Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent county lines gangs operating in (a) Southport and (b) other coastal communities.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
This Government is determined to crack down on county lines gangs which is why, through the 10-year Drug Strategy, we are bolstering our flagship County Lines Programme, investing up to £145m over three years to tackle the most violent and exploitative distribution model yet seen.
Through the Programme, we support a concentrated law enforcement response in the largest exporter areas. This includes funding Merseyside Police’s Project Medusa to tackle county lines originating in Merseyside.
County lines is a national issue which affects all forces which is why we also fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. The County Lines Programme forces (MPS, West Midlands, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and British Transport Police) also regularly conduct joint operations with importing forces, including those in coastal areas. In addition, we have established a dedicated fund to help other local police forces tackle the scourge of county lines.
Since the County Lines Programme was launched in 2019, police activity has resulted in over 4,300 line closures, over 14,200 arrests and over 6,300 safeguarding referrals. This includes over 1,300 line closures by the Programme taskforces since April 2022, against the Drugs Strategy commitment of over 2,000 by April 2025.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau on dealing with cases referred to it by Action Fraud.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
Reports submitted to Action Fraud are considered by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).
The NFIB consider a number of factors, including whether there are any linked reports and the information provided about the suspects. Where there is sufficient evidence then the report will be analysed by a crime reviewer and sent to the appropriate police force to be considered for investigation.
We are replacing the Action Fraud service to create a more efficient new system that will provide better intelligence to forces. Improvements include:
These improvements, which have been tested across the victim support landscape, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant bodies, will improve the support services and reporting tools for victims, provide greater intelligence and insight to policing for investigations, and allow for greater proactive work to prevent and disrupt fraudsters at scale.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of mandating that the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau must assess and action all legitimate cases referred to it by Action Fraud.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
Reports submitted to Action Fraud are considered by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).
The NFIB consider a number of factors, including whether there are any linked reports and the information provided about the suspects. Where there is sufficient evidence then the report will be analysed by a crime reviewer and sent to the appropriate police force to be considered for investigation.
We are replacing the Action Fraud service to create a more efficient new system that will provide better intelligence to forces. Improvements include:
These improvements, which have been tested across the victim support landscape, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant bodies, will improve the support services and reporting tools for victims, provide greater intelligence and insight to policing for investigations, and allow for greater proactive work to prevent and disrupt fraudsters at scale.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of housing aylum seekers on the local economies of towns which have received levelling up funding.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Under the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide asylum seekers, who would otherwise be destitute, with accommodation and support whilst their claim is under consideration.
The record number of people that have crossed the Channel in small boats in recent years has placed the Home Office’s asylum support infrastructure and accommodation services under immense pressure. The enduring solution is to stop the boats and that is why the government has brought forward the illegal migration bill alongside a range on non-legislative measures to restore deterrence to the system.
Central to our focus is the impact on local communities, including access to public services, community cohesion and public order; delivering value for money for the taxpayer; and reducing pull factors to enter the UK illegally. It is against these criteria that we will consider further contingency accommodation options.
In recognition of these pressures the Government has announced an increase in funding for local authorities who help to support asylum seekers and encourage councils to bringaccommodation online more quickly.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of housing asylum seekers on the economies of towns due to receive levelling up funding.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Under the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide asylum seekers, who would otherwise be destitute, with accommodation and support whilst their claim is under consideration.
The record number of people that have crossed the Channel in small boats in recent years has placed the Home Office’s asylum support infrastructure and accommodation services under immense pressure. The enduring solution is to stop the boats and that is why the government has brought forward the illegal migration bill alongside a range on non-legislative measures to restore deterrence to the system.
Central to our focus is the impact on local communities, including access to public services, community cohesion and public order; delivering value for money for the taxpayer; and reducing pull factors to enter the UK illegally. It is against these criteria that we will consider further contingency accommodation options.
In recognition of these pressures the Government has announced an increase in funding for local authorities who help to support asylum seekers and encourage councils to bringaccommodation online more quickly.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to reduce the time taken to process visa applications.
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).
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that police officers accused of violence by women are appropriately investigated.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government has been clear that police officers must be held to the highest standards and that those who commit acts such as domestic and sexual abuse must be rooted out.
By law, allegations of serious assaults, serious sexual offences or abuse of position by police officers must be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for consideration.
The Government is currently carrying out a review into the process of police officer dismissals which, among other areas, is investigating the consistency of decision making in cases of police-perpetrated violence against women and girls (VAWG). Part 2 of the Angiolini Inquiry will also examine issues in policing such as vetting and recruitment practices and police culture, and the safety of women.
All forces are also currently checking officers and staff against the Police National Database so that they can take action on any intelligence or allegations that require further investigation.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' recommendation not to ban the sale and possession of nitrous oxide for recreational use.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published their report on nitrous oxide on the 6 March, setting out the evidence as it currently stands and made seven recommendations.
The Government will consider the ACMD advice carefully along with any other available evidence, as appropriate, before deciding how to proceed.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Department are taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in coastal communities.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB) wherever it may take place. We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.
We provided the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.
The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in June 2022 to ensure a victim-centred approach to tackling ASB as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act.
The Home Office announced in March 2022 that ASB would be one of the primary crime and issue types being targeted in the next round of the Safer Streets Fund. This funding goes towards local projects aimed at increasing the safety of public spaces for all with a particular focus on addressing neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and tackling violence against women and girls. At the end of July last year, we announced the outcome of Round Four of the Safer Streets Fund, investing an additional £50 million and supporting 111 projects across England and Wales.
We are on target to recruit the 20,000 additional officers by March 2023, taking us for the first time to over 148,400 officers across England and Wales. This will be the highest number of officers serving communities across England and Wales on record.
As at 31 December 2022, 16,753 additional uplift officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 84% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help reduce the level of anti-social behaviour in seaside towns.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB) wherever it may take place. We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.
We provided the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.
The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in June 2022 to ensure a victim-centred approach to tackling ASB as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act.
The Home Office announced in March 2022 that ASB would be one of the primary crime and issue types being targeted in the next round of the Safer Streets Fund. This funding goes towards local projects aimed at increasing the safety of public spaces for all with a particular focus on addressing neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and tackling violence against women and girls. At the end of July last year, we announced the outcome of Round Four of the Safer Streets Fund, investing an additional £50 million and supporting 111 projects across England and Wales.