Asylum Seekers: Hotel Accommodation
(Tatton) (Con)
1. What plans she has for hotels used by her Department to
accommodate asylum seekers.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
The Department has long-term plans and proposals to change the
way we accommodate asylum seekers.
Residents of Tatton are concerned about the ongoing nature of
supposedly temporary accommodation for immigrants who arrive in
the local area. Some hotels are becoming full-time immigration
centres and those residing there are in limbo in our town
centres. What is the timescale for processing these individuals
and for reverting the accommodation back into hotels?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right in her comments. Through
changes linked to the new plan for immigration we will end the
use of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers, which was a result
of the pandemic—we had to take decisive action to ensure that
those seeking asylum in the UK were protected under covid
measures. It was a short-term solution and the new plan for
immigration includes long-term changes in the offing for asylum
accommodation.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
One big reason why we need to use hotels is that the asylum
processing system has basically imploded. The share of
applications that received an initial decision within six months
fell from 87% in 2014 to just 20% in 2019. What is the Home
Secretary’s explanation for that?
There are a number of factors in terms of why there has been
slowing down in the processing of asylum claims. In particular,
because of the covid pandemic last year, decisions were not made
and we had to change our accommodation policies in the light of
Public Health England guidance, which is well documented and well
known. That has put pressures on the wider system. Of course, the
hon. Gentleman will be well aware of the proposals in the new
plan for immigration on not only processing, fast-track removals
and the changes we are making in legislation, but the
digitalisation of the system. We will move from paper-based
decision making to digitalisation and that work is already in
train.
(Shipley) (Con)
Asylum seekers are given somewhere to live while their
application is being processed, along with £39.63 per person to
pay for food, clothing and toiletries. It says on the Government
website:
“If you’ve been refused asylum”
you will still be given somewhere to live and still be given
“£39.63 per person…for food, clothing and toiletries”.
Why on earth is the state still providing accommodation and money
for people who have been refused asylum? Surely that is when
Government support should be turned off.
If my hon. Friend has read the new plan for immigration and the
Nationality and Borders Bill, it will be abundantly clear to him
that changes will be coming forth that will absolutely put an end
to that.
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
We agree that hotel use should end, but we should go back to the
community dispersal of asylum seekers throughout the country. We
need to ditch this ludicrous and dangerous idea that hotels are
some sort of luxury for asylum seekers, because for very many of
them the opposite is the case. The Home Secretary knows that the
increased use of hotels has seen increased deaths in the asylum
accommodation system. Why is the Home Office still placing large
numbers of asylum seekers in unsuitable hotels in inappropriate
locations, without so much as notifying the relevant local
authority, never mind seeking its agreement or ensuring that
appropriate levels of support are in place?
The answer to the hon. Gentleman’s question is, of course,
because local authorities around the country, and particularly in
Scotland, have not played their part in helping with dispersal
accommodation. The hon. Gentleman should be ashamed of himself
for coming to the House and making that point when the Scottish
Government have done absolutely nothing to lift a finger in
supporting the policy of dispersal accommodation. [Interruption.]
In response to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (), the answer in relation to
Birmingham is because the rest of the United Kingdom is not
playing its part.
That is one of the most outrageous answers that this incredible
Home Secretary has ever given. Every single local authority in
Scotland is anxious to play its part in resettling refugees. When
it comes to dispersal accommodation, Glasgow has stepped up to
the plate while other local authorities are withdrawing from the
scheme, and they are doing so, quite rightly, because the Home
Office refuses to put in place the support that is required to
encourage them to do that. Instead of community dispersal, the
Home Office is planning to press ahead with large-scale
warehousing of asylum seekers in Napier-style accommodation
centres. That is worse even than hotels. Will she confirm that
the Home Office will, at the very least, seek local authority
permission for building these centres in the middle of people’s
local authorities and will not seek to bypass local democracy, as
it did with Napier barracks?
We on the Conservative side of the House will take no lectures on
bypassing democracy or local councils. For the record, 31 local
authorities out of 32 in Scotland have refused to participate in
the dispersal scheme. I say to the hon. Gentleman and to all
Members of the House that, when it comes to changes to asylum
accommodation, the whole of the United Kingdom needs to step up
and play its part. That is how we will address the long-term
issues with accommodation more widely. [Interruption.] I can hear
the hon. Gentleman say, “You need to play your part.” On the
funding side of matters, it is absolutely correct to say that the
Home Office, working with the former Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government, has been doing everything
possible to provide local authorities with financial support and
assistance, but certain councils around the country still say
no.
International Workers with STEM Qualifications
(Haltemprice and Howden)
(Con)
2. What steps her Department is taking to attract international
workers with science, technology, maths and engineering
qualifications to the UK.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
Attracting international talent is a key component of our global,
points-based immigration system, delivered as we promised the
British public at the 2019 election. This system is designed to
attract global talent, sponsored by employers, bringing the best
scientists, engineers, academics, and other people with skills to
our country.
Mr Davis
Last week, I met the chief scientific adviser, Sir , to discuss the
challenges facing Britain as we seek to become a leading science
superpower. He spoke of the need for cross-departmental support,
including from the Home Office, to ensure that Britain is
competing in the marketplace of global excellence. Can my right
hon. Friend update the House on what conversations her Department
has had with UK Research and Innovation with respect to the
global talent visa route, and how well she expects it to
work?
This is an important area in developing global talent and making
sure that we, as a country, are attractive and can become the
science superpower that we aspire to be. The chief scientific
officer has indeed been leading this work with the Home Office
and with the Treasury. In response to my right hon. Friend’s
question, I can say that there is a great deal of work taking
place, that these routes are open and that he will hear a lot
more about the applications and the numbers that are coming
through, but I can assure the House that the Home Office and this
Government are absolutely dedicated to making sure that we get
the brightest and the best over to our country through this new
route.
Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
3. What steps she has taken to support local partnerships to help
prevent violence against women and girls.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Our strategy is a whole-system approach, with different local
agencies—for example, the police, healthcare and social
care—working together to ensure more effective interventions. To
that end, we have put in place guidance, training and online
resources for the police and healthcare and educational
professionals, and we will shortly be refreshing our national
statement of expectations to support local areas in commissioning
services.
The unacceptable and continued prevalence of misogyny and
violence against women and girls highlights the need for
multi-agency partnerships, but the funding is woeful, yet the
challenge is great. Will the Minister ensure that the police, who
are ever focused on crime detection rather than crime prevention
because of the lack of resources, have the resources at hand to
build the multi-agency partnerships that are vital to change the
culture?
I reject what the hon. Lady says about funding and resources. In
her area, the police are receiving their fair share of the 20,000
additional police officers we have pledged to hire. She will
already see 114 additional officers in her area, and the police
are receiving up to £171.7 million of funding—an increase of £5.5
million—so I suggest that she talks to her local police and crime
commissioners and ensures that they are prioritising that funding
in the right way.
(Vale of Glamorgan) (Con)
Domestic violence is one of the ugliest and saddest outcomes of
some of the measures that the Government were forced to introduce
to handle the covid pandemic, but may I draw the Minister’s
attention to the excellent work of the domestic abuse charity
Atal y Fro in my constituency, which has encouraged GPs to follow
the IRIS—identification and referral to improve safety—programme,
enabling them better to identify some of the more prevalent
symptoms among victims of domestic violence?
I thank my right hon. Friend for drawing the attention of the
House to that excellent programme, which highlights the important
role that frontline GPs have in identifying and getting help to
victims. I have been informed that he ran the London marathon to
raise funds for a charity in his area. I congratulate him on all
the hard work that he is doing; I am sure that those services
will benefit enormously.
(Birmingham, Yardley)
(Lab)
I have a point about the funding. The Randox contract that was
granted without any tender is five times the amount that we spend
on domestic violence refuges for the entire country—just FYI.
In September, Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary and fire
and rescue services published a report making clear the current
failings, and pushing for the implementation of its urgent
recommendations to improve our national response to violence
against women and girls. On 22 September, 18 October and 8
November, I asked the Minister if and when the Government would
implement the recommendations in full. I am at risk of sounding
like a broken record, as I ask again now: will the Minister today
commit to keeping to the very detailed action plan commanded by
the inspectorate within the timescale that it states? I do not
want to hear again, or in a few weeks’ time, that the Department
is still looking closely at the recommendations. Will she commit
to them today?
If I may just make a point on funding, I am sure that the hon.
Lady would welcome the fact that the Government are providing
£300 million of support for victims and witness support services
this year.
Half the amount of the Randox contract.
No, that is not relevant. This is a very important subject, and
victims and support services deserve to know that this Government
are on their side.
Let me turn to the report referenced by the hon. Lady. This is
not a broken record. These are the facts: we are responding and
taking action, which is why the Home Secretary is leading on a
ministerial group across Government, bringing together the whole
of Government to bear down on the recommendations outlined in the
report—[Interruption.] Perhaps the hon. Lady would like to listen
to the Minister. We have also appointed Maggie Blyth to lead the
work across the entire police force and criminal justice system
that will focus on addressing violence against women and girls,
which is a priority for this Government.
Channel Crossings
(Gainsborough) (Con)
4. What progress her Department has made on tackling illegal
migrant channel crossings.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
The UK Government are addressing the challenge of illegal
migration for the first time in decades through comprehensive
reform to break the entire business model of people smuggling.
For the first time, whether someone enters the UK legally or
illegally will have an impact on how their asylum claim is
processed and on their status in the UK if that claim is
successful.
At the referendum, us Brexiteers told the people that we would
take back control. It is clear that, in this aspect, we have lost
control. If we tell the most desperate economic migrants in the
world, “We will provide a free border taxi service across the
channel, we will never deport you and we will put you up in a
hotel for as long as you like”, is it any wonder that more and
more come? This is now a national emergency. Will the Home
Secretary introduce an emergency powers Act to override the Human
Rights Act, if necessary, and put people in secure accommodation
now? Otherwise, we will not solve the problem.
My right hon. Friend will be well versed in the work that we are
doing through the Nationality and Borders Bill, which speaks to
the points that he has been making about asylum, processing,
deportation and fast-track removals, and which, importantly, will
ensure that we break the business model of traffickers who are
smuggling people into the United Kingdom. I have always said—
Mr Speaker
Order. Home Secretary, it is easier if you face the Chair, not
the right hon. Member for Gainsborough ( )—just to help each other.
My apologies, Mr Speaker.
As I was saying, the new plan for immigration and the Nationality
and Borders Bill are pivotal to the comprehensive reform of the
entire system. There is no single solution, which is why the Bill
is so important. I know that all hon. Members on the Government
Benches will back the Bill, in stark contrast with those on the
Opposition Benches.
Online Fraud
(Vale of Clwyd) (Con)
5. What steps her Department is taking to tackle online
fraud.
The Minister for Security and Borders ()
Online fraud can cause very serious harm to victims, both
financial and emotional. We are determined to protect the public
from these crimes and to go after those that commit them. The
draft Online Safety Bill will be one important tool to enhance
our abilities in that.
Dr Davies
I thank my right hon. Friend for that update. Ofcom allows those
who receive spam text messages to forward them to a service,
7726, to report the receipt of those messages. How will the law
enforcement agencies use the data acquired to locate and to
punish the perpetrators of those crimes?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for highlighting the 7726
service, because referrals to that help to build up the
intelligence on SMS fraudsters or scam texters and can help to
lead to take-downs. It is really important that law enforcement
works both with regulators and directly with individual telecoms
companies to protect victims and go after the criminals
responsible.
Modern Slavery Offences
(Swansea East) (Lab)
7. What recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of
suspected modern slavery offences.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Modern slavery is a truly awful crime. Statistics for England and
Wales show that police-recorded modern slavery offences increased
by 2% in the year to June 2021, and live investigations also
increased from 188 in December 2016 to 3,869 in October 2021. We
are committed to tackling modern slavery and we have invested £15
million to strengthen the police response over the past five
years.
Prosecution and conviction rates of perpetrators of modern
slavery are surprisingly low. Evidence from Justice and Care’s
victim navigator programme shows that with appropriate support
more victims would have the confidence to help investigations,
resulting in more prosecutions. Will the Minister please consider
giving all confirmed victims at least 12 months’ support in the
country so that they can feel empowered to engage with the
justice process?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question; she has highlighted an
important issue. The whole point of our modern slavery strategy
is to be able to track down and prosecute those horrendous
criminals who heartlessly traffic human beings into this country.
The entire force of the Government’s policy making is devoted to
that end.
(Redcar) (Con)
Many people who are victims of modern-day slavery are those who
have been illegally trafficked into this country across the
channel. What are the Government doing to break up the criminal
gangs dangerously smuggling people across the channel and bring
an end to these illegal crossings?
I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting that. There are a range
of measures in the Nationality and Borders Bill. I very much hope
that Opposition Members will support those measures so that we
can break down these criminal gangs. We are also working very
closely with the police and we have invested additional funds in
our courts system to catch up from the backlog of the
pandemic.
(Halifax) (Lab)
I have heard what the Minister has said, and we can all agree
that perpetrators of modern slavery are committing heinous crimes
and must be brought to justice. With that in mind, I wonder
whether Government Ministers have read the independent
anti-slavery commissioner’s recent article entitled “Rushed
borders bill will fail victims of modern slavery”. Will the
Government urgently act to address the failings in the
Nationality and Borders Bill before it effectively tears up the
Modern Slavery Act 2015, letting down victims and letting
perpetrators get away with their crimes?
I can assure the hon. Lady that I meet the independent
anti-slavery commissioner and she plays a very important role in
informing the Government’s policy. I can also assure her that the
Nationality and Borders Bill is going to strengthen the
Government’s response and support for the victims of modern
slavery. We have a world-leading system to support and protect
victims of modern slavery that we have backed with significant
Government resources and investment. The legislation that we are
passing will enable us to respond more compassionately to those
victims.
(Wellingborough) (Con)
While the Minister is absolutely right to say that we lead Europe
on modern-day slavery, the question asked by the hon. Member for
Swansea East () goes very much to the
heart of the matter: if we want more prosecutions, we need more
victims to come forward. The way to do that is that if they are
coming into this country irregularly they need a year of leave to
remain here so that we can get at these—please excuse this if it
is not parliamentary—evil bastards. Will the Minister reply to
the hon. Lady’s question: can we have that year?
I can reassure my hon. Friend and all Members in the House that
those victims who are working closely with the police and the
Crown Prosecution Service are looked at on a case-by-case basis.
Where they are assisting the police and the criminal justice
system with their inquiries, they are permitted to stay in this
country, and our legislation that we are bringing forward will
clarify that further. [Interruption.] I have met victims of
modern slavery, thank you, I say to the hon. Member for
Birmingham, Yardley (), who is speaking from a
sedentary position.
Mr Speaker
Order. Let us try to calm it down. We do not want another week
like last week. When Members have asked their question, they do
not need to continue.
I hope I have answered my hon. Friend the Member for
Wellingborough (Mr Bone). I am happy to speak to him in more
detail. I make it clear to the hon. Member for Birmingham,
Yardley that I have met victims of modern slavery. I have heard
their stories, which are shocking, and we are putting all our
efforts into preventing these crimes and dealing with the people
who perpetrate them.
Tackling Violent and Sexual Offences
(Rochdale) (Lab)
8. What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of
her Department’s policies to tackle violent and sexual
offences.
(Bolton North East) (Con)
15. What recent assessment her Department has made of the
progress of its tackling violence against women and girls
strategy.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Crimes of violence against women and girls are abhorrent and have
no place in our society. Maggie Blyth has been appointed as the
new policing lead for tackling violence against women and girls.
We have launched a £5 million safety of women at night fund, and
we will be launching a national communications campaign focused
on targeting perpetrators, educating young people and ensuring
victims can access support.
The sexual abuse and grooming of our young women and men is a
heinous crime, and it is outrageous that victims should come into
contact with their perpetrators after those perpetrators are
released from prison. Successive Home Secretaries, including the
present Home Secretary directly, have promised me that action
would be taken where appropriate to deport those perpetrators.
Can we know what progress has been made? If there has been no
progress, will the Home Secretary agree to meet me?
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has indicated that she
would be very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. We all recognise
the need to tackle these absolutely disgusting crimes, and I am
sure that the whole House would support what he is asking
for.
Drugs, speeding and ineffective response times were top issues at
the crime forum I held in Breightmet and Tonge with the Haulgh,
but it was violence against women that gave me pause during that
event. What is being done to tackle violence against women in
Bolton?
I thank my hon. Friend for how he is focusing on this issue. We
have a national programme to support women and girls’ safety and,
as part of that, Greater Manchester has been awarded £1.5 million
from the Home Office’s domestic abuse perpetrator programme fund.
The fund works with perpetrators to get them to change their
behaviour. It is very difficult but important work, and it is
taking place specifically in Bolton. One of the partners is Talk,
Listen, Change, which has been accredited by the organisation,
Respect, as delivering very high-quality interventions.
Antisocial Behaviour
(Lewisham West and Penge)
(Lab)
9. What recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of
antisocial behaviour.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Police-recorded incidents of antisocial behaviour show a fall
from 2.1 million in 2013-14 to 1.8 million in the year to June
2021. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014
provides flexible tools and powers for local agencies to tackle
antisocial behaviour.
Following Conservative cuts to the policing budget, the police
stations in Penge and Sydenham have both closed. Meanwhile,
reports of antisocial behaviour locally have been rising, and
recently we have seen a sharp increase in thefts from cars. Will
the Minister back Labour’s plan to roll out neighbourhood police
hubs to help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour and provide a
visible police presence, or will she continue to let down our
communities?
The hon. Lady will know that our beating crime plan has set out
that neighbourhood hubs are an integral part of the response.
Policing in London is the responsibility of the Mayor of London.
The Metropolitan Police Service is one of the best-funded forces
in the whole country, receiving more than £3 billion in 2021-22,
an increase of up to £132.4 million. It already has an additional
2,070 officers on the beat.
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Con)
Last Thursday evening, I was at the Smallthorne Community Centre
with the Smallthorne Village Residents Association, local
Staffordshire police officers and police community support
officers. One of the biggest issues that came up was the
antisocial behaviour of a tiny minority of feral youths. Will the
Minister tell me: what are we going to do about those youngsters
and their parents, to get them out cleaning the streets and
looking after the community so that they can pay back my local
community for the lives they are ruining?
My hon. Friend strongly represents the views of his constituents.
None of us likes to see that type of low-level disruptive crime,
which has a devastating impact on communities. I thank him for
championing his police force. Our neighbourhood crime plan is an
integral part of tackling such crimes.
(Croydon Central) (Lab)
Antisocial behaviour is blighting communities: it has gone up by
a woeful 70% across the country in the last year. Since the
Conservatives took power, twice as many people say that they
never see a police officer on the street. The Leader of the House
said:
“I have often found…that a quiet word from a police community
support officer can nip…antisocial behaviour in the
bud.”—[Official Report, 13 May 2021; Vol. 695, c. 273.]
We totally agree. Will the Minister restore some of the 50% of
PCSOs whose posts the Government have cut?
Before the Minister says that she is recruiting 20,000 officers,
let me point out that we know that only 400 of the first tranche
of 6,000 are in neighbourhood roles. Will she give victims of
antisocial behaviour the same rights as other crime victims—if
the Government ever get round to publishing the victims Bill—or
do they still think that what she describes as “low-level”
antisocial behaviour is not worth tackling?
The hon. Lady has taken my words out of context. Neighbourhood
crime encompasses a vast spectrum of crimes that have a
considerable impact on local communities, as I made clear at the
Dispatch Box earlier. Those are a range of crimes that are at the
centre of the Government’s response in our beating crime plan. We
have made it clear that increasing the number of police officers
on the beat is a priority. We are already more than halfway
through our plan to deliver an additional 20,000 police officers
on the street. The neighbourhood crime plan is part of our plan.
It is for local forces to determine the operational priorities in
their areas.
Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
(Lab)
10. What progress she has made on the implementation of the
Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.
The Minister for Afghan Resettlement ()
Through the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme, the UK will
relocate up to 20,000 at-risk people in the coming years. We are
working urgently across Government and with partners such as the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to design the
scheme. We continue to support the thousands of people
successfully evacuated from Afghanistan under Operation Pitting,
and we will continue to support those who come under the scheme
when it opens.
It is now almost exactly three months since Operation Pitting
came to an end. My constituent continues to update me on the
situation facing her brother, who is in hiding in Afghanistan
with his wife, mother and three small children. Since the
evacuation ended, they have lost an uncle and a cousin, both
murdered by the Taliban, and they have received numerous
threatening messages. They live in daily fear for their lives,
yet the Government will not issue papers to give them the best
chance of safe passage to the UK via a third country. Does the
Minister have any regret that we are three months on and the
scheme has not yet opened? When will she give some hope to people
in such desperate circumstances as my constituent’s family?
The hon. Lady has articulated the real dangers that many are
facing in Afghanistan; I think we can all agree on that. The
reality is, however, that the ever-changing security situation in
Afghanistan means that we still have no UK consular presence or
Army presence there. That is something that we and other
countries around the world that are trying to help Afghan people
are having to grapple with. We are working at pace and we want to
set the scheme up as an example of a safe and legal route under
the Government’s new plan for immigration.
(Enfield, Southgate)
(Lab)
Since mid-August, Germany, a country that has not had the
military and overall engagement of the UK in Afghanistan, has
flown more than 6,000 Afghans to Germany and provided them with
protected status under its humanitarian admission programme. Can
the Minister tell me what conversations she has had with
counterparts in the European countries running such schemes to
help to enable the quicker opening of the Afghan citizens
resettlement scheme? There is a real risk that the people whom
the scheme is intended to help will die before it becomes
operational.
I know the hon. Gentleman well, and I know that he will not have
overlooked the 15,000 people whom we evacuated during the
emergency conditions of Operation Pitting. Of course, there are
still agreements carrying on with third-party countries for
evacuating people—where it is safe to do so, where checks have
been conducted and so on—each and every week. Not only do we have
the ACRS in the process of being built, but we are meeting our
commitment to those who have worked with the UK Government and
the UK Army under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy,
so work is ongoing to protect people. We are working with
international partners; indeed, I met the German delegation
during the Conservative party conference to discuss with them the
work the Germans are doing. However, we are very much in the
hands of our international partners when it comes to opening up
safe and legal routes through Afghanistan to us.
Special Constables
(Stroud) (Con)
12. What steps her Department is taking to support special
constables.
The Minister for Crime and Policing ()
I am sure you agree with me, Mr Speaker, that special constables
are among the most remarkable citizens in the land. We are
bringing forward legislation to enable them to become members of
the Police Federation, so that they can access the same support
and protection as regular officers. We will also be introducing
the police covenant in legislation shortly to ensure further
support and protection for the police workforce, including
special constables.
I thank the Minister for his answer. Special constables are often
on shift during the busiest periods, as they tend to volunteer at
weekends and in the evenings, and as a result are exposed to
quite high levels of trauma. I give credit to the Stroud special
constables, and ask what my right hon. Friend is doing
specifically and actively to support their training for and meet
the mental health needs of their unique roles?
I am grateful for the fact that the welfare of this special—in
every sense of the word—group of people is at the forefront of my
hon. Friend’s mind. She will be pleased to know that the
Government continue to fund the national police wellbeing
service, which provides support and particularly post-traumatic
incident services to all police officers, including special
constables. As I said in the earlier part of my answer, there is
more that can be done, and by making sure that all special
constables are full members of the Police Federation, they will
be able to access the significant support that that organisation
can provide.
Antisocial Behaviour
(Batley and Spen) (Lab)
13. What steps she is taking to (a) tackle antisocial behaviour
and (b) support victims of antisocial behaviour.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
The beating crime plan laid out the Government’s commitments to
working with local agencies to drive down antisocial behaviour,
and we are committed to ensuring that victims of antisocial
behaviour get the response they deserve. The Anti-social
Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 introduced specific
measures designed to give victims and communities a say in the
way that complaints of antisocial behaviour are dealt with, and
this includes the community trigger—an important safety net that
gives victims of persistent antisocial behaviour the ability to
demand a formal case review.
Does the Minister agree with me that if her Department was fit
for purpose, local councillors in my constituency from her party
as well as from mine would not be forced to find the funding for
neighbourhood policing after 11 o’clock at night, because
Government cuts have left the hard-working officers I have met so
overstretched in the fight against crime and antisocial
behaviour?
I am sure the hon. Member will agree that local councillors of
all parties want to tackle the scourge of antisocial behaviour
that affects their residents. Local areas have the powers and the
funding from the Home Office. The Mayor of West Yorkshire, a
Labour Mayor, is receiving up to £510.8 million of funding, which
is an increase of £25.8 million on the police settlement of last
year, and she has also been able to recruit an extra 619 officers
to tackle these priorities.
County Lines Drugs Gangs
(Truro and Falmouth)
(Con)
16. What progress her Department has made on tackling county
lines drugs gangs.
(Devizes) (Con)
24. What progress her Department has made on tackling county
lines drugs gangs.
The Minister for Crime and Policing ()
The Prime Minister issued an instruction that we should roll up
county lines, and that is exactly what we have been doing for the
last two years. Since 2019, we have invested over £65 million,
including over £40 million committed this year. This has already
resulted in the closure of more than 1,500 lines, over 7,400
arrests and the safeguarding of more than 4,000 vulnerable adults
and children.
I thank the Minister for his answer. I was very pleased,
recently, that a county lines dealer who had been flooding towns
across Cornwall, including Truro, with drugs was jailed for five
and a half years. There is a lot more to do in Cornwall, because
we are seeing an increase in the impact of county lines drugs
activity and all the crimes that go with it. Can the Minister
confirm that the Government are aware of the issues in Cornwall
and assure me that they are committed to working with our
brilliant police and crime commissioner, , and the six Cornish MPs
to address the continued problems, in particular how the
Government can support the wider roll-out of Project ADDER?
I am focused on the impact of drugs across the whole country, and
particularly in areas such as Devon and Cornwall, where I know
the chief constable, and , the police and crime
commissioner, have been doing an enormous amount of work. This
problem is so prevalent across the United Kingdom that every part
has to work together, and I am pleased that Devon and Cornwall
Police have been working closely, particularly with the
Metropolitan Police and Merseyside Police, which are the two key
exporting forces for drugs into my hon. Friend’s area. She might
be interested to know that recently the British Transport Police,
which plays a critical part in gripping the network that
distributes the drugs, conducted a fixed-point pilot at
Basingstoke Station. It intercepted drugs that were heading
towards her constituency, and I hope she will soon feel the
effects of that.
May I echo the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Truro
and Falmouth ()? There have been very
successful disruptions to county lines in my Wiltshire
constituency, and I pay tribute to Philip Wilkinson, the police
and crime commissioner, and to Wiltshire Police. It is great that
they can work in partnership with all the Conservative PCCs
across our region, and with the Government. The challenge now is
to move one level down, below the cities to the market towns and
rural areas, which is where the problem with drugs really
manifests itself in my area. Will the Minister continue the
efforts on county lines, and ensure real support for local
efforts at disruption, not just at regional level?
My hon. Friend is exactly right, and as my constituency neighbour
he feels the same impact on our rural towns and villages as I do.
He is right: as I said earlier, this is such a comprehensive
problem that market towns and villages must work with large urban
areas, and we have to grip the transport network in between.
Particularly key is that we aim to take out those who perpetrate
this “business” while sitting in the comfort of their homes in a
city. The great development in our effort against county lines
has been the ability of the police in Liverpool, west midlands
and London—the three big exporting areas—to find those guys and
take them out.
Refugees: UK Resettlement Scheme
(Twickenham) (LD)
17. What progress she has made on resettling refugees under the
UK resettlement scheme.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
We have been welcoming refugees through the UK resettlement
scheme since its launch in March 2021. That commitment will
ensure that we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK
for vulnerable refugees in need of protection, with our focus
firmly on helping people from regions of conflict and instability
directly.
I am proud that Liberal Democrat-run Richmond Council, and many
of my constituents, stated early during the Afghan crisis that
refugees are welcome in our borough, and that they would work
hard to support and rehouse those evacuated. Over the past few
weeks some £6,500 has been spent on family homes for evacuees
from Afghanistan, but as yet no families have been resettled in
those homes. Not only is that a waste of taxpayers’ money, but
presumably there are many families in unsuitable hotel
accommodation. What is the Minister doing to ensure that families
who have been evacuated will be resettled quickly where
accommodation is available?
The comments by Richmond Council certainly contrasted with the
approach that the Lib-Dem leader of Torbay Council took when
first asked to take part in the Afghan resettlement scheme, but
it made a welcome U-turn and we will play our part. Work is being
done across the Government to support those who arrived as part
of the emergency evacuation back in August, and those who will
arrive under the resettlement scheme, to ensure they can be
housed quickly.
Removal of Illegal Migrants
(Ipswich) (Con)
18. What steps she is taking to speed up the removal of illegal
migrants.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Our new plan for immigration makes it easier to remove illegal
migrants who have no right to be here. The one-stop process that
we are introducing through the Nationality and Borders Bill will
be fundamental to delivering on that in future. The Home
Secretary has also been setting up a mix of formal and informal
returns agreements with other countries, in order to tackle the
drivers of illegal migration. Examples of that work include our
new formal arrangements with India and Albania.
Does the Minister agree that when millions of people voted to
leave the European Union, they did so to take back control of our
borders—no ifs, no buts—and on our own terms, not only if the
French agree? Does he also agree that, in a spirit of taking back
control, we need to intensify our movements towards offshore
processing, which we know was successful in Australia where, when
it was introduced, the numbers fell of a cliff straightaway?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who is a passionate advocate for
his constituents on this issue. I, too, was on the frontline of
that campaign in 2016, and I am very sympathetic to the point
that he makes. There is no one single solution to this problem.
The measures that we are introducing through the Nationality and
Borders Bill are comprehensive, but we also need that
co-operation with our French partners, and to tackle this issue
upstream.
Channel Crossings
(Kettering) (Con)
22. What steps she is taking to (a) prevent and (b) speed up the
removal of illegal migrants using small boats to cross the
channel; and what recent representations she has made to her
French counterpart on intercepting attempted small boat
crossings.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Our Nationality and Borders Bill sets out comprehensive measures
to deter illegal crossings, tackle the criminal gangs responsible
and protect lives. We are using all available options to bring
crossing numbers down. The Home Secretary and the French Interior
Minister agreed to accelerate the delivery of their joint
determination to prevent all crossings and make this deadly route
unviable.
Mr Hollobone
Given that we have given tens of millions of pounds to the
French, including in night-vision equipment, automatic number
plate recognition technology and access to drones, is it not
completely disgraceful for large groups of French police to be
pictured on the beaches in France waving large boats of migrants
across the channel, as we have seen in recent days? If we are
giving the French this money, please can we insist that they use
it to stop this illegal flow?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend and neighbour for his question.
The Home Secretary had a constructive conversation last week with
the French Interior Minister. He has repeatedly said that the
determination is to stop 100% of these crossings. We entirely
support that endeavour, and we must work towards that end.
Clearly, the policing response on French beaches is integral to
that, but it is also welcome that, for example, there has been a
greater effort to disband some of the camps that we have seen
around beaches.
Topical Questions
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
The kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police
officer was devastating. I am launching an independent inquiry
into exactly what happened, and I am pleased to confirm to the
House that the right hon. Dame has agreed to be the
chair of that inquiry. Dame Elish is an exceptionally
distinguished lawyer, academic and public servant. Her extensive
experience includes a review of deaths in police custody, as well
as a review for the Scottish Government of the handling of
complaints and alleged misconduct against police officers.
The inquiry will be made up of two parts. Part 1 will examine how
this monster was able to serve as a police officer for so long
and seek to establish a definitive account of his conduct. The
independent police inspectorate is already looking at vetting and
counter-corruption capability, which will enable the inquiry to
examine vetting and re-vetting procedures in detail, including
his transfers between forces. Part 1 will also seek to understand
the extent to which his behaviour rang alarm bells with his
colleagues. The chair will report to me as soon as is practical.
The Home Office will then publish the report, and I will set out
the terms of reference for part 2, which will consider the
broader implications for policing arising from part 1.
The inquiry will begin as a non-statutory inquiry, because I want
to give Sarah’s family closure as quickly as possible. As Members
know, statutory inquiries can be long-running, with limited
flexibility; sometimes, recommendations are not made for a number
of years. However, I will not rule out converting this inquiry to
a statutory footing should Dame Elish feel that she is unable to
fulfil the terms of reference on a non-statutory basis.
Sarah Everard’s life was ended too early by an evil man whose job
it was to protect her. We owe it to her, and to her loved ones
and her family, to prevent something like this ever happening
again.
I thank the Home Secretary for her reply, and I very much welcome
what she has said at length.
Eighty per cent. of the working-age population living in the Lake
district already works in hospitality and tourism. The Home
Secretary will see that there is therefore no reservoir of
domestic labour available to fill the gap left by her restrictive
new visa rules. Will she recognise that we have a special case in
the Lake district? We are the biggest visitor destination in the
country outside of London, with one of the smallest populations.
Will she meet me, and tourism industry chiefs in the lakes and
the dales, so that we can come up with a youth mobility visa with
European countries to solve the problem and get our economy
working again?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I would like to
praise his hospitality sector. He represents a very beautiful
part of the country. Of course, we want hospitality and tourism
to thrive across the United Kingdom. I would be delighted,
together with my colleagues, to meet him and his hospitality
sector. Youth mobility is not just an EU matter; it is now a
global matter. There is a great deal of work taking place on
youth mobility schemes, including work that we are doing with
countries outside the EU.
(South East Cornwall)
(Con)
T2. Earlier this month, I met many of my local farmers
through the National Farmers Union. They need agricultural
workers and simply cannot fill vacancies from the domestic
market. What work has my right hon. Friend done with the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a solution
to this issue, so we can all enjoy these farmers’ excellent
Cornish produce?
My hon. Friend is right to highlight her farmers’ excellent
Cornish produce; I have sampled much of it, through her. First
and foremost, through our reforms to the immigration system,
there are routes in place already to provide support to the
agriculture sector. I have been working with colleagues in DEFRA
on that. She will be very familiar with the seasonal agricultural
worker pilot scheme; as she will recall, we have increased the
number of people who, through that scheme, can work in key
agricultural sectors. Finally, she will be aware that a great
deal of work is taking place in DEFRA to ensure more investment
in people in the domestic labour market, so we are investing in
skills.
(Torfaen) (Lab)
I welcome the appointment of the chair of the inquiry set up
following the terrible Sarah Everard case, but I say to the Home
Secretary: put it on a statutory footing now. The Daniel Morgan
inquiry was on a non-statutory basis, and it still took eight
years, so time is not an argument for not doing that.
The year before the Home Secretary was appointed, 297 people
risked their life crossing the English channel in small boats.
This year, 25,700 have made that perilous journey. The Home
Secretary has blamed the French Government for this, and the
European Union. Over the weekend, there were even reports that
she is yet again trying to shift blame to officials in her
Department. A simple question: why will she not show some
leadership and accept the responsibility that lies with her for
this dangerous situation?
First and foremost, on the public inquiry that I have announced
on the murder of Sarah Everard, I restate for the record and for
the right hon. Gentleman that I will work with Dame Elish. I have
also been very clear to Sarah Everard’s parents, who do not want
this to drag on. We owe it to Sarah’s family in particular to
make sure that the inquiry works for them, and that they are
protected throughout the process. I have had conversations and
dialogue with them about that.
On channel crossings, leadership absolutely is on the side of
this Government. That is why we are bringing forward the new plan
for immigration. The right hon. Gentleman will be well aware that
crossings do not happen automatically; they happen through
migrant movements, and through people smugglers not just in
France but further upstream, right back into Africa. A great deal
of work is taking place across the whole of Government. Yes, we
are trying to stop the crossings and break up the gangs—
Mr Speaker
Order. I call .
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Government deal with the French
authorities is failing. The Government have closed down safe
routes, such as the Dubs scheme, and they have cut the aid
budget, which was addressing the reasons why people flee their
homes. They do not even have successor agreements in place to the
Dublin III regulation. Last week, while chatting to journalists
in Washington, the Home Secretary yet again vowed to make the
channel crossing route unviable, but nothing happens, and ever
more people continue to risk their life. Will the Home Secretary
admit that the fact that the Cabinet Office has been brought in
to try to sort this out is a sign that she has lost the trust of
not only the country, but her colleagues?
Mr Speaker
Order. There are other people in this Chamber who matter. I have
granted an urgent question in which most of this can be debated.
Come on, Home Secretary.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The answer to the right hon. Gentleman’s
question is no, throughout.
(Gainsborough) (Con)
T7. Every time we ask a question about channel crossings,
the Home Secretary, whose instincts are entirely sound, refers us
to the new legislation. What confidence can we have that when
that legislation becomes law, the same human rights lawyers will
not sink their teeth into it, leaving us back at square one? If
this is such an emergency, why do we not rush the legislation
through both Houses now?
My right hon. Friend makes an important point. That is why the
legislation has been put together in conjunction with the
Ministry of Justice, which has an important role in working with
specialist immigration law firms and changing our laws. He will
know the details of the Nationality and Borders Bill and the
comprehensive work that is taking place.
(Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op)
T3. At the last Home Office questions, I raised the issue
of the hardship that claimants under the Windrush compensation
scheme are experiencing. Despite the supposed urgency of this for
the Government, the average time that claimants are waiting for
their final payment is 434 days. I raised the case of my
constituent Anthony Bryan in particular; the Home Secretary told
the House that she would meet me to discuss the case, only to
revoke the offer later. Will she assure the House that she will
fulfil her original promise to meet me? Will she also commit to
publishing the guidance on how compensation claims are
accelerated?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
I am certainly happy to look into the matter and meet the hon.
Member about the case to which she refers. We have put additional
resources into the Windrush compensation scheme team to ensure
that we can get the decisions that people deserve.
(Bury South) (Con)
T8. I strongly welcome the Home Secretary’s decision to
proscribe the Hamas terror group in its entirety. That will send
the unmistakable message that the UK Government are committed to
protecting our Jewish community and combating terrorism. The
horrific murder of 26-year-old Eli Kay by Hamas terrorists
yesterday in the old city of Jerusalem reinforces the importance
of the decision. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the new
designation will ensure that anyone spreading the terror group’s
genocidal, antisemitic ideology,
including by waving flags, will feel the full force of the
law?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He clearly understands the
importance and significance of proscribing Hamas in all its
forms. When the motion comes to the House for debate this week, I
hope that all Members of this House will support it, because
clearly inciting and supporting terrorist activity is simply
wrong.
(Aberdeen North) (SNP)
T4. I have raised one constituent’s case with the UK
Government 13 times; it relates to the Afghan citizens
resettlement scheme. I still do not know whether my constituent’s
case is being progressed under the Afghan relocations and
assistance policy or ACRS. Neither does he, and nor do his
family; they are eligible for both schemes, but we do not know
under which one his case is being progressed. Please could the
Minister ensure that UK Visas and Immigration has answers to give
Members and our constituents—and that individuals, particularly
in Afghanistan, are getting updates about what is happening?
The Minister for Afghan Resettlement ()
The hon. Lady will know that I cannot answer that question on the
Floor of the House, but I am very happy to take the name of her
constituent afterwards. I have to emphasise, however, that if
people remain in Afghanistan, as I have set out on the Floor of
the House and in my “Dear colleague” letter, we simply cannot
casework them at the moment in the way that parliamentarians
would expect, because of the security situation in
Afghanistan.
(Montgomeryshire) (Con)
T9. I thank my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary for the
work that she is doing on prosecuting those who participate in
county lines drugs. We need cross-party consensus in dealing with
dangerous drug gangs in our country, so does she share my
disappointment that the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow
Home Secretary are backing a policy of not prosecuting those who
are found in possession of class A drugs such as heroin, crystal
meth and crack cocaine? May I draw her on the issue, and on our
party’s approach to dealing with it?
The Minister for Crime and Policing ()
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There should be no room for
confusion in people’s minds: drugs are bad in all their forms,
and this Government will do everything we can to restrict supply
and deal with demand.
(Erith and Thames-mead)
(Lab)
T5. Sistah Space supports black women and girls who have
experienced domestic violence. It is campaigning for Valerie’s
law, which would introduce mandatory training for police and
other agencies, including on dealing with domestic violence in
black communities. Will the Minister meet me and Sistah Space to
discuss this important issue before the upcoming petitions
debate?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
The hon. Lady is absolutely right to highlight the importance of
the police force’s response to the domestic abuse of all victims.
I will be very happy to meet her.
(Weston-super-Mare) (Con)
T10. Does the Home Secretary agree that successive studies,
including even the 2017 Lammy review, have concluded that
improving trust in—and the legitimacy of—our law enforcement
officials and institutions, particularly in communities where
those have historically been low, is essential to reducing crime
everywhere? What further steps does she therefore intend to take
to level up in that vital area?
My hon. Friend is right, and he will know that through the Uplift
programme we are pushing hard to increase the diversity of UK
policing so that the police force looks like the population whom
it seeks to protect and represent. We have instituted a review of
vetting across policing and, indeed, wider work on police
integrity generally, but we are also talking to police leaders
about the signal that they send internally within the force to
create a culture that inspires trust and a sense of integrity in
the British people. I should add that it is important that the
police fulfil the basic expectations of every single subject in
this land, and in doing so inspire the trust that my hon. Friend
seeks.
(North Down) (Alliance)
T6. A harsh winter is about to hit Afghanistan, and the
United Nations estimates that 23 million people will be at risk
of famine. Surely it is a major dereliction of duty for the
Government not to have the Afghanistan resettlement scheme in
place. Many people have been left in limbo as a result, and aid
agencies are looking for answers in respect of what is going to
happen.
I entirely understand the concern of the hon. Gentleman and,
indeed, the House about the situation in Afghanistan, but the
reality is as it is on the ground. We wish it were otherwise, but
it is not, so we are working apace—but carefully—to ensure that
when the scheme is launched it works well for the people who are
eligible for it and works well over the years in which it will
operate. There is, I am afraid, no quick answer to this; we must
act carefully, and we must reflect the reality on the ground in
Afghanistan.
(Orpington) (Con)
A few moments ago the shadow Home Secretary, the right hon.
Member for Torfaen (), quoted the number of
people who had crossed the channel in small boats, and used that
number to attack my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. Can my
right hon. Friend confirm that the best way to deal with people
crossing to these shores illegally is to support the Nationality
and Borders Bill, and will she join me in condemning the
Opposition parties who vote against every single measure?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
My hon. Friend is, of course, absolutely right. It is
particularly staggering that in Committee the shadow Minister,
the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (), condemned the record
of the previous Labour Government, who used to argue that people
should not be making crossings of this sort, and that they should
claim asylum in the first safe country that they reach. That is
exactly what should happen.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chairman of the Select Committee, .
(Normanton, Pontefract and
Castleford) (Lab)
There are many reasons why domestic abuse victims may not be able
to report abuse and violence straight away, including the fact
that that abuse and violence is continuing, but when they do, too
often an unfair six-month time limit on prosecuting common
assault domestic abuse means that they are denied justice and the
perpetrators are let off. I tabled an amendment to lift the
limit, and it is being debated this afternoon in the House of
Lords. Will the Home Secretary now accept that amendment, and
give justice to thousands of domestic abuse victims who are
currently being denied it?
We have always been clear about support for domestic abuse
victims. The right hon. Lady will recognise that in the landmark
Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the work done in both Houses during its
passage, and our response to everyone who has been a victim of
domestic abuse. From a policing perspective, I should say that
resources are there, and that we are doing everything possible to
join up the system with the criminal justice system and the Crown
Prosecution Service to ensure that all the necessary support
exists for those victims.
(Sevenoaks) (Con)
I welcome the Home Secretary’s announcement of the new chair of
the Sarah Everard inquiry, but, as has been mentioned, even
non-statutory inquiries can be very long. Can the Home Secretary
assure us that the necessary steps on vetting and the treatment
of and sanctions in relation to sexual misconduct allegations
will be taken in the interim?
Absolutely, and that is why we are pressing ahead with the
inquiry on this particular basis. Let me say to all colleagues
throughout the House that throughout all the discussions, and in
view of the obvious sensitivities surrounding the murder of Sarah
Everard, much thought and consideration has been given to the
timeframe, but we are looking at the most pressing issues to see
what lessons can be learnt and applied to policing as soon as
possible.
(Edinburgh South West)
(SNP)
A number of Government Departments have withdrawn from the
Stonewall diversity champion scheme over concerns about the
misrepresentation of equalities law and the resultant failure to
respect the rights of all protected characteristics. What are the
plans of the Home Office in respect of its membership of that
scheme?
I will write to the hon. and learned Lady and tell her what the
overall position is across Government.
(Dudley North) (Con)
Does the Home Secretary agree that the single most important step
any sovereign nation can take in protecting its own borders
against illegal immigration is offshore processing?
It is fair to say that, through the Nationality and Borders Bill,
we are putting in place a comprehensive package of measures to
deal with this issue. Central to that work is the issue of
offshore processing, and we reserve the position to do exactly
that.
(Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
The Home Secretary will be acutely aware that Colin Pitchfork,
the double child rapist and murderer, is now back behind bars.
The fact that he was released in the first place shows that
something is profoundly wrong at the heart of the system. What
conversations is she having with the Justice Secretary to ensure
that this never happens again?
This is a very important case, and many conversations are taking
place across Government, particularly with the Justice Secretary,
the Ministry of Justice and the Parole Board. I cannot add any
more than that. Obviously there are some things out in the public
domain, but a lot of discussions are taking place right now. This
should never happen.
