Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local police forces about privacy, security and sovereignty concerns in any contracts they may enter into with foreign technology firms.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office do not keep a central record of discussions with local police forces about contractual arrangements with technology firms.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of the use by the Metropolitan Police Service of limitation periods as a defence against legal claims from those who suffered sexual abuse as children by Metropolitan Police Service officers.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
While the Government is unable to comment on individual cases or ongoing legal proceedings, it is currently considering responses to a public consultation on a recommendation by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse that the limitation period should be removed for civil claims brought by victims and survivors of child sexual abuse; and that the burden of proof should be reversed in child sexual abuse civil cases so that an action can proceed unless the defendant can satisfy the court that it is not possible for a fair hearing to take place. A Government response will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many attempted or actual protests have taken place outside the Drax power station since the introduction of the Public Order Act 2023, how many people were arrested as a result of these protests, and how many protests were allowed to go ahead without arrests.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold information centrally on the number of attempted or actual protests, or resulting arrests, that have taken place outside the Drax power station. Information of this nature is held by the relevant police force and is not collected by the Home Office.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what steps they are taking ahead of White Ribbon Day to invest in the prevention of gender-based violence, particularly in work engaging men and boys.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has set out our ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, using every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.
Prevention and education are fundamental to our approach, and we will tackle the root causes of these crimes, including supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what steps they are taking ahead of White Ribbon Day to prioritise the prevention of gender-based violence.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has set out our ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, using every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.
Prevention and education are fundamental to our approach, and we will tackle the root causes of these crimes, including supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the the rules which prevent peaceful protest at the Drax power station.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The management of protests are matters for the police, who are operationally independent from Government. The Home Office cannot direct the operational activities of the police.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans have been successfully resettled in the UK under Pathways 1 and 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme, and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Referrals for the UKRS, Community Sponsorship, Mandate Resettlement and Pathway 2 of the ACRS are assessed and submitted by UNHCR. These assessments are based on people’s needs and vulnerabilities and the UK does not seek to influence which cases are referred by UNHCR.
A route for ACRS Pathway 1 Stage 2: Separated Families was opened on 30 July 2024. The window to submit an expression of interest will remain open until 30 October 2024.
Those who have been resettled in the UK under Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 1 and were evacuated during Operation Pitting without their immediate family members can submit an expression of interest under this pathway.
Further information is viewable at: Afghan citizens resettlement scheme: Separated Families Pathway - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The ARAP was launched on 1 April 2021 and remains open. The UK formally opened ACRS on 6 January 2022 and it remains operational.
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 30,100 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The data published within the immigration system statistics release Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter. The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows: 15,592 individuals under ARAP, 9,703 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 663 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 1, 207 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Afghan operational data is viewable on Gov.UK.
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 24 August 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Pathways 1 and 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are fully operational.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme, and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Referrals for the UKRS, Community Sponsorship, Mandate Resettlement and Pathway 2 of the ACRS are assessed and submitted by UNHCR. These assessments are based on people’s needs and vulnerabilities and the UK does not seek to influence which cases are referred by UNHCR.
A route for ACRS Pathway 1 Stage 2: Separated Families was opened on 30 July 2024. The window to submit an expression of interest will remain open until 30 October 2024.
Those who have been resettled in the UK under Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 1 and were evacuated during Operation Pitting without their immediate family members can submit an expression of interest under this pathway.
Further information is viewable at: Afghan citizens resettlement scheme: Separated Families Pathway - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The ARAP was launched on 1 April 2021 and remains open. The UK formally opened ACRS on 6 January 2022 and it remains operational.
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 30,100 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The data published within the immigration system statistics release Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter. The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows: 15,592 individuals under ARAP, 9,703 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 663 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 1, 207 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Afghan operational data is viewable on Gov.UK.
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 24 August 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Pathways 1 and 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are the only safe and legal routes to the United Kingdom for Afghans, including children still stranded in Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme, and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Referrals for the UKRS, Community Sponsorship, Mandate Resettlement and Pathway 2 of the ACRS are assessed and submitted by UNHCR. These assessments are based on people’s needs and vulnerabilities and the UK does not seek to influence which cases are referred by UNHCR.
A route for ACRS Pathway 1 Stage 2: Separated Families was opened on 30 July 2024. The window to submit an expression of interest will remain open until 30 October 2024.
Those who have been resettled in the UK under Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 1 and were evacuated during Operation Pitting without their immediate family members can submit an expression of interest under this pathway.
Further information is viewable at: Afghan citizens resettlement scheme: Separated Families Pathway - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The ARAP was launched on 1 April 2021 and remains open. The UK formally opened ACRS on 6 January 2022 and it remains operational.
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 30,100 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The data published within the immigration system statistics release Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter. The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows: 15,592 individuals under ARAP, 9,703 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 663 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 1, 207 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Afghan operational data is viewable on Gov.UK.
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 24 August 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 23 January (HL1524), under what circumstances (1) a human rights, social justice, or environmental activist, and (2) an individual expressing socialist views, crosses the threshold for Prevent referrals as ‘left wing extremist’; and whether such an individual needs to be planning, involved in or threatening acts of violence in order to be so considered.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Frontline professionals, when deciding whether to make a referral, should consider whether they believe the person they are concerned about may be on a pathway that could lead to terrorism. In determining whether a concern meets the threshold for referral to Prevent, it is important to consider the harm posed to the person, as well as whether accessing support through Prevent might stop potential wider societal harm committed by the person. A risk-based approach should always be followed, using professional judgement and curiosity. There is no single model of a person’s radicalisation journey or single profile of a radicalised person. There may be times when the precise ideological driver is not clear. Yet, like any safeguarding mechanism, it is far better to receive referrals which turn out not to be of concern than for someone who genuinely needs support to be missed.