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  • Gerald Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gerald Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Howarth on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy, published in October 2015, what constitutes non-violent extremism.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government definition of extremism is ‘vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.’ We have been consistent on this since 2011 and have reaffirmed this definition in the Counter-Extremism Strategy.

    The overwhelming majority of people in this country support these values and condemn those who try to undermine them.

    The Government would not consider the ‘claim’ that an individual’s religion is ‘the only one true faith’ to be extremist.

    We are clear that Government should not restrict anyone’s freedom of speech or right to practise a faith. These are core values that help to make our country great. However we shouldn’t allow the extremist voice to go unchallenged, causing harm to our society and promoting hatred and division.

    The Government has engaged on the strategy, and will continue to engage with partners – including faith groups, communities and civic society groups on the new proposed powers to tackle the most dangerous extremists. This provides an opportunity to consult on the proposed powers further, and ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place to protect our rights to free speech and debate.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been re-admitted to an immigration holding or removal centre having been previously removed from the UK in the last three years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the longest length of time is that a person has spent in an immigration holding or detention centre in the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    Information on the length of detention has been published since quarter 1 (January to March) 2010.

    The longest time a person has been detained in the immigration estate – a foreign criminal who left detention and was returned to Algeria in Q1 2012 – was 2,319 days. The individual in this case had accumulated 14 convictions from 32 offences committed between 1998 and 2004, including – but not limited to – convictions for firearms/ shotguns/offensive weapons, drug offences, offences relating to police/courts/prisons and theft. He was continuously non-compliant with the Home Office and Algerian authorities, using a false identity and nationality, which frustrated attempts to obtain travel documentation to facilitate his deportation. His continued non-compliance, deception and a history of absconding led to detention being prolonged. This information does not include those held in prisons solely under Immigration Act powers.

    The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

  • Khalid Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Khalid Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Khalid Mahmood on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the recorded level of gun crime was in (a) England and (b) the West Midlands between (i) January 2010 to December 2012 and (ii) January 2013 to December 2015.

    Mike Penning

    Offences involving firearms recorded by the police at the force area level are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on a financial year basis. The most recently published figures for the West Midlands and England are 2013/14. These are given in the table and show that between 2009/10 and 2013/14, offences involving firearms (excluding air weapons) fell by 40% in both the West Midlands and in England.

    Figures for 2014/15 are due to be published on 11 February 2016 in the ONS publication Focus on: Violent Crime and Sexual Offences 2014/15.

    The ONS publish provisional data for England and Wales on the number of offences involving firearms in their quarterly crime statistics releases. The most recently available figures are for the year ending June 2015 and these can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/year-ending-june-2015/stb-crime–ye-june-2015.html

    The Home Office does not collect data on the number of people arrested in connection with offences involving firearms. The Home Office collects data on arrests by groups of crimes (for example, violence against the person, robbery) but cannot separately identify those that involved a firearm from those that did not.

    Convictions data are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice has informed the Home Office that they do not hold data on the number of convictions for offences where a firearm was involved.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans the Government has to attempt to remove or deport refugees and asylum seekers at the the UK Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus to third countries.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Under Sovereign Base Areas legislation, people whose asylum claims fail are liable for deportation. Some applications for asylum in Cyprus are still being processed.

    We will seek to deport those who have not claimed asylum or have had their application rejected.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she had made of the implications for her policies of the findings on domestic violence in the report of the chief inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled, An Inspection of Settlement Casework, published in November 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office published its formal response to the Chief inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled, An Inspection of Settlement Casework, published on 19 November 2015 and this can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/responses-to-reports-by-the-independent-chief-inspector-of-borders-and-immigration

    The Home Office is revising its guidance for those who apply for Settlement because of Domestic Violence and intend to publish this as a priority. The guidance will make it clearer what weighting should be given to the evidence presented by applicants in support of their application and will be published on the Gov.UK website.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the new secure zone for British-bound lorries at Calais to be operational; and what steps are being taken to protect UK-bound lorries from attack before that time.

    James Brokenshire

    The new secure zone at Calais for UK-bound lorries which will provide a secure waiting area for 230 vehicles is expected to be completed in late spring 2016. In the interim, Border Force has worked with Calais port operator and introduced an interim secure freight circulation and waiting area for around 200 vehicles.

    The haulage industry is hugely important to UK trade and prosperity and Her Majesty’s Government regularly speaks with haulage industry representatives to listen to their concerns regarding the situation in northern France. The Government is funding improved security measures and port infrastructure to protect the travelling public, including HGV drivers, in the Calais area. This includes the introduction of security fencing around port perimeters and along the port approach roads at Calais port and at the Coquelles Eurotunnel site; and the introduction of new secure waiting zones for UK-bound HGVs at both locations.

    This forms part of the measures to reduce illegal migration in Northern France being delivered under the Anglo/French Declaration. In addition, the UK and French authorities also work closely to share intelligence to combat illegal migrant activity and organised immigration crime.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent developments there have been in the detention and potential deportation of Paramjeet Singh to India; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    Mr Paramjeet Singh, an Indian national with refugee status resident in the UK, was arrested in Portugal on 18 December 2015 under an International Arrest Warrant issued by India on charges of Murder and Terrorism. India has until 26 January to present Portugal with a formal extradition request. The Portuguese authorities have jurisdiction and will decide whether to extradite.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20252, if she will collect information centrally on convictions for domestic violence.

    Karen Bradley

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publishes an annual violence against women and girls report, which includes national level data on the number of convictions for domestic abuse and supports the assessment of the effectiveness of Government policy on domestic violence.

    The latest data, published in June 2015, showed that the volume of convictions in 2014-15 reached 68,601 – a rise of 10,325 convictions since 2013-14 and the highest volume ever.

    The Office for National Statistics also publishes data on the prevalence of domestic abuse in the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Latest data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that 6.1% of adults aged 16-59 were a victim of ‘Any Domestic Abuse’ in 2014-15 – the lowest estimate since these questions were first asked in the 2004-05 survey.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain – so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.