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Written Question
Sanctions
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private investigators have been questioned by police over allegations of assisting Russia in the last 12 months; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle companies that assist (a) Russia and (b) other sanctioned countries.

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

The Home Office does not hold information on how many private investigators have been questioned by police over allegations of assisting Russia.

Departments across HMG including FCDO, HMT (through OFSI), DBT, DFT, HMRC, Home Office, and NCA, work together to ensure that UK companies are compliant with UK sanctions, including through guidance, engagement, civil enforcement and criminal prosecution.

The launch of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) by DBT will further enhance guidance and engagement with industry, as well as civil enforcement of trade sanctions.

Legislation is being enhanced to expand the powers to impose civil monetary penalties for breaches of both trade and transport sanctions measures.


Written Question
Personal Records: Non-fungible Tokens
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using non-fungible tokens in the issuing of (a) birth certificates and (b) marriage licences.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The General Register Office for England and Wales, (part of the Home Office) has made no assessment of the potential merits of using non-fungible tokens for any of its services.


Written Question
Terrorism: Non-fungible Tokens
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using Non-Fungible Tokens to tackle the financing of terrorist organisations through cryptocurrencies.

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

The UK’s Counter Terrorism (CT) legislation criminalises terrorism financing in all its forms. The Government keeps under review our legislative tools to ensure that we keep pace with evolving terrorist financing threats.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Act 2023, created new powers for law enforcement to seize, detain or freeze, and forfeit terrorist cryptoassets, alongside other forms of terrorist property. The ECCT Act is future-proofed to allow further technological advancements in digital currency to be captured under the new civil recovery powers.

The UK continues to engage with international partners to mitigate illicit and terrorist finance risks associated with cryptoassets including non-fungible tokens, and to share best practice for meeting international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). To ensure that terrorist organisations are unable to exploit blockchain technology, the UK has also, as of September 2023, implemented the FATF’s 'Travel Rule' which extends information sharing and retention for cryptoasset transfers to detect both illicit and terrorist financing.


Written Question
Agriculture: Ammonium Nitrate
Monday 11th September 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has made it compulsory for farmers to provide photographic ID when buying ammonium nitrate.

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

On 23rd January 2023, the Home Office laid the Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 to further tighten the controls in place for explosives precursors and poisons to prevent the illicit use of these substances. A full consultation – including with sectors affected by the proposed regulations – was undertaken before the regulations were laid. A summary of the consultation responses was published in Annex A of the impact assessment which was laid alongside the regulations: The Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

From 1st October, ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content will be a regulated explosives precursor under the Poisons Act 1972. Ammonium nitrate has a history of being used in improvised explosive devices in the UK and overseas.

Businesses and professional users, including farmers, will not require a licence to be able to buy or use ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content. However, the 2023 regulations require suppliers to take additional steps to verify the legitimacy of the professional user or business they are selling a regulated substance to. This is in order to prevent sales of potentially dangerous precursors to those seeking to use them for illicit purposes and to provide a further opportunity for businesses to identify any potentially suspicious transactions. There is evidence of individuals trying to obtain substances in the Poisons Act by passing themselves off as businesses and bypassing the regulations.

Before selling a regulated substance to a business customer, the person making the sale must obtain certain information about the business customer they are selling to. This includes requesting a form of photographic ID. Further guidance on this requirement can be found here: Supplying explosives precursors and poisons - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

These requirements apply to all businesses selling any regulated substance to another business.


Written Question
Agriculture: Ammonium Nitrate
Monday 11th September 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has made 16 per cent the concentration level above which it is compulsory for farmers to provide photographic ID when buying ammonium nitrate.

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

On 23rd January 2023, the Home Office laid the Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 to further tighten the controls in place for explosives precursors and poisons to prevent the illicit use of these substances. A full consultation – including with sectors affected by the proposed regulations – was undertaken before the regulations were laid. A summary of the consultation responses was published in Annex A of the impact assessment which was laid alongside the regulations: The Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

From 1st October, ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content will be a regulated explosives precursor under the Poisons Act 1972. Ammonium nitrate has a history of being used in improvised explosive devices in the UK and overseas.

The decision to regulate ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content represents a balance between ensuring that members of the general public are able to use ammonium nitrate-based products for legitimate purposes, while restricting access to higher-strength ammonium nitrate which has the potential to be misused. There is evidence of individuals trying to obtain substances in the Poisons Act by passing themselves off as businesses and bypassing the regulations.

Businesses and professional users, including farmers, will not require a licence to be able to buy or use ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content. However, the 2023 regulations require suppliers to take additional steps to verify the legitimacy of the professional user or business they are selling a regulated substance to.

Further guidance on selling regulated and reportable substances can be found here: Supplying explosives precursors and poisons - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)


Written Question
Home Office: Rwanda
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has (a) current and (b) former personal interests in Rwanda.

Answered by Suella Braverman

My registered interests are declared and published on the UK Parliament website: Register of Interests for Suella Braverman - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament.


Written Question
Health Services: Shrewsbury
Thursday 22nd June 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the the impact of housing of an increased number of asylum seekers in Shrewsbury on the local health economy.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The provision of healthcare for asylum-seekers is the statutory responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.

All asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival and hospitalised if required. Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities including, vaccinations, trained medical staff and a doctor for those on site.


Written Question
Asylum: Shrewsbury
Thursday 22nd June 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of arrangements for the housing of an increased number of asylum seekers in Shrewsbury.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers in our care is of paramount importance to us. Providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose. Providers are required to supply a standard inventory of items along with the accommodation.

In addition to the provider’s monthly inspections, ASC-A inspects properties on a targeted basis, as well as testing providers’ monthly performance against the contractual KPIs and conducting assurance reviews of aspects of performance.


Written Question
Asylum: Shrewsbury
Thursday 22nd June 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential occupational health impacts of the proposed increases in housing for asylum seekers in Shrewsbury.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The provision of healthcare for asylum-seekers is the statutory responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.

All asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival and hospitalised if required. Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities including, vaccinations, trained medical staff and a doctor for those on site.


Written Question
Fire Prevention: Equipment
Wednesday 26th April 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of equipment available to fight wild fires.

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

Each fire and rescue authority is required to identify and plan for the foreseeable risks in their area, including wildfires, in their Integrated Risk Management Plan. In doing so, fire and rescue authorities should ensure they have sufficient and adequate equipment available to respond to the risks they have identified.

As part of these plans, fire authorities are required to have regard to the views of other key local responders including agencies such as the Forestry Commission, Natural England and other land owners and emergency services.