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Written Question
Undocumented Migrants: Northern Ireland
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they take to ascertain whether illegal migrants arriving and being registered in the Republic of Ireland are improperly entering the UK via Northern Ireland; and if so, what estimate they have made of the numbers reaching the UK by this route; and what arrangements, if any, are in place to effect their return.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

There is a high level of cooperation on border security between the UK and Irish Government to ensure we are taking all the necessary measures to protect and secure Common Travel Area (CTA) routes, including between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The UK carries out intelligence led operations to target potential abuse of CTA routes including between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Anyone identified attempting to circumvent UK border controls is liable to be removed if they are not lawfully present in the UK.


Written Question
Jamie Bryson
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to launching an independent review into the investigation, expenditure and private prosecution of Mr Jamie Bryson in the light of the ruling by District Judge Amanda Brady to terminate the case.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As the regulator of the private security industry, the Security Industry Authority (‘the Authority’) can bring private prosecutions for criminal offences contained within the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (‘the Act’). Section 22 of the Act makes it an offence for anyone knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement to the Authority, in connection with the exercise of its functions.

Concerning the prosecution of Mr Jamie Bryson, the invoices received for the proceedings from 2019 to date (encompassing both the prosecution, and also responding to judicial review proceedings) total £106,992.00.

The final costs incurred cannot be updated at this time, as not all legal invoices have yet been received by the SIA for payment. The costs will be incorporated within the SIA’s existing budget. This is funded from licence fees, and not from funding allocated by the Treasury.

As legal proceedings continue, the Government cannot provide further comment, or the additional information sought within question HL1692.


Written Question
Jamie Bryson
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total cost to the taxpayer of the failed prosecution against Mr Jamie Bryson on charges of making a false statement to the Security Industry Authority in 2018, including Magistrates court proceedings and all Judicial Review proceedings.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As the regulator of the private security industry, the Security Industry Authority (‘the Authority’) can bring private prosecutions for criminal offences contained within the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (‘the Act’). Section 22 of the Act makes it an offence for anyone knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement to the Authority, in connection with the exercise of its functions.

Concerning the prosecution of Mr Jamie Bryson, the invoices received for the proceedings from 2019 to date (encompassing both the prosecution, and also responding to judicial review proceedings) total £106,992.00.

The final costs incurred cannot be updated at this time, as not all legal invoices have yet been received by the SIA for payment. The costs will be incorporated within the SIA’s existing budget. This is funded from licence fees, and not from funding allocated by the Treasury.

As legal proceedings continue, the Government cannot provide further comment, or the additional information sought within question HL1692.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many migrants arrived improperly in the UK from otherwise safe countries in each of the past five years; and why they keep no electronically accessible records of which countries those migrants previously resided in or were registered in.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ statistics release, available on gov.uk. Data on irregular arrivals by method of entry is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of September 2023.

Information on the country asylum seekers were previously residing in before coming to the UK can be collected in case notes at different stages of the asylum process, so is not collected in a reportable manner.


Written Question
College of Policing
Wednesday 24th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any plans for an independent review of the College of Policing.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

An independent review of the College of Policing will take place in 2024/25 as part of the Public Bodies Review programme.


Written Question
Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: Northern Ireland Protocol
Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on the continuing application of the provisions in Article 2 of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (Rights of individuals).

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way it does in the rest of the UK. This is also set out on the face of the Bill reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter.

There is nothing in the Windsor Framework that affects that. The rights chapter of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement does not affect any clause within the Bill in any way.


Written Question
Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU): Northern Ireland
Friday 12th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on the operation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights as given effect by Article 2 of the Protocol and the Windsor Framework.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government takes its legal obligations seriously, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill complies with those obligations.

The Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way as it does in the rest of the United Kingdom. This is explicit on the face of the Bill and will always be the case, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter.


Written Question
Immigration: Northern Ireland
Friday 12th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill ensures that Northern Ireland has the same immigration rules as the rest of the UK.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government takes its legal obligations seriously, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill complies with those obligations.

The Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way as it does in the rest of the United Kingdom. This is explicit on the face of the Bill and will always be the case, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter.


Written Question
Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU): Northern Ireland
Friday 12th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill for the operation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government takes its legal obligations seriously, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill complies with those obligations.

The Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way as it does in the rest of the United Kingdom. This is explicit on the face of the Bill and will always be the case, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter.


Written Question
National Policing Board
Tuesday 19th September 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appointment of independent members to the National Policing Board and the current compliance of that process with the law.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The standing membership of the National Policing Board comprises senior policing leaders along with the relevant ministers and government officials.

On an annual basis, policing leaders in Northern Ireland and Scotland are also invited. The Board’s Terms of Reference provide a full list of members and are published on gov.uk.

These also provide the flexibility to invite additional representatives and specialists where the agreed programme of work requires it. Minutes of the National Policing Board are published on gov.uk and list all the members and special invitees in attendance.