Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on processing cases of irregular migrants who have been found to be involved in violent crime.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity. Under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of at least 12 months. A foreign national convicted of an offence that has caused serious harm, who is a persistent offender or who poses a threat to national security will also be considered for deportation where it is deemed to be conducive to the public good under the Immigration Act 1971. Guidance on the use of those powers can be found here: Deporting foreign nationals on conducive grounds: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Palestine refugee visa scheme on (a) social cohesion, (b) public services and (c) immigration levels; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the scheme is implemented in a way that balances (i) humanitarian responsibilities and (ii) the need to maintain community stability.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules and our suitability requirements. Consideration will be given to compelling, compassionate and exceptional circumstances raised and may be taken into account where certain requirements are not met.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to (a) recognise domestic abuse as a form of violence against women and girls, (b) prioritise funding for specialist services, (c) implement reforms to family courts recommended in the Ministry of Justice’s Harm Panel review and (d) take other steps to tackle such violence.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Domestic Abuse is a form of Violence Against Women and Girls and this Government is committed to tackling VAWG in all its forms.
Our new VAWG strategy will be published next year and will set out our continued recognition of the fundamental importance of specialist services. We will use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence.
On 20th September, we announced a package of measures to tackle VAWG. This included launching the Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts on 27th November to further strengthen protections for victims and introducing domestic abuse specialists into 999 control rooms from early 2025 as part of ‘Raneem’s Law’. On 3rd December, we also announced new measures to tackle stalking.
We are committed to responding to the Harm Panel’s recommendations and the Pathfinder pilot is central to reforming the family justice system. This entirely reformed court model is currently operating in Dorset, North Wales, Birmingham and South-East Wales and seeks to improve the experiences of children and families and reduce re-traumatisation through a more investigative and less adversarial approach.
Following the spending review announcements in October, the Home Office and other departments across Government are deciding how their departmental budgets are allocated to deliver the Government’s priorities in 2025/26. Phase 2 of the Spending Review will be mission-led, ensuring Departments work together to develop a shared strategy for delivering the Government’s priority areas for reform.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what happens to dogs held for research purposes by Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies once research has been completed.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides protections for animals in the UK that are used in scientific procedures.
For dogs used in science, the Home Office expects that every opportunity will be taken to re-home animals where it is appropriate to do so (advice note available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice).
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals are held by Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies for research; and what type of animals are held.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023 was published on the 11 September 2024.
The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken. Information regarding establishment type is not collected as part of the return of procedures data used as this is not an indicator of the type of procedures carried out, and often establishments could be categorised as more than one type.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Metropolitan Police on the policing of public demonstrations relating to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Secretary is in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police Service on a range of issues, including public order.
The management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police, who are independent from government.