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Written Question
Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence
Monday 27th November 2023

Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Cleethorpes)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle retail crime and violence against shop workers.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Violent and abusive behaviour towards any worker, particularly those who provide a valuable service to the public, is never acceptable. We have taken significant steps to tackle retail crime, including publication of the police-led Retail Crime Action plan which details clear police response commitments and guidance for retailers.


Written Question
Maira Shahbaz
Friday 10th September 2021

Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Cleethorpes)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on the case of Maira Shahbaz.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The tragic case of Maira Shahbaz has attracted significant interest, including the petition by Christian NGO Aid to the Church in Need. I am deeply troubled by Maira’s tragic circumstances and have asked my officials to keep me updated on this case.

The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls from religious minorities in Pakistan. Our concerns about such cases, as well as Freedom of Religion or Belief, women and girls’ rights and gender equality more broadly, are regularly raised with the Government of Pakistan.

However, I am not able to provide specific information with regards to Maira Shahbaz’s case as it is a longstanding Government policy not to comment on individual cases. Departing from this policy may put individuals and their family members in danger.

The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.


Written Question
Asylum: Applications
Thursday 1st October 2020

Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Cleethorpes)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications were awaiting assessment in the latest period for which figures are available; what recent estimate she has made of the average time taken to process an asylum application; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process those applications.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not publish data on the average time taken to process an asylum application. However, the Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision, broken down by duration. This data can be found at Asy_04 of the published Immigration Statistics:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2020/list-of-tables

The Home Office are committed to ensuring asylum claims are considered without unnecessary delay, individuals who need protection are granted asylum as soon as possible and can start to integrate and rebuild their lives, including those granted at appeal.

Whilst we take steps to increase capacity, with focus on process improvements, to deliver better quality decisions, more efficiently, we have moved away from the six-month service standard to concentrate on older claims, cases with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC).