Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
Her Majesty's Government how many safer neighbourhood teams have been operational in England and Wales in each year since they were first introduced.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The number of full time equivalent police officers and PSCOs primarily employed in Neighbourhood Policing teams and/or Safer Neighbourhood teams roles can be found in the data tables published alongside the annual the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales
Officers and PCSOs with multiple responsibilities or designations are recorded under their primary function. The data do not therefore provide a complete picture of all officers assigned to neighbourhood policing functions.
Some forces are not able to make a clear distinction between ‘Neighbourhood Policing’ roles and ‘Incident (Response) Management’ roles, therefore those forces record the majority of, or all, employees under just one function. A more reliable measure is the number of officers employed in ‘Local policing’ roles, which includes both neighbourhood and response functions. This measure is available for 2015 and 2016, but not for previous years where a different framework was used.
Any comparisons at force level should be made with care due to collaboration arrangements between forces for particular functions. Additionally, police functions data are often affected by re-structuring within police forces. Therefore comparisons over time for specific functions should be made with care.
Data as at 31 March 2015 and 31 March 2016 can be found in the Tables F1, F3 F4 and F6 of the police workforce statistics published in July 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/544954/police-workforce-tabs-jul16.ods
Previous data were collected under a different framework, with different definitions, and are therefore not directly comparable with data as at 31 March 2015 or 2016. Data have been published since 2012, and can be found in the supplementary data tables of the relevant police workforce publications via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales
As HMIC has made clear, there is no simple link between police numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.
Decisions on the size and composition of the police workforce are operational matters for Chief Officers working with their Police and Crime Commissioners and taking into account local priorities. The next release of ‘Police workforce’ statistics is due to be published on 20th July, and will represent the picture as at 31 March 2017.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
Her Majesty's Government how many police officers were deployed in Wales (1) in 2010, and (2) on the most recent date for which figures are available.
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 collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
Her Majesty's Government how many of the unaccompanied child refugees who have entered the UK under (1) section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, and (2) the Dublin III Regulations, have been identified as having physical or learning disabilities.
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 does not hold this information in the format requested. There are no restrictions on children with physical or learning disabilities being transferred to the UK under either section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 or the Dublin III Regulation. Those unaccompanied children who go into local authority care in the UK will receive accommodation and support for their individual needs in line with the Children Act 1989
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost of consolidating existing criminal law relating to digital and cyber crime.
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 not carried out any estimates on the cost of consolidating these aspects of criminal law.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy options they have considered regarding controls on EU citizens entering the UK through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland following the UK's departure from the EU.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
At present, the UK remains in the EU and there have been no immediate changes to the rights and obligations that membership entails. This means that EEA, Swiss and UK nationals continue to have the same rights and status that they had before the referendum.
The Prime Minister has been clear that a practical solution in the interests of all parts of the UK should be found to manage the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland once the UK has left the EU. Senior Officials from the UK, Ireland and Northern Ireland are working closely to consider the implications of the UK’s exit from the EU on the Common Travel Area (CTA). The CTA arrangement predates the EU and leaders in the UK and Ireland have been unequivocal –both want to maintain the current arrangement.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will respond to the letter sent by Lord Wigley to the Home Secretary on 29 April concerning Lisa Hughes, an Argentine citizen of Welsh descent and the case for her to be allowed to remain in the United Kingdom until 9 August to participate in celebrations of the establishment of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia in 1865.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Home Office target for replying to Lords correspondence is 20 working days. The Immigration Minister responded on 2 June.