Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent the illicit flow of surplus arms from the war in Ukraine into the UK.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK and our international partners condemn Russia’s assault on Ukraine, which is an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state, and a violation of international law.
This Government is committed to tackling the threat posed by trafficking and the misuse of illicit firearms. The UK has some of the toughest firearms controls in the world. To protect public safety, the Government keeps them under constant review to safeguard against abuse by criminals and terrorists.
The Government will monitor the situation in Ukraine, using intelligence to continuously assess the threat of surplus arms being trafficked into the UK.
To tackle the flow of illicit firearms being trafficked into the UK, Border Force and its partners ensure that we have the right intelligence, detection and enforcement capabilities at the border. Alongside this, the National Crime Agency and our international partners tackle the threat upstream by engaging with source and nexus countries.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ban shotgun licences for those living in urban areas.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
While the UK has some of the toughest firearms legislations in the world the Government has no plans to ban shotguns in rural or urban areas.
Following the tragic shootings in Plymouth on 12 August, the Home Secretary has, as a matter of urgency, written asking all police forces in England, Wales and Scotland to review their current firearms licensing processes set against the current Home Office guidance and legislation. This review will help to reassure people that all necessary checks have been made to keep them safe. In particular, all forces are asked to carry out a full review of all certificates that have been seized, refused, revoked or surrendered in the past twelve months, and subsequently approved by the police.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for International Development, Resettlement of White Helmets from Syria, published 22 July, whether there will be comprehensive background checks on those individuals before allowing them, or their family members, to settle in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We take the security of our resettlement process extremely seriously. When potential cases are submitted by the UNHCR for consideration, they are carefully screened and considered for suitability for entry to the UK. We take the utmost care to ensure that those people coming here undergo rigorous vetting. We retain the right to reject individuals on security, war crimes or other grounds.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered banning pillion riding on motorised vehicles to tackle the surge in moped and other related crimes.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is not considering a ban on pillion riding on motorised vehicles.
Reports of crimes involving motorcycles, mopeds and scooters are clearly a concern. That is why the Government has worked with the police, industry and other partners to develop a comprehensive action plan focusing on what more can be done to prevent offending and keep the public safe. The impact on the motorcycle community is a key consideration in our work to prevent these crimes. Indeed, we are keen to ensure that law abiding riders and passengers are not unnecessarily impacted.
This work sits alongside the consultation on police pursuits that the Government launched on 22 May which seeks to give police greater confidence to pursue suspects and will help tackle these crimes. The proposals include plans to make clear in law that a suspect is responsible for their own decision to drive dangerously and blame should not be attached to the pursuing officer.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to bring forward proposals to “ensure that foreign ownership of companies controlling important infrastructure does not undermine British security or essential services”, as outlined in the 2017 Conservative Party manifesto; and, if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Her Majesty the Queen, in her speech to Parliament, set out that the Government would "bring forward proposals to ensure that critical national infrastructure is protected to safeguard national security". The Government will bring forward these proposals in due course.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the abolition of control orders and Mohammed Emwazi's evasion of British security services and departure from the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.
Prosecution and conviction are always our preference for dealing with terrorists. Following the increase in the threat level last summer by the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and discussions with operational partners, the Prime Minister announced in another place (Commons Hansard, 1 September 2014, co.23-27) the Government’s intention to introduce several new measures to disrupt attempted travel for terrorism-related purposes and dealing decisively with terrorism suspects already here.
The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 received Royal Assent last month, providing the legislative basis for a suite of enhanced measures to tackle the threat posed to this country, including:
• providing the police with a power to seize a passport at the border temporarily, during which time they will be able to investigate the individual concerned.
• creating a Temporary Exclusion Order that can temporarily disrupt the return to the UK of a British citizen suspected of involvement in terrorist activity abroad.
• modifications to the existing TPIM regime, introducing the possibility for relocation and enhancing the safeguards around this power.
• improving law enforcement agencies’ ability to identify who is responsible for sending a communication on the internet or accessing an internet communications service.
• enhancing our border security for aviation, maritime and rail travel, with provisions relating to passenger data, ‘no fly’ lists, security and screening measures.
• creating a general duty on a range of organisations to prevent people being drawn into terrorism;
• putting Channel – the government’s voluntary programme for people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism – on a statutory basis.
These measures are designed to enhance the powers already available to the police and Security Service to keep this country safe.