(1 day, 5 hours ago)
Lords ChamberThere is plenty of time for both questions if noble Lords are quick.
My Lords, the Minister was talking about increased numbers of police. Are the Government supportive of neighbourhood policing?
(1 month ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, we will hear the noble Baroness, Lady Sanderson, next, and then my noble friend Lord McConnell.
My Lords, are the Government in discussion with the police about the use of Section 60 powers—which, I should say, were extended under a previous Government? The HMIC’s last report on stop and search, in 2021, found that of all the Section 60 searches done in the previous year, only 3.7% found a weapon. Do such low find rates justify the damage that Section 60 searches cause to community relations?
(2 months ago)
Lords ChamberIt should be the noble Lord, Lord Alton, next.
The Minister will have seen the letter that the Joint Committee on Human Rights has sent to his right honourable friend the Home Secretary about the plight and fate of those children who went missing from asylum accommodation, overseen by the Home Office at the time. What can he tell us about the numbers still involved, their plight or fate, and what more is being done to identify their whereabouts?
(3 months, 2 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, I will be brief. It is very gracious of the noble Baroness to apologise—
I think we need to look at the time and bring the Committee to a conclusion fairly quickly. If the noble Lord would help us by not speaking to his amendment, then we can get on with that.
On the basis of being as collegiate and collaborative as the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment—before I have even spoken to it.
(4 months, 2 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, over the last year, the IOPC has made a range of recommendations to the police about things such as strip-searching children and suspicionless stop and search. All the recommendations have been accepted by the police. Who is responsible for making sure that the recommendations that were accepted will be implemented? Will the Government publish the information so that we can all be sure that when recommendations are accepted, they are carried out in practice? As the Minister will know, this is not always the case. A lot of recommendations are accepted and then totally ignored.
(4 months, 3 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberWe will hear next from the noble Lord, Lord Paddick, please.
My Lords, I declare my interest as set out in the register and apologise for not doing so the last time I spoke. The current Metropolitan Police Commissioner says that the force has survived over the last decade or so only by selling property and running down reserves, of which there are next to nothing left. What is the Government's response to what he has said?
(5 months, 3 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberCome on, it is Labour’s turn. We have not had a question.
My Lords, I think my noble friend would agree that the role of a probation officer is complex and requires a high level of skill. He has talked about recruitment. Can he share with the House a bit more about how that recruitment process is being conducted, where the search is going on and what the minimum requirements are for people who might apply for it?
(6 months, 1 week ago)
Lords ChamberWe have plenty of time. We will have the noble Baroness first and then the noble Lord.
My Lords, the previous Government issued EU settlement scheme status to people yet later denied that they had any rights under the withdrawal agreement. Will my noble friend the Minister provide an assurance today that the Government will ensure that everyone with status under the EU settlement scheme is a beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement?
(6 months, 4 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberI thank the noble Lord. I ask the Minister, in all seriousness, whether anybody in the Government has talked to the French authorities about the conditions that many of those migrants are living in just across the sea. Anyone in this House would realise that, if they are living in those kinds of conditions and they know what is going to happen in terms of their living conditions if they manage to get to the United Kingdom, that is a huge pull factor. Surely the French Government have to take into consideration the human rights of those migrants, as we do in this country.
(6 months, 4 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, both noble Lords can get in; we have plenty of time. Shall we take the noble Baroness’s question first?
My Lords, following the publication of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in October 2022 and the government response a year later, the Government issued a consultation on mandatory reporting by professionals working with children when they suspect possible abuse. The result of that consultation has still not been published a year on. One of the best ways of ensuring that there are no malicious allegations against senior politicians is to see that result and for a government response. When do this Government plan to implement the recommendations of the IICSA report?