 on Asylum: Sri Lanka, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of relocating to St Helena asylum seekers who have travelled to the UK by small boat across the English Channel.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The specific purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding with St Helena was to deal with the risk of further migrants attempting to travel to the British Indian Ocean Territory, prior to the sovereignty agreement with Mauritius being formally completed. There are no plans to extend that agreement beyond its current remit.