Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on the development of policing best practice in responding to the needs of neurodiverse people.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The College of Policing is responsible for setting the relevant professional standards, guidance and training on operational policing matters. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The NPCC have established a National Neurodiversity Working Group whose work includes supporting police forces to design and deliver an effective service for neurodivergent victims, witnesses, suspects, and residents.
Police powers of entry under PACE must be exercised proportionally, meaning the level of intrusion should be necessary and justified in the circumstances, and where there are vulnerable people, the powers must be balanced to ensure public safety and the rights of individuals. Police forces, including the Met use a Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) to identify vulnerability and ensure an appropriate response.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has provided guidance to police forces on the entry of police into supportive environments for neurodiverse people.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The College of Policing is responsible for setting the relevant professional standards, guidance and training on operational policing matters. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The NPCC have established a National Neurodiversity Working Group whose work includes supporting police forces to design and deliver an effective service for neurodivergent victims, witnesses, suspects, and residents.
Police powers of entry under PACE must be exercised proportionally, meaning the level of intrusion should be necessary and justified in the circumstances, and where there are vulnerable people, the powers must be balanced to ensure public safety and the rights of individuals. Police forces, including the Met use a Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) to identify vulnerability and ensure an appropriate response.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces on supporting neurodiverse people.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The College of Policing is responsible for setting the relevant professional standards, guidance and training on operational policing matters. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The NPCC have established a National Neurodiversity Working Group whose work includes supporting police forces to design and deliver an effective service for neurodivergent victims, witnesses, suspects, and residents.
Police powers of entry under PACE must be exercised proportionally, meaning the level of intrusion should be necessary and justified in the circumstances, and where there are vulnerable people, the powers must be balanced to ensure public safety and the rights of individuals. Police forces, including the Met use a Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) to identify vulnerability and ensure an appropriate response.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided by police forces for interacting with neurodiverse people; and whether she has considered the potential merits of issuing guidance on this matter.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The College of Policing is responsible for setting the relevant professional standards, guidance and training on operational policing matters. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The NPCC have established a National Neurodiversity Working Group whose work includes supporting police forces to design and deliver an effective service for neurodivergent victims, witnesses, suspects, and residents.
Police powers of entry under PACE must be exercised proportionally, meaning the level of intrusion should be necessary and justified in the circumstances, and where there are vulnerable people, the powers must be balanced to ensure public safety and the rights of individuals. Police forces, including the Met use a Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) to identify vulnerability and ensure an appropriate response.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Public Order Act 2024 to safeguard liberty of conscience and freedom of assembly.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The right to peacefully protest is a fundamental part of our democratic society.
We have committed to carry out post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023 beginning in May 2025.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with the Metropolitan Police on taking steps to ensure that its enforcement of Public Order Act 2023 accords with the (a) rule of law and (b) Human Rights Act 1998.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The police are operationally independent of the government. The police make decisions about how to respond to specific incidents based on their professional judgement, the circumstances at hand, and all applicable laws, and the Home Office does not direct them on how to make those operational decisions.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) safe, (b) healthy and (c) adequate living conditions for people seeking asylum in (i) initial and (ii) dispersed accommodation; and if she will end the use of hotel accommodation for unaccompanied children.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office remains committed to ensuring the wellbeing and safety of those receiving asylum support. There are mechanisms in place, managed by Migrant Help, to allow asylum seekers to request assistance, provide feedback and/or report issues. This support is available 24/7 by telephone, webchat or email.
The Home Office has not accommodated unaccompanied children in UASC emergency hotels since 31 January 2024.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's Good character: caseworker guidance, updated on 13 February 2025, what definition her Department uses of exceptional, compelling, and mitigating circumstances.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
An exceptional case is one where on the facts of the case, the application would normally be refused but there are mitigating circumstances which mean it would be appropriate to grant. The policy guidance contains a non-exhaustive list of examples of where applications may be granted
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential psychological impact of the updated good character guidance on (a) people in the asylum system and (b) people with leave to remain.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The assessment of good character has been part of the citizenship process since the British Nationality Act 1981, but each individual continues to have their application considered on a case by case basis, taking these individual circumstances into account.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) due to be and (b) actually deported on the charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana on 17 October 2024; how many were women; and how many people had force used against them during the operation.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The returns charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana on 17 October 2024 had a capacity of 50 people.
44 people were removed on the flight, seven of whom were women.
There were eight Use of Force incidents recorded during the operation.