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.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to save England's chalk streams.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Cleaning up our waters, including iconic sites such as chalk streams is a top Government priority. That is why on 23 October 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of an independent commission to fundamentally transform how our water system works.

Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams, namely over abstraction, phosphorous pollution and physical modifications of habitats. Restoring our chalk streams to better ecological health is part of our overall programme of reforms for the water sector.

Alongside this, we are continuing to direct investment to projects that will improve chalk streams. Through the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), over 1000 improvement projects are planned within chalk stream catchments between 2024-2029.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their ability to assess and tax the funds raised by Romanian beggars through their begging activities.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Under current legislation, begging is not subject to Income Tax unless it can be demonstrated that an individual is being paid to provide a service, trade or profession.

HM Revenue and Customs continuously reviews and monitors risks and threats to the tax system using data and intelligence. This focusses on identifying omitted taxable income sources and does not target specific ethnic groups. HMRC does not collect data on taxpayer ethnicity.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total annual cost of providing legal aid to foreign nationals appealing a deportation order or contesting a criminal conviction.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Information on foreign national offenders contesting a criminal conviction is not centrally held.

Expenditure relating to deportation and removal appeals is published as part of the Legal Aid Agency’s Official Statistics as part of its ‘detailed civil data’ collection. Data for the last ten years can be found in the table below. Please note that due to the way information is recorded it is not possible to distinguish between costs relating to deportation matters (concerning foreign national offenders) and those relating to removal matters (e.g. individual’s whose asylum or immigration applications have been unsuccessful).

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.

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.

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.

Found: LORD SWIRE 102_ After Clause 36, insert the following new Clause— “Further provision as to biometric

Found: LORD SWIRE _ After Clause 36, insert the following new Clause— “Further provision as to biometric information

Found: LORD SWIRE ★_ After Clause 36, insert the following new Clause— “Further provision as to biometric