Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce safeguards to prevent local authorities whose offices are used for HM Passport Office remote interviews from increasing the charge for using their accommodation.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The relationship of Her Majesty’s Passport Office with the local provider of the accommodation for remote interviews is managed through a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) which sets out the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Any changes to this MOU are discussed and agreed by both parties. Her Majesty’s Passport Office is not limited to working with Local Authorities.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards are in place for HM Passport Offices which use local government buildings to conduct remote first time passport interviews to ensure the continuity of that service if those buildings are vacated by that local government.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The relationship of Her Majesty’s Passport Office with the local provider of the accommodation for remote interviews is managed through a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) which sets out the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Any changes to this MOU are discussed and agreed by both parties. Her Majesty’s Passport Office is not limited to working with Local Authorities.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle doorstep and telephone scams against vulnerable older people.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Government takes fraud extremely seriously. The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published in 2013, places a strong focus on protecting those most at risk. The Home Office works with the City of London Police to help police forces to understand better who is vulnerable to fraud in their areas, and to work with local partners including the voluntary sector to help protect vulnerable people from the threat from fraud. This has included specific targeted activity with the vulnerable and the elderly, for example, a public campaign.
The Care Act 2014 also places a new statutory requirement for all local areas to have a Safeguarding Adults Board, comprised of the police, the local authority and Clinical Commissioning Group to protect the most vulnerable in their communities from all forms of harm, including financial harm.
We are also working closely with Financial Fraud Action UK and the British Bankers Association who have issued advice to consumers on telephone scams. This includes helping consumers know when they may be a target to these fraudsters, and advice on what information should never be shared, e.g. PIN number.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to encourage partnership working between local authorities, police, health and social care and voluntary sector services to address the problem of scams and fraud against more vulnerable older people.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Government takes fraud extremely seriously. The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published in 2013, places a strong focus on protecting those most at risk. The Home Office works with the City of London Police to help police forces to understand better who is vulnerable to fraud in their areas, and to work with local partners including the voluntary sector to help protect vulnerable people from the threat from fraud. This has included specific targeted activity with the vulnerable and the elderly, for example, a public campaign.
The Care Act 2014 also places a new statutory requirement for all local areas to have a Safeguarding Adults Board, comprised of the police, the local authority and Clinical Commissioning Group to protect the most vulnerable in their communities from all forms of harm, including financial harm.
We are also working closely with Financial Fraud Action UK and the British Bankers Association who have issued advice to consumers on telephone scams. This includes helping consumers know when they may be a target to these fraudsters, and advice on what information should never be shared, e.g. PIN number.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the financial and health effects of doorstep and telephone scams on vulnerable older people.
Answered by Mike Penning
There has not been a comprehensive assessment of the overall financial and health effects of fraud. However, Action Fraud assesses the vulnerability of victims based on the financial and health impact of the reported fraud, and provides this information to forces. This enables police forces to make targeted interventions with those most at risk. Action Fraud are currently developing a victim strategy which will provide an enhanced service to all victims of fraud.
The Care Act, introduced this year, also places a new statutory requirement for all local areas to have a Safeguarding Adult Board, the police, local authority and Clinical Commissioning Group are the core statutory members of these boards. The Safeguarding Adults Board’s remit is to work to protect people with care and support needs from all forms of harm, including financial harm. Being the victim of fraud can have a serious detrimental effect on health and well-being. The Safeguarding Adult Board are tasked with understanding the situation locally and developing preventative strategies.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has been monitoring the level of pensions-related scams and fraud since April 2015.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Home Office collects data on the number of crimes that involve pension fraud from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau on a quarterly basis.
These data are published by the ONS as part of their ‘Crime in England and Wales’ quarterly crime statistics bulletins. The first quarter of data for 2015/16 will be published on 15th October 2015.