Asked by: Lord Bishop of Manchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, and (2) the Public Order Act 2023, on the right to peaceful protest.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government published a report in December 2024 on how police forces had used their protest powers under the Police, Crime and Sentencing Act 2022 from June 2022 to March 2024. In that period,10 police forces used the amended Public Order Act powers on 473 protests with 95 percent by the Met and 277 arrests for breaches.
Expedited post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023 will begin in May 2025, assessing its enforcement and impact, including arrest numbers.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Manchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the police raid on a Quaker meeting house on 27 March for religious and democratic freedoms.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The use of police powers are a matter for the police, who are operationally independent of Government. The Metropolitan Police have issued a statement about the incident in question, which reads as follows:
“Youth Demand have stated an intention to 'shut down' London over the month of April using tactics including 'swarming' and road blocks. While we absolutely recognise the importance of the right to protest, we have a responsibility to intervene to prevent activity that crosses the line from protest into serious disruption and other criminality. On Thursday, 27 March officers raided a Youth Demand planning meeting at an address in Westminster where those in attendance were plotting their April action. Six people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Five of those arrested on Thursday have been released on bail and one will face no further action. A further five arrests for the same offence were made on Friday, 28 March. Four of the arrests were at addresses in London and one in Exeter. All five of those arrested on Friday have been released on bail.”
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Manchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the minimum income threshold for applications for a (1) spousal, and (2) family, visa.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
To help ensure we reach the right balance and have a solid evidence base for any change, the Home Secretary has announced her intention to commission the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules. The government will consider their recommendations before making any changes.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Manchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact of section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 on the operation of the UK’s modern slavery provisions (1) in prisons, and (2) across the wider population.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
“The Government assessed the Impact of Section 63 of the Nationality and Borders Bill (now Act) prior to Royal Assent and will continue to assess its impact going forward. The published Impact Assessments for the Nationality and Borders Bill, including the impact of Section 63, can be found here:
Equalities Impact Assessment: Nationality and Borders Bill: Equality Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Economic Impact Assessment: Impact Assessment (parliament.uk)”