Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the The National Police Chiefs Council's letter to Chief Constables requiring all pre-2006 officers to be vetted against national databases, dated 20 January 2023, what estimate she has made of the number of officers who will need to be vetted in line with that letter; and how many of those officers will require vetting by the Cabinet Office in all categories of vetting.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have asked all police forces to check their officers and staff against the police national database (PND) to identify any intelligence or allegations that need further investigation.
This will help identify anyone who has slipped through the net before vetting standards were toughened, and ensure those who are unfit to serve can be rooted out. Further details of the NPCC’s commission can be found on their website: https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/all-police-staff-records-to-be-checked-for-allegations-and-intelligence-by-march
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the list of stakeholders which responded to the Protect Duty consultation.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Protect Duty consultation closed in July 2021. The consultation response was published in January 2022. As a result, the Home Secretary was pleased to announce the policy proposals for the Duty, now known as Martyn’s Law, in Parliament on the 19th December.
The department will publish a list of organisations who responded to the Protect Duty consultation at the earliest opportunity on gov.uk.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to create the Protect Duty.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The first duty of the Government is to protect the public, and we are committed to improving the security of public places, to ensure the public can go about their lives freely and with confidence.
The commitment made to the ‘Protect Duty’ in the Queen’s Speech and the 2019 manifesto remains, and we are working hard to bring forward this important piece of legislation as soon as possible.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on appointing a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The role of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) as set out in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act is to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences and the identification of victims.
The process to recruit a new IASC follows the principles set out within the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.
A decision on the appointment is under consideration.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle backlogs in DBS checks.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The DBS issues four levels of certificates of criminal records, known as DBS certificates and operates a system of updating certificates through its Update Service.
Basic DBS check
A Basic DBS check is available for any position or purpose. A Basic certificate will contain details of convictions and conditional cautions that are considered to be unspent. DBS operates to service standards of completing 80% of Basic check applications within 2 days.
Standard DBS check
Standard DBS certificates show relevant convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer (PNC), subject to filtering rules. DBS operates to service standards of completing 80% of Standard check applications within 5 days.
Enhanced DBS check
An Enhanced DBS check is available to anyone involved in work with vulnerable groups, and other positions involving a high degree of trust. Enhanced certificates contain the same information as a Standard certificate, with the addition of relevant local police force information. DBS operates to service standards of completing 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.
Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS check
An Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS certificate will contain the same information as an Enhanced DBS certificate but includes details of whether the individual is included on one or both of the Barred Lists. These lists include individuals barred from working with children and vulnerable groups where the role is in regulated activity.
There are currently no delays in DBS processing times and performance against these targets is strong. The average processing time in September for all Basic applications was 0.9 days; for all Standard applications was 1.6 days; and for all enhanced applications was 10.4 days.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of work stations available for people employed by his Department on departmental premises.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are 23,466 workstations in the Departments property holdings. Additional desking is provided for staff working within Ports and airports.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many work stations were available for civil servants to use at her Department’s 2 Marsham Street office on 11 October 2022.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
On 11 October 2022 the Home Office had 2014 workstations.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has taken steps to establish if material taken from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home by the FBI relates to the national security of the UK.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
In line with the long standing policy of successive Governments we do not comment on national security matters.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to introduce 12 months of individualised support for victims of modern slavery following a positive conclusive grounds decision.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government has made clear its commitment that, where necessary, all those who receive a positive conclusive grounds decision and are in need of specific support will receive appropriate tailored support for a minimum of 12 months.
We are actively considering how to deliver this commitment in a way that best serves the individual needs of modern slavery victims and will be able to provide further details in due course.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on introducing 12 months of individualised support for victims of modern slavery following a positive conclusive grounds decision.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government has made clear its commitment that, where necessary, all those who receive a positive conclusive grounds decision and are in need of specific support will receive appropriate tailored support for a minimum of 12 months.
We are actively considering how to deliver this commitment in a way that best serves the individual needs of modern slavery victims and will be able to provide further details in due course.