Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 179976 on Demonstrations, what steps her Department is taking to ensure any public order guidance related to buffer zones is compatible with existing rights to freedom of (a) speech, (b) religion and (c) assembly.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ahead of the commencement of section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service are updating relevant public order guidance and training to reflect the inclusion of the offence of interference with access to or provision of abortion services.
In accordance with human rights obligations, these organisations are required to consider the rights provided under Article 9 (freedom of thought, religion and belief), Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of association and assembly) of the European Convention on Human Rights, recognising that they are qualified and can sometimes be infringed upon to uphold other rights.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) current and (b) future visa requirements and processes for Catholic clergy and members of religious orders.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government values the role of faith in public life and recognises the contributions made by faith groups to our communities in the UK. This is reflected in our existing bespoke visa arrangements for religious workers and Ministers of Religion.
On 19 December 2018, the Government’s published its White Paper on the future immigration system. We want to continue to attract those who make valuable contributions to the practicing of faith and to our communities across the UK and will continue to offer arrangements for religious groups.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) current and (b) future (i) efficiency, (ii) capability and (iii) capacity of West Midlands Police force.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Assessments of forces current efficiency and effectiveness at managing their resources and tackling crime are primarily the responsibility of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The results of HMICFRSs most recent inspections of West Midlands Police are available on the Inspectorate’s website. https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/peel-assessments/peel-2017/west-midlands/
Decisions regarding how resources are allocated including the capability and capacity needs of forces are a matter for PCCs and Chief Constables, who are best placed to understand how to meet the needs of local communities.
For 2019/20 we are proposing the biggest increase in funding since 2010 - total funding of up to £14 billion for 2019-20, an increase of up to £970m compared to 2018/19, including council tax, pensions funding and national investment. If the PCC for West Midlands chooses to raise their council tax precept by £24 a year, this would translate to a potential increase in funding of up to £34m for West Midlands Police
I have been clear that I will prioritise police funding at the next Spending Review. My Department is working closely with policing colleagues – including the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police - to understand their future capability and capacity needs, and what future efficiency gains may be possible.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is given to police forces on the provision of improved equipment and technology to assist frontline officers with capability, safety and welfare.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government is clear that police officers should have the best possible protection when facing the physical violence that is sometimes directed against them. Decisions about the selection and purchase of police equip-ment are primarily for chief officers of police. The Government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory provides scientific and technical advice to support the police, including the development and management of pro-tective equipment standards, such as body armour and personal defence sprays.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Minister of Religion visas have been granted (a) within and (b) outside of the three week timescale target time in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The published quarterly transparency data does not separate the sub-categories within the wider Tier 2 route. We have therefore provided the published data for all Tier 2 subcategories which includes General, Intra Company Transfers, Minister of Religion and Sportspeople.
Link to the latest published data:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Home Office:
What steps he is taking to ensure that illegal migrants cannot profit from working in the UK.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
In the Immigration Act 2016, we made illegal working a criminal offence so that wages can be seized as proceeds of crime and introduced tougher sanctions on rogue employers. We have also recently introduced additional safeguards to protect legal migrants seeking employment who do not have the necessary documentation to establish their lawful immigration status.
Asked by: Eddie Hughes (Conservative - Walsall North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what size of holdings of Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies have been seized by police and national crime agencies in the last 12 months.
Answered by Ben Wallace
This information is not held centrally.