Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of irregular migrants who have entered the United Kingdom through the land border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Journeys from Ireland to the UK are within the Common Travel Area (CTA). As part of the CTA arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls of individuals arriving in the UK by air or sea from within the CTA, and no immigration checks are undertaken at the land border with Ireland.
The UK does however operate intelligence-led operational activity on CTA routes - away from the land border. This is to detect those who intend to abuse CTA arrangements. Operational activity must be targeted and supported by specific intelligence of CTA abuse.
There is a high level of cooperation on migration and border security between all members of the CTA (UK, Ireland, and the Crown Dependencies) to identify and tackle migration trends as they emerge.
Everyone entering the UK, regardless of where they enter from, is required to meet UK's immigration requirements. Anyone identified attempting to circumvent UK border controls is liable to be detained and, if they are not lawfully present within the UK, removed.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Portugal about allowing UK passport holders to use e-gates at Portuguese airports.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We have secured confirmation that there will be no legal barriers to eGates use for UK nationals travelling to and from EU Member States after the introduction of the EU's Entry/Exit System.
But the Prime Minister has been clear that we believe European countries should go further and faster now.
We are therefore working with individual Member States at pace to make that transition happen as soon as possible. This includes discussions with Portugal.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are holding with (1) the Irish Football Association, and (2) UEFA, to ensure that Belarusian players are granted visas to enable them to play against Northern Ireland at the National Stadium in Belfast.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
HMG continue to engage with the Irish Football Authority (IFA) through the normal channels and as required.
Where a member of the Belarusian National Football team requires a visa to enter the UK they will be required to submit an online application, pay a fee and then submit their biometrics at a UKVI Visa Application Centre as is the standard approach for all UK visa customers.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers entered Northern Ireland from Great Britain in (1) 2020, (2) 2021, (3) 2022, (4) 2023, and (5) 2024.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Home Office does not publish data on the number of asylum seekers that have entered Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
The Home Office does publish data on asylum seekers in receipt of support as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ on gov.uk. As at 31 December 2023, there were 2,839 people in receipt of asylum support in Northern Ireland. Please note that asylum seekers are accommodated in Northern Ireland only if they apply for asylum there.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they received legal advice from the Attorney General prior to the Illegal Migration Act 2023 receiving Royal Assent which indicated that parts of the legislation would not apply in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Government receives legal advice as appropriate, on all matters related to the passage of new legislation, as part of advice from officials.
Any legal advice received is subject to legal professional privilege and, as such, the Home Office does not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the article by Dr Gareth Clay Spreading like wildfire: the need for a UK Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS), published by the University of Manchester on 26 June; and what plans they have to introduce such a system.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Home Office works across Government with a wide range of stakeholders including the National Fire Chiefs Council, England and Wales Wildfire Forum and other Departments and Agencies including DEFRA and the Met Office to promote planning and prevention for wildfire incidents in England.
The government is aware of the work to which you refer [“Toward a UK Fire Danger Rating System”]. The government would welcome seeing the full outputs from the research in due course which will help inform any future plans.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) police officers in England and Wales, (2) police officers in Scotland, and (3) Police Service of Northern Ireland officers who had completed five full calendar years of service on 6 May, or who participate in Armed Service Coronation events during the course of 2023, will receive a Coronation Medal.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The King’s Coronation Medal will be awarded to all emergency services personnel in the UK who have been in paid service, in a retained or voluntary capacity, dealing with emergencies as part of their conditions of services and have completed five full calendar years of service on 6 May 2023. Individuals who have actively contributed to the official Coronation events in Westminster Abbey and processions, and other officially recognised ceremonial Coronation events will also be awarded with the medal.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) Metropolitan Police officers were diverted from their other duties, and (2) police staff hours were expended, due to policing the Insulate Britain protest in Westminster on 3 November.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) confirmed that there were 59 arrests made in connection to the protest by Insulate Britain at Parliament Square on 4 November.
Figures are not currently available relating to number of officers diverted, police hours expended, or total cost of that protest. However, MPS has stated that the cost of policing Insulate Britain protests between the 13 September and the 10 October totalled £1,961,616.44. The breakdown of these costs are; opportunity costs of £1,721,700.31, fleet costs of £22,020.90 and overtime amounting to £217,895.23.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government the total cost of policing the Insulate Britain protest in Westminster on 3 November.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) confirmed that there were 59 arrests made in connection to the protest by Insulate Britain at Parliament Square on 4 November.
Figures are not currently available relating to number of officers diverted, police hours expended, or total cost of that protest. However, MPS has stated that the cost of policing Insulate Britain protests between the 13 September and the 10 October totalled £1,961,616.44. The breakdown of these costs are; opportunity costs of £1,721,700.31, fleet costs of £22,020.90 and overtime amounting to £217,895.23.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) Metropolitan Police officers were injured, and (2) protesters were arrested, during the Insulate Britain protest in Westminster on 3 November.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
There were no reports of injuries to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers who responded to the protest by Insulate Britain on Thursday 4 November, which took place on Parliament Square in Westminster. MPS confirmed that there were 59 arrests made in connection to the protest.
The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. However, this does not extend to unlawful behaviour. Should a protest contravene the law, the police have comprehensive powers to deal with activities that spread hate or deliberately raise tensions through violence or public disorder. The use of these powers and the management of demonstrations are an operational matter for the police.
Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Government is introducing new measures which will allow the police to take a more proactive approach in managing highly disruptive protests.