Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the appeals process for proscribed organisations to appeal their designated status.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Section 4 of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that any organisation or person affected by a proscription order can submit a signed, written application to the Home Secretary requesting that they consider whether a specified organisation should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations.
These processes have operated in a functional way since the legislation was originally introduced, and there are no current plans to change them.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of restricting access to the UK of foreign nationals who have expressed public support for proscribed terrorist organisations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Immigration Rules already provide for the refusal of entry clearance, permission to enter and permission to stay on general grounds, if there is any evidence in their background, immigration history, criminal records or past behaviour which shows that they should not be allowed to enter or stay in the UK.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of strengthening existing legislation to prevent the private display of proscribed terrorist flags and symbols.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government will continue to work with operational partners to consider what, if any, further changes are needed to the counter-terrorism framework so that our tools and powers keep pace with the modern threats that we face.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to amend legislation to improve the appeals process for people on the Children and Adults barred list for exposing children to abuse whose domestic abuse perpetrator is not on the register.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The purpose of the children’s and adults’ barred lists maintained by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is to prevent individuals from applying to work or from working in regulated activity with children and/or vulnerable adults, if they are considered to pose a risk to those groups. The DBS adds individuals to the list(s) if: they have committed a serious violence or sexual offence; or if police information or an employer referral indicates that they may have harmed a child or vulnerable adult or put a child or vulnerable adult at risk of harm.
When considering harm or risk of harm, the DBS will consider a range of evidence on a case-by-case basis. Where domestic abuse is perpetrated by one partner on another and a child is exposed to that behaviour, both the person who is the target of the abuse and the child who is exposed to that behaviour would be considered by the DBS as victims. The DBS would not consider a victim of domestic abuse for barring unless harm had also been caused separately through behaviour demonstrated by that individual.
Where the DBS is considering someone for barring due to actions which have led to harm or pose a risk of harm to a child or a vulnerable adult, the DBS is required by statute to provide them with an opportunity to make representations which are given full consideration before a final barring decision is made.
Once a final barring decision has been made by the DBS, a barred person can appeal that decision to the Administrative Appeals Chamber of the Upper Tribunal in England or Wales. If the Tribunal upholds DBS’s decision, the barred person has the right to request a review of the DBS decision after a minimum barred period has elapsed. There are no plans to change the appeals process.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people on the Children and Adults barred list for exposing children to abuse whose domestic abuse perpetrator is not on the register.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The purpose of the children’s and adults’ barred lists maintained by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is to prevent individuals from applying to work or from working in regulated activity with children and/or vulnerable adults, if they are considered to pose a risk to those groups. The DBS adds individuals to the list(s) if: they have committed a serious violence or sexual offence; or if police information or an employer referral indicates that they may have harmed a child or vulnerable adult or put a child or vulnerable adult at risk of harm.
When considering harm or risk of harm, the DBS will consider a range of evidence on a case-by-case basis. Where domestic abuse is perpetrated by one partner on another and a child is exposed to that behaviour, both the person who is the target of the abuse and the child who is exposed to that behaviour would be considered by the DBS as victims. The DBS would not consider a victim of domestic abuse for barring unless harm had also been caused separately through behaviour demonstrated by that individual.
Where the DBS is considering someone for barring due to actions which have led to harm or pose a risk of harm to a child or a vulnerable adult, the DBS is required by statute to provide them with an opportunity to make representations which are given full consideration before a final barring decision is made.
Once a final barring decision has been made by the DBS, a barred person can appeal that decision to the Administrative Appeals Chamber of the Upper Tribunal in England or Wales. If the Tribunal upholds DBS’s decision, the barred person has the right to request a review of the DBS decision after a minimum barred period has elapsed. There are no plans to change the appeals process.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prohibit (a) artists and (b) music venues that hold concerts by artists who publicly express support for proscribed terrorist organisations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 it is already an offence to invite support for a proscribed organisation:
Section 13(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 makes it an offence to wear clothing or display an article in a public place in circumstances that arouse reasonable suspicion that the person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation.
The investigation and prosecution of proscription offences is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service, which are operationally independent.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) music concert and (b) large venue event organisers on responding to displays of support for proscribed terrorist organisations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 it is already an offence to invite support for a proscribed organisation:
Section 13(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 makes it an offence to wear clothing or display an article in a public place in circumstances that arouse reasonable suspicion that the person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation.
The investigation and prosecution of proscription offences is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service, which are operationally independent.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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's membership of the ECHR on its capacity to control proscribed terrorist organisations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Section 4 of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that any organisation or person affected by a proscription order can submit a signed, written application to the Home Secretary requesting that they consider whether a specified organisation should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations.
These processes have operated in a functional way since the legislation was originally introduced, and there are no current plans to change them.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many single men without dependents due to be housed at Wates House, Fareham, are between the ages of 18 and 40.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain. We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.
Since the General Election, there has been a net increase of six hotels in use across the UK; however, ten are scheduled for closure by the end of March 2025. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge.
Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).
The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and key stakeholders to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised.
For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers. Should a decision be made to use a site then the local MP will be notified in writing.
Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).
The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many single men without dependents are due to be housed at Wates House, Fareham.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain. We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.
Since the General Election, there has been a net increase of six hotels in use across the UK; however, ten are scheduled for closure by the end of March 2025. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge.
Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).
The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and key stakeholders to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised.
For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers. Should a decision be made to use a site then the local MP will be notified in writing.
Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).
The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).