Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on reports of secret Chinese police stations operating in the UK.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
As I said to the House in my statement on 1 November, reports of undeclared ‘police stations’ in the UK are of course very concerning and are taken extremely seriously.
The Government regularly assesses potential threats to the UK, and takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. As you would expect, Home Office officials work closely with the FCDO and DLUHC as well as other Government departments to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place.
The Home Secretary regularly discusses issues regarding national security with her counterparts, including the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa extension for individuals from Hong Kong born after 1997 with at least one parent with BNO status will apply to young people whose parent is deceased.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
On 24 February 2022, the Government announced in a Written Ministerial Statement a change to the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route which will allow adult children of BN(O) status holders born on or after the 1 July 1997, who are currently unable to apply for the BN(O) route independently to do so. The statement is available at: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
Under the new provisions, children born on, or after, 1 July 1997, whose deceased parent held BN(O) status, will be able to qualify for the route, providing they meet all other requirements for the route. Applicants will need to show evidence of the BN(O) status of at least one parent.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on the suspension of tourist visas for Russian citizens wishing to visit the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Russian nationals are permitted to make UK visa applications as there may still be legitimate reasons why they might seek to come to the UK, such as to visit family members.
We have introduced measures for Russian nationals applying for visas which includes additional and robust checks.
The Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) 2022 also gave the Home Secretary powers to impose visa penalties on any country, including those that pose a risk to international peace and security. We keep this under constant review.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she received assurances that Rwanda will release the findings from its investigations into the shooting of 12 people at Kiziba refugee camp in 2018 prior to signing the Memorandum of Understanding relating to the processing of asylum seekers in that country.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Rwandan National Human Rights Commission released the findings of its inquiry into this tragic event in Kiziba. The UK - Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership contains strong protections both on the treatment of migrants as well as their access to services like appropriate accommodation, food and healthcare.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support for (a) top up courses and (b) first aid courses for security officers on low incomes seeking to renew their Security Industry Authority licences.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) works closely with the private security industry and with training providers to develop qualification specifications and other requirements for all current and prospective licence-holders across the UK.
The SIA recognises the importance of supporting licence-holders and applicants and has worked with the training providers’ awarding bodies to ensure that training is as flexible and cost-effective as possible. Options include a mixture of self-study, virtual classrooms, and face-to-face training.
Neither the Home Office nor the SIA regulates the delivery of training which is the responsibility of dedicated agencies across the devolved administrations.
There are currently record numbers of licensed security operatives in the register of SIA licence holders.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the killing of Qasem Soleimani on the safety of interpreters in Iraq who had previously worked for the UK armed forces; and whether her Department plans to update its visa guidance for such interpreters.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to interpreters who risk their lives working alongside UK forces.
Government supported our locally employed staff (LES) in Iraq through the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme. The scheme was open to those who were direct employees of HM Forces or the Ministry of Defence (MOD), provided such staff worked in particularly close association with the UK as an integral and visible part of HMG operations, including having regular, substantial and sustained contact with UK official personnel and regular, substantial and sustained attendance at UK official sites.
The scheme was established in 2007 and administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO). The last date for applications for former LES in Iraq to relocate to the UK was 19 May 2009 and the scheme closed in 2016.
The country policy and information note on ‘perceived collaborators’ published in February 2019 reported the risk level for Iraqi interpreters as low. Our country policy and information notes are published on the gov.uk website. They are kept under constant review and updated periodically.
Our country policy and information notes are based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the FCDO.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of the threat faced by interpreters who previously worked with UK armed forces in Iraq.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to interpreters who risk their lives working alongside UK forces.
Government supported our locally employed staff (LES) in Iraq through the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme. The scheme was open to those who were direct employees of HM Forces or the Ministry of Defence (MOD), provided such staff worked in particularly close association with the UK as an integral and visible part of HMG operations, including having regular, substantial and sustained contact with UK official personnel and regular, substantial and sustained attendance at UK official sites.
The scheme was established in 2007 and administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO). The last date for applications for former LES in Iraq to relocate to the UK was 19 May 2009 and the scheme closed in 2016.
The country policy and information note on ‘perceived collaborators’ published in February 2019 reported the risk level for Iraqi interpreters as low. Our country policy and information notes are published on the gov.uk website. They are kept under constant review and updated periodically.
Our country policy and information notes are based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the FCDO.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with his US counterpart on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals similar to that country's Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
As the Prime Minister outlined in his response to the ISC report on Russia, the Home Office has considered like-minded international partners’ legislation to identify the benefits for adopting a similar approach in the UK. This includes the US’s Foreign Agent Registration Act.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to introduce new measures requiring the registration of foreign agents.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office has considered like-minded international partners’ legislation on tackling hostile activity by foreign states, in order to identify the benefits for adopting a similar approach in the UK. We intend to introduce our own registration scheme as part of forthcoming legislation.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will revoke UK citizenship for (a) family members of the Syrian President and (b) other members of the Syrian Government who hold such citizenship; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
I do not comment on individual cases.
The Home Secretary can deprive individuals of their British citizenship where it is conducive to the public good to do so.