Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who have claimed asylum since 20 July 2023 will be subject to the duty to remove imposed by the Illegal Migration Act.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Illegal Migration Act was introduced on 7th of March 2023 and received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. Individuals who entered or arrived illegally from 20 July 2023 will be subject to the duty to remove (section 2 of the Illegal Migration Act) once commenced.
Once the act is commenced, official numbers will be available.
Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, as well as quality and availability of data. The Government’s published data on illegal migration (available here: Statistics relating to Illegal Migration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).
The Government’s priority is to deter individuals from making dangerous, illegal, and unnecessary journeys to the UK.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress his Department has made on processing asylum applications for people who arrived in the UK between 7 March and 19 July 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
In 2023 we met the Prime Minister's pledge to clear the legacy backlog of asylum cases made before 28 June 2022. The Home Office is now prioritising claims (lodged on or after 28 June 2022).
These are being considered under provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. It is only right that we consider the oldest claims first.
Our priority is to consider claims as efficiently as possible, in order to process claims efficiently, and reduce the number of people on asylum support, in turn reducing the burden on taxpayers.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Qq 5 to 13 of the oral evidence given by his Department's Permanent Secretary to the Committee of Public Accounts on 15 April 2024, HC 639, when he plans to publish accounting officer advice relating to the (a) Illegal Migration Act 2023 and (b) Safety of Rwanda Bill.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
As the Permanent Secretary stated during the Public Accounts Committee evidence session on 15 April 2024, in his capacity as Accounting Officer (AO) he keeps all assessments under review, including where this relates to the Illegal Migration Act and the Safety of Rwanda Bill. In line with the guidance in Managing Public Money, the Department publishes summary AO assessments on projects that are part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio, once they receive Outline Business Case stage. The summary assessments referred to will be handled in line with due process.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on (a) how many occasions and (b) which dates (i) he and (ii) Ministers in his Department have visited Brook House Immigration Removal Centre since 9 September 2017.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
Brook House Immigration Removal Centre has been visited by four Home Office Ministers from 2018-24.
18 January 2018 – Immigration Minister
30 June 2022 – Lords Minister of State
28 August 2022 – Minister for Illegal Migration
5 February 2024 – Minister for Countering Illegal Migration
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are revising the Fire National Framework for England to embed the reforms set out in the Government Response to the White Paper. The Framework sets priorities and objectives for Fire and Rescue Authorities in England in connection with the discharge of their functions. We are engaging partners to shape our proposals and key themes.
We intend to launch a public consultation on the revisions later this year.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on (a) how many occasions and (b) what dates he has intervened in a fire and rescue authority under section 22 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 since 2010.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Fire policy transferred from the Department for Communities and Local Government to the Home Office on 5 January 2016. Since then, there have been no formal interventions in the operations of a fire and rescue authority by the Secretary of State in England under section 22 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. We do not hold any information for the period prior to the machinery of government changes.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times since 26 October 2022 the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire has met (a) current and (b) former firefighters who have experienced bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment at work.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire has prioritised engagement with the sector on integrity matters. This has included Chief Fire Officers, Fire and Rescue Authority Chairs, His Majesty’s Inspectorate, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Local Government Association and representative groups such as the Fire Brigades Union. In addition to regularly meeting frontline firefighters and police officers when visiting fire and police stations.
He will continue to meet with sector leaders to hear first-hand on these issues.
The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire has corresponded with both current and former staff in fire and rescue services, who have raised concerns regarding bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
The Home Office will continue to call for action to ensure fire and rescue services are welcoming, respectful workplaces that enable all individuals who work in them to thrive.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what functions the office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders is able to undertake while the post of Independent Chief Inspector is vacant.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has a clear plan of work, comprising of inspection activity, pre-inspection scoping activity, and non-inspection/corporate work that can continue whilst the post remains vacant.
A new Chief Inspector will be appointed in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. A recruitment campaign is underway, and an appointment will be made as soon as practically possible.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost of establishing an appeal body for asylum applications processed in Rwanda under the UK-Rwanda treaty.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
We are working at pace with the Government of Rwanda to establish an appeal body for asylum applications. More details on this will be released in due course.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of ear cropping of dogs were (a) reported, (b) investigated and (c) charged in 2023.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects information on the number of offences of ‘Carrying out, permitting, causing to be carried out or failing to prevent prohibited procedure on a protected animal’ and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. The latest information is available up to the end of September 2023.
This shows that there were 16 offences of ‘Carrying out, permitting, causing to be carried out or failing to prevent prohibited procedure on a protected animal’ offences recorded in the first nine months of 2023. Of these cases eight resulted in the investigation being complete with charge or summonsed. Four cases are still under investigation.
Table 1, Carrying out, permitting, permitting, causing to be caried out, or failing to prevent prohibited procedure on a protected animal, England and Wales, January 2023 to September 2023
Outcome type/group | January to September 2023* |
Charged/Summonsed | 8 |
Evidential difficulties (suspect identified; victim supports action) | 2 |
Investigation complete - no suspect identified | 1 |
Further investigation to support formal action not in the public interest | 1 |
Offences not yet assigned an outcome | 4 |
Total | 16 |
*Excluding West Midlands, Humberside and Devon and Cornwall Police Force