Asylum Application Backlog Andy Carter (Warrington South) (Con) 1.
What recent progress he has made on reducing the backlog of asylum
applications.(900913) Wendy Chamberlain (North East Fife) (LD) 15.
What steps he is taking to reduce the backlog of asylum
applications.(900927) The Secretary of State for the Home
Department (James Cleverly) Last year we cleared the equivalent of
90,000 legacy claims and processed a total of more than 112,000
claims—the...Request free trial
Asylum Application Backlog
(Warrington South) (Con)
1. What recent progress he has made on reducing the backlog of
asylum applications.(900913)
(North East Fife)
(LD)
15. What steps he is taking to reduce the backlog of asylum
applications.(900927)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
Last year we cleared the equivalent of 90,000 legacy claims and
processed a total of more than 112,000 claims—the largest volume
in two decades. The total asylum backlog is now at its lowest
point since December 2022. The improvement of processes
continues, and we will continue to review and improve them to
accelerate the decision making from hereon in.
I am grateful to the Home Secretary for that update, but there
are still four hotels in and around Warrington housing asylum
seekers. Will he give us an update on the closing of hotels, and
will he also tell us what steps he is taking to speed up the
processing of refugees when they are in hotels awaiting the
outcome of their claims?
My hon. Friend made an important link between the speed of asylum
processing and the need for asylum accommodation in various
forms, including hotels. We are moving away from using hotels as
that type of accommodation, thus reducing the cost to the public
purse, and we will maintain recruitment levels and improve
processes so that the speed of processing that we are seeing now
can be continued. Although I cannot make commitments about the
specific hotels in my hon. Friend’s constituency, he should rest
assured that we are seeking to drive down the number of hotels on
which we rely.
My constituent arrived in the UK 15 months ago and was
interviewed, but has been waiting for more than a year to receive
a final response. He is not alone: according to the Refugee
Council, 33,085 asylum cases have been lodged in the last six
months alone, putting ever more strain on a broken system. The
Home Secretary said that the legacy backlog was going down, but
what about those more recent cases? What is being done to deal
with them?
The improved processes and the increased number of Home Office
officials working on this issue mean that not only the legacy
cases but the current ones will be dealt with more quickly, which
will reduce the need for asylum accommodation of all types. I
cannot comment on individual cases because the circumstances are
different in each one, but the hon. Lady should rest assured that
the lessons we have learned about the increased speed of
processing will benefit those who are already in the system. Of
course, we are also determined to drive down the number of people
who come here in the first place, reducing the pressure on our
asylum processing system in doing so.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Aberavon) (Lab)
The shambolic incompetence of this Government across every aspect
of its disgraceful mismanagement of our country’s asylum system
knows no bounds, but today I will highlight a particularly
egregious example. We already knew that the number of removals of
asylum seekers whose claims had been rejected had collapsed by
50% since Labour left office in 2010, but over the weekend it
emerged that the Home Office had lost contact with an astonishing
85% of the 5,000 people who have been identified for removal to
Rwanda. Where on earth are those 4,250 asylum seekers who have
gone missing?
Will the Home Secretary drop all the smoke and mirrors and
acknowledge that the Rwanda plan is just an extortionately
expensive and unworkable distraction? When will he adopt Labour’s
plan to recruit 1,000 additional immigration enforcement officers
to a new returns unit, so that we can have a system that is based
on common sense—
Mr Speaker
Order.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker
No, it is not “thank you”. I have to get a lot of people in and
this is totally unfair. The question was very, very long, and I
was coughing to get the hon. Gentleman to stop, not to continue.
That is the signal we need to understand. If the hon. Gentleman
does not want a particular Back Bencher to get in, I ask him
please to point them out, because this is giving me that
problem.
The mask has slipped. The Labour party has said that even if the
Rwanda scheme were to be successful, it would not keep it. That
shows what Labour Members really think about this. They have no
plan, they have no commitment, and they have even said that if
something was working they would scrap it. [Interruption.]
Fraud
(Amber Valley) (Con)
2. What steps he is taking to help reduce levels of
fraud.(900914)
The Minister for Security ()
Apologies for my hesitation, Mr Speaker. I was so busy listening
to the heckling opposite that it was difficult to focus on what
was going on.
This question is about something of which we should be very
proud. The fact is that fraud ruins lives, but this Government
have managed to get it down by 13% year on year, online and
offline. It is extremely important that we continue with that
ambitious agenda and ensure that we continue to cut fraud so that
we can bring it down completely by the end of the Parliament.
Would my right hon. Friend agree that the key to reducing levels
of fraud is to help people to understand what might be a fraud so
that they are not taken in by it? Is there more that we can do to
help people to spot the signs and not become a victim in the
first place?
The question about what is a fraud is becoming all too prevalent.
We have heard of many different kinds of fraud coming up in many
different areas, which is why in a few weeks’ time we will, I
hope, launch a new comms campaign about it. The truth is that
fraud affects so many people in so many ways, and we are trying
to make sure that people know what is going on so they can claim
the help and support that they need, to make sure that we defeat
this pernicious evil.
(Easington) (Lab)
We simply do not have the resources or expertise to tackle fraud.
I have a constituent who is still waiting for a charging decision
five years after being the victim of fraud. Her retirement has
been ruined waiting for the police and the Crown Prosecution
Service to make the charging decision. Durham constabulary has a
single forensic account. Does the Minister believe, as I do, that
a lack of specialist resources is leading to unacceptable delays
in justice?
I completely understand the hon. Gentleman’s point, and that is
exactly why this Government have introduced a new national fraud
squad—which is now almost fully recruited, at 400—and increased
the funding available to forces to fight fraud. Some forces are
doing exceptionally well at this already. Avon is doing extremely
well and the City of London police is doing exceptionally well in
leading on fraud nationally.
Legal Migration Rules
(Coatbridge, Chryston and
Bellshill) (SNP)
3. What discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on
recent changes to legal migration rules.(900915)
The Minister for Legal Migration and the Border ()
The Home Office engages with the devolved nations through the
inter-ministerial group and recognises that each of the nations
of the UK has varying immigration needs, reflected in the varied
shortage occupation lists for each nation. Immigration will,
however, remain reserved. It is not possible to operate distinct
systems without effectively creating an internal UK migration
border system.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed
that the changes to the minimum income threshold for family and
skilled workers disproportionately impact Scotland. Median
earnings on the west coast of Scotland are £24,700 a year, which
is far short even of the climbdown figure of £29,000. Did the
Home Secretary even consider that this policy would effectively
cut off migration to parts of Scotland that need and would
benefit from inward migration?
The Government’s position is clear: the changes that we are
introducing are the right thing. The numbers of dependents we are
seeing coming is disproportionate. There will be an opportunity,
through the review of the composition of the immigration salary
list in the second phase, and through the call for evidence, for
exactly those debates to be had and for those views to be made
known.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
The Home Office’s knee-jerk policy to raise the threshold and its
sudden partial reverse ferret to bring it slightly back down
again caused a huge amount of distress to people up and down
these islands who now do not know what the future holds for them
and their families. What equality impact assessment has been
carried out on the policy which, as well as affecting Scotland,
will disproportionately affect women?
When he announced the changes, the Home Secretary made a
commitment to lay the information on the projected volumes in the
House Library. It seems that the hon. Lady is criticising the
Government for not taking the steps that we have taken to say
clearly that the changes will not be applied retrospectively. We
think that that is the right thing to do and that it has provided
reassurance to people. Ultimately, we need to get net migration
under control and we think it is a pragmatic and sensible package
to take forward.
That does not answer the question that I put to the Minister at
all. What equality impact assessment has been carried out on this
policy? What recognition of wage levels in Scotland has there
been in relation to the policy? He cannot tell me.
One of my constituents tells me that they are worried about their
spouse, who works as a legal administrator, coming over from
Australia. Also, a man is worried about his nephew and partner
who will never be able to return from Canada if they want to come
back to live in Scotland, and there are many more who are guilty
only of falling in love with somebody of what the Government
consider to be the wrong nationality. Will the Minister apologise
to them for the chaos that these policies have caused?
The position is as I have set out. We think the number of people
coming to the country in this way is not sustainable and that we
are taking forward a pragmatic, balanced package. As I have said,
the measures will not be applied retrospectively, so they will
not affect existing applications that have been lodged.
Reported Thefts
(Somerton and Frome) (LD)
4. What the average length of time was between (a) thefts being
reported and (b) first contact with the police in the last 12
months.(900916)
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire ()
The Government take domestic burglary very seriously, which is
why, just over a year ago, we obtained a commitment from the
police to attend every residential burglary. That is delivering
results and, according to the crime survey, residential burglary
has fallen by 8% year on year.
I thank the Minister for his response. In 2022, the cost of rural
theft in the south-west rose by 16.6% from the year before. Has
the Minister made an assessment of the success of the new
national rural crime unit in improving police contacts with
victims of rural theft?
I agree that combating rural crime is extremely important, and
the national rural crime unit is designed to do exactly that. We
have also legislated, of course, and we will implement that
legislation to ensure that things like all-terrain vehicles and
agricultural equipment have to be marked or fitted with an
immobiliser. Overall domestic burglary has fallen by 57% since
2010.
Ten-year Drugs Plan
(Weston-super-Mare) (Con)
5. What progress his Department has made on implementing the
Government’s 10-year drugs plan “From harm to hope”, published on
6 December 2021.(900917)
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire ()
The commitments in the drugs strategy are being delivered,
including investing more than £300 million in additional
treatment capacity to create over 50,000 extra treatment places.
We are also enforcing hard, such as by closing down more than
2,000 county lines since 2019.
Local police in and around Weston-super-Mare have had notable
successes in disrupting drug dealing and supply, but new dealers
quickly take the place of the old ones. The quantity of drugs and
the number of addicts are not declining. Does the Minister accept
that although enforcement and education are vital, they are not
enough to solve this problem on their own, and that the
underlying legal frameworks we use to control these dangerous
chemicals have to be addressed, too?
Enforcement is important. Besides closing down those 2,000 county
lines, Border Force seized about 19 tonnes of cocaine in the year
ending March 2022—the largest amount seized in a single year on
record. I have already mentioned treatment. The most important
thing is to get people out of their addiction entirely, which is
why we are investing so much extra money in treatment.
There are no plans to change the legal framework. Drugs are
illegal for a reason. They are highly addictive and harmful, and
the out-of-control public drug consumption in those jurisdictions
that have liberalised significantly, such as California, San
Francisco and so on, is not something we want to see in this
country.
(Strangford) (DUP)
We are seeing escalating consumption and movement of drugs in
Northern Ireland, and the drugs are coming from England and the
Republic of Ireland. What discussions will the Minister have with
the Republic of Ireland to ensure that we stop drugs crossing the
border? We want to stop them coming from England, too.
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. Of course, one
feature of the island of Ireland is that there is essentially no
border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and
he has alluded to the various challenges that poses. I would be
happy to take up that issue and to see what more we can do to
disrupt the supply of drugs north-south and east-west. I thank
him for raising the issue.
Asylum Seekers: Hotels
(Bosworth) (Con)
6. What recent progress he has made on ending the use of hotels
for asylum seekers.(900918)
(Erewash) (Con)
14. What recent progress he has made on ending the use of hotels
for asylum seekers.(900926)
(South Derbyshire)
(Con)
20. What recent progress he has made on ending the use of hotels
for asylum seekers.(900932)
(Stoke-on-Trent South)
(Con)
22. What recent progress he has made on ending the use of hotels
for asylum seekers.(900934)
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
25. What recent progress he has made on ending the use of hotels
for asylum seekers.(900937)
The Minister for Legal Migration and the Border ()
We are making significant progress on closing hotels, with 50 due
to be closed by the end of January and more in the coming months.
We are also working to move asylum seekers into alternative,
cheaper accommodation and have successfully cleared the legacy
backlog by deciding more than 112,000 cases, while maintaining
the integrity of the system.
Dr Evans
Last year, after the police, the fire service and I raised
concerns, the Home Office closed the OYO hotel in Earl Shilton.
However, Leicestershire still has asylum hotels open, including
just over the constituency border in Appleby Magna, for example,
and my constituents are concerned. Will the Minister set out a
timeline for when the hotels may close or, more likely, will he
set out how the least suitable hotels will be closed first so
that, as the backlog is dealt with, the closing of hotels falls
in line, too?
As I set out, we are making good progress. I hear calls from
colleagues from throughout the House for closures in their
constituencies. We need to stick the course on delivering that,
taking into account a number of factors including the ease of
exit, the speed of exit, the fact that notice periods come into
play and, crucially, value for money, which the taxpayer would
rightly expect.
In welcoming my hon. Friend to his new position, may I urge him
finally to make good on his predecessor’s promise to close the
temporary accommodation centres in my constituency and restore
the two hotels back to their intended purpose? Will he also work
with his colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing
and Communities to ensure that the “local links” rule relating to
social housing is amended to prevent Erewash from being
disproportionately burdened by new applications once residents
are awarded asylum?
I hear my hon. Friend’s calls for the specific hotels in her
constituency to be closed. She can be reassured that we will
continue to work closely on this issue with colleagues from
across Government to get it right and make sure that we can exit
hotels as quickly as possible.
Mrs Wheeler
I thank my hon. Friend for his earlier answers. As he knows, I
received official notification today that Newton Park hotel,
which was a four-star hotel in my constituency before it was
taken over entirely for use by asylum seekers, is to have the
contract ended at the end of February. That is an enormous relief
to those in those in the small village there and to those in
other villages that the important V3 bus route goes through. I
thank him for keeping to the word of his predecessor that the
hotel use for asylum seekers would end in the second tranche of
closures.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the representations she made
on this issue. The situation in her constituency demonstrates
that the Government’s plan is working and we are seeing hotel
exits happen. That is a direct consequence of getting on and
making decisions, bringing forward alternative accommodation and
also, crucially, reducing in-flow into the system in the first
place.
I welcome the progress that has been made on tackling illegal
small boat crossings, which has meant it has been possible to end
the use of the North Stafford hotel in Stoke-on-Trent. Does my
hon. Friend agree that it is only through the most unequivocable
legislation on Rwanda that we can deliver proper deterrence that
will mean that numbers will come down further?
The point that my hon. Friend makes gets to the nub of the issue.
One of the most important factors in sustaining the progress we
have made is reducing the number of in-flows into the UK,
particularly via small boat crossings of the channel. That is why
my message to the House is clear: if Members want to see hotels
close and the progress sustained, they need to be in the Lobby to
support the Bill this week.
My constituents and I were delighted at the end of last year to
see the end of the Ibis hotel in Bramley being used to house
illegal immigrants and its return to normal service. Will the
Minister reassure me that any forthcoming immigration legislation
passed in this House will make sure that this situation will
never happen again, by banning the use of hotels outright and
making sure that illegal immigrants are sent to Rwanda for
processing?
As I have said, the key principle behind the Bill is to help us
to bring to an end the egregious crossings of the channel
organised by evil criminal gangs. It will help us to ensure that
there is greater control of our borders and that there are not
these in-flows into the system, which have undoubtedly had the
consequence of our needing to respond to that challenge through
the opening of hotels. That is precisely what we are trying to
put a stop to.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Select Committee.
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
Last week, The Times reported that there are 10,000 hotel beds
going unused, at a cost of £1.5 million a day—that is in addition
to the 3,500 buffer of empty beds held as a contingency in case
of Manston being overwhelmed. Are those figures actually
correct?
The right hon. Lady will recognise that it is of course important
for there to be a buffer, to make sure that operationally we have
the bed spaces required in a contingency situation to be able to
respond to any surges and particular challenges. That is a
difficult area but one that we are looking at carefully. Within
the hotel estate, we are of course maximising the use of bed
spaces wherever possible, which again helps us to get on and
close the hotels, in a way that I think she would like to
see.
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
The downside of the volume of asylum applications being granted
is the pressure that that is putting on the local authority
homeless sections. Will the Minister have another look at the
time given to asylum seekers from the date on which their
application is accepted to the date on which they have to move
out of Home Office accommodation? Will he consider the issue of
28 days versus 56 days, which is the recognised limit under the
Homelessness Reduction Act 2017? Otherwise, all we are going to
do is transfer people from Home Office-funded hotels to local
authority-funded ones, with all the extra pressure of financial
problems that that creates for local authorities.
On the dates, we are working with local authorities to give them
as early visibility as possible about the anticipated number of
people with decisions that have been granted that they should
expect to see. That helps to forward-plan and we are mindful of
those points. As things stand, there is no intention to change
that 28-day period. Clearly, planning and working with local
authorities is critical, but in many cases people have more than
28 days within which to vacate.
(Oldham West and Royton)
(Lab/Co-op)
Oldham has a proud history of supporting the persecuted. As of
March last year, our town is home to 910 asylum seekers, 145 of
whom are in hotel accommodation, but there the housing crisis
meets the homelessness crisis: 1,000 people in temporary
accommodation, including 500 children. Is it not time that the
Government reviewed the dispersal policy, to ensure that every
part of England plays its fair share? I gently point out that
Braintree is home to just two asylum seekers, as opposed to
Oldham’s 910.
I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that I and my officials are
carefully considering what more can be done to ensure that there
is equitability in the approach to dispersal. That is critical,
and we need to work carefully through some of the pressures and
challenges that these issues present, but I gently say to those
on the Opposition Benches that a key part of the response is to
get the flows into the system down, and they do not have a
credible plan for doing that.
(Eltham) (Lab)
There are currently 56,000 asylum seekers in hotels. The Prime
Minister promised to close those hotels some time last year, but
since then the figures have gone up by 10,000. Can the Minister
confirm that that figure is correct?
I am clear in my mind that the figure that the hon. Gentleman has
cited, and that the shadow Home Secretary used last week, does
not represent the picture as it stands today. They will recognise
that there is periodic reporting on statistical releases, but the
figures they cite are not representative of the position on the
ground today.
Reducing Migration
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
7. What steps he is taking to reduce legal migration.(900919)
(Bexleyheath and Crayford)
(Con)
11. What steps he is taking to reduce net migration.(900923)
(Preseli Pembrokeshire)
(Con)
23. What steps he is taking to reduce net migration.(900935)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
On 4 December, I announced a new package of measures to further
reduce legal net migration, including limitations on family
dependants being brought in by workers and students, creating a
salary threshold and raising the minimum income requirement
progressively over the next few years.
My right hon. Friend will know that the net migration figure of
over 700,000 is completely unsustainable. Were it to continue,
that would represent the creation of 10 new parliamentary
constituencies each year. What co-operation does his Department
have with the public services that have to meet the demands from
the newcomers?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right that we must be conscious of
the impact of the level of net migration on local populations and
local authorities. We recognise that the figure is too high and
we are taking action to bring it down. We work closely with other
Government Departments to deliver on that, but while Opposition
Front Benchers criticise the headline figures, they also oppose
every single step we take to bring that figure down.
I commend my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and my hon.
Friend the Minister for Legal Migration and the Border for all
their work towards delivering on our manifesto commitment to
reduce net migration. My constituents are now looking for the
results of all their hard work. Will the Home Secretary outline
how his new legal migration package will make the most of our
post-Brexit points-based immigration system?
This country has always had a global outlook: the ethnic
composition of the Government at the most senior levels is a
direct reflection of our global connectivity and those human
bridges across the world. We want to ensure this country is able
to benefit from the expertise, knowledge and work of the
brightest and best from around the whole world in a manner that
is controlled, fair, predictable and well enforced.
It is good that the Government want to ensure that the brightest
and best can continue to come to the UK to study, but does my
right hon. Friend recognise that the changes to the family
dependant rules for students risk causing enormous damage to some
of our elite business schools, which compete in the global
marketplace for experienced, outstanding professionals? What work
is he doing with the sector to try to overcome some of those
challenges?
My right hon. Friend is right to highlight the fact that we are
in a globally competitive environment when it comes to this
country’s quality higher education postgraduate offer. I have no
doubt that we are still highly competitive. We will continue to
work with the university sector on this and ensure that the
people we bring to the UK are here to study and add value, and
that no institution in our higher education sector mistakes its
role—they are educators, not a back-door visa system.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
I beg the Home Secretary to spread those more enlightened views
to some of his colleagues. Migration should not be a dirty word.
I am the son of a migrant. I migrated myself to the United States
at one stage. My DNA tells me that I am 34% Irish and 32%
Swedish. Can every Member of this Parliament have their DNA
published so that we can bring some sense to this discussion
about migration?
I am not sure that the Government are able to compel such
widespread disclosure—perhaps the Independent Parliamentary
Standards Authority might have a view on such things. Both sides
of my family are of immigrant stock: my mother came to the UK in
the 1960s, and my father’s family in 1066. This country has
benefited from controlled immigration in a fair system, where
people who play by the rules are rewarded and we say no to those
who refuse to play by the rules.
(Bath) (LD)
I am a legal migrant, too. Bath has a vibrant hospitality
industry that caters for local people and tourists from all over
the world, but many of our hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs are
already struggling to find enough staff or are under threat of
reduced working hours and closure. How will the Home Secretary
ensure that the proposed new salary thresholds and measures to
reduce legal migration do not worsen those staff shortages?
We liaise very closely with other Government Departments to
ensure that our system, which is transparent and fair, also
supports the British economy. We work particularly closely with
the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that those who
have talent and ambition but who, for whatever reason, are
currently unable to fully engage in the job market are enabled to
do so. I myself have a background in the hospitality industry,
and we want that industry to continue to thrive. It is not the
case that we should automatically rely on overseas labour for
that; we can have home-grown talent as well.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
The Home Secretary talked about people coming to UK universities
to study. Many people also come to our universities to carry out
ground-breaking and economically important research, and they are
worried about the rise in the minimum income thresholds, because
that means they will be unable to bring their families with them.
What assessment has he made of the impact of the new changes on
our universities’ important research work?
We recognise the contribution of the international pool of
talent. Indeed, when I was Foreign Secretary I signed up to a
deal with India for talented postgraduates to exchange experience
in our respective countries. We will always look to support the
genuine draw on talent, but we will also ensure that the higher
education system is not used as a back-door means of immigration.
The system is about research and education, not a back-door means
of getting permanent residence in this country.
Neighbourhood Policing
(Ogmore) (Lab)
8. What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy
of neighbourhood policing levels.(900920)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
Giving the police the resources they need to police local
communities and fight crime remains a Government priority. We
have delivered on our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional
police officers; indeed, we have surpassed that. Decisions about
how they are deployed are, of course, a matter for discussion
between chief constables, police and crime commissioners, and
mayors, who are responsible for their local communities.
The legacy of Government cuts has left police forces across
England and Wales with a £3.2 billion cash shortfall, and 6,000
officers have now been taken away from frontline policing duties
in order to fill the roles of former police staff. Can the Home
Secretary start to acknowledge the effect of Tory cuts? How will
he rectify that and get more frontline police back into our
neighbourhoods across the United Kingdom?
As I said, decisions on how a police force balances its important
back-office roles and frontline policing roles are rightly
decisions for the chief constable. We have given additional
resource, and we have delivered on our commitment to have more
police officers. Of course we are looking at police funding
formulas to ensure that they remain well resourced, but there are
more than 20,000—in fact, 20,947—additional police officers in
England and Wales. That will ensure that there are more police on
the frontline.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Nottingham North)
(Lab/Co-op)
As my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore () said, to this day we are
feeling the devastating impact of the Tories’ decision to cut
20,000 police officers. Ministers such as the Home Secretary seem
to expect credit for desperately trying to reverse it, but the
National Police Chiefs’ Council was right that the efforts at
reversal have moored 6,000 warranted officers in roles
traditionally filled by civilians. Again, we have heard from the
Home Secretary that we have never had it so good, but there are
still 10,000 fewer neighbourhood police. Why will the Government
not match our commitment to get 13,000 more police officers and
police community support officers out on the beat?
Unless Labour has a plan for paying for those figures, it is just
empty rhetoric. The simple truth is that there are record numbers
of officers in police forces across the country, including Essex
Police, which I visited this morning—it has never had more police
officers than it has currently. It is right that chief constables
decide how to deploy those police officers. Again, unless we hear
a plan to pay for those additional officers, I will not trust
Labour’s figures.
Visa Income Thresholds: Universities
(Gordon) (SNP)
9. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of
proposed changes to visa income thresholds on the university
sector.(900921)
The Minister for Legal Migration and the Border ()
We have been mindful of the need to balance the impacts on
individual sectors with economic growth, and the needs of the
labour market with the need to reduce levels of immigration. As
part of our policy development, we undertook analytical work
across Government that supports our decisions. A regulatory
impact assessment will be developed in due course.
The director of Universities Scotland, Alastair Sim, has
expressed concern that changes to the Government’s visa income
threshold could affect universities’ ability to attract global
talent. International students and academics make a contribution
in excess of £5 billion annually to the Scottish economy. If the
Government recognise the contribution of international students
and academics, as they say they do, why are they introducing a
policy that threatens to prevent future cohorts of them from
making a similar contribution?
Individuals will still be able to make a valid contribution in
the years ahead, but in a sustainable and managed way. There are
no immediate plans to introduce further exemptions to the
increased salary threshold, but the salary discounts remain in
place. We will continue to engage as the measures are introduced.
There are also opportunities domestically for recruitment. At
every opportunity, we should be trying to support domestic
recruitment wherever we can.
Police Funding Formula
(Mid Bedfordshire)
(Lab)
12. What progress his Department has made on reviewing the police
funding formula.(900924)
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire ()
Work to update the funding formula is continuing, and I will
update the House as soon as I can. The House should be aware that
next year, 2024-25, police and crime commissioners funding
frontline police will see their budgets increase by up to £922
million, which is an increase of about 6%.
There is cross-party agreement that the current funding formula
is unfair for police in Bedfordshire, with the Conservatives’ own
PCC acknowledging that there is simply no meat left on the bone
for local police. My constituents are fed up with being told that
they have never had it so good, or being fobbed off with one-off
grants. Will the Minister commit to a date to finally deliver a
fair funding formula for my communities?
What I will commit to, as far as the people of Bedfordshire are
concerned, is an increase in funding of £10.2 million for next
year, 2024-25. That is an extra 6.5% compared with this year.
They will also have 1,455 police officers. That is about 200 more
than Bedfordshire’s police force has ever had at any time in its
history.
(North East Bedfordshire)
(Con)
It is not unusual to hear from two Bedfordshire MPs when it comes
to the police funding formula, because this goes all the way back
to the last Labour Government, but there is a cross-party view in
Bedfordshire that our police force is underfunded. Will my right
hon. Friend agree to meet all Bedfordshire MPs so that we can
press the case for increases in funding for Bedfordshire
Police?
I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss these issues.
As I say, Bedfordshire Police will receive an extra £10.2 million
next year—an increase of about 6.5%—which I am sure will be
welcome up and down the county, but I am of course happy to meet
my hon. Friend whenever he would like.
Mr Speaker
I presume that is all of them, is it Minister? I call the shadow
Minister.
(Enfield North) (Lab)
Police forces are not being listened to when they raise serious
concerns about the funding formula and how it limits their
ability to tackle town centre crime. The British Retail
Consortium reports that more than 850 acts of violence or abuse
against shop workers happen every single day. Everyone has a
right to feel safe at work, so when will the Home Secretary
accept that retail crime is out of control and accept Labour’s
plan to introduce a new law to protect retail workers from
violence and actually stand up for shop workers?
Theft offences are down by 47% since 2010, of course—those are
the crime survey figures—but we have recently launched a retail
crime action plan, where police are committing to prioritising
attendance at incidents of retail crime and always following
reasonable lines of inquiry in relation to shoplifting, assaults
against shop workers and other forms of offending. In addition,
we legislated in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act
2022—
Mr Speaker
Order. I call .
Neighbourhood Crime
(North Devon) (Con)
13. What recent progress his Department has made on reducing
neighbourhood crime.(900925)
(East Devon) (Con)
16. What recent progress his Department has made on reducing
neighbourhood crime.(900928)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
This Government recognise the impact of neighbourhood crime. It
is the crime that most affects people’s confidence—the confidence
of individuals, businesses and communities. The strategic
response to this is evidence-based and targeted, and getting
policing right in this area is incredibly important for
maintaining community confidence.
I have seen for myself how successful the Government’s safer
streets fund was in Barnstaple, and I am delighted that it will
be extended into Ilfracombe this year. Will my right hon. Friend
ensure that councils have the funding to help support those
schemes?
I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting that point. I am proud of
the fact that, since 2010, neighbourhood crime is down by 51%
because of the kind of interventions that she highlighted. I
reassure her that we will continue to look at what works, to fund
and support, and to make every effort to drive down neighbourhood
crime even further.
Police numbers across Devon and Cornwall are at record levels and
deserve our praise. In a recent survey, my constituents in East
Devon said that tackling neighbourhood crime is an absolute
priority, as ranging from burglaries to thefts from vehicles.
Will my right hon. Friend outline what progress this Conservative
Government have made on cracking down on neighbourhood crime?
I am very pleased that my hon. Friend’s local community is
feeling the positive impact of the decisions we have made. Since
coming into Government, we have seen serious violence reduced by
26%, and neighbourhood crime down by 27% since the start of this
Parliament. We have seen a 36% reduction in domestic burglary, an
18% reduction in vehicle-related theft and a 61% decrease in
robbery. We have reduced homicide by 15%, have taken action on
drugs and are committed to—
Mr Speaker
Order. Secretary of State—I said the same to the Minister—please,
you were very slow at the beginning; you will not be slow at the
end, I am sure.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
On Friday I visited five Co-op stores and every one of them had
daily experience of theft, with one losing £35,000-worth of goods
over six months and staff experiencing assaults. In light of
Labour’s pledge to introduce 13,000 more community police and a
law on retail crime, what is the Secretary of State really doing?
Clearly his plan is not working.
We have a retail crime action plan. We have ensured that assaults
against shop workers is an aggravating factor and we have made it
clear to police forces across the country that we expect them to
take action on neighbourhood crime like that and to pursue every
reasonable line of inquiry. We are determined to drive down
retail crime.
Safer Streets Fund
(St Helens South and Whiston)
(Lab)
17. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the
safer streets fund on the safety of women and girls. (900929)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
The objective of the safer streets fund and the safety of women
at night fund is to enhance public safety in a direct and
targeted way, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Since 2020 the
Government have invested £150 million across the two funds and
the evaluation of round 1 of the safer streets fund, published in
January last year, showed that the investment was boosting trust
in the police and making communities feel safer.
Ms Rimmer
Does the Minister justify the Government cut of 38% of the
funding for projects to reduce violence against women and girls
in Merseyside? They have cut £400,000, and one project will have
to cease.
What I can tell the hon. Lady is that under the safer streets
fund, £3.9 million has been allocated to Merseyside, including
for a project in St Helens town centre. Let me remind her very
gently of what that is funding. It has gone towards lighting,
signage and improvement to taxi ranks, and one of the most
radical measures of all is that it provides women with a free
taxi service home, where the safer streets fund will reimburse
the taxi driver the money they would otherwise have received, so
that a woman does not have to find herself standing at a windy
bus stop or walking home.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Pontypridd) (Lab)
We welcome the safer streets fund, which will go some way to
supporting the night-time economy that has been badly hit over 14
years. The Government’s efforts to tackle spiking have been
completely undermined by the Home Secretary. Spiking is a serious
and devastating offence. Why did the Home Secretary think it was
appropriate to joke about spiking his own wife, and can he
confirm exactly how many drops of Rohypnol he considers to be
illegal?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I think it has been
widely reported that the Home Secretary was making a joke about
not being good enough for his wife. The point is that we are the
first Government who have done something about spiking—it is not
a new offence, and the measures to change the statutory
provisions in the Offences against the Person Act 1861 could have
been taken by the last Labour Government. The reason we have
sought to clarify the matter in law is that we do not think that
enough victims are coming forward, and the reason there are not
enough prosecutions is the time lag in getting effective
toxicology reports. That is why we are investing so much money in
rapid drinks testing kits, so that hopefully we will be able to
get the test done on site on the night, and get more of those
offenders behind bars.
Topical Questions
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(900938)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department ()
This year, the Home Office will continue to build on our progress
on the public priorities: a 36% fall in small boat crossings last
year, 86 arrests of small boat pilots, 246 arrests of people
smugglers, the biggest-ever international operation resulting in
136 boat seizures and 45 outboard motors being seized, the
illegal migration package announced, more than 2,000 county lines
drugs lines smashed and the introduction of the Criminal Justice
Bill to give police leaders more powers. We are relentlessly
focused on delivering community safety on behalf of the British
people.
Now that we have the Home Secretary here to answer for himself,
can he tell us whether he is aware that the police are receiving
more than 560 reports of spiking every month, and in December the
Home Office said that the reason the crime is so prevalent is
that it is seen as funny and a joke? How can we have any
confidence in the Home Secretary to deliver action on spiking
when he thinks it is a joke?
I am the Home Secretary who has actually introduced action on
this. In my first week in the job, I visited Holborn police
station to see the work of the Metropolitan police in tackling
violence against women and girls. I made it clear to the Home
Office that my priority was the protection of women and girls. I
am taking action on this issue, and I am absolutely determined to
continue doing so.
Nigel Mills (Amber Valley) (Con)
T3. I am sure the Home Secretary would agree that anti-extremism
training in Departments is extremely important. What more can the
Government do to ensure that it is training to tackle extremism,
rather than anti-Government and party bias training?(900941)
The Minister for Security ()
My hon. Friend will have seen recently a pretty extraordinary
report on allegations about extremism and the failure to train
properly, and what is going on in universities around the United
Kingdom. In one recent problematic case, it was said that it is
very hard to define what a terrorist is. We know what a terrorist
is, the law knows what a terrorist is and this Government know
what a terrorist is, and that is exactly why we have just
proscribed Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Home Secretary.
(Normanton, Pontefract and
Castleford) (Lab)
We welcome the proscription of Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Five more lives were tragically lost in the channel this weekend.
As criminal gangs profit from those dangerous boat crossings, it
shows how vital it is to stop them, but we need the Home Office
to have a grip. The Home Secretary gave no answer earlier on the
4,000 people he has lost from the Rwanda list. Can he tell us if
he has also lost the 35,000 people he has removed from the asylum
backlog? How many of them are still in the country?
I join the right hon. Lady in expressing sadness and condolences
for those who lost their lives in the channel. That reinforces
the importance of breaking the people-smuggling gangs. The fact
is that we are driving down the numbers of people in the backlog:
we are processing applications more quickly and ensuring that
decisions are made so that those who should not be in this
country can be removed either to their own country or a safe
third country. That is why the Rwanda Bill is so important, and
why we will continue working on these issues.
Returns have dropped 50% since the last Labour Government. The
Home Secretary is still not telling us where those missing people
are. He appears to have lost thousands of people who may have no
right to be in the country, and lost any grip at all. In the
ongoing Tory asylum chaos, we have Cabinet Ministers, countless
ex-Ministers and the deputy Tory chair all saying that they will
oppose the Home Secretary’s policy this week—a policy that we
know he and the Prime Minister do not even believe in. If the
deputy Tory chair this week votes against the Home Secretary’s
policy, will he be sacked, or is the Prime Minister so weak that
he has lost control of asylum, lost control of our borders, and
lost control of his own party, too?
Conservative Members of Parliament are absolutely united in our
desire to get a grip of this issue. I am not the person who has
held up a sign saying, “Refugees welcome”; I am not the person
whose colleagues oppose each and every rhetorical flourish. Until
the Labour party comes up with a credible plan, I will not take
its criticism any more seriously than it deserves.
(Harrow East) (Con)
T4. The British people welcome people who come to this country to
work and contribute to our economy. But those who abuse our
hospitality, commit violent offences and are then sent to prison
need to be deported at the end of their sentences. Will my right
hon. and learned Friend update the House on how many were
deported last year, and what action he will take to ensure that
foreign nationals who are violent offenders are automatically
deported when they leave prison?(900942)
The Minister for Countering Illegal Migration ()
We are clear that foreign criminals should be deported wherever
possible, and we will continue to do so, in stark contrast to the
calls to stop the deportation of foreign national criminals from
the Leader of the Opposition and the Labour party. My hon. Friend
will be pleased to know that foreign national offender returns
have increased by 19% in the last 12 months.
(Slough) (Lab)
T2. My constituents often have to wait months to elicit a
response for their asylum or Home Office queries. Given the
Conservative Government’s persistent failure to effectively
manage the asylum system, resulting in a backlog of almost
100,000 cases and the excessive use of expensive hotels, does the
Home Secretary not feel that now is the time to adopt Labour’s
comprehensive plan, which would end the use of expensive hotels
within 12 months and significantly reduce the
backlog?(900940)
The Minister for Legal Migration and the Border ()
I think the hon. Gentleman means Labour’s non-existent plan. The
fact is that last year, we made 112,000 initial decisions; if the
hon. Gentleman has specific cases that he wishes to raise with me
as the Minister, I am very happy to have a look at those, but the
productivity improvements that we saw last year carry through a
lot of learning as we now get on and deal with the backlog. A lot
of positive work has gone on, and he should recognise that
point.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
T7. Humber-side police now has over 800 more officers than in
2010, which obviously enables it to provide a better service to
my constituents. Crucially, it also has top-class leadership,
currently provided by , the police commissioner,
and until recently by Lee Freeman, the former chief constable—I
am sure his successor will also provide that leadership. Does the
Minister agree that top-class leadership is important, and what
is he doing to ensure improvements are made to the present
leadership training scheme?(900945)
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire ()
I join my hon. Friend in commending Humberside police force on
the progress it has made, particularly under recent chief
constable Lee Freeman. In terms of improving leadership, of
course, Lee Freeman is now one of His Majesty’s inspectors, and
he can apply what he learned and put into practice in Humberside
across the whole country.
(North East Fife)
(LD)
T5. On 17 October, the Government pledged in the House to make
changes to the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme pathways 1 and
3. When can the House expect an update and a plan?(900943)
Of course, we are continuing to work very collaboratively across
Government on the response to the situation in Afghanistan,
fulfilling the commitments we made to provide that sanctuary in
the way that we all want to see. We will say more about those
efforts as soon as we are able.
(Truro and Falmouth)
(Con)
T8. We heard earlier about the effectiveness of the safer streets
fund. Falmouth in my constituency, where most of the students
live, recently received £67,000; in addition, our brilliant
police and crime commissioner has been working with
Dawn Dines, who helped to successfully change the law on spiking.
Can my hon. Friend demonstrate to my Truro and Falmouth
constituents how those positive changes will improve conviction
rates in the Devon and Cornwall area?(900947)
I thank my hon. Friend for her question, and congratulate her
police and crime commissioner on the excellent work she is doing.
My hon. Friend will be aware that we have amended the Offences
against the Person Act 1861 so that the offence of spiking is
captured specifically and comprehensively in law, in part because
we want more victims to come forward, but we are told time and
again by the police that the most significant barrier to
conviction is the length of time between the offence taking place
and a toxicology report being received. We are therefore
investing in rapid drink testing research, and we hope to bring
testing capacity on site.
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
UKHospitality estimates that 95% of skilled worker visas that
were gained last year would be lost under the new regulations.
That is a vital sector for my local economy in Edinburgh and for
Scotland, so when will the Government recognise that the revision
to the salary level was not sufficient and bring it down to a
reasonable level?
I disagree with the hon. Lady’s interpretation of the situation.
We should be working in a collaborative cross-Government way,
particularly to support domestic employment wherever possible.
Comprehensive steps are being taken through the back to work plan
to help deliver on that, and there are many people here on other
routes who are perfectly able to work and, with the right
support, would be doing so. That is precisely where we are going
to focus our efforts.
(Filton and Bradley Stoke)
(Con)
What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to provide advice to
police forces across the country to help them support communities
during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas?
My hon. Friend is right to ask that question, because sadly, we
have seen an absolutely vile upsurge in antisemitism on our
streets. We have seen people who claim to be speaking out for
equality and justice actually defending people who take slaves,
who violate women’s and girls’ rights, and who here in our own
country make the Jewish community feel uncomfortable. That is
exactly why this Government have committed £18 million to the
Community Security Trust. Very sadly, we have also had to commit
£7 million to academic security, because there has also been a
massive increase in antisemitism in universities. We are
combating all of that.
Sir (New Forest East) (Con)
How many times must a demonstration in the same cause be
repeated, week in and week out, before the well-funded organisers
become liable to pay for at least part of the policing costs?
Of course, we recognise that there is legitimacy to public
protests. We also recognise that the unprecedented and
unwarranted pressure that this is putting on policing around the
country is having an impact on communities. My view is that the
organisers have made their point, and repeating it does not
strengthen their argument. Unfortunately, we are also seeing some
deeply distasteful people weaving themselves in among those
protesters, who are protesting on issues that they feel
passionately about, but whose good will is being abused by
others.
(Ealing Central and Acton)
(Lab)
Will the Home Secretary urgently meet his hon. Friend and
constituency neighbour the Member for Harwich and North Essex
( ) and me to speak about why
it is that, although the whole House passed the Public Order Act
2023 with an amendment to ensure safe access zones for women
using abortion clinics, this is now subject to a consultation
that would gut the legislation? Can he meet us urgently? The
consultation is due to end on 22 January, and it would not
actually do what all MPs in this House voted for.
If the hon. Lady writes to me on this issue, I will endeavour to
find out the details of the point she has made.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Final question—Tim Loughton.
(East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con)
Last week, the Home Secretary produced a report on safe and legal
routes to comply with section 61 of the Illegal Migration Act
2023 and the amendment I tabled last year. It is very long and
generous on the existing legal routes, but can he tell me how my
16-year-old orphan from an east African country with links to the
UK, who is a genuine asylum seeker, will be helped to come
legally and safely to the UK by what the Government have
published so far?
My hon. Friend is a very passionate advocate on this issue, and
we had a conversation last week about this very point. The fact
is that, since 2015, we have welcomed over half a million people
through our safe and legal routes. We are introducing the cap
precisely because we want to see that generosity extended in the
years ahead, but the pressures of illegal migration in particular
make that very challenging and difficult. This is precisely the
sort of issue I want to study with him as we move forward with
the cap, to make sure that we continue to help the most
vulnerable people from around the world, working particularly
with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and
others.
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