Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many counter terrorism security advisers were employed in each police force in England and Wales in each year since 2010.
Answered by Ben Wallace
Advice and guidance on protective security and preparedness to terrorist threats is provided by specialist Counter-Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSAs) who operate in every police region.
We do not publically provide a breakdown of this funding or resources by force, region or capability for security reasons. The number of CTSAs in post in each year since 2010 was as follows:
April 2010 -191 (figure includes Police Scotland and Police Service of Northern Ireland)
April 2011 – 227 (figure includes Police Scotland and Police Service of Northern Ireland)
April 2012 – 226 (figure includes Police Scotland and Police Service of Northern Ireland)
April 2013 – 204 (figure includes Police Scotland and Police Service of Northern Ireland)
April 2014 – 188 (figures includes Police Scotland and Police Service of Northern Ireland)
April 2015 - 146 (England and Wales only, this figure includes 4 Counter Terrorism Awareness Advisers, CTAAs, dedicated towards the provision of CT awareness advice).
April 2016 – 157 (England and Wales only, this figure includes 20 Counter Terrorism Awareness Advisers dedicated towards the provision of CT awareness advice). The Government’s aims to have 171 staff in post by the end of 2016/17 (145 CTSAs and 26 CTAAs). These planned changes to resource are for the effective and efficient delivery of future advice and guidance, whilst ensuring they maintain their fundamental role as part of wider police capabilities to safeguard the security of the public.
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers under the age of 18 were deported in December in each year since 2010.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The number of enforced returns by age is published in table rt_03 (returns data tables) in ‘Immigration Statistics, July - September 2016’, available from the Home Office website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572380/returns2-q3-2016-tables.ods
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has suspended all processing and admission of migrants formerly at Calais.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We have worked closely with the French authorities to support the clearance of the Calais camp and to transfer children eligible to come to the UK. Since 10 October, we have transferred over 750 children from France. The current phase has been concluded. More children will be transferred from across Europe under the Immigration Act in the coming months, including from France.
We will continue to meet our obligation under the Dublin Regulation to transfer unaccompanied refugee children to the UK where a family link has been established.
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the net financial contribution per annum to the economy from international students; and how that contribution is expected to change in the next three years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government recognises that international students make an important contribution during their time here, and they help make our education system one of the best in the world. The UK remains the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students.
We continue to be committed to ensuring our top universities can attract the best students from around the world. The latest figures show that visa applications from university students are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010 and visa applications to Russell Group universities are 47 per cent higher than in 2010.
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from and what discussions she has had with (a) Ian Wright, director-general of the Food and Drink Federation, (b) Helen Dickinson, chief executive at the British Retail Consortium and (c) others on potential changes to immigration systems or new work visa systems after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with which (a) EU heads of government, (b) heads of state, (c) members of the EU Commission and (d) leaders of the parliamentary groupings in the European Parliament she has (i) met and (ii) discussed the Government's plans to reduce net migration from the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of proposed changes in the status and treatment of sexual abuse victims on the way in which police forces deal with such cases.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Home Office has no plans to change the status and treatment of victims of sexual abuse. It is essential that those reporting serious crimes to the police are treated as victims. The police should focus on the credibility of the allegation rather than the credibility of the witness or victim. Accepting that a person has been a victim of crime does not automatically mean accepting that a specific allegation is credible.
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what violent or terrorist far right or neo-Nazi groups are being monitored or considered for possible proscription as an illegal organisation.
Answered by Ben Wallace
We do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that any refugee children who were recently accommodated at Calais and who were entitled to come to the UK have not been trafficked, become domestic slaves or forced into prostitution.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We continue to work closely with local authorities, the Department for Education, the Local Government Association, non-governmental organisations, and other Government departments to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children transferred from France to the UK. The Government recently announced its intention to publish a Safeguarding Strategy which will bring together a number of strands of ongoing work and develop a more holistic, robust and evidence-based strategy to supporting these vulnerable children.
Children transferred to the UK were assessed on arrival by Home Office officials who are trained to identify indicators of human trafficking and modern slavery. Under the Dublin Regulation, safeguarding checks are conducted ahead of the children being reunited with their relatives.
The Government takes its responsibilities towards all vulnerable children extremely seriously. That is why when a child goes missing from care, agencies work closely with local authorities and local police forces in order to find them.
Questioner: Diane Abbott (LAB - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken to reassure EU nationals currently living in the UK that they will enjoy the same rights of residency and work status that they currently enjoy after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living in the UK, and the only circumstances in which that wouldn’t be possible is if British citizens’ rights in other EU Member States were not protected in return.