Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportation appeals in which Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 was cited there were in each of the last five years; and how many such appeals were (a) lost and (b) won by the appellant.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The information requested in your question is not held centrally and can only be collated at disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to encourage victims of sexual assault to report such assaults to the police.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes and the government remains committed to tackling sexual violence, as set out fully in our Violence against Women and Girls Action Plan updated in March 2014. Supporting victims is at the
heart of this approach, which includes giving victims more confidence to report crimes, and it is encouraging that police recorded crime figures show more victims are having the confidence to come forward. In addition, the volume of
rape referrals from the police rose to 5,850 in 2013-14 – a rise of 446 referrals (8.3%) from 2012-13. 3,621 were charged, the highest volumes and proportions ever and a rise of 732 charged defendants (25.3%) from 2012-13.
We want every report of rape to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity and every investigation and every prosecution to be conducted thoroughly and professionally. Our focus is
on the rights and welfare of the victim and we are committed to ensuring that every victim of rape has access to appropriate support.
We continue to work with the police to look at ways to improve the police response to rape and sexual assault. We have supported the publication of data on rape for every police force in the country as a basis for improving
recording and investigations of rape, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary have inspected the recording of rape as part of a wider crime recording audit. The new Rape Action Plan, led by the Crown Prosecution Service
and the National Policing Lead for Rape, will aid the government’s drive to ensure that every report is treated seriously and every victim is given the help they deserve.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to encourage public confidence in the willingness of police forces to respond sympathetically and proactively to victims of serious sexual assault.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Home Office is committed to tackling sexual violence. We want every report to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity and every investigation and every prosecution to be
conducted thoroughly and professionally. We have supported the publication of data on rape for every police force in the country as a basis for improving recording and investigations of rape, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
Constabulary have inspected the recording of rape as part of a wider crime recording audit. We expect forces to respond positively to the recommendations.
The new Rape Action Plan, led by the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Policing Lead for Rape, will aid the government’s drive to ensure that every report is treated seriously and every victim is given the help they deserve. We
continue to work with the police to look at ways to improve police investigations of rape and sexual assault and to ensure that their guidance on investigating and prosecuting is implemented in every police force area.
Although rape and sexual assault remain under-reported crimes, reporting rates are rising. It is therefore encouraging that more victims now have the confidence to report to the police.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects to receive the report from the investigation by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation into Investigatory Powers.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Sections 7(3) and 7(4) of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 provide that the Independent Reviewer must, so far as reasonably practicable, complete the review before 1 May 2015 and must send to the Prime Minister a report on the outcome of the review as soon as reasonably practicable after completing the review.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward proposals for the creation of the Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Board.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Following the commitment made during the passage of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014, legislation to establish an Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Board will be brought forward shortly.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the use of predictive analytics as a law enforcement tool.
Answered by Mike Penning
A number of police forces are using predictive policing techniques, particularly to reduce crimes like burglary. The Home Office has undertaken no
formal assessment of these techniques, but the College of Policing has plans to release a technical assessment of different predictive crime mapping models and software. This will inform police forces’ decisions about appropriate analytical tools and techniques.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the statement made by the then Prime Minister to the House on 2 March 1972 on the use of the five techniques relating to interrogation of prisoners is still the policy of the Government.
Answered by James Brokenshire
None of the five techniques which the 1972 Committee considered is permissible under current law.
UK police forces are required to adhere to the provisions PACE Code H and Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000, which deal respectively with the detention of individuals who are suspected of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and the procedures which must be followed in those cases.
Independent Custody Visitors, lay individuals who visit designated places of detention of terrorist suspects additionally review and report on the condition of their detention, to the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation who annually reports on the operation of the Terrorism Acts. The Independent Reviewer plays a vital role in scrutinising UK counter-terrorism legislation to ensure that it is fair, effective and proportionate.
In 2010, the Government published the ‘Consolidated Guidance to Intelligence Officers and Service Personnel on the Detention and Interviewing of Detainees Overseas, and on the Passing and Receipt of Intelligence Relating to Detainees’. This guidance set out the principles, consistent with UK domestic law and international law obligations, which govern the interviewing of detainees overseas and the passing and receipt of intelligence relating to detainees. This guidance must be adhered to by officers of the UK’s intelligence and security agencies, members of the UK’s Armed Forces and employees of the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to improve the level of transparency in the Government's use of personal data.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The UK has one of the most transparent regimes in the world in relation to the use of investigatory powers, which involve the accessing of personal data. The Interception of Communications Commissioner provides robust, independent oversight of the use of these investigatory powers and provides a published annual report to Parliament. This report includes statistics on public authorities’ use of interception and communications data powers, and his 2013 report contained more statistics than ever before. The Government remains committed to looking at what more can be done to enhance the transparency of our regime. The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014, which was passed in July, requires the Interception of Communications Commissioner to report on a twice yearly basis in the future. In addition, the Act provides for a review of investigatory powers to be conducted by the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, David Anderson QC. This review will be completed by 1 May 2015 and its findings will be reported to Parliament. The Government also announced, alongside the Act, the publication of an annual Government Transparency Report on investigatory powers.
The Government is fully committed to supporting a safe and secure online environment. That is why it is crucial that our law enforcement and
intelligence agencies have strictly regulated powers to ensure that those that would seek to do harm online, as well as in the real world, cannot carry out their activities with impunity. There are limits to what could be said publically about operational investigative techniques, as to do so would potentially help criminals to evade detection. However, crucial capabilities to access communications data are degrading because of rapidly changing technology and the increasing use of internet communications, whether or not those communications utilise encryption or anonymity techniques. Legislation is needed urgently to ensure that public authorities have the powers they need to investigate crime, safeguard national security and protect the public. We cannot allow cyberspace to become a haven for criminals, terrorists and paedophiles.