Home
Department
The Secretary of State was asked—
Knife Crime and Serious Violence
(Southend West) (Con)
1. What plans she has to tackle knife crime and serious violence.
(900574)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
The Government work to steer young people away from crime through
tough enforcement and dedicated programmes. We have supported the
police with investment of over £170 million in the areas worst
affected by violence, and on stop-and-search powers. A further
£170 million will support violence reduction units, which are
fundamental in tackling the root causes of violence.
Knife crime and antisocial behaviour is, sadly, all too prevalent
in Southend, as the weekend’s events showed. Our excellent local
police want state-of-the-art, portable electronic knife polls,
which are cheaper and more effective than knife arch systems.
Does the Secretary of State agree that having those in place by
the holiday period must be a priority for Southend police?
May I congratulate my hon. Friend on the assiduous way in which
she has made representations to me and the Home Office directly
on this issue? She has a great relationship with Essex police,
which is a very robust police force on this issue. She
highlighted a practical solution in terms of how knife crime can
be and is being addressed through knife polls, and I have seen in
her constituency some of the exceptional work taking place on
that.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Croydon Central) (Lab)
The National Crime Agency is responsible for tackling the
organised crime gangs who drive up so much of the knife crime,
violence and drug abuse that we see on our streets. Why, then,
has the Home Secretary asked it to draw up plans for 20%
cuts?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. There are no plans to cut
National Crime Agency funding. Its budget has increased every
year since 2019-20 and, as part of the 2021 spending review, we
secured a settlement over the period of more than £810 million.
For the benefit of the Labour party, there are no plans to cut
NCA funding.
Support for People Fleeing War in Ukraine
(High Peak) (Con)
2. What steps her Department is taking to support people fleeing
war in Ukraine. (900575)
(North West Durham)
(Con)
6. What steps her Department is taking to support people fleeing
war in Ukraine. (900580)
(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and
Selkirk) (Con)
14. What steps her Department is taking to support people fleeing
war in Ukraine. (900588)
(Bishop Auckland)
(Con)
21. What steps her Department is taking to support people fleeing
war in Ukraine. (900596)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
This week, we mark Refugee Week. The UK has a long, proud history
of welcoming refugees and the Government have introduced two new,
safe routes for Ukrainian nationals—the Ukraine family scheme and
the Homes for Ukraine scheme—as part of our commitment to the
people of Ukraine during the awful conflict with Russia. Arrivals
under those schemes will be able to live and work in the UK for
up to three years and, of course, they will have full and
unrestricted access to benefits, healthcare, employment and other
support. We have also introduced the Ukraine extension scheme,
permitting Ukrainians already in the UK to extend their
stays.
I am proud that a large number of my constituents have welcomed
Ukrainian families into their homes as part of the Homes for
Ukraine scheme, and I am pleased to have been able to help a
number of those families now living in the High Peak to navigate
the visa application process. However, some of those children
have had their applications for local schools rejected. May I
urge the Home Secretary to have urgent conversations with the
Department for Education on solving this issue so that children
who are here having fled a war zone can continue their
education?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. If I may, on behalf of
all of us in Government, I will thank and commend all members of
the British public who have been supporting our schemes. It is
important that we do everything we can across Government to
support the education of children in our schools. In April, the
Secretary of State for Education got in touch with every single
local authority chief executive officer as well as directors of
children’s services to outline clearly the requirements on
schools and the funding coming from Government. I will of course
pick up any points that my hon. Friend has from his constituency
and raise them directly.
Mr Holden
Does my right hon. Friend agree that our compassionate approach
to refugees from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan can be maintained
with public confidence only if we are also robust in dealing with
illegal channel crossings, and the human traffickers who peddle
in human misery?
My hon. Friend is absolutely correct: this is about deterring
those dangerous crossings, deterring people smugglers, and
carrying on with the long-standing and assiduous work that is
taking place through our intelligence and security services and
the National Crime Agency, and also upstream. This is about
public confidence in the system. We are a generous country, but
to maintain that means that we take action, so that we can be
fair to those who come to our country, and firm on those who,
quite frankly, are exploiting our country.
More than 70 Ukrainians have now found a place to call home in
the safety of the Scottish Borders through the UK Government’s
Homes for Ukraine scheme. What support is being offered to local
authorities in Scotland to assist their new residents?
My hon. Friend raises an important point about local authority
support. This is a whole Government effort, as well as a UK-wide
effort to support families and the Homes for Ukraine scheme. With
that, the Government have been clear, as has the Department for
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, about funding through that
Department of more than £10,500 per person arriving under the
scheme. We must ensure that we are supporting local authorities,
and that the scheme is fair and equitable. In addition, we are
ensuring that local authorities undertake all the necessary
checks and safeguarding provisions that are required.
Last Wednesday I was honoured to welcome my constituents Mark
Rumble and Lucy Needham to Parliament, alongside Alina, the
Ukrainian refugee who they are hosting. Mark and Lucy praised the
ease and speed of the visa application process, but raised some
concerns that they were given very little information about how
to support Alina in settling in with things such as registering
with a GP, completing her biometric checks, and getting a
national insurance number. Will the Home Secretary consider
Mark’s suggestion of producing a clear and comprehensive welcome
pack for every Ukrainian refugee, so that they and their host
families can ensure that the refugee settles in as quickly as
possible?
My hon. Friend raises an important question, as well as some
practical points that are constantly being addressed through the
scheme. Welcome packs have been provided, and the Departments for
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for Education, and of
Health and Social Care have, through local authorities, received
support and guidance from central Government. I thank my hon.
Friend’s constituent for what he is doing, and for his
suggestions. Much of that information is on gov.uk, but if there
is more we can do—it sounds as if there is—we will join this up,
and I will pick up that representation directly.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee.
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
Last week the Home Affairs Committee met Ukrainian MPs who told
us that they had had to travel 11 hours to get their visa from
the visa application centre in Poland, then 11 hours back, and
then again to have the visa stamped. They wanted me to ask the
Home Secretary about young people and children travelling with
grandparents and elder siblings, who are not eligible for visas
under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Will the Home Office look at
that again, because all the necessary paperwork is there to
ensure that those children are travelling with their parents’
consent?
The right hon. Lady and many other colleagues have raised this
point over recent weeks and months. We are looking at this issue,
and a lot of work is taking place across the Home Office with the
Minister for Refugees and DLUHC, regarding the safeguarding
aspects. We are going to make changes and, without pre-empting
any of those now, a lot of work is taking place, primarily
because the focus has to be on the safety and wellbeing of those
children. We must ensure that they get here in the right way and
are supported. We will report back on that issue, because a lot
of work is taking place on it right now.
(Caithness, Sutherland and
Easter Ross) (LD)
The small village of Golspie in Sutherland will shortly be
hosting seven families from Ukraine. There is no lack of people
in the Highlands volunteering to put up those good people, who
are getting as far as the UK but seem to be getting blocked in
hotels and not getting to the families in the Highlands. Will the
Home Secretary talk to the Scottish Government with a view to
sorting out that logjam?
Absolutely. If the hon. Gentleman would like to share any details
with me regarding where the barriers are, we will definitely pick
that up. The whole point about Homes for Ukraine, and the work
across the whole Government, is that where there are bottlenecks
we must unblock them and ensure a safe passage. We must ensure
that people are welcomed in the right way, so that they can be
settled and their needs met as soon as they come to our
country.
(Kingston upon Hull West and
Hessle) (Lab)
Further to the point from my right hon. Friend the Member for
Kingston upon Hull North ( ), my constituent contacted me
on 9 May regarding a child trying to enter Ukraine with a legal
guardian. Her visa has been blocked because she has been
classified as an unaccompanied minor, because she is travelling
with a legal guardian and not a parent. My office has raised this
with the Home Office and I have written directly to the Secretary
of State. Please can she look into this case urgently?
Yes, I will pick up this case directly following questions today.
As I have said, there are some measures coming together now on
this, because we have to do it in the right way, but I will come
back to the hon. Lady.
(Lewisham West and Penge)
(Lab)
On Friday, when I visited my local food bank, I met a young woman
who had fled Ukraine with her two-year-old son. While she is
waiting for her universal credit payments to come through, she
has been left without anything, and she was queueing to get food
and nappies. How can this be right when they have fled the horror
of war? What will the Home Secretary do with the Department for
Work and Pensions to ensure that every Ukrainian refugee who
arrives here gets the support they need immediately?
The hon. Lady has raised not only a very serious case, but some
of the challenges that people are facing. She has asked me
directly what I will do with the DWP. In fact, there is a
cross-Government taskforce on this, bringing all Departments
together—it is not just DWP. The hon. Lady has already heard me
speak about DLUHC and the money that has gone directly to local
authorities to support individuals. If I can pick up with her
post-questions directly on this case, we will follow that up, but
I also think she has illustrated how the system needs to come
together at a local level.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson, .
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
It was a great privilege to join the Chair of the Select
Committee, the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North
( ), last week in meeting
Ukrainian MPs who had arrived in London after meetings in Dublin.
Given nobody had checked their passports between visa-free
Ireland and here, they rightly asked, “How on earth can the UK’s
visa scheme possibly be justified on the grounds of security when
Ukrainians can properly travel to Ireland visa-free and then
onwards to here?” I emphasise that their main concern was this
lack of a policy to ensure that children accompanied by relatives
other than parents can come to the UK. I recognise that the Home
Secretary has said that this is being looked at, but I also
understand the policy has been promised for some time—can we get
it urgently?
In response to the hon. Gentleman’s latter point, the policy is
being worked on urgently and it is across Departments right now,
which is why it is taking some time to come together, but we will
report back on that. On the issue of travelling from Ireland, as
we have debated in this House many times, it is right that we
hold up the integrity of the checks in our systems, and this
Government have done that consistently for all overseas nationals
coming to the United Kingdom. That has been applied consistently,
even during the Afghanistan crisis, and that is this Government’s
policy.
Antisocial Behaviour
(Keighley) (Con)
3. What steps her Department is taking to tackle antisocial
behaviour. (900577)
(West Bromwich West)
(Con)
19. What steps her Department is taking to tackle antisocial
behaviour. (900594)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
The beating crime plan set out the Government’s enduring
commitment to driving down antisocial behaviour. Home Office
statutory guidance supports local areas to make effective use of
the powers available to them. That includes advice on the
community trigger—an important safety net for victims —and we
have also provided funding for local initiatives to tackle
antisocial behaviour through the safer streets fund.
As the Home Secretary will be aware from her recent visit to
Keighley, where she met our hard-working neighbourhood policing
team, antisocial behaviour is unfortunately an undeniable problem
and is having a detrimental impact on many businesses, residents
and those going about their day-to-day lives. I was therefore
delighted to see the Government launch round 4 of the safer
streets fund with a specific focus on antisocial behaviour. Can
my hon. Friend confirm that this will help drive a positive
change in Keighley and beyond?
I very much thank my hon. Friend for his question. I know that my
colleague the Home Secretary very much enjoyed her visit, and we
all wish to thank the neighbourhood policing team for all that
they do. We are aware of the impact that antisocial behaviour
has, and that is why this Government have introduced round 4 of
the safer streets fund, as my hon. Friend said. That is a
practical set of initiatives to tackle that behaviour, and it
includes improved street lighting, increased CCTV and training to
change attitudes and behaviours, all of which tackle antisocial
behaviour. I expect to see some real change in his area.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her response. Unfortunately,
antisocial behaviour continues to blight my residents in
Wednesbury, Oldbury and Tipton, nowhere more so than in the
Laburnum Road area of Tipton which has seen a spike in reports.
Will my hon. Friend touch a little more on the cross-working that
she is doing, particularly with stakeholders in the Black
Country, such as West Midlands police and Sandwell Council, to
ensure we really do have a community-led approach to tackling
antisocial behaviour?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right that this is a multi-agency
and community approach. Yes, of course, the police are
responsible for tackling and dealing with antisocial behaviour,
which is why we are providing £695 million funding to West
Midlands police, an increase of £40 million. The force has also
been able to recruit over 1,000 additional officers. It is also
the case that we have provided the police with additional powers.
It is vital that the police work with their local police and
crime commissioner and other agencies with responsibility for
tackling this behaviour.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
In Bristol, we have a successful e-scooter rental pilot, but we
also see people using e-scooters illegally and using rental
e-scooters on the pavement. That can be very scary for people
trying to walk along the pavement while that is happening. I know
the Government are looking to legalise and regulate private
ownership, but how will the Home Office team work with the
Department for Transport team to ensure the police have the
powers to stop them being misused in a way that scares people who
are just trying to go about their daily business?
The hon. Lady speaks of an issue that both she and I have some
experience of—when I was in the Department for Transport, she was
my shadow. The Department is introducing new legislation to deal
with some of these issues. Until that is on the statute book,
however, it is the responsibility of the police to deal with the
issue, and they have clear guidance: riding an e-scooter on the
pavement is illegal in all circumstances. We welcome new forms of
transport, but of course they must be introduced safely and
ridden responsibly.
(Bradford West) (Lab)
The hon. Member for Keighley () is right to ask the
Government what they are doing to tackle antisocial behaviour. In
his constituency total recorded crime went up by 59% from 2011-12
to 2020-21, which highlights the Conservative Government’s track
record, a damning one at that. No wonder crime is up. Action on
antisocial behaviour is down since his Government took out 7,000
neighbourhood police officers—a cut of 30%—so the 1,000 the
Minister just mentioned does not quite cut it. Will the Minister
tell the House why the Government do not believe in neighbourhood
policing, as they have clearly given up on it with the cuts they
have made?
The hon. Lady is completely wrong in the contention she puts
forward to the House. This Government introduced the beating
crime plan, which puts tackling antisocial behaviour at its
heart. This is the Government who are increasing funding to the
police, bringing more officers on to the streets to tackle this
and other issues. I remind her that her area in West Yorkshire
has 589 additional officers and we have increased funding by £31
million. It is for local police and crime commissioners,
including the Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire, to use that funding
and the powers they have been given to tackle this issue.
National Security
(Heywood and Middleton)
(Con)
4. What steps her Department is taking to ensure national
security. (900578)
(Eastleigh) (Con)
15. What steps her Department is taking to ensure national
security. (900589)
The Minister for Security and Borders ()
Our national security is the first responsibility and priority of
the Government, and we are ensuring that our world-class security
and intelligence services and counterterrorism police are
supported in their work with the tools and the legislative
framework they need to keep us safe. I take this opportunity to
pay tribute to them for all they do.
When it comes to the Rwanda policy, the Labour party is all over
the shop. The left hand does not know what the far left hand is
doing. The other day the Leader of the Opposition’s spokesman
said that they could not rule out maintaining this policy, while
the shadow immigration Minister told the BBC that they would
definitely scrap it. While the Labour party works out if it has a
policy at all, can I ask my right hon. Friend for an assurance
that we will be working to break the vile business model of
people traffickers by making sure that the Rwanda flights get off
the ground soon?
My hon. Friend is quite right that we hear plenty of opposing
from the Opposition, but not much proposing: they complain, but
they do not have a plan. Our partnership with Rwanda is strong
and supports a proportionate, humane approach. We are determined
to deter the wicked people smugglers and the great damage that
they bring to human life.
The MI5 director general recently said:
“It must be right that Parliament looks at modernising the powers
the State has to protect us all from the full range of today’s
threats.”
Can my right hon. Friend confirm that we are heeding the director
general’s advice, and that our National Security Bill will
protect us from a range of emerging threats, including
cyber-attacks and interference in elections?
I can. May I take the opportunity to thank my hon. Friend for all
his work in support of our national security while he was
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Secretary in the
Department?
The National Security Bill will keep pace with the changing
threat and will make the UK an ever harder target for states that
seek to conduct hostile acts against us. It will be an offence
for foreign powers to improperly interfere with the UK’s
democracy. The Bill will address the serious threat from
state-backed attacks on assets, including sites, data and
infrastructure critical to the UK’s safety or interests.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
Has the Home Secretary considered the dangers to freedom of the
press that the National Security Bill presents? Many of my
constituents are concerned that measures that could prevent
journalists from publishing stories of public interest are
undemocratic.
No, I do not see a danger to journalistic freedoms. Indeed, the
Government are taking stringent steps to ensure, for example,
that in the Online Safety Bill journalistic rights and freedoms
are absolutely to the fore, because of the vital and
irreplaceable role that a free and sometimes boisterous media
plays in underpinning and challenging us in our democracy.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Halifax) (Lab)
Canada, one of our Five Eyes partners, recently announced
sanctions against Alexander Lebedev as one of 14 people who
“have directly enabled Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine
and bear responsibility for the pain and suffering of the people
of Ukraine.”
I have asked this question of the Government six times now, but I
have not had anything resembling an answer: did the Prime
Minister meet Alexander Lebedev without officials and without
close protection during the Salisbury poisonings in April
2018—yes or no?
I do not know the detailed contents of either individual’s diary.
What I can tell the hon. Lady and the House is that this
Government have acted on sanctions against Putin-linked
elites—the people who have propped up and supported that
regime—without fear or favour. That extends to more than 1,000
individuals, entities and subsidiaries, and we will do more as
required.
Points-based Immigration System: Labour Shortages
(North East Fife)
(LD)
5. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the
points-based immigration system on labour shortages. (900579)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Our immigration system works in the interests of our whole United
Kingdom by covering a broad range of occupations across many
sectors for firms looking to attract the talent that they need,
while ensuring that the domestic labour market is supported—yet
recruitment issues are not unique to the UK, and immigration must
not be seen as an alternative to improved pay, conditions and
training for key workers.
There is a severe shortage of care workers around the UK. In St
Andrews in my constituency, a social care business had to shut
down recently because of staffing issues. My inbox is
increasingly full of messages from people who are waiting for
care-at-home packages. One way of helping would be to allow
asylum seekers to work while their claims are being processed: it
would allow them to support themselves and would mitigate the
worst of the shortages. Will the Secretary of State and the
Minister consider that?
That is an interesting one. Those whose asylum claim has been
outstanding for more than a year can take jobs on the shortage
occupations list, which has included care workers since February.
One of the slight issues, of course, is that until very recently,
31 out of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland, including the
hon. Lady’s, refused to be part of the dispersal accommodation
system. Now that we have made the change to full dispersal, some
of those people will actually be living in those areas.
(New Forest East) (Con)
If I give the Minister the details, will he kindly take a
personal interest in the unusual plight of two young Russian
charity volunteers who are now stranded in my constituency
through no fault of their own? They are not supporters of
President Putin. They have the opportunity to work as care
workers, but in their present plight they cannot do so. They
cannot be the only people caught up in such a situation. I would
be very grateful if the Government looked sympathetically on
their plight.
My right hon. Friend will appreciate that I cannot give comments
and pledges from the Dispatch Box, but I am very happy to meet
him, and he highlights a valid point. Russia is not Putin. Putin
likes to say that he embodies everything Russian, but he does
not. There are plenty of Russians who have suffered under his
regime and are vehemently opposed to his illegal and disgraceful
actions in Ukraine.
(Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)
The reality out in the country is that we have labour shortages
across multiple sectors, 1.3 million job vacancies, the most
persistent post-pandemic drop in employment in the G7, operations
not being carried out in our hospitals, restaurants and the
hospitality industry being unable to recruit staff, and a
shortage of drivers to drive produce around the country. Why will
the Minister not act pragmatically and immediately, introduce
more work visas where are there shortages, lift the ban on asylum
seekers working and have an independent review of the impact of
ending freedom of movement?
The hon. Member might benefit from taking some time to look at
the labour markets across most of the developed world, including
the European Union. He will see that shortages in many areas,
such as hospitality, are not unique to the United Kingdom. I find
interesting his calls for the resurrection of free movement,
given what we understand his party’s emerging policy to be.
Visa Processing Times
(Tunbridge Wells) (Con)
7. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of
processing times for visas applied for by people from countries
other than Ukraine. (900581)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
UK Visas and Immigration is prioritising applications in response
to the humanitarian crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine, so
applications for other visas are taking longer to process,
particularly when combined with surging demand globally for
visitor visas. We understand the impact of delays to customers,
so resources are being returned visa routes impacted by these
prioritisation decisions, with a focus on visit, work and study
routes. We will also prioritise any compelling or compassionate
cases.
I recognise the extraordinary efforts that the Department has
made to process tens of thousands of visas for Ukrainians, and I
pay tribute to the staff who have based themselves in Portcullis
House to provide updates to Members. My office is dealing with
many applications from people from other countries, such as
Afghanistan and India, and they are not getting the updates and
information that applicants from Ukraine are getting. Will the
Minister consider applying some of the positive lessons to make
sure that other applicants at least know that they are not being
forgotten, and so that they get updates on their cases?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question, and I know the
team in Portcullis House will appreciate his praise. We are
looking at the learnings from the hub-style approach in
Portcullis House, which I think has been useful. Feedback from
across the House has been very positive about its ability to
chase up casework for Members. As we modernise our immigration
system, we are also looking at how to give people an experience
like that on our modernised routes—for example, the skilled
worker route and applications from European economic area
nationals via AUK2—which provide a range of updates automatically
without applicants having to ask for them, and we are considering
how we can apply that when hon. Members or customers get in
touch. We want to make the process much more automated, so that
there is less need for people to request updates.
Passport Application Processing Times
(Gordon) (SNP)
8. How many and what proportion of passport applications that
were received over 10 weeks ago have not yet been processed.
(900582)
(Edinburgh North and Leith)
(SNP)
12. How many and what proportion of passport applications that
were received over 10 weeks ago have not yet been processed.
(900586)
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
17. How many and what proportion of passport applications that
were received over 10 weeks ago have not yet been processed.
(900591)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Across March, April and May, Her Majesty’s Passport Office
completed the processing of approximately 3 million passport
applications, with 98.5% of those from the UK being completed
within the published processing time of up to 10 weeks.
It is quite remarkable, is it not, that six days on from an
Opposition day debate where the Minister was asked that very
question three times and failed to give a figure for the size of
the passport backlog, he is still unable to give us an answer? I
put it to him that perhaps the thing that would most cheer those
who are languishing in that backlog—the one official piece of
documentation that he could ensure is issued quickly—is his own
ministerial P45.
As we saw last week, those who have nothing to offer by way of
policy like to go personal. To help the hon. Member, the question
was about the proportion of passport applications received. He
got an answer to it, but his supplementary makes it clear that he
has no ideas of his own to offer.
The Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents the
staff at Her Majesty’s Passport Office, has commented that the
backlog is due to a number of issues including
“lack of staff, poor management and failures”
on the part of contractors. Rather than blaming staff or
suggesting more privatisation, will the UK Government meet union
representatives in order to learn what action is needed to ensure
that the Passport Office is properly funded and staffed?
We are certainly grateful for the hard work that staff are
putting in, and, as I said last week, it is a pity that we are
seeing their efforts being rubbished for political ends. We have
been recruiting more staff at the Passport Office and investing
in the modernisation of processes, and we engage regularly with
senior HMPO officials, as well as ensuring that union officials
can have their say. We should bear in mind the current record
output from the Passport Office, which is dealing with a surge of
applications. I must say that it is striking to note the sudden
interest expressed by Opposition Members who said very little
about this last year.
Civil servants working in the Passport Office are under huge
pressure, and staff morale is reported to be understandably at an
all-time low, owing to a lack of Government preparation for the
up to 9 million passport applications or renewals expected
following lockdown. Meanwhile, my constituents face intolerable
delays and the prospect of missing much-needed holidays and
family events. We have been promised repeatedly in this Chamber
that things will improve, but the 10-week target continues to be
too often missed. How much longer must we wait for passport
offices to be fully staffed and resourced, so that my
constituents are not subjected to yet another aspect of Backlog
Britain?
Dearie me! In fact, we have been increasing the number of staff
at the Passport Office rather than reducing it as the hon. Lady
has implied. We have dealt with 3 million applications in three
months, and soon we will have dealt with more in six months than
we did in the whole of last year. It was fairly obvious that 5
million passports had not been renewed during the pandemic, and
we started to plan for this last year. In April 2021, we changed
and clarified the service standard and began preparations to deal
with the surge. We hear these attacks from Opposition Members,
but what we never hear from them is an idea.
(Blackpool North and
Cleveleys) (Con)
A month ago, a dozen passport cases a day were pinging into my
office. That number has now fallen to just two or three a week,
and my caseworker Zach and I are very grateful for the
improvement that the Home Office has brought about. However, once
those passports are handed over by the Home Office to the private
delivery companies, can the Home Office do more to ensure that
each one reaches the intended household rather than a random
neighbour, a random bush or indeed a random river, which is where
these passports seem to end up?
It is concerning to hear of those examples, because there are
clear standards and procedures for how passports are delivered:
they cannot, for example, just be left in a communal area. We
have engaged DHL, which is normally our international agent for
domestic deliveries, and have also used Royal Mail to return
documents. However, I should be interested to hear some specific
examples from my hon. Friend, and I am grateful for his comment
that he and his caseworker have noticed improvements in recent
weeks.
(Shipley) (Con)
I know that the Minister has worked hard to reduce the backlog,
and I am grateful to him for that, but, as I am sure he knows,
there are still some issues. Can he tell us what proportion of
Passport Office staff are back in the office, and, while he is at
it, can he help me with the case of Wendy, who is still waiting
for a passport? Her father died suddenly abroad, and in order to
attend his funeral she needs to have her passport today. After
the Minister has finished his duties in the House, would he mind
helping me to chase up Wendy’s case so that she can try to get to
her father’s funeral?
As we have said a couple of times before at the Dispatch Box,
people involved in the passport operation have been back in the
office for some time. However, we are happy to expedite cases
like that of my hon. Friend’s constituent, when there are reasons
for travel that are both compelling and compassionate. I am very
sorry to hear of the bereavement that Wendy has suffered, and
will be happy to look into how we can get the passport expedited
for her.
Departmental Morale
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
9. What steps she is taking to help ensure good morale within her
Department. (900583)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
Home Office staff can be proud of the work that they do to keep
our country safe, but also proud of the large amount of
operational work that we have just been discussing. The Home
Office has launched a five-year plan to deliver an engaged,
motivated and productive workforce, which will include new
efficiencies, new technology, and ways of helping staff to
improve their performance.
Mr Sheerman
That sounds very impressive until we come to my part of West
Yorkshire, where I talk to the police, to probation officers, to
prison staff and to firefighters. Their morale is at rock bottom.
Whatever the Home Secretary is doing in the Department, will she
for goodness’ sake get out into the country and meet real people,
who are depressed and demoralised by this Government’s
cutbacks?
Can I politely say to the hon. Gentleman that getting out and
about the country is not an issue for me? I meet police officers,
fire workers, representatives from local councils and local
authorities and all the partners we work with, and that cuts
across the criminal justice system as well. I also do a great
deal of work with victims and others to keep our country safe and
deliver vital public services, and it is important that we
respect them, support them, empower them and pay tribute to them.
I would be very happy to come to the hon. Gentleman’s patch and
meet some of the people he has referred to.
Relocations to Rwanda
(Stourbridge) (Con)
10. What progress her Department has made in relocating
individuals to Rwanda under the migration and economic
development partnership. (900584)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
As the House will be aware, despite the detailed deliberations
and judgments received in various domestic courts that heard the
case, the European Court of Human Rights’ out-of-hours judge
granted last-minute interim measures. The Government are seeking
greater transparency from the ECHR on the reasons for its
judgment. A full judicial review is expected to be heard in July.
I want to be clear that this partnership is fully compliant with
our international obligations.
Unbelievably, £5 million a day is being spent on housing asylum
seekers in hotels. That is money that my constituents would
rather see invested in the west midlands—for example, supporting
the 1,500 additional police officers that the Department has
helped to recruit across the region. Can my hon. Friend confirm
that he will press ahead with our Rwanda partnership, to end our
dependency on this expensive accommodation and crack down on the
people smuggling gangs once and for all?
My hon. Friend absolutely hits the nail on the head in explaining
why our new plan for immigration is so important, and we are
determined to deliver on it. It is a comprehensive package of
reform, including the Rwanda proposals, and we are going to get
on and deliver on it. The Prime Minister has said that we will
work through these issues, and that is precisely what we are now
doing.
Mr Speaker
We now come to the Scottish National party spokesperson, .
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
On World Refugee Day, we pay tribute to all the fantastic
refugees who have made utterly amazing contributions to our
society and who were, thank goodness, able to have their claims
heard here and rebuild their lives here instead of being dumped
and offloaded thousands of miles away. The full hearing on
whether the Home Secretary’s policy in Rwanda is lawful will take
place in July, as the Minister said. Surely, if the Home
Secretary has an iota of respect for the UNHCR and the importance
of the refugee convention, she will confirm that she will wait
for the outcome of that hearing instead of gambling on another
reckless, degrading and expensive attempt at these removals.
The hon. Gentleman will recognise that we do not comment on
ongoing legal proceedings. We have had this debate many times,
but what I would say is that every day that this new partnership
is not in operation is a day that people continue to risk their
lives in the channel. That is not acceptable or sustainable,
which is why we are taking the steps we are.
Domestic Abuse
(Newcastle-under-Lyme)
(Con)
11. What progress her Department has made on tackling domestic
abuse. (900585)
(Broadland) (Con)
13. What progress her Department has made on tackling domestic
abuse. (900587)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
This Government are committed to tackling violence against women
and girls, including domestic abuse, and that is why we
introduced the landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021. In March this
year we published our tackling domestic abuse plan, backed by
more than £230 million of funding, including £75 million for
tackling perpetrators and multi-year funding for interventions
and support. The plan also includes expanding the roll-out of
Domestic Abuse Matters training for police officers and,
importantly, projects to protect children.
I welcome the tackling domestic abuse plan, which focuses on the
perpetrators of a disgusting and destructive crime. Can I also
stress the need for prevention and particularly for educating the
next generation of children in schools about the importance of
healthy relationships so that we do not continue to see this in
the future? Can the Minister confirm that that is included in the
plan as well?
My hon. Friend is right that prevention is the first pillar of
our plan. We have set out how we are tackling perpetrators with
specific programmes that are proven to prevent this disgusting
crime from happening in the first place. It has to start very
early, which is why relationships, sex and health education is
now a statutory part of the curriculum so that children are
taught the importance of respectful relationships.
Reports of domestic abuse now account for 24% of all calls to
Norfolk police. Is the criminal justice system the right route
for all these calls? If not, will the Minister set out how more
appropriate steps can be taken to free up police time?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. As I said in my
previous answer, tackling perpetrators is a vital part of our
work, but our response goes wider than just the criminal justice
system. That is why we are funding perpetrator interventions that
reach out to tackle some of these unhealthy behaviours at source.
We are investing more than £75 million over three years to
achieve that end.
Mr Speaker
We now come to the shadow Minister, .
(Birmingham, Yardley)
(Lab)
In July 2021, the Government announced that a domestic homicide
sentencing review will look at unfairness in the sentencing of
intimate partner domestic homicides. According to Counting Dead
Women, at least 105 women have since been killed. The family and
friends of these women face immeasurable pain from their loss, so
where is the domestic homicide sentencing review, which is now
six months late? For the sake of the women who will definitely be
murdered next week, may I ask why there is such a delay?
The hon. Lady will know from our many debates in the House on
this issue that we set out our holistic response to domestic
abuse in the domestic abuse plan. If she looks at that, she will
see all the work we are doing on the domestic homicide review.
This matter crosses a number of Departments, and I am happy to
write to her on the specific issue, but we are bearing down on
people who murder their partners. That is why we introduced the
Domestic Abuse Act 2021, why we are reforming the entire system
and why we are putting multimillion pounds-worth of funding into
tackling perpetrators, as I said to my hon. Friends the Members
for Newcastle-under-Lyme () and for Broadland ().
Topical Questions
(Luton South) (Lab)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.(900599)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
We do not make policy by mob rule in this country. The Public
Order Bill will enable us to overcome the guerrilla tactics that
bring misery to the hard-working public, disrupt businesses,
interfere with the emergency services, cost taxpayers billions
and put lives at risk.
The Public Order Bill will also stop protesters targeting major
transport projects and infrastructure, and it will introduce new
criminal offences of locking on and going equipped to lock on. It
will also extend the police’s stop and search powers to allow
them to search and seize articles related to protest-related
offences, and it will introduce serious disruption prevention
disorders and a new preventive court order that targets
protesters who are determined to inflict repeated disruption on
the public. Breaching these orders will be a criminal
offence.
This Government are committed to being on the side of ordinary
working people. It is a shame that the Labour party continues not
to support such measures.
My Luton South constituents are deeply frustrated at the Home
Office’s huge backlogs. My office is currently waiting for
responses from the Home Office on 35 passport cases, 21 asylum
cases, and 45 visa cases, with visa applications going back to
the start of the year. With a proposal to cut the number of civil
servants by 20% on the horizon, how will the Secretary of State
fix the mess that her Government have created?
The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon.
Friend the Member for Torbay () has just spoken about
passports and the number of staff who have been recruited,
contrary to the hon. Lady’s comments. She will recognise that,
when it comes to visas, the Government prioritised the Ukrainian
visa scheme above other visas and, of course, it has now been
switched over to ensure that all applications are processed in
good time.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Home Secretary, .
(Normanton, Pontefract and
Castleford) (Lab)
New analysis today shows that in half of communities no
burglaries have been solved in three years. Meanwhile, the
proportion of all crimes reaching court has plummeted to 5.8%.
Why is this Home Secretary letting so many more criminals
off?
Let me respond directly to the right hon. Lady. First, the
reports today on burglary statistics are deeply troubling.
Working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, we are
effectively getting more detailed information, force by force,
but I would like to remind her that burglary is down by 24%,
neighbourhood crime is down by 33% and vehicle offences are down
by 28%. With that, it is worth highlighting—in fact, I would like
to thank—some of the outstanding Conservative police and crime
commissioners such as those for Bedfordshire and for
Nottinghamshire, for example, who have effectively pledged and
had specific operations to target burglary within their
regions.
I am glad that burglaries fell in lockdown but they are now going
back up, and overall crime is 18% higher and prosecutions are 18%
lower on this Home Secretary’s watch. This is the first time in
25 years that any Home Secretary has presided over both such a
big rise in crime and a big drop in the charge rate. So how does
it feel to be responsible for the weakest Government performance
on crime in a quarter of a century?
For the education and information of the right hon. Lady, may I
restate to the House that burglary is down by 24%, neighbourhood
crime is down by 33% and vehicle offences are down by 28%?
[Interruption.] I appreciate that she does not want to hear the
facts and that she struggles with listening to facts and
grappling with factual information and data. This is why the
Government’s beating crime plan will go even further, so that,
force by force, the Government can absolutely ensure that every
single police force is held to account, which the Labour party
should welcome, along with many of the resources that this
Government have put into beating crime.
(Keighley) (Con)
T2. I know that in the past few weeks there have been
significant improvements in dealing with passport applications,
but I am still dealing with a few outstanding cases where
constituents are waiting beyond the 10-week period, so will the
Minister provide further reassurance to me and to my constituents
that we will be able to deal with their cases and get them
completed as soon as possible?(900600)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
We have already recruited another 650 staff and are in the
process of recruiting another 550. Obviously, where people have
been waiting over 10 weeks and have travel booked, we will look
to expedite their application for free.
(Lewisham East) (Lab)
T5. We should all be concerned about the length of time and the
frequency with which minors are detained in police cells. Cells
are made for adults, yet minors are being detained in them for as
long as adults and data shows that the average time spent in
police custody is increasing. That is despite legislation saying
that minors should be detained only for the shortest appropriate
period. What are the Government doing and how do they plan to
re-address that?(900604)
The Minister for Crime and Policing ()
In the past few years, we have been working closely with the
police across the whole of the UK to drive down the number of
minors held in custody and the duration of that. As the hon. Lady
will know, the appropriate adult scheme is in place to make sure
that minors who are detained are accompanied by adults who, as I
say, are appropriate. If she has specific cases she wants to
raise with me, I would be more than happy to look at them, but
thus far the trend has been improving.
(Southend West) (Con)
T3. Last week, I was delighted to hear the Home Secretary
recognise the national success of Southend police’s Operation
Grip and call for it to be rolled out around the country. Does
she agree that Southend police’s Operation Union, which adopts an
events mindset to policing our seafront, should also be rolled
out nationally, especially to coastal areas?(900601)
My hon. Friend is right on the national Grip funding roll-out,
which originated from a visit I made to Southend two years ago,
where I was so impressed by the data-driven hotspot work that we
managed to get the money out of the Treasury to spread it
further. I certainly look forward to seeing the results of
Operation Union. If it is equally successful, I do not see why we
would not roll that out too.
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
T9. It is quite ironic that while we have been in the Chamber we
have received an email to say that the Home Office MP inquiry
line has collapsed because of heavy use. I am quite tempted to
run through my 200 outstanding cases that are waiting for answers
from the Home Office; instead, perhaps a Minister could confirm
to me that Zill-e Huma, who is waiting for a spousal visa for her
husband, will get that processed before her baby is born at the
end of July.(900608)
I am happy to take the details of that individual case from the
hon. Member. We are aware of an issue with the MPs’ hotline this
morning; the hub and email are unaffected. Home Office Digital,
Data and Technology is currently working on a solution and we
expect the issue to be resolved shortly.
(North Warwickshire)
(Con)
T4. When we delivered Brexit, we made a promise to take back
control of our borders. That was about not just ending freedom of
movement but cracking down on small boat crossings of the
channel. The Secretary of State and her team have done an awful
lot of work to try to clamp down on such crossings. Does she
agree that our partnership with Rwanda is critical to breaking
the economic model of the people-smuggling gangs? Will she
confirm that the Department will do everything it can to get the
scheme moving?(900602)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are introducing
whole-system reform in the new plan for immigration, and we have
the partnership with Rwanda and are readily signing new returns
agreements. Of course, we are seeing greater international
co-operation, including with the French—for example, 50% of
crossings are not originating in the first place. That is
important progress. We are continuing to work round the clock on
the issue and my hon. Friend can be assured that we will continue
to do so.
(Worsley and Eccles South)
(Lab)
This week, musicians from the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra are
applying for visas to the UK to perform here next month, but
there are real concerns about delays in their getting the visas
and about the £18,000 that it will cost the musicians—funds they
just do not have in time of war. Every other European Government
have waived complex visa requirements for the musicians to
perform in their country. I have asked the Prime Minister about
this and written to the Home Secretary about it twice. Will the
Home Secretary agree today to look at expediting the visa process
and waiving the fees, so that Ukrainian musicians can come to the
UK to perform?
I am happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss this matter. As
other colleagues will know, I have already dealt with a number of
groups in relation to Ukraine, and there are exceptional
circumstances in which the process may need to be expedited.
(Burnley) (Con)
T6. In the past few weeks, not a day has gone by on which my team
and I have not helped a constituent with a passport issue.
Although most of the issues have been resolved, it should not
take the intervention of someone’s Member of Parliament for them
to get their passport. Will the Home Office consider bringing
back the old British visitor’s passport, which was issued by post
offices for a 12-month period, to help to reduce the
backlog?(900605)
A lot of work is being done to catch up on passports. I think it
is safe to say that to go back to a system that was fundamentally
paper-based would bring quite a range of security issues, not
least at the border—that is why it was discontinued. I assure my
hon. Friend that a wide range of work is being done and, as I
have said, we are still doing roughly 98.5% of passports within
the advertised 10-week service time.
(Barnsley Central) (Lab)
I was pleased to see that the Home Office finally published
details of the remaining pathways for the Afghan citizens
resettlement scheme, but just hours later the Ministry of Defence
revealed that around 10,000 people—many of whom are at risk
because they stepped forward to serve when we asked them to do
so—were still left behind but eligible for the Afghan relocations
and assistance policy scheme. What additional capacity is going
to be put into the Department, both to clear the backlog of
outstanding applications and to process thousands of new
ones?
I understand the hon. Gentleman’s concerns. To be clear, the MOD
processes ARAP applications and deals with eligibility. Given our
expertise in that area, we are certainly happy to offer what
support and assistance we can from UK Visas and Immigration to
help to get applications through, because like the hon. Gentleman
we do not want to see stuck in Afghanistan people who bravely
stood alongside our forces.
(Stourbridge) (Con)
T7. British people have voted consistently for controlled
immigration and the right to secure borders. Does my hon. Friend
the Minister agree that we have heard absolutely no practical
solutions from the Labour party to combat the problems of illegal
immigration?(900606)
It is fair to say that the plan we are advancing is the only
credible plan to address the issue. It is comprehensive and will
end the dangerous channel crossings, preserve life, get illegal
migration back under control and, of course, bring sustainability
to the related finances.
(Hammersmith) (Lab)
My constituent faces losing her job with the NHS and is unable to
visit a seriously ill close relative abroad because the Home
Office has failed to deal with her visa, which was requested last
year. I have raised this four times with the Home Office urgent
inquiry line and have received no response for two months. Will
the Minister look at this particular case, which I wrote to the
Home Secretary about last week, and, more generally, at the
service, or lack of service, that the urgent inquiry line is
providing to MPs?
I am very happy to look into the individual case.
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
T8. After repeated calls to the Labour South Yorkshire police and
crime commissioner to reopen police stations in our towns and
villages, he has reopened the station at Edlington, with a
population of 8,000. I have been leading a campaign for the
return of a police station to Dinnington, with a population of
13,000. Does my right hon. Friend agree that a town of that size
must have a police station and that the commissioner should
reopen the premises in Dinnington without delay?(900607)
As usual, Mr Speaker, it is no surprise to hear my hon. Friend
standing up for his constituents and fighting for their
interests. He is right to look for greater police presence in his
constituency, and when we finish recruiting 20,000 police
officers, we will need somewhere for them to put all their stuff.
Having that somewhere in his constituency would make sense.
(Battersea) (Lab)
A total of 5,279 children were strip searched by the Metropolitan
police between 2019 and 2021, 75% of whom were from a black,
Asian and minority ethnic background. This data covers only
children who were strip searched after an arrest, which means
that the number of children strip searched among those not
arrested will be even higher, such as in the case of Child Q who
was never actually arrested. The Home Office will require police
forces to provide this data on strip searches only on a voluntary
basis. Can the Home Secretary say why she will not commit to
making it mandatory for police forces to produce this data?
Although the case of Child Q was deeply regrettable and the
Metropolitan police have offered their apologies in that case, I
am sure that the hon. Lady will accept that, sadly, there are
circumstances where these kind of searches of all manner of
people are warranted. She raises a good point about transparency,
and I know that all police chiefs across the country have it at
the forefront of their minds that their legitimacy is built on
public confidence about what they do and I will certainly explore
the idea that she suggests.
(Vale of Clwyd) (Con)
Neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour is better tackled
with the police visibility and responsiveness that a town centre
police station can provide. Will my right hon. Friend give his
support and encouragement to efforts by north Wales police to
reopen a police station in the centre of Prestatyn, possibly at
the redeveloped old library site?
I am more than happy to support my hon. Friend in seeking the
best for his constituents, as I did on Friday in Tiverton where
the front counter of the police station is due to open in
November. I hope and believe that his constituents will benefit
from the significant uplift in capacity and funding that we are
giving to police forces, which will allow them to do exactly as
he asks.
(Edinburgh South West)
(SNP)
When the Joint Committee on Human Rights visited Strasbourg last
week, we were told that the United Kingdom sends fewer cases to
the European Court of Human Rights per capita than any other
signatory state. We were also told that UK Government Ministers
have repeatedly given the Council of Europe assurances that
Britain will not withdraw from the convention. Will the Home
Secretary withdraw the rather intemperate remarks that she made
as reported at the weekend because she was displeased by the
Court’s decision to temporarily halt the flights to Rwanda last
week?
In light of the hon. and learned Lady’s comments, it is important
to put it on record that Britain upholds international standards
and all aspects of the law. Our policies are proving that is the
case when it comes to illegal migration, as demonstrated by the
domestic courts. As I said have repeatedly, I will not comment on
ongoing legal cases.
(Blyth Valley) (Con)
On 3 May, a convoy of vehicles left Blyth Valley heading for the
Polish border with a fire appliance, a support vehicle and a 4x4.
The staff of West Hartford fire station volunteered to drive
almost 2,000 miles to help the people of Ukraine, leaving their
families and loved ones behind. Does my right hon. Friend agree
that local fire and rescue teams can play an important role in
bringing communities together? With that in mind, will she please
visit Blyth Valley so that we can show her these amazing teams
and everything we have done?
I would be delighted to come and support my hon. Friend in Blyth
Valley, but there is a serious point here: over recent months,
the fire and rescue service across the entire country has come
together in such a compassionate way to provide essential kit and
equipment to help the people of Ukraine, and I am pleased that
his constituency has done that.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
The unprecedented cuts to North Yorkshire fire & rescue
service will result in longer response times in York, Scarborough
and Harrogate. Will the Secretary of State meet me, the police
and crime commissioner and the Fire Brigades Union to talk about
those cuts and how we can ensure that fair funding goes to our
fire services?
I would be very happy to meet the hon. Lady. Having previously
discussed this in North Yorkshire, on a visit that took place
last year, I have seen the incredible integrated working across
police and fire in North Yorkshire and the exceptional service
they provide to her constituency and across the county,
particularly in the remote and rural areas. However, as I say, I
would be happy to have a conversation with her.
(Ashfield) (Con)
Now then, when we had a Labour police and crime commissioner and
a Labour MP in Ashfield, the only thing they ever did of any note
was to close our local police station. Since we have had a
sensible Conservative MP in Ashfield, we have two new Operation
Reacher teams, safer streets funding for the New Cross area and
more bobbies on the beat, but will the Home Secretary please back
our latest bid to the safer streets fund for the forgotten town
of Eastwood?
I am very conscious of the great support in my hon. Friend’s
constituency—in fact, I have visited it a couple of times now and
seen not only the police officers on the front line, but the way
the community is coming together on safer streets. I have
absolutely heard his request for this particular bid.
(Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)
The school holidays in Wales and England start on 22 July. There
are nearly 30 million visits abroad by air in quarter 3, which
includes those school holidays. To help families get away, will
the Passport Office backlog be cleared by 22 July?
We have already made clear the actions we are taking. Since April
last year we have been advising people to allow up to 10 weeks
for an application, although 91% of people get their passport
back within six weeks of applying. The hon. Member will also be
aware that in some instances, such as school trips, collective
passports can be used, subject to those being accepted by the
country they are travelling to.
(Newark) (Con)
Earlier in the year, Parliament repealed the antiquated Vagrancy
Act 1824. It was an important step in our journey to ending
homelessness for good. Imagine my surprise when I reviewed the
Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill to see that that repeal was
repealed and that the Secretary of State will be given unlimited
and unspecified powers to recriminalise homelessness. I know my
right hon. Friend the Home Secretary cares about this, and she
has been superb in supporting me and other Ministers in this
mission. May I ask her to deal with this and ensure that we can
get on with the job of ending homelessness?
Absolutely. I pay tribute to and thank my right hon. Friend for
all his support and work in this particular area. I will reach
out and speak to him and we will join up on this.
(Brentford and Isleworth)
(Lab)
Residents in Osterley contacted me last week. They have been
suffering for months from antisocial behaviour, drug dealing and
assaults, which came to a head last week. Councillors and local
police have been working together to try to tackle the issue, but
their efforts are hamstrung because there just are not enough
police officers to do regular patrols in hotspots. Does the Home
Secretary regret the 10 years of police cuts that leave my
constituents and many others feeling unprotected?
I am quite surprised to hear that given that I believe the hon.
Lady is a London MP and the Metropolitan Police currently have
more police officers on their roster than they have ever had in
their history.
(Hartlepool) (Con)
My team and I have been fighting for many hours to get a visa for
a little Ukrainian girl, Alisa. She has been classified as an
unaccompanied minor, although her aunt Viktoria provided evidence
that she is her legal guardian many weeks ago. The situation is
now grave as the family’s 90-day Polish visa is about to expire
and they will have to return to the war zone. That is
unacceptable. I know that an unaccompanied minors policy was
finally agreed last week, but I fear that a failure to process
these applications swiftly enough will soon lead to a
humanitarian emergency for this family and others like them. Can
my right hon. Friend please tell me what can be done to resolve
this case and finally bring this family to safety in
Hartlepool?
I know that the Minister has been following up this case, so I am
grateful to my hon. Friend for raising it. I have already said in
response to earlier questions that the policy on this is
changing, but she has asked a specific question and I will
address it.
