Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to amend the (a) duration and (b) eligibility criteria for the British National (Overseas) visa.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that the concerns of the Hongkonger community in Sutton are considered during the implementation of new immigration proposals.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking with the Metropolitan Police to help tackle police abstractions from Sutton Borough to Central London.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Visible and responsive policing in communities is critical and that is why the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is placing 13,000 additional police personnel into neighborhood policing roles.
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will hold forces to account for ensuring neighbourhood policing teams are protected from routine abstraction to ensure neighbourhood teams remain focused on serving their local communities and providing a visible policing presence.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether additional vetting will be implemented for diplomatic visas issued to PRC and HKSAR applicants, specifically screening for connections to transnational repression activities.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All visa applications are subject to a number of background checks.
Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. We have a broad suite of powers to counter foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to keep people safe.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will offer asylum and temporary travel documents to pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who need it through a number of safe and legal routes, including a route for British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders coming from Hong Kong. However, those non BNO passport holders who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the redevelopment of a Chinese embassy in London on transnational repression efforts against Hong Kongers, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Chinese dissidents.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this quasi-judicial decision independent from the rest of Government.
We are clear that national security is the first duty of Government. The Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary submitted written representations to the Planning Inspector on 14 January. That letter is clear that the Home Office has considered the breadth of national security issues.
We have a broad suite of powers to counter foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to keep people safe.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish official crime statistics on tool theft, specifying the types of property stolen from vehicles during offences.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales on the proportion of theft from vehicle incidents that involved tools being taken as part of a broader breakdown of items stolen. These estimates are available in Table 6 of Nature of crime: vehicle-related theft. The estimates relate to the households, and will include thefts from self-employed tradesmen, but do not cover crimes where items were taken from commercial vehicles.
This government is committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and support its intentions to fend off the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment. Secondary legislation is required and we hope to have this in place later this year.
We are currently considering the views of those who may be affected by the legislation and its regulations, to understand the potential implications and determine scope. We also intend to publish the Government’s response to the Call for Evidence on the scope of the legislation shortly.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Equipment Theft (Protection Act) 2023 will cover tradesperson's tools.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales on the proportion of theft from vehicle incidents that involved tools being taken as part of a broader breakdown of items stolen. These estimates are available in Table 6 of Nature of crime: vehicle-related theft. The estimates relate to the households, and will include thefts from self-employed tradesmen, but do not cover crimes where items were taken from commercial vehicles.
This government is committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and support its intentions to fend off the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment. Secondary legislation is required and we hope to have this in place later this year.
We are currently considering the views of those who may be affected by the legislation and its regulations, to understand the potential implications and determine scope. We also intend to publish the Government’s response to the Call for Evidence on the scope of the legislation shortly.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department collects data on the (a) frequency and (b) geographical distribution of tool theft in London.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise the negative impact theft has on victims who rely on the tools of their trade to earn a living, including small businesses.
We are continuing to work with the police-led National Business Crime Centre and industry via the Combined Industries Theft Solutions forum to explore ways to tackle and prevent the theft of tools.
The Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) is a not-for-profit, police-owned organisation that works on behalf of Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to deliver crime prevention and reduction initiatives across the UK. It also provides crime prevention advice: Secured by Design - Vans & Tool Theft.
A key part of making acquisitive crime less attractive to criminals is making stolen goods harder to sell on. That is why we are working closely with policing and academic leads to examine what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the profit from acquisitive crime.
The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales on the proportion of incidents that involved tools being stolen in personal theft offences. These estimates are available in Table 3b of Nature of crime: personal and other theft. They provide estimates of theft of tools against individuals, including those who are self-employed but do not cover crimes against commercial premises. These estimates cover England and Wales, but no regional breakdown is available.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle tool theft in Sutton and Cheam constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise the negative impact theft has on victims who rely on the tools of their trade to earn a living, including small businesses.
We are continuing to work with the police-led National Business Crime Centre and industry via the Combined Industries Theft Solutions forum to explore ways to tackle and prevent the theft of tools.
The Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) is a not-for-profit, police-owned organisation that works on behalf of Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to deliver crime prevention and reduction initiatives across the UK. It also provides crime prevention advice: Secured by Design - Vans & Tool Theft.
A key part of making acquisitive crime less attractive to criminals is making stolen goods harder to sell on. That is why we are working closely with policing and academic leads to examine what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the profit from acquisitive crime.
The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales on the proportion of incidents that involved tools being stolen in personal theft offences. These estimates are available in Table 3b of Nature of crime: personal and other theft. They provide estimates of theft of tools against individuals, including those who are self-employed but do not cover crimes against commercial premises. These estimates cover England and Wales, but no regional breakdown is available.