Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with Apple Inc. on the continuing provision of its advanced data protection system in the UK.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not comment on operational matters, including for example confirming or denying the existence of any notices. This has been the longstanding position of successive UK Governments for reasons of national security.
The UK has a longstanding position of protecting people’s privacy whilst also ensuring action can be taken against child sexual abusers and terrorists.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the call for evidence relating to potential regulations under the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill 2023.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which gained Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes. The Act also provides a power for the Secretary of State to extend requirements to other equipment designed for use in agricultural or commercial activities, via secondary legislation.
A call for evidence was published last summer, seeking views on the details needed for the secondary legislation, targeted at those who may be affected by proposals, including the agricultural and construction sectors, manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement.
Over 200 responses to the call for evidence were received, and we have further engaged with manufacturers and retailers to discuss responses in detail. I am carefully considering responses before publishing the Government response.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy that police officers should not be able to strip and intimately search suspects of the opposite sex if the police officer self-identifies as the same gender as the person being searched.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
There are clear same-sex provisions set out in law in relation to the conduct of certain searches of persons by police officers.
It is not right, safe or respectful to detainees of either sex for officers to conduct such searches on the basis of gender self-identification. All strip and intimate searches must be carried out by an officer of the same sex as the person being searched.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has confirmed that it has withdrawn its guidance on searches by transgender officers and is conducting a thorough review.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will consult the Agricultural Engineers Association on the drafting of regulations under the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which gained Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes. The Act provides a power for the Secretary of State to extend these requirements to other equipment designed for use in agricultural or commercial activities, via secondary legislation.
The Government committed to consult prior to introducing secondary legislation, to assess the feasibility of including hand-held power tools and larger agricultural equipment within the secondary legislation, and to ensure that practical considerations for manufacturers and retailers are considered fully.
A Call for Evidence was published, seeking views on these detailed matters and specifically targeted at those who may be affected by the proposals should they become legislation, including manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement practitioners. The call for evidence closed on 13 July and the Government’s response will be published in due course.
The Home Office is continuing to engage with stakeholders on the development of this legislation. I met retailers and manufacturers of power tools on 29 January to understand their views and the potential implications of this legislation, including the Agricultural Engineers Association.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of average time it takes to register a death.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
No estimate has been made. The General Register Office is part of His Majesty's Passport Office and oversees civil registration in England and Wales
In England and Wales, the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 requires a qualified informant to register the death of an individual within 5 days of the death taking place.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to allow German School parties on short term visits to the UK to use identity cards as accepted travel documents at the UK border.
Answered by Kevin Foster
EEA identity cards are among the least secure documents seen at the UK border and are, as a rule, not as secure as corresponding national passports. They continue to dominate detection figures for document abuse at the border.
The Government is committed to strengthening the security of our border, so we phase out the use of EU, EEA and Swiss national identity cards as a valid travel document for entry to the UK.
From 1 October 2021, EU, EEA and Swiss nationals will require a passport to travel to the UK unless they have status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), are frontier workers, S2Healthcare Visitors or Service Providers from Switzerland. These groups will still be able to use national identity cards for travel until at least 31 December 2025.
Making an exception to this for German school parties would mean treating a particular group of EEA citizens whose rights are not enshrined in the withdrawal agreements more generously than other EEA citizens, and more generously than students from other countries.
We do not accept identity cards as a travel document from any other nationalities. This means we expect the millions of people who visit the UK from outside the EU (including the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) each year to hold a passport. We will now expect those visiting from EEA countries to do the same.
We have provided almost a year’s notice for this change to allow people to plan ahead and obtain a passport, if they need to, before they travel.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation owners surrendering MARS and lever release rifles are entitled to; and how long they will have to wait for payment.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Offensive Weapons Act surrender and compensation scheme was launched on 10 December and allows the owners of relevant firearms and offensive weapons to surrender these to the police, and to claim financial compensation if they wish to do so, before the scheme ends on 9 March 2021. Guidance for the public on what items qualify under the scheme, and the levels of compensation that we expect to pay for each item have been placed in the libraries of both Houses and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offensive-weapons-act-surrender-and-compensation-scheme.
Claims for financial compensation submitted to the police will be forwarded to the Home Office, where they will be processed as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received representations on differences in practice between police forces on firearms licensing and registration; and if she will implement (a) a national standard for that practice and (b) a database of all licensed firearms.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We know that there are some variations in practice between police forces in processing firearms licensing applications. This is why the Government intends to issue statutory guidance to the police on their firearms licensing functions. We consulted on draft guidance between 23 July and 17 September 2019 and we are considering the responses received, as well as discussing the details with interested parties. While the granting of firearm certificates is an operational matter for the police, they will be required to have regard to the statutory guidance when issued, which will ensure greater consistency in firearms licensing practice across all forces.
The National Firearms Licensing Management System is a central database which provides records of all firearm and shotgun certificate holders and registered firearms dealers who have been licensed by the police to hold firearms in accordance with the Firearms Act 1968.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on businesses of Government proposals for a mandatory quarantine period after air travel from overseas.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Our priority will always be to protect the public’s health, to contain the spread of the virus and prevent a second wave. We recognise these are extremely difficult conditions for businesses and the Government continues to support businesses through one of the most generous economic packages provided anywhere in the world.
It has always been understood the measures taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 will have a substantial impact on our economy, but these measures were essential to protect our NHS and save lives. The Home Office has continued to work closely with industry partners ahead of announcing new measures which are subject to regular review. This will ensure they are in line with the latest scientific evidence and remain effective and necessary.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when blue passports will be available to UK citizens who are renewing their passports.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since March 2020, blue and burgundy passports have been issued concurrently as part of the usual phased approach that ensures a smooth and safe approach to a new passport design. This transition continues, and currently passport applicants are unable to select the colour of the passport that they will receive. However, the vast majority of British passports being issued now are blue.