Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation process her Department undertook with (a) refugee advocacy organisations and (b) other stakeholders prior to implementing the changes to the Good Character: caseworker guidance.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We keep all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent funding reductions to Prevent in Greater Manchester; and what plans she has to review long-term funding allocations for the programme.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
All local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales have a statutory responsibility to deliver the Prevent duty as laid out in the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The duty has been in place for ten years and is well-embedded within local authority structures, including in the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester.
Each year we carefully consider funding for the Prevent programme and lead an annual prioritisation process to determine those local authorities of highest threat and risk. This prioritisation process draws on a range of data sets and insights from national and local partners. In the next financial year, we will provide funding for specialist Prevent posts in the 27 highest risk priority local authority areas to help them to go above and beyond the normal requirements of the Prevent duty. In approximately 90% of local authorities, the Prevent Duty is implemented without that additional funding.
In Greater Manchester, we will provide funding to Manchester City Council for four dedicated Prevent posts as well as funding for project delivery. One of these posts will support the regional delivery of Prevent across Greater Manchester. In addition, access to significant wider funding is available through the centrally managed Preventing Radicalisation Fund for projects that aim to reduce radicalisation risks across the Greater Manchester region. Other support is also available to all local authorities including dedicated training materials and the expertise and guidance of specialist Home Office Prevent advisers based in each region.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to review the strategy for Prevent in the context of (a) the Southport attacks and (b) other recent incidents.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Secretary announced the creation of a new Independent Prevent Commissioner role in a statement to the House on 17 December 2024.
The Commissioner role will help ensure Prevent is working effectively by reviewing its legislation, policies and operations and making sure it is implemented as intended. It will also oversee and assure implementation of recommendations from reports, reviews, coronial processes, and Prevent Learning Reviews.
Lord David Anderson KC was announced as the interim Commissioner on 21 January, to allow work to begin swiftly. Lord Anderson has been asked to conduct a rapid review of the perpetrators’ Prevent history in the case of the Southport murders and the murder of Sir David Amess. He will examine improvements made to Prevent since 2021 and determine whether they have sufficiently strengthened the Prevent system, and identify any remaining gaps or shortcomings that require further improvement and assure action to address them.
An open competition to recruit the permanent Independent Prevent Commissioner was launched on 14 February.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) Greater Manchester Police and (b) other police forces are adequately resourced to manage the increased demand on services resulting from the implementation of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In November, we launched Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in select areas including Greater Manchester. These orders are the first to introduce a robust range of restrictions for perpetrators such as the ability to impose electronic tagging and attendance on behaviour change programmes.
In the short time since these orders have launched, we have seen them being used to protect a range of domestic abuse victims including those experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour, which could not be done previously. I am also very pleased to hear how forces like Greater Manchester Police are dealing with breaches swiftly and that custodial sentences have been obtained in some cases.
The Home Office has commissioned an evaluation on the rollout of DAPOs to understand how they are working in practice. The evaluation will include an assessment of how police are resourcing DAPOs. Early findings will be used to help inform our plans for national rollout.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Domestic Abuse Protection Order pilot in Greater Manchester; and what plans she has for the pilot’s evaluation ahead of its rollout across the region in 2025.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In November, we launched Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in select areas including Greater Manchester. These orders are the first to introduce a robust range of restrictions for perpetrators such as the ability to impose electronic tagging and attendance on behaviour change programmes.
In the short time since these orders have launched, we have seen them being used to protect a range of domestic abuse victims including those experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour, which could not be done previously. I am also very pleased to hear how forces like Greater Manchester Police are dealing with breaches swiftly and that custodial sentences have been obtained in some cases.
The Home Office has commissioned an evaluation on the rollout of DAPOs to understand how they are working in practice. The evaluation will include an assessment of how police are resourcing DAPOs. Early findings will be used to help inform our plans for national rollout.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an Injury on Duty Award Scheme for members of the emergency services.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is done in a proportionate and effective manner.
Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within the service. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (“HD Committee”), before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an impact assessment of changes in the numbers of Police Community Support Officers in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government wants to ensure that policing has the support that they need so that they can get back to tackling the issues that that matter to the public. That is why we are delivering an additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles and ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to.
We are considering the implementation of our plans around neighbourhood policing and the growth in neighbourhood officers as a key priority. We are doing this alongside key partners across policing to ensure that we deliver an effective plan that delivers the best service for the public.