Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria his Department uses to determine whether to accept refugees recommended for resettlement in the UK by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has well-established procedures and criteria for identifying and resettling the most vulnerable refugees. This includes: Legal and or Physical Protection Needs; Survivors of Torture and/or Violence; Medical Needs; Women and Girls at Risk; Family Reunification; Children and Adolescents at Risk and Lack of Foreseeable Alternative Durable Solutions. Further information on UNHCR ‘Submission Categories’ can be found on the UNHCR website http://www.unhcr.org/558bff849.pdf
When refugees arrive in the UK they have all been through a thorough two-stage vetting process. We retain the right to reject individuals on security, war crimes or other grounds.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has (a) made a submission to and (b) had other forms of engagement with Interpol on the potential issuance of a red or diffusion notice by the Interpol National Central Bureau of Thailand in relation to Mr Andy Hall’s human rights work in Thailand.
Answered by Ben Wallace
In line with the Government’s longstanding policy, I can neither confirm nor deny whether Mr Hall is the subject of an INTERPOL notice or diffusion. The National Crime Agency hosts the UK National Crime Bureau which is responsible for handling INTERPOL requests in the UK. It is operationally independent from the Home Office, it would not be appropriate for me to pursue such issues directly with the NCA or INTERPOL.
However, I can assure you that any misuse of INTERPOL notices is taken very seriously by the government. The then Home Secretary raised this issue with INTERPOL Secretary General Stock on 18 April, and the UK has taken a strongly supportive stance in relation to INTERPOL’s efforts to ensure robust systems are in place to protect human rights and preclude interventions or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.
I note that any person who is the subject of information processed in the INTERPOL information system may submit a request directly to INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF), an independent body which ensures processing of personal information by INTERPOL complies with its regulations for access to, correction or deletion of data relating to them.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support his Department is providing under the UN Guiding Principles On Business and Human Rights to human rights defender Mr Andy Hall on a potential red or diffusion notice being issued by Interpol.
Answered by Ben Wallace
In line with the Government’s longstanding policy, I can neither confirm nor deny whether Mr Hall is the subject of an INTERPOL notice or diffusion. The National Crime Agency hosts the UK National Crime Bureau which is responsible for handling INTERPOL requests in the UK. It is operationally independent from the Home Office, it would not be appropriate for me to pursue such issues directly with the NCA or INTERPOL.
However, I can assure you that any misuse of INTERPOL notices is taken very seriously by the government. The then Home Secretary raised this issue with INTERPOL Secretary General Stock on 18 April, and the UK has taken a strongly supportive stance in relation to INTERPOL’s efforts to ensure robust systems are in place to protect human rights and preclude interventions or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.
I note that any person who is the subject of information processed in the INTERPOL information system may submit a request directly to INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF), an independent body which ensures processing of personal information by INTERPOL complies with its regulations for access to, correction or deletion of data relating to them.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to produce (a) statistics and (b) updated estimates on the prevalence of female genital mutilation (i) nationwide and (ii) by city or region.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government is clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong suffering to women and girls.
In 2015 a City University and Equality Now study, which was part funded by the Home Office, estimated that 137,000 women and girls who had migrated to England and Wales were living with the consequences of FGM, and approximately 60,000 girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had undergone FGM. This study also provides a regional breakdown of FGM prevalence by local authority area.
Additionally, the FGM enhanced dataset is published quarterly and annually by NHS Digital. The most recent set of annual statistics were published in July 2017 and quarterly statistics were published in March 2018. A detailed breakdown of these statistics by local authority, age at which FGM was carried out and country where FGM was undertaken is available online at https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/female-genital-mutilation. These statistics demonstrate that a very high majority of cases are identified in adult women who were born in Africa or Asia who also underwent the practice in their country of birth.
To improve understanding of the prevalence of so-called ‘Honour Based Violence’ including FGM we have amended the police Annual Data Requirement for 2018/19 to formally record for the first time where a crime has been committed in the context of preserving the honour of a family or community.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure more effective (a) identification of and (b) support for people who are at high risk of being victims of female genital mutilation.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government is clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong suffering to women and girls.
We have significantly strengthened the law on FGM, including introducing a mandatory reporting duty requiring regulated health, social care and teaching professionals to report known cases of FGM in under-18s to the police, which will lead to a greater number of victims and potential victims being identified. We have also introduced civil FGM Protection Orders to ensure we are able to protect women and girls at the earliest opportunity. These orders are already being used to good effect and since their introduction in July 2015, 205 FGM Protection Orders have been issued to December 2017.
It is also necessary to raise awareness amongst frontline professionals to ensure they are able to effectively identify girls who may have undergone the procedure and those at risk. In April 2016 we published statutory multi-agency guidance on FGM to support professionals when responding to potential cases and to take necessary preventative action. We have developed free online training on FGM which, to date, has been completed by nearly 90,000 professionals. Our dedicated FGM Unit is delivering an ongoing programme of nationwide outreach with communities and professionals to raise awareness of the warning signs and significant harms caused by these practices and how to access support.
Through its £17million Violence Against Women and Girls Transformation Fund the Home Office is providing funding for a number of projects working to tackle FGM and to support victims and those at risk, which include projects led by Havant Borough Council, West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and the Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner. In addition the Government has provided funding to Southall Black Sisters and the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Organisation through the Tampon Tax Fund, both of which carry out work to tackle FGM.
The Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) Programme has provided funding for a number of community organisations working to change attitudes to tackle FGM and promote wider shared values. A full list of BSBT partners can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/661395/BSBT-list-of-groups.pdf.
Work to tackle these crimes is an integral part of our cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, published in 2016, which sets out our ambition that by the end of this Parliament no victim or those at risk of abuse is turned away from the support they need. To help achieve this we have pledged increased funding of £100 million for VAWG between now and 2020.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will provide additional staff and funding to tackle the illegal wildlife trade prior to the October 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in London.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Tackling the illegal wildlife trade is a priority for this Government and the Home Office is well resourced to counter this threat. The Government will be hosting the international conference in London this October to drive further progress.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) budget for and (b) number of staff in the Border Force CITES team was in each of the last two years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Border Force’s indicative budget, for this and future years, is published as part of the Home Office’s publishing of the Annual Report and Accounts. This information can be found at gov.uk. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017 )
The ever-changing and complex challenges Border Force faces means its workforce is becoming increasingly multi-skilled, dynamic and flexible. Border Force has a workforce model clearly setting out roles and skills coupled with a strategic workforce planning process enabling effective identification of resourcing needs, training requirements and the effective deployment of staff. Staff can be deployed to areas of greatest need at short notice.
Border Force uses an intelligence led approach to detecting illegal CITES trade. This is a proportionate and risk based approach taking account of all available intelligence to inform targeting activities and deployments at the frontier.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to collect and publish data on drink spiking.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Since the publication of the Governments response to the ACMD report on Facilitated Sexual Assault we have taken action to protect against opportunistic drug-facilitated sexual assault. GBL and 1,4-B, which are commonly used to spike drinks, have been controlled as Class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
It is also an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to give someone any substance without their consent and with the intention of stupefying them so that sexual activity can take place.
The review process of the Licensing Act 2003 allows licensing authorities to place conditions on a licence where it is proportionate and appropriate to do so. For example, CCTV requirements where spiking has been identified. Where serious offences have occurred, in particular where the premises has been negligent, the police can apply for an expedited review and the licensing authority can suspend a licence where necessary, as an interim step, pending the review hearing.
The Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published in March 2016, sets out the Government’s three-pronged approach to preventing alcohol-related crime with particular emphasis on improving local intelligence, establishing effective local partnerships and equipping the police and local authorities with the right set of powers so they can prevent problems and take swift and decisive action after they have occurred.
In relation to the ACMD’s recommendation regarding ‘drug detectors’, the Government set up an awareness campaign, ‘Know Your Rights!’ aimed at raising awareness of the risks of drink spiking. These campaigns have been complemented by a number of local schemes.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on tackling incidents of drink spiking since the Government' response to Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs report on Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault in April 2007; and whether she plans to review the Government's policy on tackling drinking spiking.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Since the publication of the Governments response to the ACMD report on Facilitated Sexual Assault we have taken action to protect against opportunistic drug-facilitated sexual assault. GBL and 1,4-B, which are commonly used to spike drinks, have been controlled as Class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
It is also an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to give someone any substance without their consent and with the intention of stupefying them so that sexual activity can take place.
The review process of the Licensing Act 2003 allows licensing authorities to place conditions on a licence where it is proportionate and appropriate to do so. For example, CCTV requirements where spiking has been identified. Where serious offences have occurred, in particular where the premises has been negligent, the police can apply for an expedited review and the licensing authority can suspend a licence where necessary, as an interim step, pending the review hearing.
The Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published in March 2016, sets out the Government’s three-pronged approach to preventing alcohol-related crime with particular emphasis on improving local intelligence, establishing effective local partnerships and equipping the police and local authorities with the right set of powers so they can prevent problems and take swift and decisive action after they have occurred.
In relation to the ACMD’s recommendation regarding ‘drug detectors’, the Government set up an awareness campaign, ‘Know Your Rights!’ aimed at raising awareness of the risks of drink spiking. These campaigns have been complemented by a number of local schemes.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use the powers of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to challenge organisations that are late in filing their modern slavery statements.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
As a result of the world-leading provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we have seen thousands of transparency statements published and businesses are now more focused on this issue than ever before. The legislation was designed to harness pressure from civil society and we are pleased that NGOs are using company statements to hold businesses to account, including contacting businesses that have not yet published statements.
No injunctions have yet been issued at this early stage of implementation and the Government is taking other action to improve implementation. The Government has strengthened guidance for businesses and recently wrote to over 10,000 businesses that may be required to publish statements reminding them of their obligations and providing useful resources. We expect this activity will further increase the number of statements published.
In October the Government also launched a new ‘Business Against Slavery Forum’. This aims to establish a new partnership between Government and business to accelerate progress in tackling modern slavery. It will focus on sharing best practice and building new initiatives to tackle modern slavery, including improving business engagement with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.