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Written Question
Hamas: Proscribed Organisations
Tuesday 19th October 2021

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to proscribe Hamas's political wing as a terrorist group following the UK's withdrawal from EU.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Government does not routinely comment on whether groups are, or are not, being considered for proscription. The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review.


Written Question
Racial Harassment: Internet
Monday 22nd February 2021

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the (1) investigation, and (2) prosecution, of online racist abuse by the (a) police, and  (b) Crown Prosecution Service.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

We have robust legislation in place to deal with internet trolls, cyber-stalking and harassment, and perpetrators of grossly offensive, obscene, or menacing behaviour.

We have published the Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper, which includes specific measures to work with private companies and ensure that they are held to account for tackling illegal activity and content, such as hate crime, harassment, and cyber-stalking, as well as activity and content which may not be illegal but is nonetheless highly damaging to individuals (legal but harmful). The Full Government Response will be followed by legislation, which we are working on at pace, and will be ready this year.

The Home Office also funds a Police Online Hate Crime Hub to improve the police response to victims of online hate crime.


Written Question
Shoplifting
Thursday 6th June 2019

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what different categories may shoplifting be recorded; and whether there are regional differences in that recording.

Answered by Nick Hurd

For all police forces in England and Wales, shoplifting is recorded under a single crime code according to the Home Office counting rules; the Theft Act 1968.

The Home Office holds information on all offences recorded by police, including the offence of Shoplifting, which is published by Police Force Area (PFA). Information on the number of shoplifting offences recorded in each financial year from April 2012 to December 2018 can be found in the Open Data tables, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

An impact assessment was carried out for the crime threshold of £200 on levels of crime, which can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252650/Annex_A_Overarching_IA_Lords.pdf

The Government recognises the cost and disruption that shoplifting can cause to businesses, as well as to communities and consumers. It is important that retailers continue to report incidents of shoplifting and violence to the police so that effective action can be taken against offenders.

The Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability co-chairs the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together Government, enforcement and key retail partners to identify and tackle the issues facing retailers in England and Wales. The Group’s key areas of focus include work to tackle shop theft and work to address violence and abuse toward retail staff.


Written Question
Crime
Thursday 6th June 2019

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has carried out an impact assessment of the crime threshold of £200 on levels of crime.

Answered by Nick Hurd

For all police forces in England and Wales, shoplifting is recorded under a single crime code according to the Home Office counting rules; the Theft Act 1968.

The Home Office holds information on all offences recorded by police, including the offence of Shoplifting, which is published by Police Force Area (PFA). Information on the number of shoplifting offences recorded in each financial year from April 2012 to December 2018 can be found in the Open Data tables, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

An impact assessment was carried out for the crime threshold of £200 on levels of crime, which can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252650/Annex_A_Overarching_IA_Lords.pdf

The Government recognises the cost and disruption that shoplifting can cause to businesses, as well as to communities and consumers. It is important that retailers continue to report incidents of shoplifting and violence to the police so that effective action can be taken against offenders.

The Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability co-chairs the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together Government, enforcement and key retail partners to identify and tackle the issues facing retailers in England and Wales. The Group’s key areas of focus include work to tackle shop theft and work to address violence and abuse toward retail staff.


Written Question
Shoplifting
Thursday 6th June 2019

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of changes in the level of shoplifting by region in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15, (d) 2015-16, (e) 2016-17, (f) 2017-18 and (g) 2018-19.

Answered by Nick Hurd

For all police forces in England and Wales, shoplifting is recorded under a single crime code according to the Home Office counting rules; the Theft Act 1968.

The Home Office holds information on all offences recorded by police, including the offence of Shoplifting, which is published by Police Force Area (PFA). Information on the number of shoplifting offences recorded in each financial year from April 2012 to December 2018 can be found in the Open Data tables, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

An impact assessment was carried out for the crime threshold of £200 on levels of crime, which can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252650/Annex_A_Overarching_IA_Lords.pdf

The Government recognises the cost and disruption that shoplifting can cause to businesses, as well as to communities and consumers. It is important that retailers continue to report incidents of shoplifting and violence to the police so that effective action can be taken against offenders.

The Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability co-chairs the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together Government, enforcement and key retail partners to identify and tackle the issues facing retailers in England and Wales. The Group’s key areas of focus include work to tackle shop theft and work to address violence and abuse toward retail staff.


Written Question
Road Traffic Offences: Fixed Penalties
Friday 8th February 2019

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of penalty notices issued in the last 12 months as a result of images taken by cameras across the country have been challenged by drivers on the grounds that (a) the vehicle was not theirs and (b) the registration number had been read incorrectly.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The Home Office does not hold this information. The enforcement of motoring offences is an operational matter for the police.


Written Question
Counter-terrorism: Finance
Monday 12th February 2018

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the 2017-18 Counter Terrorism Policing and Protective Security Grant budget has been allocated to (a) North West CTU, (b) North East CTU, (c) SE CTU, (d) WM CTU, (e) London (SO15), (f) South West CTIU, (g) Wales CTIU, (h) Eastern CTIU, (i) East Midlands CTIU, (j) Scotland CTIU and (k) Northern Ireland CTIU.

Answered by Ben Wallace

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the Hon Member for West Ham on the 27th June 2017, UIN 787.


Written Question
Firearms: Licencing
Thursday 8th February 2018

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotgun and (b) other firearms licences there were in England and Wales in each year from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The use of ‘shotgun and other firearms licenses’ within these questions has been interpreted to mean firearm and shotgun certificates issued by police forces in England and Wales under the Firearms Acts 1968-1997.

The Home Office publishes data on firearms and shotgun certificates as part of the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2016/17’ publication. This is available from the Home Office webpage on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624004/firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-march-2017-tables.ods

Table 1 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17. Table 3 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17.

Table 2 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Table 4 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.


Written Question
Firearms: Licencing
Thursday 8th February 2018

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotguns and (b) other firearms were covered by licenses in England and Wales in each year from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The use of ‘shotgun and other firearms licenses’ within these questions has been interpreted to mean firearm and shotgun certificates issued by police forces in England and Wales under the Firearms Acts 1968-1997.

The Home Office publishes data on firearms and shotgun certificates as part of the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2016/17’ publication. This is available from the Home Office webpage on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624004/firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-march-2017-tables.ods

Table 1 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17. Table 3 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17.

Table 2 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Table 4 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.


Written Question
Firearms: Licencing
Thursday 8th February 2018

Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotgun and (b) other firearms licenses there were in each police force area in England and Wales in each year from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

Answered by Nick Hurd

The use of ‘shotgun and other firearms licenses’ within these questions has been interpreted to mean firearm and shotgun certificates issued by police forces in England and Wales under the Firearms Acts 1968-1997.

The Home Office publishes data on firearms and shotgun certificates as part of the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2016/17’ publication. This is available from the Home Office webpage on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624004/firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-march-2017-tables.ods

Table 1 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17. Table 3 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17.

Table 2 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Table 4 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.