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Written Question
Police: Elections
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Security Minister's role leading the Defending Democracy Taskforce, if he will take steps to appoint (a) a lead police force and (b) a lead officer in each police force for election security and electoral offences.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

The Defending Democracy Taskforce seeks to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from the threats of foreign interference working across government and with operational partners, including Counter Terrorism Policing as a standing Taskforce member.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has a national portfolio lead for policing of elections. This role is currently held by Assistant Commissioner Nik Adams of the City of London Police.

The National Police Operations Centre (NPoCC) are coordinating national planning for policing relating to the elections. This work is bringing together regional representatives from police forces to ensure efficient and effective national coordination for the preparation, planning and delivery of policing responses to elections in the UK.


Written Question
Artificial Intelligence: National Security
Wednesday 17th January 2024

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department (a) has taken on tackling risks from the integration of frontier AI into society since November 2023 and (b) is taking to help ensure the security of elections.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

The Home Office is working at pace to mitigate the risks and take advantage of the potential opportunities from Frontier AI, working closely with cross-cutting AI safety and risk teams in Whitehall. The department worked with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to ensure the PM’s AI Safety Summit was a success, including running side events on fraud and preventing child sexual exploitation. We continue to actively engage technology companies and ensure AI related concerns are worked through in policy areas.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce, led by the Security Minister, is also engaging across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved governments, local authorities, the private sector, and civil society on the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions. This includes close working with DSIT on the threats from AI enabled election interference and the development of mitigations. The Joint Election Security & Preparedness Unit (Joint Cabinet Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) is leading on mitigating election security risks.


Written Question
Passports: Applications
Friday 14th April 2023

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the efficiency of the passport renewal process.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

His Majesty’s Passport Office remains fully resourced following its significant increase of over 1200 staff between April 2021 and last summer. With the continued introduction of process improvements, HM Passport Office has processed more than two million applications across January and February, with over 99.5% of standard UK applications being processed within ten weeks and 95.5% being processed within three weeks.


Written Question
Fire and Rescue Services: Workplace Pensions
Monday 20th March 2023

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an estimate with Cabinet colleagues of the number and proportion of firefighters who have received compensation for firefighter pension arrears in accordance with the firefighter pension scheme immediate detriment framework as of 2 March 2023.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The firefighters’ pension scheme is locally administered by each of the separate employing fire and rescue authorities in England.

The Home Office does not have any role in the administration of firefighters’ pensions and does not hold data on the number of firefighters who have received their pensions paid under the terms of the immediate detriment framework.


Written Question
Manston Asylum Processing Centre
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to change how it uses the Manston Short-term Holding Facility.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office has no plans to change its usage of Manston as a processing centre for people arriving in the UK by small boat.


Written Question
Asylum: Norwich
Tuesday 6th December 2022

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether individuals who have transferred from the Manston processing centre to hotel accommodation in Norwich have all been through the initial stage of their asylum application process.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

All asylum seekers, including those who are moved from Manston and relocated to hotels throughout the UK, undergo identity and security checks.

We capture biometric data which is checked and compared against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases, including domestic and international data, so we can establish whether the person is a threat to public safety.

Everyone passing through Manston will have full border security checks completed before being moved. Where possible, asylum registration will also be carried out; however, asylum registration can happen after a person leaves Manston.


Written Question
Detention Centres: Manston
Tuesday 6th December 2022

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of security screening checks did the asylum seekers who were moved from Manston undertake prior to their re-location to hotels throughout the UK.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

All asylum seekers, including those who are moved from Manston and relocated to hotels throughout the UK, undergo identity and security checks.

We capture biometric data which is checked and compared against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases, including domestic and international data, so we can establish whether the person is a threat to public safety.

Everyone passing through Manston will have full border security checks completed before being moved. Where possible, asylum registration will also be carried out; however, asylum registration can happen after a person leaves Manston.


Written Question
Asylum: Norwich
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were moved from the Manston processing centre to hotel accommodation in Norwich in the period between 1 January 2022 and 25 November 2022.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The significant increase in dangerous journeys across the Channel is placing unprecedented strain on our asylum system and it has made it necessary to continue standing up hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers

We are committed to working closely with communities and stakeholders to ensure destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and functional accommodation. All appropriate options are being explored to ensure that suitable accommodation is secured as quickly as is necessary.

A breakdown of individual hotels, approvals, online and occupancy could only be provided at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Asylum: Employment
Tuesday 22nd November 2022

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing asylum seekers to work while their applications are being processed.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Asylum seekers are allowed to work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List.

Any further right to work could undermine legal routes and act as a pull factor to those seeking to come to the UK.


Written Question
Asylum: Hotels
Tuesday 22nd November 2022

Asked by: Chloe Smith (Conservative - Norwich North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides additional funding to local authorities where hotels have been block booked for an indeterminate period for the sole use of asylum seekers.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

ocal authorities are key partners in enabling us to procure sufficient accommodation to end the use of hotel contingency. The Full Dispersal model, announced on 13 April 2022, aims to reduce then end the use of hotels by allowing the Home Office to procure dispersal properties within the private rental sector in all local authority areas across England, Scotland and Wales, rather than the minority of local authorities which currently participate. This more equitable approach is supported by £21million of un-ringfenced grant funding to make sure eligible local authorities can provide wraparound support locally. Local authorities will also receive £3,500 for each new dispersal accommodation bed space in the 22/23 financial year.