Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine to tour the UK this autumn, particularly in regard to the granting of visas.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
UK Visas and Immigration can confirm that the Visa application centre (VAC) is open in Kyiv along with 242 other global VACs. Visa applications for those intending to visit or work in the UK are currently being processed within 15 days, or should a decision be required quicker, there are priority services available in a number of locations.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 21 September (HL2204), what specific criteria within the Special Grant processes were applied to the most recent application for continued funding of Operation Grange; and what plans they have to publish (1) their analysis of these criteria, and (2) their reasons for approving the application.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In May 2011, the then Home Secretary commissioned the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to undertake an investigation into the disappearance of Madeline McCann. As this was a request from Government and not within the MPS’s normal duties, the Home Office agreed to fund the investigation though the Police Special Grant. Funding is approved annually, in line with normal Special Grant processes. The length of the investigation is an operational decision for MPS. The Home Office receives progress updates from the operational team.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 6 December 2021 (HL4255), whether funding for Operation Grange has now ceased; and if not, (1) for what reason it has been extended, and (2) how much longer funding will continue.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office continues to provide funding for Operation Grange; in 2022/23 we will provide up to £303k funding to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to cover continuing costs. The Home Office maintains an ongoing dialogue with the MPS regarding funding for Operation Grange and all applications are made and considered in line with Special Grant processes.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cat thefts have been recorded in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Information on the number of recorded cat thefts is not held centrally.
We recognise the distress pet theft causes and are committed to preventing these cruel crimes.
However, information on the scale of pet theft was gathered as part of the Pet Theft Taskforce, which engaged a number of key organisations and experts in the field to shine a light on the existing evidence and is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pet-theft-taskforce-report/pet-theft-taskforce-report.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 June (HL709), whether further funding for Operation Grange into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was granted; if so, (1) how much, and (2) until when; whether any further review of the effectiveness of Operation Grange has been undertaken; and how much has been spent on it up until the end of October 2021.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office has agreed to provide up to £350,000 of Special Grant funding in respect of Operation Grange up to March 2022. The current total spend as of October 2021 rounds to £13.2 million.
The Home Office regularly liaises with the Operation Grange investigation team to assess progress and challenge the use of funds as necessary. I also refer the Lord to my response to HL1446 and HL1447 concerning the National Audit Office’s review of Operation Grange in 2019 which determined that its oversight and governance by the Home Office was effective and that the Operation was compliant with the principles of Managing Public Money.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date the National Audit Office last reviewed (1) financial, and (2) other records, held by the Home Office on Operation Grange.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office has a dedicated team assigned to Operation Grange which regularly liaises with the Metropolitan Police investigation team to assess progress and challenge the use of funds as necessary. In addition, as part of the Special Grant funding framework, all operations receiving Police Special Grant are subject to periodic review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that they are using funding in a way that is reasonable and proportionate.
The National Audit Office conducted enquiries with the Home Office concerning the provision of funding for Operation Grange in the summer of 2019. They determined that the oversight and governance of Operation Grange was effective and that the operation was compliant with the principles of Managing Public Money.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 June (HL709), what are the arrangements for overseeing the Metropolitan Police's Operation Grange to ensure the proper use of public funds and value for money.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office has a dedicated team assigned to Operation Grange which regularly liaises with the Metropolitan Police investigation team to assess progress and challenge the use of funds as necessary. In addition, as part of the Special Grant funding framework, all operations receiving Police Special Grant are subject to periodic review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that they are using funding in a way that is reasonable and proportionate.
The National Audit Office conducted enquiries with the Home Office concerning the provision of funding for Operation Grange in the summer of 2019. They determined that the oversight and governance of Operation Grange was effective and that the operation was compliant with the principles of Managing Public Money.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current spending plan on Operation Grange; what date this current spending plan is due to end; when it will be reviewed and under what criteria; and what is the total amount of money spent to date on Operation Grange.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
To date, the Metropolitan Police Service have made a Special Grant application for funding for the 2021/22 financial year which is still under consideration by the Minister for Crime and Policing.
The current total spend as of March 2021 rounds to £13.2 million.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National AIDS Trust HIV and the police, published on 11 March; and what steps they intend to take forward on the recommendations about tackling HIV stigma.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
It is critical that the police have access to the most accurate and up to date information on HIV transmission, so that they can accurately assess any risks posed to their own safety in the course of their work and respond appropriately. This will also enable them to help reduce stigma in the communities in which they work.
We are pleased that policing stakeholders, such as the Police Federation of England and Wales, have been actively engaged in this review to support police forces in addressing this longstanding issue.
The Department of Health and Social Care will consider issues relating to HIV stigma as part of the development of their Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and the HIV Action Plan, which they plan to publish in 2021.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the National AIDS Trust HIV and the police, published on 11 March, what steps they are taking to ensure that police forces have the sufficient resources to tackle HIV stigma effectively.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Department of Health and Social Care will consider issues relating to HIV stigma as part of the development of their Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and the HIV Action Plan, which they plan to publish in 2021.
The Home Office have announced a police funding settlement of up to £15.8 billion for 2021/22. This is a total increase of up to £636 million on 2020/21 for the policing system.