Safe and Legal Routes to UK: Nationals of Ukraine and Afghanistan
Dr Philippa Whitford (Central Ayrshire) (SNP) 1. What steps her
Department is taking to increase the number of safe and legal
routes to the UK for nationals of (a) Ukraine and (b)
Afghanistan.(906542) The Secretary of State for the Home Department
(Priti Patel) Thank you, Mr Speaker, for your statement. The
Government have introduced two new safe and legal routes for
Ukrainian nationals: the...Request free
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Safe and Legal Routes to UK: Nationals of Ukraine and
Afghanistan
(Central Ayrshire)
(SNP)
1. What steps her Department is taking to increase the number of
safe and legal routes to the UK for nationals of (a) Ukraine and
(b) Afghanistan.(906542)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for your statement.
The Government have introduced two new safe and legal routes for
Ukrainian nationals: the Ukraine family scheme and the Homes for
Ukraine scheme. As of 21 April, more than 71,000 visas had been
issued under both schemes. Under the schemes, neither route is
capped, and the Ukraine extension scheme permits Ukrainians who
are already in the UK to extend their stay.
Dr Whitford
Members from throughout the House have called on the Government
to make it easier for people from Ukraine to seek sanctuary in
the UK. Will the Home Secretary explain why the schemes for those
who try to flee the Taliban are so limited and why, according to
her own Department, the Nationality and Borders Bill does not
establish safe and legal routes for those fleeing war, conflict
or persecution?
First, the new plan for immigration spells out absolutely the
Government’s approach to safe and legal routes. As I have said
many times in the House, every safe and legal route needs to be
bespoke, based on the crisis that we are seeking to address.
Secondly, in response to the hon. Lady’s question about
Afghanistan, she will know that under the Afghan citizens
resettlement scheme we will welcome up to 20,000 at-risk people
who have been affected by the most appalling events in
Afghanistan. That scheme was announced last year and will include
women and girls and members of minority groups, given their
vulnerability.
(Halifax) (Lab)
A family who are still in Ukraine have been reporting back to
their Homes for Ukraine sponsors in Halifax that they have been
able to hear the bombs getting closer every day of their
29-days-and-counting wait for a visa. The family in Ukraine have
twins under the age of 10 who have, remarkably, had their visas
processed at different speeds. A Home Office whistleblower has
described the scheme as “designed to fail”. Government figures
show that 40,000 visas have been issued under the Homes for
Ukraine scheme, yet just 6,600 Ukrainians have actually arrived
in the UK, because families who need to travel together cannot do
so because the visa of just one family member, often a child, is
delayed. Will the Home Secretary explain why, if 40,000 visas
have been issued, so few Ukrainians have arrived in the UK? What
is she doing to correct the situation?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question because she makes an
important point. There are a number of points to make in
response.
First, on the reason why low numbers have come to the UK, as I
have already said, more than 71,000 visas for both schemes have
been granted. The Minister for Refugees, Lord Harrington, went to
the region just 10 days ago to find out why and what more could
be done to bring over families who have been granted their visas
to come over. First and foremost, as we have heard repeatedly
from the Ukrainian Government and from Governments in the
region—[Interruption.] Would the hon. Lady like to stand up and
respond? First of all, those families want to stay in region.
That is a fact and that is exactly why we are working with the
various Governments in region.
The hon. Lady made an important point about families and younger
children. Much of that is down to the checks, because they are
not always travelling with parents. Safeguarding checks are being
undertaken to ensure that they are all linked members of
families. They are important checks that have to take place.
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
Less than half of 1% of Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s war have so
far found shelter in the United Kingdom. There are currently more
sheltered in Ireland than are sheltered here, despite our
neighbours being 13 times smaller in terms of population. The
real reason for this situation is the unnecessary, inappropriate
and shambolic visa system that the Home Secretary has decided to
impose. Approximately 140 other countries allow visa-free access.
Surely, even at this late stage, the Home Secretary must lift
visa requirements for all, or at least some, Ukrainians fleeing
Putin’s war and get things moving.
I have repeated many times the reason why we have checks and
visas. I appreciate the political difference between the
Government and the hon. Gentleman’s party, but we are not members
of the EU; we do not have open borders. I acknowledge that he has
a fundamentally different point of view when it comes to open
borders and not having checks on those who come to our country
but, in this case, security checks are vital.
Illegal Immigration
(North Warwickshire)
(Con)
2. What steps her Department is taking to prevent small boat
crossings in the Channel. (906543)
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Con)
18. What steps her Department is taking to prevent illegal
immigration to the UK. (906559)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
There is a whole of Government effort to counter these dangerous
and unnecessary crossings. That effort is reflected in the recent
changes that the Government have made to operational primacy. We
continue to work closely with the French to prevent crossing
attempts, guiding vulnerable migrants in France towards support
there, and tackling the vile criminal gangs that profit from
them.
I have raised small boat crossings with the Department on a
number of occasions, and I am grateful for the continued efforts
to bring the crossings to an end and to ensure that we control
illegal immigration. Does the Minister agree that it is important
that we use every single power we have to prevent these illegal
crossings, which continually put lives in danger; to clamp down
on the gangs that facilitate them; and to continue to provide the
legal routes by which so many people have already made safe
crossings?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the distinction
between illegal entry into this country and people coming via
safe and legal routes. I know that his constituents in North
Warwickshire and Bedworth feel very strongly that the Nationality
and Borders Bill needs to pass into law. We need its
comprehensive measures to build on our existing powers, to get to
grips with this issue, and to tackle it fairly but robustly. I am
sure that he will join me in encouraging the other place to get
on and pass the Bill this week.
The people of Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke are
delighted with this groundbreaking economic and development
partnership with Rwanda, which will help to break the business
model of vile people smugglers once and for all. Does my hon.
Friend share my concern and that of my constituents that the
Labour woke warriors are quite happy to stick with the status
quo, meaning that more people are going to leave safe mainland
France, risking their lives and putting thousands of pounds in
the hands of smuggling gangs, which will mean more death in the
channel and illegal economic migrants continuing to enter the
United Kingdom?
One thing we absolutely know is that my hon. Friend’s
constituents are very perceptive. They will recognise that the
Labour party has no credible alternative that recognises the
scale of the challenge and all its complexities. We need the
measures in the Bill; we need the Rwanda model to come to
fruition. We are getting on and delivering on that priority.
(Exeter) (Lab)
To avoid desperate Ukrainians being added to those trying to
cross the channel, the Government’s schemes for Ukrainians need
to work. Can the Minister explain why the very helpful Members’
hub in Portcullis House has been stopped from issuing
permission-to-travel letters to MPs? I dealt with a family last
week. For two of the family members, the letters were sent to me
and I could let the family and their host family here know, and
they were all happy about it. For the third family member, the
system was stopped at the end of the last week, and officials are
saying that they are now no longer allowed to issue MPs with
those permission-to-travel letters. It is a complete shambles.
Will he sort it out?
The right hon. Gentleman will recognise that I am not the
Minister with direct responsibility for the refugee scheme, but I
will gladly ensure that his feedback is heard by my noble Friend
Lord Harrington. If the right hon. Gentleman would like to share
details of those specific cases, we will gladly look at them at
pace.
(East Dunbartonshire)
(SNP)
Despite this Government continually patting themselves on the
back, there remain far too many cracks in the Homes for Ukraine
scheme. In a recent article published by The Guardian, an
anonymous whistleblower has revealed that he dealt with numerous
cases in which UK visas had been issued for an entire family
apart from just one child, effectively stopping the family from
travelling to safety. Over the past few weeks, I have been in
contact with a constituent who has been doing all she can to help
a family from Ukraine who are in that exact scenario, but she is
getting nowhere. What is the Minister doing to plug those gaps
and to ensure that entire families, not just individuals, can
reach the UK safely?
If the hon. Lady can provide the specifics of that case, I will
happily ensure that that is looked at quickly. It is also fair to
say that the number of caseworkers dedicated to this work has
been increased, and we try to ensure that cases are grouped so
that families are processed consistently together, which makes
sense, but I would be delighted to look at the specifics of this
case.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister .
(Aberavon) (Lab)
The deeply misjudged Nationality and Borders Bill and the Rwanda
offloading plan will not only make cracking down on criminal
people traffickers much more difficult, but make the cost to the
British taxpayer criminally expensive. The British people deserve
to know how their taxes are being spent, not least because the
failed Australian model ended up costing £1 million per refugee.
I ask the Home Secretary how many refugees she expects to send to
Rwanda each year. The Prime Minister says it is tens of
thousands; is that correct? How many can they house in the
detention centres? What will the cost per single refugee be? What
will the £120 million be spent on? Finally, given that her most
senior civil servant refused to sign off on the plan, when will
the Home Secretary publish a comprehensive cost forecast of her
unworkable, extortionate and profoundly un-British Rwanda
offloading agreement?
The hon. Gentleman clearly did not pay much attention to the
statement last week and the responses given. The British people
deserve to know what his alternative is. I would politely suggest
there is none.
(Dudley North) (Con)
I thank the Home Secretary, the Minister and all her team for
bringing about the so-called Rwanda plan. I know the whole of
Dudley is behind her, as is the rest of the country—unlike the
Labour party, which has no plan. I ask the Home Secretary and her
team to continue with the same steely resolve that I know she
must have applied to get here as they move on to delivery and
implementation.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his support for the policies
we are bringing forward. He recognises the gravity and importance
of the issues we are dealing with. We will not rest while people
continue to put their lives in the hands of evil criminal gangs,
whose only concern is to take a profit from those individuals.
They do not care whether people get here safely. That has to
stop, we have a plan to stop it and we are going to get on and
deliver it.
(Hackney North and Stoke
Newington) (Lab)
The Minister claimed that the Rwanda scheme will be a way of
diminishing the small boats crossing the channel, but he will be
aware that at least one Member of this House does not support his
scheme: the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), who is
not only a former Prime Minister, but a former Home Secretary.
Can he explain to the House why he disagrees with his colleague,
and what makes him so sure that his scheme will not fall in the
courts?
I have huge respect and admiration for my right hon. Friend the
Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May). The bottom line here is that
there is no single intervention that will resolve the issue, but
we must strain every sinew. We believe this is an important
policy intervention that will shift the dynamic and help to
preserve lives. That is a fundamental imperative and we cannot
put a cost on it. I am convinced that this policy will deliver,
along with the wider package of measures we are introducing. I
encourage the right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke
Newington (Ms Abbott) to be in the right Division Lobby this week
and to pass the Nationality and Borders Bill into law.
Violence Against Women and Girls
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
3. What steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against
women and girls. (906544)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for
this Government. Since publishing our cross-Government tackling
violence against women and girls strategy last July, we have
launched a communications campaign to challenge perpetrators and
to drive rejection of these awful crimes. We have supported the
introduction of a new national policing lead and provided more
than £27.5 million for 79 local projects to improve women’s
safety in public spaces.
Violence against women and girls is both horrific and,
unfortunately, endemic. It must be stopped. Will my hon. Friend
join me in welcoming our plans such as the tackling domestic
abuse plan, which, alongside the Police, Crime, Sentencing and
Courts Bill, will play a vital role in stamping out these
horrific crimes?
I thank my hon. Friend for his astute observations and strongly
agree that that Bill is absolutely vital as part of our package
of measures to respond to violence against women and girls. The
House will like to be reminded, no doubt, that it contains
measures to ensure that serious criminals, including sex
offenders, will be punished more harshly and spend longer in
prison. It strengthens management of sex offenders, introduces
more electronic tagging, and ends the automatic halfway release
from prison for serious and violent sex offenders. It is
therefore a shame that Labour Members persist in voting against
the Bill. I very much hope they will change their stance at the
next opportunity.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Select Committee, .
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
The Home Affairs Committee recently published its report on rape
investigations and prosecutions. We very much welcome the
Government’s making male violence against women and girls a
strategic policing requirement. However—following on from the
news today about sexual offences taking record times to get to
court—we also recommended that all police forces should have
specialist rape and sexual assault units, as there is clear
evidence that they investigate better, make better decisions and,
very importantly, communicate with complainants far more
effectively. When will the Government make sure that all police
forces have specialist RASSO—rape and serious sexual
offences—units within their constabulary?
I thank the right hon. Lady for all the work that she is doing,
across the piece, on tackling violence against women and girls.
She is right to say that this is a huge priority for the
Government. On training for police forces, she will know of the
work that we are doing in the end-to-end rape review. We are
taking a forensic look across the whole system, including through
the work of Operation Soteria across all the police forces. That
includes a strategic and comprehensive approach to training
police officers. We want to go further than ever before in
training and equipping our fantastic policemen and women to
investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of these
crimes.
(Basingstoke) (Con)
In the Home Office’s violence against women and girls
consultation last year, viewing violent pornography was linked to
aggressive attitudes towards women. What action is my hon. Friend
taking to address that really worrying issue, particularly given
the Online Safety Bill that is currently going through the
House?
I thank my right hon. Friend for her continuous involvement in
and advocacy on these issues. She will know that the Online
Safety Bill includes a range of measures to make the internet
much safer for everybody. Everybody should have a right to view
the internet without coming across this disgusting material. In
addition, our domestic abuse plan and our tackling violence
against women and girls strategy include significant funding for
tackling the perpetrators and deterring them from entering into
these forms of behaviour in the first place.
Mr Speaker
I call shadow Minister .
(Croydon Central) (Lab)
Shocking new figures today show that sexual offence victims face
the longest ever wait for their day in court, with some rape
victims waiting four years. The Conservatives seem to have given
up on law and order and given up on victims. That is because
their leader has given up on obeying the law. Of the 300 rapes
committed today, fewer than three perpetrators will make it to
the inside of a courtroom, let alone the inside of a prison cell.
Is it not the case that under the Tories dangerous perpetrators
are being let off and vulnerable victims of this awful crime are
being terribly let down?
This is exactly why we have introduced to the House the Police,
Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. If the hon. Lady was listening
to my earlier remarks, she would have heard me setting out the
stronger sentences, the increase in electronic tagging for these
perpetrators and the raft of protections to keep women and girls
safer. She will also know through the many exchanges that we have
had in this House of the work that we are doing on the end-to-end
rape review across Government. This is a cross-Government effort
bearing down on the very challenging issue of rape prosecutions.
We are determined to return those prosecutions to a much better
rate and we are working across Government to do that.
Fraud
(Chesham and Amersham) (LD)
4. What steps her Department is taking to tackle fraud.
(906545)
The Minister for Security and Borders ()
Fraudsters should have no space to operate, and later this year
we will publish our renewed strategy on how we protect the public
and businesses, reduce the impact on victims, and increase the
disruption and prosecution of fraudsters.
The Minister knows that fraud accounts for more than a third of
all crime. Last year, Thames Valley police in Chiltern and South
Bucks, which covers my constituency, had 194 Action Fraud victim
care reports. One constituent told me, with great distress, that
they had stopped reporting scams, because they think that Action
Fraud has become a crime reporting agency and is no longer a
crime investigation agency. We need a new service dedicated to
effectively tackling online fraud, not just recording it. Will
the Minister commit to establishing a new online crime agency to
do just that?
I can confirm to the hon. Lady that we are making constant
improvements to Action Fraud through the City of London police,
and are also investing in a wholly new Action Fraud system for
2024. In the meantime, I encourage her constituent and all our
constituents to report fraud. One particularly striking statistic
is that more than 76,000 scams have been automatically taken down
as a direct result of our constituents forwarding scam emails to
the suspicious email reporting service.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister, .
(Bradford West) (Lab)
In 2021, fraud and computer misuse increased by 47%. In 2020, an
estimated 99.99% of total cyber-crime went unpunished. Just weeks
ago, academics at the University of Oxford estimated that during
covid alone, £37 billion—or one third of the total NHS annual
budget, and twice the annual budget for policing—is likely to
have been lost to fraud. When working families are facing rising
energy costs and a cost of living crisis, and are paying more and
more taxes and more for services, can the Minister tell me why,
under this Tory Government, gangs of criminals are getting a free
run at the public purse?
Gangs of criminals certainly do not get a free run, and we will
be investing and doing more than ever before to bear down on
fraud. During the covid era—the trend had started already, but it
accelerated then—while other forms of crime got depressed, there
was a boost to some of this distanced crime that people do over
their computers. Crime overall across the world is changing, and
our response must change in a way that is commensurate to that.
We must ensure that we take the most effective action. Part of
that is the spending review commitment that has just been made;
there is also the new economic crime levy, which represents an
additional £400 million over this spending review period.
Fuel Supplies: Environmental Protests
(South West Bedfordshire)
(Con)
5. What recent discussions she has had with police forces to help
ensure that oil depots are able to supply fuel to petrol stations
in the context of recent environmental protests. (906546)
The Minister for Crime and Policing ()
In advance of the recent irresponsible and self-defeating
protests, there has been regular engagement with the police,
local authorities and industry to ensure that these protests can
be managed effectively, and that there is no risk to fuel supply.
All fuel supply points are fully operational, and we will
continue to work closely with the police and industry to ensure
that supplies are maintained.
Does the Minister agree that while the right to protest is a
fundamental liberty, this type of behaviour just infuriates the
public, whom we need to get on side with our net zero campaign?
It is particularly unfair to the self-employed. If they cannot
get fuel for their vehicles, they cannot get to work and they do
not get paid. Will he ensure that the police and the law stay on
the side of the law-abiding, so that everyone can earn an
income?
I certainly will ensure that, and my hon. Friend is right to
point out the impact, particularly on those who rely on their
vehicles for their work, of these irresponsible and
self-defeating protests, many of which have been extremely
dangerous. It is worth also reflecting on the other impact, which
is that hundreds of police officers are pulled away from policing
neighbourhoods across the UK, because forces provide each other
with mutual aid. We have brought police from as far away as
Scotland, the south-west and Wales to help deal with these
protests, and that has a direct impact on crime in all our
constituencies. We are all committed environmentalists and want
less use of fossil fuels, but this is not the way to achieve
it.
UK Airport Passport Control Delays
(Sunderland Central)
(Lab)
6. What recent assessment she has made of the extent of delays at
passport control in UK airports. (906547)
Dame (Gosport) (Con)
24. What plans she has to improve airport immigration wait times.
(906565)
The Minister for Security and Borders ()
Easter saw Border Force maintain a secure and effective border,
with minor inbound border control disruption, in a period with
one of the highest levels of international travel in the past two
years. Before Easter, in February and March 2022, more than 85%
of queue measurements were under 45 minutes for non-EU
passengers.
I thank the Minister for that response. I recently wrote to him
regarding the experience that my constituents, the Collins
family, had at Newcastle airport when returning from holiday at a
quarter to 11 at night a week or two ago. The father is a
British-born citizen, and the mother has settled status and is of
German origin. The children are both British and German citizens.
They describe Border Force, which was not allowing the little
boy, Nico, who is five years old, into the country, as being
“hostile” and “unpleasant”, and as having an “unsympathetic
manner”. That is not the way that anyone should be treated by
Border Force, certainly not a five-year-old child. The child had
his German passport; his British passport was waiting at home.
When the family showed Border Force an email that they had
received saying that, they were eventually allowed in—a
five-year-old child, who is a British citizen, was eventually
allowed into his home. What has the Minister to say? I think an
urgent investigation and an unreserved apology to the Collins
family are required.
I thank the hon. Lady for bringing that experience to the Floor
of the House of Commons. I am, of course, sorry that any such
distress was caused to a family, and particularly to a child so
young. She will understand that it is difficult for me to talk
about a particular case at the Dispatch Box without having all
the facts available, but I will be happy to follow up with her
separately.
Dame
It appears that travellers are experiencing severe delays not
only at passport control, but with processing passport
applications and renewals. Although I fully understand that the
Minister has set out the pressures that staff are facing, can he
reassure me that backlogs will be addressed and airport issues
will be sorted out before my constituents go on their summer
holidays?
I reassure my hon. Friend that, in spite of the fact that there
has been a surge in demand, as she would expect considering the
patterns that we have seen in the past couple of years and the
fact that international travel is now returning, that is
absolutely something that the Under-Secretary of State for the
Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (), who leads on passport
issuing, is across to ensure that the necessary capacity is
there.
(Brentford and Isleworth)
(Lab)
Passport delays are affecting our constituents’ ability to take
holidays and take up jobs abroad. There are ever-lengthening
queues at passport control, and generous constituents who signed
up for the Homes for Ukraine scheme are having their first
experience of the Home Office’s chaos. When will the Home
Secretary realise the impact that her Department’s appalling
record on managing the gateways into and out of our country is
having on the UK’s reputation, here and across the world?
I take extremely seriously the experience of passengers coming
through British airports and seaports. There is a distinction
between outbound and inbound—
indicated dissent.
No, there really is. When we talk about Border Force and passport
control, that is about inbound. As I said in my answer to the
hon. Member for Sunderland Central (), there are times when queues
grow, and I do not like to see that happen. Sometimes it is
because of factors beyond our control, such as so-called flight
bunching when lots of flights arrive together or when flights are
late. Border Force is working extremely hard to try to project
demand as best it can to ensure that the staffing is there, and
it is taking considerable measures to match up to that
demand.
Border Force
(Ynys Môn) (Con)
7. What steps she is taking to strengthen the effectiveness of
Border Force. (906548)
(Romford) (Con)
16. What steps she is taking to strengthen the effectiveness of
Border Force. (906557)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
Border Force officers work tirelessly, not just to secure our
borders but on all sorts of security work to safeguard our
borders, and to intercept illicit and counterfeit goods at
airports and at sea. That work covers more than 140 major sea and
airports across the UK. I have commissioned an independent review
of Border Force to identify ways in which its operation can be
improved.
My Ynys Môn constituents are concerned about illegal immigration.
Will my right hon. Friend thank Border Force—its staff in
Holyhead have increased from 20 to 60—for its work? Can she
reassure people across Anglesey that the Government remain
committed to giving refuge to all those who need it, while acting
compassionately and swiftly to remove those who do not?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I, too, have seen the work
under way and what the teams do at Holyhead, which is incredible
on many fronts; there is not only passenger work, but commercial
work. She is right to highlight the issue of illegal migration
and the work that Border Force does on that. The House has
discussed some of that today. Holyhead is the second busiest port
in the UK, and as a result of Brexit the team has expanded—she
will know that; she has met them, as have I—from 20 to 60,
meaning more skilled local jobs for her constituents.
Will my right hon. Friend assure me that as the Government
rightly help those most in need from Ukraine, they will continue
to make the security of the British public a priority through the
use of biometrics and other security checks for refugees entering
the United Kingdom?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. First and foremost, we have
security checks for very good reasons to do with the domestic
safety of our homeland. At the same time, work is under way, as
he will be aware, on the digitalisation of our borders, which is
part of the post-Brexit global Britain work that is taking place.
In fact, all Ministers from not just the Home Office but the
Cabinet Office are heavily involved in that work.
Drinks Spiking
(North Norfolk) (Con)
8. What steps her Department is taking to tackle drinks being
spiked.(906549)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
The Government take this issue extremely seriously. We are taking
a range of actions, including reclassifying GHB and related
substances from class C to class B drugs under the Misuse of
Drugs Act 1971. These are the so-called date rape drugs that have
been used in drug-facilitated crime, and we are of course
considering the case for a specific criminal offence to target
spiking, should it be required.
A constituent who has got in touch with me has had the dreadful
problem of having her drink spiked. It has been a dreadfully
traumatic experience, but on top of that, she can no longer go
out and socialise with her friends because of the anxiety it has
caused. What tougher sentencing we can introduce, and what
preventive measures can we take to stop this dreadful crime ever
happening again?
My hon. Friend is right that drink spiking and needle spiking
have a very serious impact. I fully understand the anxiety of his
constituent, and of course all our hearts go out to her. I very
much hope that she will take some reassurance from the funding
that the Government have provided to the Norfolk police and crime
commissioner. He has been granted £427,000 for a range of
practical initiatives designed to keep women safe on the streets
at night, including drink spiking kits, taxi marshals, street
pastors and more. I am sure his constituent will be pleased to
know that there is already a range of offences under which people
can be imprisoned, and some of those offences attract a life
sentence.
HM Passport Office: Service Standard Times
(Easington) (Lab)
9. What steps she is taking to ensure that HM Passport Office
meets the service standard times for processing passport
applications.(906550)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
During the pandemic period, over 5 million people delayed
applying for a British passport. This has led to unprecedented
passport demand. To meet this, we have increased output to
unprecedented levels. Since April 2021, HMPO has introduced a
range of contingency measures, including technical improvements
and a bolstering of its resources. This has helped to deliver
record output, with over 1 million applications processed last
month alone.
My experience cannot be unique; I think it is echoed by other
Members in the House. This Easter, families and children in my
constituency lost holidays due to the Passport Office failing to
meet its service standard times. In telephone communications with
the Passport Office, my staff and I have been misadvised and hung
up on, and have received a series of broken promises. MPs once
had valuable and effective links with passport offices to resolve
complaints. Notwithstanding the contribution of the Home Office
Parliamentary Private Secretaries—I thank them for their
interventions—why can I not deal with my excellent local Durham
passport office to resolve complaints, instead of waiting for
hours, and failing to make progress, on so-called bespoke MP
hotlines?
I would just point out that between January and March, over 90%
of cases were completed within six weeks, but we advise people to
allow up to 10 weeks for their application. Again, we are getting
through this, but I recognise the point that the hon. Member
makes about MPs’ contacts. That is certainly a point we will pick
up; we need to make improvements there.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson, .
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
The hon. Member for Easington () is certainly not alone: all
our constituents are having to cancel holidays, miss funerals and
rearrange visits, with even the new 10-week target routinely
being missed. What will be done to avoid that predictable mess
getting worse? Can we be assured that the 10-week target will not
be lengthened further as we approach the summer?
I go back to the fact that we dealt with 1 million passport
applications last month alone. To put that in context, we usually
deal with 7 million in a whole year. Where there are compelling
and compassionate circumstances, such as a funeral, applications
can be expedited. For some time we have advised people to allow
up to 10 weeks for an application to be processed. Last year we
sent 4.7 million texts reminding people whose passports had
expired to renew them. We have no intention of further extending
the standard. We are processing most passports well within that
time, but this is a virtually unprecedented surge in demand, and
if people are planning to travel this summer, we advise them to
get their application in as soon as possible.
(North Dorset) (Con)
“Unprecedented” might be true, but the surge should absolutely
have been foreseeable. I hear what the Minister says; my
constituents tell me that in their experience, the process has
been either very good or an absolute shambles. I agree with what
the hon. Member for Easington () said: there needs to be a
better interface between Members of Parliament and the Passport
Office. Constituents going abroad for a family funeral, for a
holiday or for business reasons are not getting through to the
office, and are lied to by officials when they do. Something
needs to be done to arrest that, and quickly.
I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. Early in January, we
were processing about 60,000 passports a week, and by mid-March
we had nearly trebled or even quadrupled the output of the
service. I agree that we must review the performance of the
hotline for MPs, particularly for instances where there are
compelling or compassionate reasons for expediting an
application.
Refugee Convention 1951
(Glasgow North West)
(SNP)
10. What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of
the Government’s implementation of the 1951 refugee
convention.(906551)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
Part 2 of the Nationality and Borders Bill defines the key
provisions of the refugee convention. In developing this policy
we have considered factors such as the law in other
jurisdictions, case law and academic works. All provisions of the
Bill, as well as our asylum policy framework, are a good-faith,
effective interpretation of the refugee convention and are
compatible with it.
The Nationality and Borders Bill as it stands does not comply
with the 1951 refugee convention. Former Supreme Court judge Lord
Brown has said of the Bill that
“several of these provisions flagrantly breach our obligations as
interpreted by the UNHCR”.—[Official Report, House of Lords, 4
April 2022; Vol. 820, c. 1882.]
Lord Brown has tabled an amendment to ensure compliance with the
convention. Will the Minister confirm that the Government will
support Lord Brown’s amendment?
I thank the hon. Lady for raising that point. Under the Vienna
convention, it is for Parliament to interpret our international
obligations. We will always act in accordance with our
international obligations; we have made that consistently clear.
The Bill has been through appropriate due diligence, and we will
get on and deliver it.
Economic Crime
(Thirsk and Malton)
(Con)
11. What recent steps her Department has taken to tackle economic
crime. (906552)
The Minister for Security and Borders ()
Tackling economic crime is a key Government priority. We have
expedited legislation—the Economic Crime (Transparency and
Enforcement) Act 2022—to crack down on Russian dirty money and
corrupt elites in the UK. We have also set up a new dedicated
kleptocracy cell in the National Crime Agency to target sanctions
evasion and corrupt assets hidden in the UK.
I thank the Minister for that answer. GPT Special Project
Management was fined roughly £28 million by Southwark Crown Court
last year for bribery offences. The key whistleblower in that
case was my constituent, Ian Foxley. He has had 11 years without
a single penny in income because he blew that whistle, as nobody
will employ him now, of course. Does my right hon. Friend agree
that if we want to crack economic crime, we must incentivise
whistleblowers to come forward, and protect them when they do?
Will he listen carefully what my hon. Friend the Member for
Cheadle () says tomorrow in introducing
her 10-minute rule Bill, when she will set out the case for
whistleblower reform?
My hon. Friend is right about the value of whistleblowers, who
should be able to come forward without fear of recrimination. We
have continued to improve the whistleblowing framework, including
by extending eligibility for protections and introducing a
reporting requirement for prescribed persons—the bodies to whom
people can make a whistleblowing disclosure. My hon. Friend has
campaigned consistently on this matter and is expert in it, and I
am keen to meet him to discuss his points further.
Operation Pitting Evacuees
(Caithness, Sutherland and
Easter Ross) (LD)
12. What support her Department is providing to people who were
evacuated under Operation Pitting. (906553)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
We continue to support those who were evacuated under Operation
Pitting—the UK’s largest evacuation operation in some decades—in
particular with the search for permanent accommodation, based on
working with local councils to identify that.
Operation Pitting has evacuated some 15,000 Afghanis. Altogether,
refugees and asylum seekers are costing the UK a surprising £4.7
million a day in hotel accommodation, of which £1.2 million is
spent on Afghan refugees, but hotels are clearly not the best
option for education and schooling of children. We would like to
have those refugees in the north of Scotland and the highlands,
and they would like to come to the highlands. Will the Minister
meet me to discuss how we can expedite that?
I am delighted to hear that housing is available in the highlands
to support these people. We would be keen for them to make their
new home in the highlands, which is a fantastic part of our
United Kingdom. I would be delighted to meet the hon. Member to
discuss how we can get those families on the way to a permanent
home in a welcoming community.
(Wealden) (Con)
Operation Pitting was a remarkable success in evacuating Afghans,
but also remarkable is the number of Afghan women seeking refuge
who have been left behind and are now on the Taliban hit list. I
have been trying to chase updates on a number of Afghan women but
have been unable to get any response from the Home Office. It has
been made clear to those women that the Taliban will kill them
unless they can escape Afghanistan. Will the Minister meet me to
try to help me to progress their cases?
I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss those women’s
cases. Of course, through the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme
we are working with groups such as the UNHCR to identify those
who would be particularly affected by Taliban rule.
Asylum Seekers: Relocation to Rwanda
(Enfield, Southgate)
(Lab)
13. What estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of
the Government’s policy to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda.
(906554)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
Our world-leading migration and economic development partnership
with Rwanda will be a major boost to Rwanda and allow us to focus
our efforts on people in need, not those who have the ability to
pay people smugglers to make dangerous, illegal journeys from
safe countries such as France.
The policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda is unworkable and
unethical, and it will either cost billions or result in so few
people being sent to Rwanda that it will not act as a deterrent
to all the evil people smugglers. Will the Home Secretary tell me
how much the policy will cost per person, or what her maximum
budget is?
We have discussed this several times in the House in the last
week. The UK is providing an initial investment of £120 million
of support for the partnership as part of the new economic
transformation and integration fund. I heard what the hon.
Member’s party said—Labour Front Bench Members were chuntering
about this last week—in calling the policy extortionate and
unworkable. Of course, that is completely illogical because if it
is not workable, it will not cost the British taxpayer money.
(Blackpool South) (Con)
The Home Secretary deserves immense credit for her plan and her
robust approach to deterring illegal immigration. The fact that
we have not seen any small boat crossings in the last three days
is evidence that some of the pull factors are being removed. Does
she agree that if that trend continues, the cost of the policy
will take care of itself?
I thank my hon. Friend for his question and comments. First,
Labour is still trying to work out that doing nothing is not an
option at all, because people have died. Secondly, the policy is
exactly that: it is all about deterrence as well as ensuring that
we can provide the right safe and humane approach for people who
need our asylum system while cracking down on people smuggling
gangs.
Topical Questions
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.(906567)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
The Nationality and Borders Bill is the vehicle for the new plan
for immigration. That is how we will address the challenge of
illegal migration for the first time in over two decades through
comprehensive reform of our asylum system. Illegal migration is
facilitated by evil people smugglers, and the British public
despise those people smugglers and want their Government to act
to remove foreign criminals as well as deal with the whole issue
of illegal migration. The Bill will mean that we can better
protect and support those in need of asylum, deter illegal and
dangerous routes of entry to the UK and, of course, remove more
easily those with no right to be here. The Bill has already been
strongly endorsed by the elected House, and it is vital that the
other place now works to ensure that it becomes law.
Last week, I met directors of the Lancaster business improvement
district to discuss antisocial behaviour in our city centre. Will
the Home Secretary accept my invitation to come to Lancaster to
meet the directors of Lancaster BID and hear about the work they
are doing to fund a BID warden to support police in Lancaster
city centre to reduce antisocial behaviour?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. If I may, I would like to
pay tribute to both her police force and the police and crime
commissioner, . I was in Lancaster
recently, about a month ago. I would be delighted to visit again,
I really would. I want to emphasise the power of business
improvement districts in dealing with issues such as antisocial
behaviour, giving businesses the confidence they need and
ensuring they have police support so they can carry on investing
in their businesses and creating jobs locally.
(Orpington) (Con)
T2. At the beginning of questions today, my right hon. Friend
pointed out that as of last week over 70,000 visas had been
issued to Ukrainians. Does she agree that, along with our £450
million package of military aid for Ukraine, the unprecedented
package of sanctions against Russia, and world-leading aid
provision, that demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the
Ukrainian people in their hour of need?(906568)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is a point to reflect on
the United Kingdom’s contribution to the Ukraine effort. As well
as the long-standing aid and military support, the Government’s
commitment and the Prime Minister’s leadership, over 70,000 visas
have been granted, and rightly so, to people who are fleeing war
and persecution. And, of course, our schemes are completely
uncapped.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Home Secretary, .
(Normanton, Pontefract and
Castleford) (Lab)
I have been contacted about a pensioner who found nothing was
done about serious harassment by her neighbours; shop owners who
said nothing was done about someone who repeatedly smashed their
windows; a burglary victim given nothing more than a crime
number, and a rape victim who found herself being investigated
rather than the rapist until the case was dropped—victims who are
all being badly let down. Under the Conservatives, even though
more crimes are being reported to the police, arrests and
prosecutions have gone down sharply. Why is the Home Secretary
letting so many more criminals off?
On the contrary, the right hon. Lady may want to back our Police,
Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill when it comes to police, crime,
courts and sentencing. She will also reflect on the fact that
when the statistics for crime in England and Wales for year
ending September 2021 were published, neighbourhood crime was 33%
lower than the previous year, burglary offences were lower than
the previous year, and other offences including robbery, vehicle
offences and theft from the person were also down. This is a
Government who have invested record sums in policing and
training. Look at the work we are doing with police and crime
commissioners across the country. There are a few other points
that, if I may, Mr Speaker, I would like to make to the right
hon. Lady. When it comes to courts—
Mr Speaker
Order. Home Secretary, I have to get through these topicals. I
want to help you, so you need to help me.
The Home Secretary is out of touch with what is happening in
communities across the country. Overall crime is up by 14%. Right
across the country, fewer rapists, fewer thieves and fewer
burglars are being sentenced because they are not being arrested
or taken to court in the first place. Since 2015, arrests by the
police are down by a third, charge rate is down by nearly
two-thirds, and cautions and community penalties have more than
halved. It does not matter what her rhetoric is, the reality is
much more bleak. This is the equivalent of hundreds of thousands
more criminals getting away with their crimes.
Mr Speaker
Order. I say to both parties that we really do want you to have
good questions, but when with more substantial questions like
that please ask them earlier and do not try to force them into
topicals. All you are doing is stopping me calling the Back
Benchers who did not get in earlier. So please, let us work to
help each other.
When it comes to backing the police and sorting out the criminal
justice system, if the right hon. Lady’s party was at all serious
she would back the Bill, back the police and the back reforms to
the criminal justice system.
Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con)
T4. Since Putin’s evil invasion of Ukraine, Poland has given
refuge to well over 2 million people. When members of the British
Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union met our Polish
counterparts recently, they said that one way in which we could
help here was by setting up mayor-to-mayor twinning links. In the
light of that, does the Home Secretary welcome the twinning
arrangement between Pershore in West Worcestershire and Wyry in
Poland?(906571)
I commend my hon. Friend on the initiative that she has shown
through this twinning arrangement. It is incredibly important,
and the House should pay tribute to our friends in Poland, and
the Polish Government in particular, for everything that they
have been doing to support Ukrainians.
(Liverpool, West Derby)
(Lab)
T5. In 2017, the UK Government introduced a visa concession for
offshore wind farm workers, which was extended for one year in
July 2021. That visa concession effectively allows offshore wind
farm companies to undercut the pay and conditions of British
seafarers and exploit overseas workers. A few weeks ago, the
Prime Minister committed to expanding offshore wind farms. In the
light of the disgraceful decision by P&O Ferries to sack 786
British seafarers and replace them with exploited foreign labour,
will the Home Office commit to ending the offshore wind farm
worker concession to ensure that UK seafarers can compete fairly
for these jobs?(906572)
The hon. Gentleman makes very important points. I am happy to
pick that up directly with him. I do not have time to give him a
full answer now, but I will happily speak to him about it.
(Burnley) (Con)
T6. In recent months, we have seen an increase in totally
unacceptable antisocial behaviour in Burnley and Padiham town
centres, as well as dirt bikes racing up and down the Padiham
Greenway. Will the Home Secretary meet me in Padiham to talk to
businesses and residents about what more we can do to tackle that
issue?(906573)
I would be delighted to come to his constituency to do exactly
that. Perhaps we can have a conservation about the safer streets
fund, which will certainly assist with that issue.
(Glasgow North East)
(SNP)
T9. I am getting sick and tired of the fact that every time any
Opposition Member talks about our disgust with the “abandon
people in Rwanda” scheme, Government Members start shouting,
“What are your plans?” If they had paid any attention during the
six full weeks of debate on the Nationality and Borders Bill or
had read up on the multiple amendments that we tabled, which
Conservative Members voted down, they would know what our plans
are—(906576)
Mr Speaker
Order. The question is meant to be to Ministers, not Back
Benchers.
The main response to this issue should be safe and legal routes.
The Government keep saying that they have them. I submitted a
written question asking for the detail of all the routes
available, and the detail of those routes fits on half a page,
because there are practically none for the entire world.
If the hon. Lady has read the new plan for immigration—I hope she
has—she will be very clear about the Government’s policy on safe
and legal routes. I have outlined today a number of safe and
legal routes to which the Government have committed, including
two routes for Ukrainian nationals and the two routes for those
who fled Afghanistan last year.
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
T7. People smugglers are evil. People have been exploited,
beaten, robbed, raped and have even died, and we need to do
everything that we can to stamp out this evil trade. Does my
right hon. Friend agree with me and the vast majority of Rother
Valley residents that the Rwanda plan is not only the right thing
to do, because it will cut down on illegal immigration and reduce
pressure on public services, but will ultimately save
lives?(906574)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Although Opposition Members
yell about the lack of support, I will come back to a number of
points. First, doing nothing is not an option. We have to do
everything that we possibly can to break up these evil people
smugglers, who are unhinged and will stop at nothing to exploit
individuals. Secondly, through the new plan for immigration and
our wider work through the Nationality and Borders Bill, which is
coming back to the House tomorrow, we want to bring our plan
together and deliver for the British people.
(Cardiff West) (Lab)
On 31 March, Lord Harrington had to apologise for inadvertently
misleading the other place when he said that a drop-down arrow
was available on the form for Ukrainian refugees in the Ukrainian
language. When he apologised, he said that that was “in train”.
Will the Home Secretary ‘fess up and confirm that it is Home
Office policy not to have a translated version of the form, or if
it is, where is Lord Harrington’s severely delayed train?
For Home Office officials who work on the scheme, there is
guidance about dealing with different languages in the
applications, but I am very happy to pick the matter up directly
with the hon. Gentleman.
(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and
Selkirk) (Con)
T8. I very much welcome the fact that dozens of visas have
already been granted by this United Kingdom Government for
Ukrainians to come to the Scottish Borders in my constituency.
Will the Home Secretary work with me to iron out the last
remaining issues for some of my constituents with processing the
applications, to ensure that more Ukrainians can come to the
Scottish Borders?(906575)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Work is under way to ensure
that we can bring more Ukrainian nationals through our two routes
to Scotland. I am very happy to meet him and the Minister to
discuss the matter further.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
Today, my constituent Graham Hughes is doing his latest
humanitarian run to Poland. He hopes to return with a Ukrainian
refugee and her 11-year-old daughter, who recently managed to
escape the horrors of Mariupol shortly before the evacuation
routes closed but are now waiting anxiously in Lviv. Despite
Graham and his partner having applied to sponsor them nearly a
month ago, they have yet to be granted passage to the UK. Graham
and Katherine are ready to bring these people to safety in
Durham. Will the Home Secretary do everything possible to
expedite that?
Through the hon. Lady, I would like to pass on our thanks to her
constituent who is now travelling to Poland. I will need the
details, if I may take them from her, to ensure that the visa
side and the sponsorship side match up, and then we can pick this
up.
(Rushcliffe) (Con)
Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating
Nottinghamshire police on hitting their recruitment uplift target
a year ahead of schedule, so we now have more police officers in
Nottinghamshire than at any time in the past 10 years? Can she
commit to a date when the long-promised police funding formula
review will start?
I commend Nottinghamshire police and their outstanding chief
constable for all the work that the team have been doing. They
have been really focusing on driving down crime through
recruitment and the training of new officers. My hon. Friend
rightly asks about the police funding formula, which is under way
through the Minister for Crime and Policing. It is deeply
complicated, as my hon. Friend will be well aware, but we are
happy to report back on it.
(Barnsley East) (Lab)
One mother from Barnsley submitted her daughter’s passport
application in January, five months in advance of their holiday
next week, but she is yet to receive it. My office has had to
wait two hours to speak to someone at the Home Office today. What
is the Home Secretary doing to address the unacceptable delays in
passport applications?
The hon. Lady will have heard the comments from the
Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay
(), about work at the Passport
Office. The hon. Lady said that her constituent submitted her
passport application in January. If we can have the details, we
will pick the case up, but that is a very unusual delay—there
must be a problem.
(Ashfield) (Con)
Now then: the world-class Rwanda plan has been welcomed by
anybody who actually lives in the real world, because it saves
lives in the channel. Unfortunately, that lot opposite do not
live in the real world. Does the Home Secretary agree that the
Labour party now has a chance to either back the plan or back the
criminals?
My hon. Friend, as ever, is very clear. It is world-class and a
world first, and we are proud of it. It is a partnership that our
partners in Rwanda are proud of as well; they have an exceptional
history of resettlement of refugees. My hon. Friend is absolutely
right; the British people want change—they absolutely do. We say
to everyone today, “Back the plan, but also back the Nationality
and Borders Bill.”
(Bradford South) (Lab)
I am extremely concerned about the safeguarding of our young
people at outdoor music festivals, which attract more than 7.1
million people, many of whom are under 18. There is currently
more licensing provision for the recycling of a plastic cup than
for our young people, who have suffered serious sexual assault,
including rape, by spiking. Will the Minister work with me and
others to create a gold standard of licensing for these events in
order to protect our young people?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
I am very happy to work with the hon. Lady—we have already spoken
about the issue, and I am grateful for her interest in it. As the
country gets back to festivals this summer, we all want young
women and girls—and all young people—to enjoy themselves safely,
so I will work with the hon. Lady across Government to take
forward the asks that she has presented to us.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
I have been alarmed to hear of large-scale and dangerous hare
coursing in my constituency. Heavily armed people are coming on
to farmers’ land and then livestreaming the chases to China,
where they are the subject of heavy betting. Will my right hon.
Friend support Thames Valley police in their efforts to tackle
this appalling offence, and reassure farmers in Buckinghamshire
that rural crime will always be taken seriously by this
Government?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this issue. He knows
of the strength of feeling about it among Front Benchers and
others on our side of the House, which is why we have the Police,
Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill—we are urging all Members to
back it. I commend Thames Valley police in particular for all
that they are doing on this.
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