Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Border Force sea-fairing vessels have been out of service in each of the last three years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Border Force Maritime Command operate a fleet of vessels including five offshore Cutters, six inshore Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV), and a range of smaller craft to secure the UK maritime border. Routine maintenance on these vessels is an essential part of ensuring operational availability.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of refugees that will be deported to Rwanda (a) on the first flight and (b) in each of the 12 months following the first flight.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
This is operationally sensitive information.
We have been clear that the scheme is uncapped.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) budget and (b) headcount was for the National Crime Agency's Proceeds of Crime Centre in financial year (i) 2021-22, (ii) 2022-23 and (iii) 2023-24; and how many accreditations were issued to financial investigators in each of those financial years.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The UKFIU and POCC are funded through a mixture of NCA core funding and external funding.
UKFIU headcount at the end of each FY:
UKFIU budget (external funding):
UKFIU budget (core funding):
PoCC budget
Proceeds of Crime Centre headcount at the end of each FY:
Proceeds of Crime Centre Financial Investigator accreditations:
Proceeds of Crime Centre Financial Intelligence Officer accreditations:
Pay costs are not delegated to project areas, so are not included in these totals.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) annual budget and (b) staff headcount has been for the National Crime Agency's Financial Intelligence Unit in each of the last three years.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The UKFIU and POCC are funded through a mixture of NCA core funding and external funding.
UKFIU headcount at the end of each FY:
UKFIU budget (external funding):
UKFIU budget (core funding):
PoCC budget
Proceeds of Crime Centre headcount at the end of each FY:
Proceeds of Crime Centre Financial Investigator accreditations:
Proceeds of Crime Centre Financial Intelligence Officer accreditations:
Pay costs are not delegated to project areas, so are not included in these totals.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how his Department has spent revenues received through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme in each year since 2017.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Office’s share of ARIS receipts represents the core funding that would otherwise be paid by HMT as part of the regular Spending Review.
That funding supports Home Office investment in priority front line activity, including supporting and safeguarding victims, delivering the policy response to Economic Crime and the National Cyber Strategy, and delivering statutory obligations.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to negotiate an agreement with the Republic of Ireland on the return of asylum seekers (a) from Ireland to the UK and (b) from the UK to Ireland.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
In 2020, we agreed with Ireland bilateral non-legally binding operational arrangements which allows for the return and readmission of asylum seekers when agreed by both participants.
We will only make agreements that are in the interests of the UK, and will not accept any future deals which might increase the significant burdens already placed on the UK by the level of illegal migration.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency measures are in place to mitigate delays when eGates are not in use.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has never been Government practice, for reasons of law enforcement, to comment on operational issues relating to border security and immigration controls. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates data specifically.
The Home Office has a number of contingency arrangements in the event of a single system failure, including technical and business contingency measures.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many sea-faring vessels are under the command of the Border Force.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Border Force Maritime Command operate a fleet of vessels including five offshore Cutters, six inshore Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV), and a range of smaller crafts to secure the UK maritime border.
Since April 2022, Border Force Maritime have deployed five dedicated rescue vessels to the Channel, formerly in support of the Ministry of Defence and currently Small Boats Operational Command. These five vessels work on rotation to provide 24 hours support to rescue operations in the Channel.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to introduce a (a) visa exemption, (b) visa on arrival and (c) eVisa scheme for people from North Macedonia.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are no plans to introduce a visa exemption or visa on arrival for North Macedonians. The introduction of eVisas will help travellers prove their status at the UK border in a secure, timely and efficient manner. This introduction will not be country specific.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing a new Safety of Women at Night Fund.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The independent evaluation of the Safety of Women at Night (SWaN) Fund, worth £5 million and delivered over the 2021/22 financial year, was published on 10 April.
Learnings from the SWaN Fund were incorporated into rounds Four and Five of the Safer Streets Fund, worth £50m and £35m respectively, which included a primary objective around combatting violence against women and girls in public spaces, and have funded a range of interventions including CCTV, streetlighting and educational initiatives with a focus on changing attitudes and behaviours. Round five is currently ongoing.