Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 26 February (HL14639), how many fixed penalty notices have been issued to cyclists and scooter riders for (1) jumping red lights, and (2) riding on pavements, in England in the past 12 months; and whether they have plans to introduce legislation to reduce those practices.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect or hold specific data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists or scooter riders.
The Home Office’s annual publication Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing - the most recent edition of which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023 - provides statistics on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, all of which apply exclusively to motor-vehicle drivers. Cyclists are therefore excluded from the scope of the published figures.
It is an offence for a cyclist to jump a red light and to cycle on a pavement, and the Government is determined to go further to make our streets safer for pedestrians by introducing new cycling offences through the Crime and Policing Bill, which will tackle instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cyclists, ensuring parity of enforcement powers against dangerous behaviour on our roads, for all road users.
The Crime and Policing Bill will also give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consider issuing on the spot fines for (1) cyclists and motorists jumping red lights, (2) cyclists riding in pedestrian-only areas of public parks, and (3) cyclists and scooter riders riding on public pavements.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The police can issue on-the-spot fines (which are formally referred to as fixed penalty notices) for a range of cycling and motoring offences. Decisions on when to issue fixed penalty notices are an operational matter for the police, using their professional judgement.
In addition to issuing fixed penalty notices on-the-spot, police may also issue motorists with three points on their driving licence for failure to comply with traffic signs.
Cycling in pedestrian-only areas of public parks may constitute an offence under local byelaws or Public Space Protection Orders resulting in a fixed penalty notice, which can be issued on-the-spot. In some circumstances, cycling on a footway is also prohibited, unless the footway is designated for shared use, and the offence may result in an on-the-spot fixed penalty notice. Cycling on a pavement and riding a powered e-scooter on a pavement are also offences and may result in on the spot fines.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider Syria a 'safe' country for immigration purposes.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims from Syrian nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits. Each individual assessment is made by considering any relevant extant caselaw and the latest available country information. Country Policy and Information Notes (Syria: country policy and information notes - GOV.UK) outline conditions in Syria and provide guidance to asylum decision-makers.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the overthrow of President Assad, whether they have plans to return Syrian refugees to Syria.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
When a refugee applies for settlement protection, a safe return review is carried out to determine and confirm that the need for protection is continuing. This applies to nationals of any country, including those from Syria. If there are, for example, significant improvements in country conditions or changes in personal circumstances that mean someone no longer needs protection, they may be expected to return to their country of origin or to apply to stay in the UK under other provisions of the Immigration Rules.
All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. No one who is found to be at risk of persecution or serious harm will be expected to return to their country of origin if it is unsafe.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to stop begging which is organised by criminal gangs.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 10th June, the Government announced its intention to repeal the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824. The Government has been clear that no one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live.
We have introduced targeted replacement measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe, including a new criminal offence of facilitating begging for gain, an offence which was previously provided for under the 1824 Act.
This is intended to address organised begging, which is often facilitated by criminal gangs, and exploits vulnerable individuals.
This offence makes it unlawful for anyone to organise others to beg, for example, by driving people to places for them to beg. It will allow the police to tackle the organised crime gangs that use this exploitative technique to obtain cash for illicit activity.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 3 June (HL7863), what action has been taken by police and local authorities under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 against exhausts and silencers that have been deliberately modified or not kept in good working order.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.
In 2023, the latest year for which published data are available, excluding offences that were subsequently cancelled, there were 1,073 noise offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Of these, 973 resulted in a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 3 June (HL7863), how many times the police have taken action under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 in the past year; and how many stops, fines and arrests have been made as a result of excessive vehicle noise.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.
In 2023, the latest year for which published data are available, excluding offences that were subsequently cancelled, there were 1,073 noise offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Of these, 973 resulted in a fixed penalty notice.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reconsider banning pillion riders on mopeds, scooters and motorbikes, to prevent their use for violent theft.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows a 74% fall in robbery when comparing the year ending September 2023 with year ending March 2010. This is clearly good news.
We recognise the impact robbery can have on individuals and communities and we are committed to tackling and preventing this crime. We are not considering a ban on pillion riders on mopeds, scooters and motorbikes.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to (1) cap, or (2) curtail, multiple appeals from the same asylum seeker.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
There are no plans to change the rules regulating multiple appeals. An asylum seeker who has already appealed cannot appeal again unless they make further submissions which amount to a fresh claim. There will only be a fresh claim if the further submissions have not previously been considered and, taken together with the previously considered material, created a realistic prospect of success at appeal, even though the asylum claim is being refused. Where this test is not met, the further submissions are rejected and cannot be appealed.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 9 November (HL2942 and HL2943), what assessment they have made of reports that TLScontact in St Petersburg is no longer offering applicants the option of purchasing the 'Keep My Passport' service pending decisions on family visa applications.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Added Value Services, including the Keep My Passport service, are currently unavailable in Russia. Where applicants are required to keep their passport in their possession to evidence their right to reside in Russia whilst their Family Migration application is under consideration, they can inform the Visa Application Centre staff who will work with UKVI to consider this. Applicants can choose to withdraw their application should they wish to do so, but will not receive a refund.
Family members of British Nationals in Russia, who need to make an urgent visa application, can contact TLS via the link on their website for support.