Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to award greater powers and responsibilities to Police and Crime Commissioners, including powers which would grant them authority within the criminal justice system.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
On 22 July, the Government announced a two-part review into the role of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). Part-one of the review, which is internal, is underway and focused on strengthening the accountability of PCCs in line with the Government’s manifesto commitment.
Part-two of the review will commence after the PCC elections in May 2021. It will focus on longer-term reforms to the governance model, including the role PCCs play in tackling reoffending to help reduce crime.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unaccompanied child asylum seekers have entered the UK this year; and whether they plan to make the National Transfer Scheme compulsory for all local authorities.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The number of unaccompanied children who make asylum claims is published in the quarterly immigration statistics. The latest statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2020/how-many-people-do-we-grant-asylum-or-protection-to
We are very grateful to local authorities who have pledged places to support the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) and we need more to come forward and do their bit for vulnerable children.
We recognise a need to achieve a more equitable distribution of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and have therefore worked with local government partners to develop proposals to further improve the scheme which we have recently consulted on. We are grateful to local authorities for their responses to that consultation which we are carefully considering in order to develop a more sustainable long-term future model for the NTS. The consultation also sought views on a potential mandatory approach should participation in the voluntary scheme not achieve a more proportionate distribution of UASC.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the transportation of illegal substances through county lines.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
This Government is determined to crack down on the county lines gangs who are exploiting our children and have a devastating impact on our communities.
That is why we are investing £25m to boost law enforcement efforts to put a stop to these ruthless gangs – this includes funding to tackle activity on the road and rail network, expand the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC), boost operational activity in the three major exporting force areas (the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, West Midlands), and increase support for victims.
We know that the transport network is used to facilitate county lines, and our £25m investment has enabled the British Transport Police (BTP) to establish a County Lines Taskforce which works with police forces and rail industry partners to deliver targeted activity on the rail network. This investment has also continued to improve availability and standardise the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data, allowing for further additional support to county lines investigations.
Our investment is already delivering results: as a result of the £5m we invested in 2019-2020, pilot forces and British Transport Police have closed nearly 140 deal lines, seized cash and drugs with a total value of over £3 million, and made over 100 weapons seizures between November 2019 and March 2020.
In addition, a recent county lines ‘week of intensification’ co-ordinated by NCLCC in September and involving all police forces, including BTP, resulted in over 1,000 arrests, drugs worth more than £1m seized and over 1,500 vulnerable individuals safeguarded.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the care and riding of thoroughbred racehorses will count as a skilled role and be recognised in future immigration arrangements, following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The precise way in which the Government will control migration to the UK following exit from the EU is yet to be determined.
In July 2017, the Government commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on the economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the European Union and also on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy. The MAC’s call for evidence sought information on EU migrants’ skills, amongst other things, and this will be considered in their final report due in September 2018.
We will build a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of all parts of the UK, taking account of the evidence from the MAC, and look to develop a system which works for all.