Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to take steps to proscribe Hizb ut Tahrir.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
While the UK Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not being considered for proscription.
We are committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred within our communities.
We have some of the strongest laws in the world to protect our citizens.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential role of members of Hamas in pro-Palestinian protests in the UK.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government takes proscription offences seriously. Investigations into the activities of proscribed organisations or individuals who may be members of or who demonstrate support for proscribed organisations are an operational matter for the police and intelligence agencies.
Following the terrorist attacks on Israel, the (then) Home Secretary wrote to police chiefs in England and Wales urging them to step up patrols and use the full force of the law to tackle those inciting hatred towards our Jewish communities.
Public order policing has disseminated briefing materials to police forces covering hate crime and the proscription offences, including advice on the flags associated with proscribed organisations Hamas and Hizballah.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Defending Democracy Taskforce plans to make an assessment of whether foreign powers may seek to influence political parties through covert donations.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
UK electoral law sets out a stringent regime of controls on donations to political parties to ensure that only those with a legitimate interest in UK elections can make donations. Donations from foreign powers – made directly or indirectly – are illegal, and there are strong rules safeguarding against impermissible donations via backdoors.
It is an offence to attempt to evade the rules on donations by concealing information, giving false information, or knowingly facilitating the making of an impermissible donation.
The National Security Act 2023 will create a challenging operating environment for foreign states who seek to undermine UK interests – including our political system. The Act provides for substantially increased maximum penalties for electoral offences relevant to donation rules, where activity is done for, on behalf or with the intention to benefit a foreign power.
The Government has committed to taking forward a consultation on ways to enhance information-sharing between relevant agencies or public bodies to help to identify and mitigate the risk of foreign interference in political donations that are regulated by electoral law. This will be taken forward by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and be supported by the Defending Democracy Taskforce.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce’s mission statement is to reduce the risk to the UK’s democratic processes, institutions, and society. This includes protecting the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference. We continue to keep potential threats under review, including foreign interference in public office and political parties, to ensure UK democracy remains robust.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans for the Defending Democracy Taskforce to publish an (a) plan of action and (b) report on its conclusions.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
As set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, the Defending Democracy Taskforce is now an enduring Government function. It is a cross-departmental and inter-agency initiative seeking to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from foreign influence. The Taskforce is working on bringing together all components of the system, working across Government and with Parliament, the UK Intelligence Community, devolved governments, local authorities, the private sector and civil society on the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions.
Meetings of the Taskforce are complemented by wider engagement with partners outside central government and Parliament. The Taskforce will continue to use targeted engagement activities to raise awareness of the Taskforce’s priorities in tackling current and future threats.
The work of this Taskforce reports to the Prime Minister via the National Security Council.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of projects funded by the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme top slice in the 2021-22 financial year on levels of further asset recovery.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The performance of the projects funded through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) Top Slice scheme are governed by the Strategic Asset Recovery Group.
This creates a more transparent approach with agency level to ensure accountability, celebrate success, drive best practice, identify barriers, reassure communities and discourage those considering a criminal lifestyle.
We continue to fund critical capabilities through ARIS Top Slice, having nearly doubled investments made in 21/22 (from £7.5m to £13.9m, in 2021/22) with a renewed focus on work to seize criminal cash and crypto assets.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which projects received funding from the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme top slice in the 2021-22 financial year; what each of these projects were intended to do; how much funding each project received; what recent progress each project has made against its objectives; and if she will make an assessment of the impact of each project on levels of further asset recovery.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
In the financial year 2021-22 there were 16 Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme Top Slice projects. The performance of these projects is governed by the Strategic Asset Recovery Group.
The most recent public update on use of ARIS funding by POCA partners is available at: Asset recovery statistical bulletin: financial years ending 2017 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). We are currently exploring options for providing a further public breakdown of this data.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the rates of return on investment of asset recovery projects that received funding through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme top slice in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The projects funded through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) Top Slice scheme continue to offer positive returns in terms of recovered criminal assets.
This includes significant cash and asset seizures by operational teams funded by the Top Slice, at the Border and across national policing.
Since not all projects funded through the Top Slice are directly targeted against asset recovery, the Home Office does not conduct an investment return analysis on each one. In the 21/22 HMG/ law enforcement seized £354.8 million of criminal assets (up £135.1 million from 20/21).
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
What steps her Department is taking to prevent acquisitive crimes.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
This Government recognises the devastating impact acquisitive crime can have on individuals, businesses and the wider community.
This Government is committed to tackling these crimes and preventing them from being committed in the first place and we are working closely with police, industry and other Government Departments to understand what more we can do.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment the Government has made of whether Hamas is a unified organisation under a single leadership.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the effectiveness of the provisions of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Answered by James Brokenshire
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ56039 on 11 June 2020.