Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure HM Passport Office is effectively tackling the current administrative delays that are impacting the time taken to process (a) new and (b) renewal passport applications.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Ahead of unrestricted international travel returning, HM Passport Office prepared extensively to serve an unprecedented number of customers, with 9.5 million British passport applications forecasted throughout 2022.
These preparations, which include the recruitment of 650 additional staff since April 2021 and with plans in place to recruit a further 550 by this summer, have ensured that passport applications can be processed in higher numbers than ever before. This was demonstrated in March and April 2022 when HM Passport Office achieved record outputs by completing the processing of two million applications.
Ministers continue to meet regularly with officials to monitor performance, and to explore further options that will help to ensure that people receive their passports in good time.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cats have been used in experiments in Britain in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office annually publishes statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2020. Data relating to the request can be found in tables 1.2. and 1.3.
The number of procedures carried out in a year does not equal the number of animals that have been used in procedures that year. This is because there are some intances of multiple procedures on on eanimal. These instances are counted as separate, additional, procedures. As a result, the number of procedures is usually slightly higher than the number of animals used.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce rural crime.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We are committed to driving down rural crime, which is why the Government is providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit. We have also tabled amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to introduce tougher sentencing and improved police powers for hare coursing.
Furthermore, to help ensure that the public are protected against crime, including rural crime, this government has recruited 9,814 additional police officers with 176 of these being recruited by Humberside Police, as of 30 June this year.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions are in place to ensure that drug policy and its enforcement are consistent and uniform across the country; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government’s recently published Drug Strategy and the significant funding made available to implement the Strategy provide a strong foundation for consistent policy and enforcement across the country. The Strategy emphasises a partnership approach to tackling illicit drugs. We work closely with the National Crime Agency, the National Police Chiefs Council and with police forces across the country, as well as with the devolved administrations, on tackling illicit drugs and to share best practice.
In relation to the enforcement of drug-related offences, the police have a range of powers at their disposal to deal with these. How police forces choose to pursue investigations is an operational decision for chief constables, but we are clear that we expect them to enforce the law.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) undertake a review of the monitoring process in place for adherence to licenses issued under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and (b) bring forward legislative proposals to improve that process; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Home Office Regulator has, on a number of occasions this year, presented to stakeholders and duty holders on its regulatory reform programme that includes changes to the monitoring processes in place for adherence to licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
In July of this year the Regulator initiated a new operating model that delivers a more structured and integrated framework aligned with leading regulatory practice. The assessment of compliance in this new model is achieved through a variety of methods including full system audits, thematic audits, for cause audits, determination and follow up of action plans, review of reports, investigations and management of cases of potential non-compliance.
In October of this year the Regulator commenced a new system of full system audits that form part of an integrated system to assess compliance across the regulated community. Full details of the full system audit process and the evidence for assessment of compliance against the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and associated licence conditions, are available here: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice#process-and-standards-for-establishment-full-system-audits.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of e-scooters being used illegally; what steps she plans to take to tackle that unlawful use; and what guidance has been issued to police forces to support the consistent enforcement of road traffic law on this matter throughout the UK.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Enforcement of road traffic law is an operational matter for the police to determine in conjunction with local policing plans. Decisions on how to deploy available resources is a matter for Chief Officers, who will take into account any specific local problems, pressures and demands.
Electric scooters are classed as a motorcycle as defined in Section 185 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and, because of their low speed, within the subclass of moped. This means that electric scooters must abide by the same road traffic legislation as mopeds and motorcycles.
Legislation was amended in July 2020 to allow for rental e-scooter trials in selected areas with different rollouts that will each run for 12 months. The primary aim of the trials is to inform decision making as to the potential to legalise e-scooter use in future. Before being used on the road, the pilot rental e-scooters are required to meet all the requirements such as compliance with stringent construction regulations, registration, road tax, insurance and MOT testing.
Riding a powered scooter on a pavement, as with pedal cycles, is an offence under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835.
The police can deal with illegal e-scooter use by fixed penalty notices and penalty points for no insurance, ‘not in accordance’ or riding on pavement offences. Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 provides the power to seize privately owned e-scooters for driving without insurance or a driving licence. It is for the officer dealing with an incident to investigate and to decide upon the appropriate offence and enforcement action.
The Home Office has not issued guidance to police forces on the enforcement of road traffic law with regards to illegal e-scooter use, nor does it hold data on the number of e-scooters being used illegally.
We will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation including those relating to electric scooters.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of a Seasonal Visa Scheme for qualified HGV drivers, similar to the scheme available to farm workers, to help tackle the UK lorry driver shortage; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kevin Foster
I refer my Right Honourable friend to the answer given to the Honourable member for Kingston Upon Hull West and Hessle, UIN 13206, which was answered on 18 June.