Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many appeals against the issue of Community Protection Notice were successful in each year since 2015; and whether they have any plans to review the appeals process to ensure that it is operating as intended.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy the powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including Community Protection Notices (CPN), depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response. The Home Office do not hold any data on appeals.
The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in March 2023 to ensure a victim-centred approach to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act. The guidance is regularly reviewed and updated in line with stakeholder feedback on the powers to ensure greater and more consistent use.
On 27 March 2023, in parallel with publication of the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan, the Government launched a consultation on the ASB powers and Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs). The consultation, which was referenced in the ASB Action Plan, was intended to garner views on strengthening powers, including CPNs, to tackle ASB; and strengthening the relationship between CSPs and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to give PCCs a greater role in CSP activity, including how they tackle ASB. A Government response to the findings in the consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make an assessment of the use of Community Protection Notices, with a view to (1) ensuring compliance with statutory guidance, and (2) considering what improvements may be made to the latter.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy the powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including Community Protection Notices (CPN), depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.
The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in March 2023 to ensure a victim-centred approach to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act. The guidance is regularly reviewed and updated in line with stakeholder feedback on the powers to ensure greater and more consistent use.
HMICFRS routinely collect data on CPNs and wider powers directly from police forces for the purposes of inspection activity. We will be publishing the latest statistics on use of ASB powers across England and Wales by the police, including Community Protection Notices, as part of a broader piece of research on police perception of ASB powers.
On 27 March 2023, in parallel with publication of the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan, the Government launched a consultation on the ASB powers and Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs). The consultation, which was referenced in the ASB Action Plan, was intended to garner views on strengthening powers, including CPNs, to tackle ASB; and strengthening the relationship between CSPs and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to give PCCs a greater role in CSP activity, including how they tackle ASB. A Government response to the findings in the consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish statistics on the numbers of Community Protection Notices issued by councils and police.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy the powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including Community Protection Notices (CPN), depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.
The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in March 2023 to ensure a victim-centred approach to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act. The guidance is regularly reviewed and updated in line with stakeholder feedback on the powers to ensure greater and more consistent use.
HMICFRS routinely collect data on CPNs and wider powers directly from police forces for the purposes of inspection activity. We will be publishing the latest statistics on use of ASB powers across England and Wales by the police, including Community Protection Notices, as part of a broader piece of research on police perception of ASB powers.
On 27 March 2023, in parallel with publication of the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan, the Government launched a consultation on the ASB powers and Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs). The consultation, which was referenced in the ASB Action Plan, was intended to garner views on strengthening powers, including CPNs, to tackle ASB; and strengthening the relationship between CSPs and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to give PCCs a greater role in CSP activity, including how they tackle ASB. A Government response to the findings in the consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the use of Community Protection Notices since 2014.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy the powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including Community Protection Notices (CPN), depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.
The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in March 2023 to ensure a victim-centred approach to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act. The guidance is regularly reviewed and updated in line with stakeholder feedback on the powers to ensure greater and more consistent use.
HMICFRS routinely collect data on CPNs and wider powers directly from police forces for the purposes of inspection activity. We will be publishing the latest statistics on use of ASB powers across England and Wales by the police, including Community Protection Notices, as part of a broader piece of research on police perception of ASB powers.
On 27 March 2023, in parallel with publication of the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan, the Government launched a consultation on the ASB powers and Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs). The consultation, which was referenced in the ASB Action Plan, was intended to garner views on strengthening powers, including CPNs, to tackle ASB; and strengthening the relationship between CSPs and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to give PCCs a greater role in CSP activity, including how they tackle ASB. A Government response to the findings in the consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure guidance developed by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council on buffer zones will protect the internationally recognised human rights of freedom of (1) conscience, (2) speech, (3) religion, and (4) assembly.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (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, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service are required to consider the rights provided under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), including the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which is an absolute right under Article 9 of the ECHR, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and directly linked to freedom of opinion in Article 10 of the ECHR. As an absolute right, there can be no legitimate justification on the part of the public authority to limit, interfere or otherwise penalise persons for their exercise of the right to freedom of thought. However, freedom to manifest religion or belief is qualified. It shall be subject only to such limitation as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interest of public safety, for the protection of the public order, health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
Public bodies must also consider Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the ECHR, recognising these are qualified rights, which can sometimes be infringed upon to uphold other rights.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to rectify issues with British passport holders whose passports are faulty and cannot be read at e-gates upon arrival at UK airports.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The British passport’s electronic chip has been extensively tested to ensure its durability throughout the lifetime of the passport. Additionally, each passport’s electronic chip is assessed as part of the personalisation process.
A passport chip inspection may fail at the Border for several reasons. If a fault is identified with an electronic chip that was assessed to have been present when the passport was issued, then it will be replaced at no additional cost.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Undercover Policing Inquiry to make its final report; what has been the cost of that inquiry to date; and what the final cost of that inquiry is expected to be.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Undercover Policing Inquiry was established in 2015, to investigate undercover deployments conducted by police forces in England and Wales since 1968 and was expected to report within three years.
In May 2018, the Undercover Policing Inquiry published a Strategic Review which anticipated that the Inquiry would begin evidence hearings in June 2019 and that it would report to the Home Secretary before the end of 2023. In January 2019 the Inquiry published an update which explained that several issues, such as the significant complexity of documents and the difficulties presented by issues such as privacy and data protection, had led to a fresh look at the timelines. Evidence hearings subsequently began in November 2020 and will continue in 2021.
The Terms of Reference state the Inquiry will report to the Home Secretary as soon as practicable. It is important that the Inquiry gets to the truth and makes meaningful recommendations for the future. The Inquiry remains independent of the Home Office, which is crucial to its effectiveness and so, decisions and conduct in relation to the investigations are for the Inquiry to make.
The Inquiry cost, to the end of September 2020, is £32,286,400; this information is published by the Inquiry every quarter on its website. The Government is committed to giving the Inquiry the resources it needs to fulfil its important function of getting to the truth, exposing what has gone wrong in the past, and learning lessons for the future.
It is difficult to provide an expected final cost of the Inquiry at this stage, but this will be published in full, at the close of the Inquiry.