Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government from which rural organisations they received submissions in response to the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act call for evidence.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 18 May 2023, the Home Office launched an eight-week Call for Evidence, targeted at those who may be affected by the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, including manufacturers, dealers, retailers, forensic marking companies, trade associations, tradespeople, law enforcement practitioners and rural organisations.
We made use of a number of different means to encourage as many people as possible to make their views known. The total number of responses received was 218. There was no obligation on respondents to disclose if they were responding on behalf of an organisation, but we do know that the National Farmers’ Union submitted its views.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of rural policing, and what rural lobbying groups they have discussed rural policing with.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why we collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver the renewal of their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was published in November. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they are, including rural communities.
Furthermore, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve, and clearly demonstrate to the public that the police are dealing with local concerns. Every neighbourhood, including in rural areas, now has named and contactable officers, supporting more visible policing and greater public confidence.
I have met with Police and Crime Commissioners at their rural conference to discuss rural policing.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the Romanian government regarding preventing Romanian citizens from coming to the UK to beg.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK remains committed to maintaining constructive and respectful relations with Romania, and any future discussions on migration or related issues would be conducted in accordance with our shared values and international obligations.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the Metropolitan Police regarding the use of anti-gang legislation to investigate and prosecute those controlling Romanian beggars in London.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is the responsibility of law enforcement and statutory partners to work collaboratively to tackle the threat from all forms of Serious and Organised Crime (SOC), maximising the full range of legislative and disruption opportunities available. SOC is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and organised crime groups continue to diversify their tactics in order to exploit the vulnerable and perpetrate harm. The Government is committed to tackling SOC in all its forms and ensuring police have the capabilities they need to protect individuals and communities. We are delivering the Safer Streets mission to create a safer, fairer country for all and have increased funding for policing by more than half a billion pounds this year.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of organised Romanian beggars in London.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is the responsibility of law enforcement and statutory partners to work collaboratively to tackle the threat from all forms of Serious and Organised Crime (SOC), maximising the full range of legislative and disruption opportunities available. SOC is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and organised crime groups continue to diversify their tactics in order to exploit the vulnerable and perpetrate harm. The Government is committed to tackling SOC in all its forms and ensuring police have the capabilities they need to protect individuals and communities. We are delivering the Safer Streets mission to create a safer, fairer country for all and have increased funding for policing by more than half a billion pounds this year.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent arrests of activists from the Youth Demand group in a Quaker Meeting House, what assessment they have made of the proportionality of (1) legislation governing protests in England; and (2) the enforcement of such legislation by the police.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The enforcement of protest legislation is an operational matter for the police. It is within their discretion to determine whether a particular action warrants police involvement, based on their operational expertise and the specific circumstances of each case.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement a scheme similar to the EU entry/exit system for EU nationals travelling to the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK has introduced electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream, and improve the customer experience. The introduction of the ETA scheme is in line with the approach many of the UK’s international partners have already taken to border security, including the European Union’s forthcoming ETIAS and EES. The UK’s scheme was extended to eligible European nationals on 5 March 2025, and will be a requirement for this cohort for travel from 2 April 2025. In line with international partners, we are building upon our existing ability to track arrivals in and out of the country.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require travellers to the UK to hold passports that (1) have been issued within ten years of their departure date, and (2) are valid for more than three months after their departure date.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The current requirement for travellers, as set out in the Immigration Rules - Guidance - GOV.UK, is that a person must, on arrival in the United Kingdom or when seeking entry through the Channel Tunnel, produce on request by a Border Force Officer a valid national passport or, subject to eligibility, another document satisfactorily establishing their identity and nationality. The document must be valid for the duration of the proposed travel to the UK.
There are currently no plans to change these requirements.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement a scheme similar to the European travel information and authorisation system for travellers to the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK has introduced electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream, and improve the customer experience. The introduction of the ETA scheme is in line with the approach many of the UK’s international partners have already taken to border security, including the European Union’s forthcoming ETIAS and EES. The UK’s scheme was extended to eligible European nationals on 5 March 2025, and will be a requirement for this cohort for travel from 2 April 2025. In line with international partners, we are building upon our existing ability to track arrivals in and out of the country.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been resettled under the UK Resettlement Scheme in each of the past four years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Resettlement schemes play a key role in the global response to humanitarian crises: saving lives and offering stability to refugees most in need of protection. We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the global refugee agency, to identify those living in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities who would benefit most from resettlement to the UK. Our resettlement schemes are not selective on the basis of employability or integration potential. Apart from the criteria we set for each scheme, we do not seek to influence which cases are referred to us by UNHCR. Our approach is to resettle refugees in line with the global need identified by UNHCR, typically from countries hosting large populations of refugees such as those bordering countries with conflicts, where resettlement may be the only durable solution. This provides refugees with a safe and legal route to the UK.
Data on the number of people resettled through the UK Resettlement scheme is published in the quarterly immigration statistics release. This is viewable on gov.uk.
The table below shows the number of individuals resettled under UKRS. The data is relevant up to December 2024.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
UK Resettlement Scheme | 1,121 | 887 | 485 | 678 |
It is not possible to disclose staffing numbers relating to UKRS currently due to the operational nature of the scheme.