Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to improve crime reporting in relation to national heritage, including through the development of a heritage crime marker to highlight protected sites and other cultural property in police call handling.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 48% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, this Government recognises the significant impact crimes affecting heritage sites can have.
The Home Office is working closely with Historic England to prevent and tackle theft from historic buildings, monuments and sites, and through the established, expert Stolen Goods Working Group, is collaborating with policing and other partners, to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime, including heritage crime.
The Home Office has encouraged the police, as part of their neighbourhood policing commitment, to work with communities to develop an understanding of the scale and extent of these crimes, whilst welcoming their commitment made last year to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry so more perpetrators can be bought to justice.
In addition, crime prevention advice is published by Secured By Design, the police security initiative, including advice on how to improve the security of buildings and their surroundings, here: Secured by Design - Secured by Design.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to combat the theft of stone from historic sites.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 48% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010; however, this Government recognises the significant impact crimes affecting heritage sites can have.
The Home Office is working closely with Historic England to prevent and tackle theft from historic buildings, monuments and sites, and through the established, expert Stolen Goods Working Group, is collaborating with policing and other partners, to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime, including heritage crime.
The Home Office has encouraged the police, as part of their neighbourhood policing commitment, to work with communities to develop an understanding of the scale and extent of these crimes, whilst welcoming their commitment made last year to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry so more perpetrators can be bought to justice.
In addition, crime prevention advice is published by Secured By Design, the police security initiative, including advice on how to improve the security of buildings and their surroundings, here: Secured by Design - Secured by Design.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 4 July (HL8644), what is the nature of the arrangement between the UK and France to which he referred regarding schools trips from France to the UK; and when this arrangement will come into operation.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
At the Leaders’ summit in Paris on 10 March 2023 the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France.
We are currently working through the details of implementation and more information will be provided in due course.
We would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 4 July (HL8644), what discussions they intend to have with other EU countries about the possibility of making arrangements for school trips from those countries to the UK.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
At the Leaders’ summit in Paris on 10 March 2023 the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France.
We are currently working through the details of implementation and more information will be provided in due course.
We would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 19 June when he stated that "it is open to other Governments to negotiate an arrangement of the kind we have now negotiated with the French Government" (HL Deb col 3), what steps they will take to make similar arrangements with other EU countries; whether such arrangements regarding school visits will be made with all EU countries; and what is the timescale for the concluding of those agreements.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The agreement we have is specific to France. Our deal with France has elevated our cooperation on illegal migration to unprecedented levels. We are also deepening our cooperation with European allies upstream and in our near-abroad to tackle illegal migration at every stage of the process.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Digital and Culture on 2 February (145005), with reference to the phrase "permanent short stay visa waiver for all current and future EU Member States", whether the term "permanent" was defined during the negotiations on the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The EU’s proposal on a visa waiver was set out in their draft agreement, published in March 2020. Article MOBI.4(1) contained commitments on the provision of reciprocal visa free travel for short stays:
“1. The Parties shall provide for reciprocal visa-free travel for citizens of the Union and citizens of the United Kingdom when travelling to the territory of the other party for short stays of a maximum duration as defined in the Parties’ domestic legislation, which shall be at least 90 days in any 180-day period.”
This text is available on the Commission website at:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/draft-text-agreement-new-partnership-united-kingdom_en
The commitment applies to ‘citizens of the Union’ and is not qualified by a date of expiry.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider implementing a secure QR code system for proof of settled status for EU citizens resident in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We continue to welcome feedback on how we can improve our services.
Home Office officials have met with the 3million group to discuss the use of a QR code system and are now considering the feasibility of the suggested approach.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Frost on 24 June (HL Deb, col 389), what are their reasons for considering that the music industry's proposal for a visa waiver arrangement is not "consistent with our requirement to retain discretion over our own immigration requirements".
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
UK citizens going to the EU for shorts stays and EU, EEA and Swiss citizens visiting the UK are already visa free. Musicians and performers can already undertake short-term touring without visas and permits in at least 17 Member States.
EU visa waiver agreements are also subject to the provisions of Article 6 (3) of REGULATION (EU) 2018/1806 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL which sets out an individual Member State may still decide to require a visa for short stays for people carrying out a paid activity during their stay.
The EU’s draft text for the TCA included a visa waiver agreement, which would have prohibited the parties from introducing visas on visitors from the other party unless those visitors were carrying out a paid activity (i.e. service supply or performance) during their short-stay visit. In the event they were carrying out a paid activity individual Member States could apply a visa requirement to this category of service suppliers. The ability of the UK to apply visas would have been restricted only to reciprocating by applying a visa requirement to the same category supplier for the individual member state.
The EU’s proposal would also have prevented the UK from introducing or maintaining visit visas on any future EU Member State, not just on existing ones. In effect handing to the European Union the ability to make a country a non-visa national for travel to the UK without the consent or approval of the UK.
The Government is now focusing on bilateral engagement with Member States to encourage them to more closely align with the UK's generous regime.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Permitted Paid Engagement visa will be extended to citizens in the European Economic Area after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
EEA and Swiss citizens will be able to come to the UK under the Permitted Paid Engagement visitor route in order to undertake certain paid engagements for up to a month.
We expect to treat EEA and Swiss citizens as non-visa nationals, meaning they will be able to enter the UK without the need for a visa in advance of travel if they are intending to visit. This includes the Permitted Paid Engagement visitor route.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the music sector to discuss the requirement, particularly for self-employed musicians, of a flexible and affordable mechanism allowing short-term visa-free work travel.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System has been designed with businesses and employers given huge consideration, including the music sector.
The Visitor route includes provision for professional artists entertainers and musicians to undertake paid engagements for up to a month. We expect to treat EEA and Swiss nationals as non-visa nationals, meaning they can undertake these engagements without needing to apply for a visa in advance of travel.
As non-visa nationals, EEA citizens will be in scope for the concession for temporary creative workers looking to remain in the UK for up to three months, without the need to apply for a visa in advance, provided they first secure a certificate of sponsorship. This is a popular and generous concession available only to non-visa nationals working in the creative industries.
We will continue to engage with the creative industries as we review the routes for creatives going forward.