Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many items of property confiscated after an arrest have been (a) returned, (b) returned after six months, (c) returned after 12 months and (d) not returned by the Metropolitan Police Force once the investigation was completed in the last 12 months.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and associated Codes of Practice, property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and that the officer in charge of the investigation is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.
In police custody, the custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of any property taken from a detainee whilst the property remains at the police station.
As set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice, the detainee should be given the opportunity to check and sign the custody record to confirm that the record of items seized is correct. Forces should provide adequate storage and security for a detainee’s property.
Specific processes and responsibilities for returning seized property will depend on local force policies.
If necessary, a person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may apply to a magistrate’s court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.
The Home Office does not hold information on the handling of suspects’ property or any details regarding lost property recorded by the Metropolitan Police or any other police forces. This information may be held by the police force itself or by the PCC or PCC equivalent (such as the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in the Metropolitan Police area).
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many items of property which were confiscated after an arrest were recorded as lost by the Metropolitan Police in the last year.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and associated Codes of Practice, property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and that the officer in charge of the investigation is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.
In police custody, the custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of any property taken from a detainee whilst the property remains at the police station.
As set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice, the detainee should be given the opportunity to check and sign the custody record to confirm that the record of items seized is correct. Forces should provide adequate storage and security for a detainee’s property.
Specific processes and responsibilities for returning seized property will depend on local force policies.
If necessary, a person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may apply to a magistrate’s court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.
The Home Office does not hold information on the handling of suspects’ property or any details regarding lost property recorded by the Metropolitan Police or any other police forces. This information may be held by the police force itself or by the PCC or PCC equivalent (such as the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in the Metropolitan Police area).
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many items of unclaimed lost property were sold at auction by the Metropolitan Police Force in the last five years.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and associated Codes of Practice, property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and that the officer in charge of the investigation is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.
In police custody, the custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of any property taken from a detainee whilst the property remains at the police station.
As set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice, the detainee should be given the opportunity to check and sign the custody record to confirm that the record of items seized is correct. Forces should provide adequate storage and security for a detainee’s property.
Specific processes and responsibilities for returning seized property will depend on local force policies.
If necessary, a person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may apply to a magistrate’s court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.
The Home Office does not hold information on the handling of suspects’ property or any details regarding lost property recorded by the Metropolitan Police or any other police forces. This information may be held by the police force itself or by the PCC or PCC equivalent (such as the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in the Metropolitan Police area).
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of cases in which items of property confiscated by the police after an arrest are not returned to the owner after an investigation is closed.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and associated Codes of Practice, property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and that the officer in charge of the investigation is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.
In police custody, the custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of any property taken from a detainee whilst the property remains at the police station.
As set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice, the detainee should be given the opportunity to check and sign the custody record to confirm that the record of items seized is correct. Forces should provide adequate storage and security for a detainee’s property.
Specific processes and responsibilities for returning seized property will depend on local force policies.
If necessary, a person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may apply to a magistrate’s court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.
The Home Office does not hold information on the handling of suspects’ property or any details regarding lost property recorded by the Metropolitan Police or any other police forces. This information may be held by the police force itself or by the PCC or PCC equivalent (such as the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in the Metropolitan Police area).
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who is responsible for ensuring items of property confiscated after an arrest are returned to the original owner once an investigation is complete.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and associated Codes of Practice, property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and that the officer in charge of the investigation is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.
In police custody, the custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of any property taken from a detainee whilst the property remains at the police station.
As set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice, the detainee should be given the opportunity to check and sign the custody record to confirm that the record of items seized is correct. Forces should provide adequate storage and security for a detainee’s property.
Specific processes and responsibilities for returning seized property will depend on local force policies.
If necessary, a person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may apply to a magistrate’s court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.
The Home Office does not hold information on the handling of suspects’ property or any details regarding lost property recorded by the Metropolitan Police or any other police forces. This information may be held by the police force itself or by the PCC or PCC equivalent (such as the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in the Metropolitan Police area).
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was raised through the auction of unclaimed lost property by the Metropolitan Police in the last five years.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and associated Codes of Practice, property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and that the officer in charge of the investigation is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.
In police custody, the custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of any property taken from a detainee whilst the property remains at the police station.
As set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice, the detainee should be given the opportunity to check and sign the custody record to confirm that the record of items seized is correct. Forces should provide adequate storage and security for a detainee’s property.
Specific processes and responsibilities for returning seized property will depend on local force policies.
If necessary, a person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may apply to a magistrate’s court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.
The Home Office does not hold information on the handling of suspects’ property or any details regarding lost property recorded by the Metropolitan Police or any other police forces. This information may be held by the police force itself or by the PCC or PCC equivalent (such as the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in the Metropolitan Police area).
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum claims her Department has (a) granted and (b) refused to non-religious people fleeing Afghanistan from fear of persecution in the latest period for which data is available; and whether her Department has issued guidance on handling asylum claims for (a) religious and (b) non-religious persecution.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum claims by nationality can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. The Home Office does not publish initial decisions on asylum claims by religion.
Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to the year ending June 2024. Data for the year ending September 2024 will be published on 28 November 2024.
All asylum and human rights claims, including those based on religious persecution, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. This is based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national, and international organisations, such as human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country, is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken for applications for indefinite leave to remain to be processed following a successful asylum claim on the mental health of applicants.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
We have a proud record of providing protection to those who need it, for as long as it is needed, in accordance with our international obligations. Those who qualify for protection are normally granted five years’ limited leave and have access to the labour market and welfare support. Refugees, like the vast majority of migrants, are expected to complete a qualifying period of leave before being eligible to apply for settlement.
Settlement provides permission to stay in the UK permanently and freedom from immigration control for those who still require protection. As the need for protection may be temporary, a safe return review is carried out on every application for settlement on a protection route to determine and confirm the need is continuing. 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. Those who are still at risk of serious harm in their country are not expected to return there.
Our service standards for these Indefinite Leave to Remain applications is six months, and in cases where this is not possible, we contact our customers within that time to explain the reasons for this. Safeguarding, including where there are mental health issues, is an issue that we take extremely seriously and we will expedite applications if there are compelling and compassionate reasons to do so.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Government response to the Brook House Inquiry report, published on 19 March 2024, what progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations of that report.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The abuse that took place at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in 2017 was unacceptable.
The previous government published its response to the public inquiry into Brook House IRC on 19 March 2024, summarising the progress made since 2017 and addressing each of the ten key areas of concern raised in the report.
The new government is carefully considering the Inquiry’s recommendations and will set out its approach in due course.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will (a) collect and (b) publish data on (i) the protected characteristics of individuals in detention who have claimed asylum, (ii) where those individuals are detained and (iii) the period that those individuals have been detained for.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum seekers entering, in, and leaving detention in summary table Det_01 of the Immigration System Statistics data tables. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics.