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  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in which countries her Department plans to spend the additional £1 billion of Government funding for humanitarian efforts in and around Syria; and how much of that spending has been allocated for each country.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has always punched above its weight in helping deal with the effects of the Syria crisis. We will continue to do so for the reconstruction of Syria. On 26 November, the Prime Minister announced at least £1 billion for Syria’s reconstruction. This signalled the UK’s enduring commitment to Syria and focused international attention on the need to plan now for reconstruction inside Syria. This funding will be used to support activities inside Syria and is additional to the existing £1.1 billion the UK has already pledged to respond to the ongoing crisis inside Syria and the region.

  • Julian Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Julian Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what protections she plans to put in place for landlords who, unwittingly and after carrying out reasonable checks, allow an illegal immigrant to rent their property.

    James Brokenshire

    The Immigration Act 2014 prohibits landlords from leasing property to persons who are disqualified from renting by reason of their immigration status. Right to rent checks are simple to conduct and comprise of an examination of documents from a range prescribed in law as acceptable for the purposes of establishing a right to rent. Landlords are not expected to be immigration or forgery experts and the Act provides defences in law for the landlord who may have accepted a falsified document in good faith and having acted reasonably.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether adult children will be included in the vulnerable persons relocation scheme along with their younger siblings and parents.

    Richard Harrington

    We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. This can include families where adult children form part of the family unit where the UNHCR deem resettlement is appropriate for the entire family group.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures her Department has put in place to provide support for Syrian refugees relocated in the UK under the vulnerable persons relocation scheme who do not speak English.

    Richard Harrington

    Local authorities provide those resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme with a 12 month support package to assist with their integration, and this includes provision of English language tuition. This is being funded using Official Development Aid, and the Chancellor has now confirmed that the Government will provide additional funding to assist with costs incurred in years two to five of the scheme.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 1.81 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, whether the protection of overall police spending includes (a) British Transport Police, (b) the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and (c) the Ministry of Defence Police.

    Mike Penning

    Section 1.81 of the Spending Review document refers to the 43 police forces for which the Home Office provides funding. The Home Office does not hold information on the impact of the Spending Review on the British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary or the Ministry of Defence Police. This information will be available from the Department for Transport, Department for Energy and Climate Change and Ministry of Defence respectively.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for British passports through the passport section of the British embassy in Dublin in the last 12 months.

    James Brokenshire

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office Belfast commenced the repatriation of application processing for customers residing in the Republic of Ireland on 20th January 2014 and the decommissioning of passport processing at the British Embassy in Dublin was completed by 31st March 2014. Therefore, no applications for British passports will have been dealt with or issued by the British Embassy Dublin after 31 March 2014.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions a special adviser in her Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

    Karen Bradley

    As has been the case under successive Administrations, civil servants, including special advisers, may routinely accompany their Ministers on official visits.

    Information relating to Ministers’ overseas visits are published on www.gov.uk, as part of the Government’s wider transparency agenda.

    All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department plans to spend on domestic counter-terrorism operations in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government protected counter-terrorism police funding over the last 5 years and the Strategic Defence and Security Review and Spending Review both confirmed a real terms increase to counter-terrorism police funding to invest in new capabilities.

    The Spending Review announcement set the overall budget for the Home Office. Officials are now going through the detail and will continue to provide advice to the Home Secretary on individual allocations and spending commitments. We anticipate that funding allocations for counter-terrorism will be confirmed in the New Year.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) stolen cars, (b) untaxed cars, (c) uninsured drivers and (d) other crimes have been detected using automatic number plate recognition in each of the last two years.

    Mike Penning

    This information is not held by the Home Office. Some police forces may collate this data, dependent upon local policy.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps the Government has taken to resolve the migration situation at Calais.

    Mrs Theresa May

    The UK Government recognises the exceptional pressures on the French Government and its citizens caused by the migrant situation in the Calais region.

    In particular, the French police face a difficult challenge in dealing with the increasingly violent migrants, who are damaging property and vehicles and attacking officers around the juxtaposed ports in their attempts to reach the UK illegally.

    The UK welcomes the continued efforts by the French Government to address the situation, in particular the significant commitment of additional French police officers deployed in Calais.

    We also welcome the progress made by the French to move migrants away from Calais to suitable facilities in alternative sites in France, and to increase the number of migrants claiming asylum in the country.

    These French efforts, combined with the additional British personnel at the ports, the priority fencing and enhancements to security infrastructure, and the work to tackle organised crime that our two countries have progressed jointly over recent months, sends a clear message: we will continue to work together to keep our borders secure; migrants should not head to Calais, and those in Calais intending to seek asylum should do so in France.