Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising Border Force officers through awards of the Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
It was agreed across government that the criteria and eligibility for the Platinum Jubilee Medal would remain the same as for the Diamond Jubilee Medal, which Border Force does not fall under.
A Long Service and Good Conduct Medal approved by HM The Queen will be launched this year for both Border Force and Immigration Enforcement, to recognise the valuable contribution made by our staff.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
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 UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership on the number of small boat crossings in the Channel.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This partnership is part of a suite of measures in the New Plan for Immigration that we are implementing to tackle unnecessary, dangerous, and illegal journeys. There is no one single solution to this issue.
While people are dying making perilous journeys, it is only right that this Government reduces the draw of travel through multiple safe countries to claim asylum in the UK.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the cost to the public purse of the legal challenges faced by her Department relating to the flight which was scheduled to take place on 14 June 2022 to remove people to Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The costs of our broken asylum system are at a 20 year record high, currently costing the UK taxpayer over £1.5bn a year, with £4.7 million a day being spent on hotels alone. This cannot continue – and the partnership with Rwanda is a key part of our plans to reform the system and put an end to unsustainable costs which impact the taxpayer.
The Government’s efforts to facilitate entirely legitimate and legal returns of people who have entered the UK illegally are too often frustrated by late challenges submitted hours before the flight. These claims are very often baseless and entirely without merit but are given full legal consideration which can lead to removal being rescheduled.
Costs for individual flights and legal services will vary based on a number of different factors and are regularly reviewed to ensure that best value for money is balanced against the need to remove those individuals with no right to remain in the UK.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people the Government has successfully prosecuted for people smuggling since 12 December 2019.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
18772:
2021 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 10 | 17 |
Feb | 14 | 5 |
Mar | 15 | 9 |
Apr | 19 | 4 |
May | 28 | 7 |
Jun | 35 | 13 |
Jul | 17 | 1 |
Aug | 6 | 7 |
Sep | 20 | 11 |
Oct | 15 | 6 |
Nov | 16 | 8 |
Dec | 4 | 12 |
Grand Total | 199 | 100 |
2022 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 3 | 5 |
Feb | 4 | 3 |
Mar | 18 | 5 |
Apr | 13 | 1 |
May | 10 | 2 |
Grand Total | 48 | 16 |
18773:
Criminal & Financial Investigation teams currently have 74 live people smuggling cases that are considered ‘Post Charge’. These are cases where charging of suspect(s) has been agreed by the CPS. These will be at various stages of the court process, ranging from being warned for court, to a trial being underway and to trial concluded, but awaiting sentencing.
18774:
Immigration Enforcement have 550 funded FTE for Criminal & Financial Investigation teams to tackle immigration crime.
18775:
Year | Convictions |
12th Dec 2019 Onwards | 3 |
2020 | 147 |
2021 | 100 |
2022 YTD | 16 |
Grand Total | 266 |
The 2022 total year to date only takes into account prosecutions until the end of May, which makes the number appear artificially low. There are still cases ongoing and the numbers of convictions is expected to increase.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff does her Department employ specifically to identify people smugglers aiding migrants cross the Channel.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
18772:
2021 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 10 | 17 |
Feb | 14 | 5 |
Mar | 15 | 9 |
Apr | 19 | 4 |
May | 28 | 7 |
Jun | 35 | 13 |
Jul | 17 | 1 |
Aug | 6 | 7 |
Sep | 20 | 11 |
Oct | 15 | 6 |
Nov | 16 | 8 |
Dec | 4 | 12 |
Grand Total | 199 | 100 |
2022 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 3 | 5 |
Feb | 4 | 3 |
Mar | 18 | 5 |
Apr | 13 | 1 |
May | 10 | 2 |
Grand Total | 48 | 16 |
18773:
Criminal & Financial Investigation teams currently have 74 live people smuggling cases that are considered ‘Post Charge’. These are cases where charging of suspect(s) has been agreed by the CPS. These will be at various stages of the court process, ranging from being warned for court, to a trial being underway and to trial concluded, but awaiting sentencing.
18774:
Immigration Enforcement have 550 funded FTE for Criminal & Financial Investigation teams to tackle immigration crime.
18775:
Year | Convictions |
12th Dec 2019 Onwards | 3 |
2020 | 147 |
2021 | 100 |
2022 YTD | 16 |
Grand Total | 266 |
The 2022 total year to date only takes into account prosecutions until the end of May, which makes the number appear artificially low. There are still cases ongoing and the numbers of convictions is expected to increase.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases there are before the courts involving people smuggling.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
18772:
2021 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 10 | 17 |
Feb | 14 | 5 |
Mar | 15 | 9 |
Apr | 19 | 4 |
May | 28 | 7 |
Jun | 35 | 13 |
Jul | 17 | 1 |
Aug | 6 | 7 |
Sep | 20 | 11 |
Oct | 15 | 6 |
Nov | 16 | 8 |
Dec | 4 | 12 |
Grand Total | 199 | 100 |
2022 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 3 | 5 |
Feb | 4 | 3 |
Mar | 18 | 5 |
Apr | 13 | 1 |
May | 10 | 2 |
Grand Total | 48 | 16 |
18773:
Criminal & Financial Investigation teams currently have 74 live people smuggling cases that are considered ‘Post Charge’. These are cases where charging of suspect(s) has been agreed by the CPS. These will be at various stages of the court process, ranging from being warned for court, to a trial being underway and to trial concluded, but awaiting sentencing.
18774:
Immigration Enforcement have 550 funded FTE for Criminal & Financial Investigation teams to tackle immigration crime.
18775:
Year | Convictions |
12th Dec 2019 Onwards | 3 |
2020 | 147 |
2021 | 100 |
2022 YTD | 16 |
Grand Total | 266 |
The 2022 total year to date only takes into account prosecutions until the end of May, which makes the number appear artificially low. There are still cases ongoing and the numbers of convictions is expected to increase.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people smugglers who aid migrants to illegally cross the English Channel have been (a) identified and (b) prosecuted by the Government in each month since January 2021.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
18772:
2021 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 10 | 17 |
Feb | 14 | 5 |
Mar | 15 | 9 |
Apr | 19 | 4 |
May | 28 | 7 |
Jun | 35 | 13 |
Jul | 17 | 1 |
Aug | 6 | 7 |
Sep | 20 | 11 |
Oct | 15 | 6 |
Nov | 16 | 8 |
Dec | 4 | 12 |
Grand Total | 199 | 100 |
2022 | Arrests | Convictions |
Jan | 3 | 5 |
Feb | 4 | 3 |
Mar | 18 | 5 |
Apr | 13 | 1 |
May | 10 | 2 |
Grand Total | 48 | 16 |
18773:
Criminal & Financial Investigation teams currently have 74 live people smuggling cases that are considered ‘Post Charge’. These are cases where charging of suspect(s) has been agreed by the CPS. These will be at various stages of the court process, ranging from being warned for court, to a trial being underway and to trial concluded, but awaiting sentencing.
18774:
Immigration Enforcement have 550 funded FTE for Criminal & Financial Investigation teams to tackle immigration crime.
18775:
Year | Convictions |
12th Dec 2019 Onwards | 3 |
2020 | 147 |
2021 | 100 |
2022 YTD | 16 |
Grand Total | 266 |
The 2022 total year to date only takes into account prosecutions until the end of May, which makes the number appear artificially low. There are still cases ongoing and the numbers of convictions is expected to increase.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the potential impact of visa application processes for EU workers on the rollout of superfast broadband.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, about the Points-Based Immigration System, which applies globally not based on whether someone holds an EU passport or not.
The Skilled Worker route already provides an opportunity to recruit workers on a global basis into several roles in the telecommunications sector.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the proposed 91,000 jobs due to be cut from the civil service will be from her Department.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
All Departments, including the Home Office have been asked to develop plans to deliver against the target to return the Civil Service workforce to the level it was at in 2016.
The Home Office is currently conducting a Workforce Review in line with the direction set by the Prime Minister. This will consider the entire civil service workforce of the department and it’s arms length bodies.
Departments are required to provide their plans to the Cabinet Office by 30th June.
Specific reductions have not yet been agreed for any Government department.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time is for naturalisation applicants using the UKVCAS Identity Verification (IDV) app.
Answered by Kevin Foster
13630 This is a known issue with the integration of the IDV app and existing systems, resulting in the automatic issue of a letter in error. Applicants who contact the department are being advised how to proceed. Such applications will not be withdrawn. A technical fix has now been implemented to stop the letters being issued in error.
13631 Data is not held in respect of the processing times of applications specifically involving use of the IDV app. Once an application reaches systems from which such data can be drawn, the method of ID verification is not recorded.
Overall performance against service standards is published quarterly. The most recent data set was published on 26 May 2022 here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q1-2022