Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing the current police widow(er)s’ pension regulations.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 2015 police pension scheme is the scheme currently open to serving police officers. This scheme provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. The introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme meant that all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme with such survivor benefits.
For officers who joined policing prior to 2006, the 1987 police pension scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner.
From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the additional funding provided to the police in the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, will have a consequential impact on the police allocation formula.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government has announced an additional £234m will be invested in police productivity over the next four years.
This funding will be used to pilot or roll out cutting-edge technology such as live facial recognition, automation and the use of drones as first responders. It will also set up a Centre for Police Productivity to support police forces’ use of data and deliver this technology, maximising productivity and the use of AI.
Funding will be distributed to specific programmes and we are working with policing partners to allocate this funding. This funding will help all forces to free-up police officer time and improve performance.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arrested for terrorism-related activity have been released under investigation in each year since 2014.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
| Year to Sept 2014 | Year to Sept 2015 | Year to Sept 2016 | Year to Sept 2017 | Year to Sept 2018 | Year to Sept 2019 | Year to Sept 2020 | Year to Sept 2021 | Year to Sept 2022 |
Charged | 119 | 171 | 182 | 171 | 154 | 114 | 87 | 90 | 76 |
Released without being charged | 140 | 175 | 141 | 273 | 145 | 128 | 104 | 83 | 85 |
Bailed to return & released under investigation | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 18 |
Prior to the June 2019 publication, those who were released under investigation were unable to be recorded separately and were recorded as 'released without charge'. From June 2019 the Home Office has published numbers on those bailed to return & released under investigation as one figure.
Data presented here are based on the latest position with each case as at the date of data provision from CTPHQ Coordination Centre (23 October 2023). Therefore individuals released under investigation may have their outcome updated over time, and the numbers change accordingly. More information regarding individuals arrested and charged for terrorist-related activity can be found in the Home Office’s Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 statistics release.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to complete its review of the police funding formula before the end of this Parliamentary session.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government is clear on the need to review the distribution of funding across forces in England and Wales, which is why we are undertaking a review of the formula. We have engaged closely with the policing sector on an evidence-based assessment of policing demand and the relative impact of local factors on forces, and this work remains ongoing.
Our priority is to deliver a robust, future-proofed funding formula that allocates funding in a fair and transparent manner. Although we are working to introduce new funding arrangements as soon as feasible, their quality and longevity is our focus.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of defining off road bikes as motor vehicles on levels of anti-social behaviour.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
All motorbikes are considered to be motor vehicles and there are no plans to change this.
The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB). We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.
We provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2024 to Question 11230 on Immigration: Personal Income, how many people on the current 10 year route to settlement will now have to meet a higher income threshold.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
People on the 10-year route to settlement do not need to meet an income threshold. Under Appendix FM, a partner, parent, or child can make an application for settlement on the basis of the five-year route where they meet the requirements of the rules, including where applicable the Minimum Income Requirement. Where those requirements are not met, but there are exceptional circumstances, then applicants may be granted permission to stay under the ten-year route to settlement.
Those on the ten-year route to settlement are able to switch back to re-commence the five-year route if they meet all of the requirements including, where relevant, the level of Minimum Income Requirement in place at the time they make their application.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps he has taken to (a) tackle off-road biking and (b) work with local authorities on this issue.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers to respond quickly and effectively to incidents of anti-social behaviour, including those that involve vehicles.
Last year we launched our Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, backed by £160 million of funding, which includes increased hotspot patrolling in areas experiencing high levels of anti-social behaviour.
How the police enforce off-road biking is an operational matter for the local chief officer, in conjunction with the Police and Crime Commissioner, based on local pressures and priorities.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce processing times for decisions on the naturalisation of children.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Secretary of State’s Home Department publishes data on the processing of applications for British citizenship on the Gov.uk website. This includes performance against the service standard for completing applications. The most recent Migration Transparency Data published in November 2023 shows that 99.9% of straightforward applications were decided within service standard.
The link to the latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q3-2023.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his Department's average processing time for reaching a decision on a naturalisation application was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Secretary of State’s Home Department publishes data on the processing of applications for British citizenship on the Gov.uk website. This includes performance against the service standard for completing applications. The most recent Migration Transparency Data published in November 2023 shows that 99.98% of straightforward applications were decided within service standard.
The link to the latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q3-2023.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the net migration measures announced in December 2023, whether changes to the minimum income thresholds will apply to people who are already on the 10 year route to settlement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The ten year route to settlement as a spouse is for those who cannot meet the core requirements of the family rules in Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules, but who have exceptional circumstances.
Those on the ten year route to settlement are able to switch back to the five year route to shorten their route to settlement, if they believe they are able to meet all of the core requirements. In such circumstances, applicants would be required to meet the new level of the Minimum Income Requirement in place at the time they make their application.