Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to bring forward a foreign influence registration scheme as part of the National Security Bill.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme will be brought forward by Government amendment to the National Security Bill as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is responsible for the contract for the procurement of Border Force vessels.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
I can confirm that the procurement of Border Force vessels remains the responsibility of the Home Office.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure applications for Ukrainian citizens under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are grouped effectively to allow family members to enter the UK together.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Where we have applications from family groups we would look to group these decisions together so families receive decisions wherever possible at the same time.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have met with the National Shipbuilding Office since the start of the 2022 calendar year.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office continues to work closely with the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) and other government departments on the procurement of new Border Force vessels as referenced within the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Home Office Ministers attend the strategy’s Inter-Ministerial Group on Shipbuilding supported by Home Office officials attending wider bilateral events. The NSO are similarly represented on the programme’s governance which further supports close ongoing engagement.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for telephone calls made from 1 May 2022 to the dedicated advice line for hon. Members for UK Visas & Immigration.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We recognise that during peak periods waiting times can be considerably longer than that. This is due to an increase in call demand since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis.
As a result of the increased demand the Department has more than doubled the number of staff operating the helpline. MPs can also contact the Home Office via the MPs Urgent Enquiries inbox or in person at the Portcullis House walk-in hub.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure travel permission permits for Ukraine citizens are issued prior to the issuing of visas.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The process for issuing visas and permission to travel letters is different and distinct.
A visa is issued after the applicant has applied online and gone to their local visa application centre to submit their biometrics.
Permission to travel letters are issued for applicants who have a valid Ukrainian passport who can apply online to come to the UK from wherever they are and they then give their biometrics once in Britain.
Both visas and permissions to travel letter cannot be issued until after a decision has been made on a customer's application.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for telephone calls made from 1 May 2022 to the dedicated advice line for hon. Members at HM Passport Office.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Average wait times for the dedicated HM Passport queries on the MP enquiry line have been unacceptable.
From 9 May, a new additional team of dedicated HMPO staff began operating the helpline. As a result, we have seen wait times halve and we expect to see much lower wait times in the coming weeks.
MPs can also contact the Home Office via the MPs Urgent Enquiries inbox and request a call back.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent to which the Government has used counterterrorism powers in respect of Hamas since 31 January 2020.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters.
The Hamas listing was extended to cover the organisation in its entirety in November 2021. This makes being a member of or expressing support for Hamas a criminal offence, which carries up to a 14-year prison sentence and/or an unlimited fine.
Hamas is also subject to an asset freeze under the Counter-Terrorism (International Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations, 2019.
The investigation and prosecution of proscription offences is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service. It would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further on such matters.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent to which the Government has used counterterrorism powers in respect of Hezbollah since 31 January 2020.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters.
Hizballah has been proscribed in its entirety in the UK since 2019, making it a criminal offence to be a member or supporter of the organisation with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine. The Government also extended the UK’s financial sanctions designation to cover Hizballah in its entirety in January 2020.
The investigation and prosecution of proscription offences is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service. It would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further on such matters.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to emails from the hon. Member for North Durham of 11 February 2022, 26 and 14 January 2022, 6 December 2021 and 19 November 2021, regarding Mr Okoye.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office responded to the Hon. Member’s correspondence on 2 March 2022.