Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the number of young people arrested at protests.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is committed to upholding the right to peaceful protest as well as balancing the need to protect the life of a community in the development of public order legislation. The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy, and people are free to gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law.
The government has published a human rights memorandum on the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, here: ECHRMemo.pdf
The memorandum provides a detailed consideration of each provision’s compatibility with Convention rights.
An equalities impact assessment for these measures in the Bill will be published in due course, this will assess the potential impact of the measures on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including age.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the right to protest without fear of criminal sanction.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is committed to upholding the right to peaceful protest as well as balancing the need to protect the life of a community in the development of public order legislation. The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy, and people are free to gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law.
The government has published a human rights memorandum on the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, here: ECHRMemo.pdf
The memorandum provides a detailed consideration of each provision’s compatibility with Convention rights.
An equalities impact assessment for these measures in the Bill will be published in due course, this will assess the potential impact of the measures on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including age.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department’s proposed refugee and asylum policies on community cohesion.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The principle that people genuinely fleeing danger and persecution should be welcomed, is one this government will always defend. The Asylum Policy Statement sets out a fair and firm approach to restoring order to the system, which is essential for building community cohesion. By increasing public confidence in the integrity of the asylum system, the reforms will help build trust and reduce tensions within communities. At the same time, they support successful integration for those granted protection, enabling them to contribute positively to society. Integration brings significant benefits for individuals, taxpayers, and communities. These measures will encourage and enable people granted protection to become self-sufficient, law-abiding members of UK society.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the document entitled Windrush Lessons Learned Review by Wendy Williams, published in March 2020, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of that review on her Department’s refugee and asylum policies.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We are grateful for the recommendations and insights provided in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review by Wendy Williams.
The UK has a long-standing commitment to protecting those in need, in line with our international obligations. We will never remove anyone to a country where they would face persecution or serious harm, and we remain firmly committed to this principle.
The reforms set out in the Asylum Policy Statement (Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy - GOV.UK) introduce a comprehensive package of measures designed to restore order, control, fairness, and public confidence in the system. These reforms are fully compliant with our international obligations.
Further policy development is needed on the details of these reforms. We will consult meaningfully with affected stakeholders and carefully assess equalities impacts.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2025 to Question 52657 on Immigration: EU Nationals, whether her Department collects any data on the ethnicity of applicants to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A detailed breakdown of the EU Settlement Scheme statistics is available to the public via GOV.UK. Within the latest published statistics, Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK, a list of data fields sets out what data is collected, as part of the EU Settlement Scheme application.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department collects data on the ethnicity of applicants for (a) settled and (b) pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A detailed breakdown of the EU Settlement Scheme statistics is available to the public via GOV.UK. Within the latest published statistics, Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK, a list of data fields sets out what data is collected, as part of the EU Settlement Scheme application.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what quality controls her Department has put in place to help ensure that people accessing their digital immigration status receive accurate information.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
eVisas are a key part of delivering a border and immigration system which will be more digital and streamlined, a change that will enhance the applicant’s experience and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency.
The transition to eVisas has seen millions of people already receiving and using eVisas successfully. By the end of April 2025 over 4.3 million people had created an online (UKVI) account to access their eVisa. Between Q4 2019 and Q1 2025, the 'view and prove' service has seen over 41.9 million views by individuals and over 6.3 million views by organisations checking immigration status.
The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. The information in an eVisa is based on the information held on a person’s underlying immigration case, which is recorded in the same way as when we issued biometric residence permits. We have been recording this immigration case information digitally for over 20 years, on various caseworking systems, and if someone encounters an issue with their eVisa we can search those records to find their information and confirm their status.
If a person believes there is an error with their eVisa, they should report it to the Home Office using the dedicated ‘Report an error with your eVisa’ form which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/report-error-evisa.
We are continually improving our systems and welcome feedback on errors and how access to eVisas can be enhanced.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Border Force collects data on the ethnicity of people (a) held or (b) delayed in excess of 30 minutes at the UK border.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Border Force does not collect ethnicity data.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Metropolitan Police on the case of Ali Kololo.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The operationally independent Metropolitan Police continue to progress matters relating to this case. It would not be appropriate for Home Office Ministers to comment on any discussions concerning the individual.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
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 right to rent checks on non-UK passport holders on (a) the private rental sector and (b) levels of homelessness in Battersea.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Right to Rent Scheme was introduced to ensure only those lawfully in the United Kingdom can access the private rented sector, and to tackle unscrupulous landlords who exploit vulnerable migrants, sometimes in very poor living conditions.
The Scheme applies equally to everyone, including British and Irish citizens seeking accommodation in the private rented sector in England. There is an extensive list of documents that tenants can use to prove their right to rent. The Scheme has been independently evaluated twice.
Statistics on levels of homelessness are overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The latest official data on statutory homelessness in England can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statutory-homelessness-in-england-july-to-september-2024.