Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of barber shops that are linked to money laundering.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
According to a report by the Local Data Company and Green Street, the average number of barber shops per 10,000 people has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 1.4 per 10,000 people in 2013, to 3.1 per 10,000 in 2023. The Government recognises that cash intensive businesses such as barber shops can be exploited by criminals who seek to legitimise their criminal cash enabling them to profit from their illegal activities.
That is why addressing cash-based money laundering is one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre which sits within the National Crime Agency, and who are currently working with partners to facilitate an increased operational response to this threat.
In parallel, the National Police Chiefs’ Council economic crime co-ordinators are engaged in the development of Clear Hold Build strategies to help police forces tackle serious and organised crime. Clear Hold Build aims to reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods affected by organised crime and increase public confidence in the police and partner agencies. This includes tackling financial crime on the high street.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office applies the statutory eligibility criteria for shared parental leave. Some employees may qualify for statutory shared parental leave from their first day of service with the Home Office because they already have service with another Government department.
As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what service level agreement her Department has in place with the Independent Office of Police Conduct on the length of time needed to complete an investigation.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Home Office and the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) agree performance metrics relating to the length of time taken to complete investigations. These are published in the IOPC’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA).
The most recent ARA can be found on the IOPC’s website: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-202122
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) longest length of investigations undertaken by the Independent Office of Police Conduct was in the last 5 years.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
This information is held by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The Director General of the IOPC will write to Harriet Baldwin MP in due course once the information is available, and the Home Office will see that a copy of the letter is placed in the House library.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 extending the Seasonal Agricultural Workers scheme visa from a maximum duration of six months to a maximum duration of nine months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The UK government is committed to supporting the agricultural industry and ensuring that it continues to develop and thrive. The Seasonal Worker route will be expanded in 2023, with 45,000 visas available, to support our farmers growing fruit, vegetables, and flowers as they adapt to changes in the UK labour market. The separate poultry quota will remain at 2,000 places.
This number will be kept under review with the potential to increase by a further 10,000 if necessary, and contingent on sponsors and growers improving and abiding by to worker welfare standards, including ensuring workers are guaranteed a minimum number of paid hours each week.
The seasonal worker route is specifically designed to support the UK horticulture sector – a sector in which growers typically require higher volumes of labour, for relatively short-term periods of time, in line with seasonal production peaks. The route is not designed to support non-seasonal roles which operate on a year-round basis. Employers should look to recruit from the domestic labour market in the first instance which includes those who have EU settled status, or from the range of agricultural roles eligible under the wider Points-Based-System.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) uncap and (b) extend the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The UK government is committed to supporting the agricultural industry and ensuring that it continues to develop and thrive. The Seasonal Worker route will be expanded in 2023, with 45,000 visas available, to support our farmers growing fruit, vegetables, and flowers as they adapt to changes in the UK labour market. The separate poultry quota will remain at 2,000 places.
This number will be kept under review with the potential to increase by a further 10,000 if necessary, and contingent on sponsors and growers improving and abiding by to worker welfare standards, including ensuring workers are guaranteed a minimum number of paid hours each week.
The seasonal worker route is specifically designed to support the UK horticulture sector – a sector in which growers typically require higher volumes of labour, for relatively short-term periods of time, in line with seasonal production peaks. The route is not designed to support non-seasonal roles which operate on a year-round basis. Employers should look to recruit from the domestic labour market in the first instance which includes those who have EU settled status, or from the range of agricultural roles eligible under the wider Points-Based-System.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to amend the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill to include all agricultural vehicles.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill will help prevent the theft of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) such as quad bikes, by introducing a power for the Secretary of State to make regulations which provide for the requirement to fit immobilisers, forensically mark these vehicles and register the owner’s details on an appropriate property database.
There are currently no plans to include all agricultural vehicles. However, the provisions could be extended and applied to other agricultural equipment in the future through secondary legislation, where evidence shows this is necessary.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken recent steps to appoint an anti-corruption champion to take forward the Government's Anti-Corruption Strategy.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
An announcement on a new champion will be made in due course.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is reviewing the designation of the Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation; and what assessment she has made of the impact of the designation of that movement as a terrorist organisation on Yemeni citizens.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Government condemns the recent attacks by the Houthis.
The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters, including whether an organisation is under consideration for proscription. The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of the pilot scheme for 30,000 seasonal agricultural workers in 2021.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The pilot scheme is subject to ongoing evaluation activity and we will make an assessment of it prior to a decision whether to extend its provisions into future years.