Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) political, and (2) campaigning, organisations have been (a) monitored, and (b) infiltrated, by police, or at the direction of police, since 1991.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Part 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act provides the police with the power to authorise surveillance and covert human intelligence sources where it is necessary for one of the statutory purposes (i.e. the prevention and detection of crime) and proportionate to what is sought to be achieved. The police are operationally independent of government and the exercise of those powers is therefore a matter for the individual forces concerned.
In 2015 the Home Office established the Undercover Policing Inquiry, to inquire into and report on undercover police operations conducted by English and Welsh police forces in England and Wales since 1968. The Inquiry’s investigations remain ongoing and it will publish a report of its conclusions in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) political, and (2) campaigning, organisations have been (a) monitored, and (b) infiltrated, by police, or at the direction of police, since 1991.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Part 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act provides the police with the power to authorise surveillance and covert human intelligence sources where it is necessary for one of the statutory purposes (i.e. the prevention and detection of crime) and proportionate to what is sought to be achieved. The police are operationally independent of government and the exercise of those powers is therefore a matter for the individual forces concerned.
In 2015 the Home Office established the Undercover Policing Inquiry, to inquire into and report on undercover police operations conducted by English and Welsh police forces in England and Wales since 1968. The Inquiry’s investigations remain ongoing and it will publish a report of its conclusions in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organisations and individuals have been identified as engaging in Left, Anarchist, and Single-Issue Terrorism.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government does not comment on the specifics of intelligence matters.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what risk assessment has been conducted on the requirement of the Home Office for asylum seekers to report in person.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Immigration Enforcement recommenced face to face reporting in July and August for limited priority cohorts. We have implemented Safe Systems of Working (SSOW) and Risk Assessments in all our Reporting Centres. We have put in place robust social distancing measures, health screening questions as you enter, face masks offered to those without, one-way systems and sanitiser stations throughout our public areas.
We continue to review our current reporting arrangements in line with any new local and national COVID restrictions that are put in place. Before inviting individuals into reporting, case owners will assess cases based on the persons harm they pose to the public, their vulnerability and personal circumstances. We continue to keep in contact with the overall reporting population by telephone to update individuals on the current reporting position.
An SMS text or email/letter is sent to those required to recommence reporting detailing the date and time they should report along with relevant advice on COVID. We have also updated the reporting pages of GOV.UK for those who report and their representatives. This information includes travelling safely on public transport avoiding busy transport hubs, revised opening times to avoid travel at peak times, advice on reporting alone where possible and what to do if those reporting have symptoms or are shielding.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the current Tier 5 Visa arrangements for non-EU citizens to be engaged as volunteers by registered sponsoring organisations for periods of up to a year will be extended to include EU citizens; and if not, what plans they have to put in place alternative arrangements to enable non-EU and EU citizens to volunteer in social care settings in the UK after 31 December.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The current Tier 5 charity visa enables people from outside the EU to come to the UK to undertake unpaid charity work. Migrants on this route are also permitted to undertake a second job in the same sector at the same level as their main job for up to 20 hours per week. These arrangements will be extended to EEA citizens as part of the future points-based migration system.
We very much value the role many who have come to this country play in our healthcare sector, but we will not be introducing a general route for employers to seek cheaper labour from abroad, be those employees or volunteers.
The Migration Advisory Committee is clear that a solution to recruitment issues in social care cannot just be solved via the UK’s immigration system. Employers need to invest in technology, innovation and their existing workforce, focusing on making jobs more attractive for UK workers, not just looking to the migration system.
The Government is supporting the care sector in different ways, including through additional funding and launching a national recruitment campaign.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they use the term "aggravated activism" in government documents relating to policing and public order; and if so, what is their definition of that term.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government does not use the terminology of "aggravated activism" in relation to public order.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications have had with (1) the police, and (2) third-sector organisations, about preventative, non-criminal justice approaches to reducing knife crime.
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 determined to tackle the scourge of knife crime and other serious violence, which is having a devastating effect on too many victims, families and communities. We are providing the police with the resources and powers they need, including recruiting an extra 20,000 officers over the next three years. Through regular dialogue with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and direct with forces themselves, we will continue to support the police and a wide range of other partners about the challenges they face in tackling serious violence.
The Serious Violence Strategy, published in April 2018, put a new emphasis on prevention and early intervention alongside continuing, robust enforcement. We have also worked with voluntary sector organisations via continuous discussions and visits to support delivery under a number of funding streams. These include the Government’s anti-knife crime Community Fund, where we have supported 175 projects in local communities delivered by voluntary sector agencies to tackle knife crime in the three years since 2017/18. They also include the 40 projects under the £22 million Early Intervention Youth Fund, working with children and young people across England and Wales, which have been delivered by the third sector in some areas and local authorities in others and are supported by Police and Crime Commissioners. In addition, we are providing £200m over the next 10 years through a Youth Endowment Fund to focus on those most at risk of youth violence including those displaying signs such as truancy, aggression and involvement in anti-social behaviour in order to steer them away from becoming serious offenders.
We have also invested £35 million from the £100 million Serious Violence Fund in Violence Reduction Units as a key component of our action to tackle the root causes of serious violence. Violence Reduction Units are non-statutory partnerships which offer leadership and strategic coordination of the local response to serious violence by bringing together police, local government, health and education professionals, community leaders and other key partners to identify the drivers of serious violence and agree a multi-agency response.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether government departments or agencies use the term “domestic extremism” in any capacity; and, if so, what assessment they have made of its (1) accuracy, and (2) validity, as a concept for policy and decision making.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We do not use the term “domestic extremism”. Government departments use the definition of extremism set out in the Counter-Extremism Strategy published in October 2015 (CM9148).
The strategy defines extremism as: ‘the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also regard calls for the death of members of our armed forces as extremist.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to train police officers to use de-escalation techniques to reduce the number of incidents involving tasers; and what assessment they have made of the proportion of incidents involving the use of tasers where the target is (1) a member of an ethnic minority, or (2) a person with a mental health condition or learning disability.
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 committed to giving the police the necessary tools to do their job effectively and conducted energy devices (CEDs), such as TASER®, provide officers with an important tactical option when facing potentially physically violent situations.
The deployment of CEDs is a matter for Chief Officers to determine and it is for them to determine the number of devices and specially trained officers based on their force assessment of threat and risk
The training of police officers is independent of Government and it is the College of Policing who sets the professional standards for policing. However, all officers receive comprehensive training in deescalation techniques as well as training to assess the potential vulnerabilities of a person including awareness of mental health issues.
The Government is clear that nobody should be subject to force or different treatment based on their race or ethnicity, and police forces must ensure that officers use force in a way that is fair, lawful and proportionate.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring transparency and accountability around the police use of force, which is why from December 2018 the Home Office began publishing use of force statistics as part of the Annual Data Review (ADR). This will be published on an annual basis.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to requiring all police officers in England and Wales carrying tasers to be equipped with Body Worn Video devices in order to reduce the number of incidents where tasers are used.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government recognises that Body Worn Video (BWV) can be a powerful tool and can play an important role in reassuring the public that the police are using their powers appropriately and proportionately. How a force deploys BWV is an operational matter for PCC’s and Chief Constables to determine.
We are committed to giving the police the necessary tools to do their job and Tasers provide officers with an important tactical option when facing potentially physically violent situations. However, the Government is clear that all use of force must be lawful, proportionate and necessary in all circumstances.
As at January 2019, 66,000 BWV cameras have been deployed across po-lice forces in England and Wales. All 43 forces are due to complete their deployment plans to increase their BWV capability by the end of 2019, which will take the number of cameras to approximately 80,000.