Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations have been undertaken by his Department's Professional Standards Unit in each year by (a) immigration, borders and citizenship, (b) policing and (c) counter-terrorism since 2015.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of proscribing the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as a terrorist group.
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.
To proscribe an organisation, the Home Secretary must have a reasonable belief that it is concerned in terrorism. This means the organisation participates or commits; prepares for; promotes, encourages or unlawfully glorifies; or is in some way otherwise concerned in terrorism. As well as considering whether the statutory test for proscription has been satisfied, the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe must be necessary and proportionate, having taken into account all relevant factors. HMG is unable to comment further on intelligence and security matters.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) was proscribed in June 2014. PFLP-GC is a left wing nationalist Palestinian militant organisation formed in 1968. It is based in Syria and was involved in the Palestine intifada during the 1970s and 1980s. The group is separate from the similarly named Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans to proscribe the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as a terrorist group.
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.
To proscribe an organisation, the Home Secretary must have a reasonable belief that it is concerned in terrorism. This means the organisation participates or commits; prepares for; promotes, encourages or unlawfully glorifies; or is in some way otherwise concerned in terrorism. As well as considering whether the statutory test for proscription has been satisfied, the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe must be necessary and proportionate, having taken into account all relevant factors. HMG is unable to comment further on intelligence and security matters.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) was proscribed in June 2014. PFLP-GC is a left wing nationalist Palestinian militant organisation formed in 1968. It is based in Syria and was involved in the Palestine intifada during the 1970s and 1980s. The group is separate from the similarly named Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recent arrest of three men charged with aiding the Hong Kong Intelligence Service.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On Monday 13 May, three people were charged with offences under the National Security Act as part of an investigation led by officers from the Met Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The foreign intelligence service to which the charges relate is that of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As the investigation remains ongoing, we will not comment further in relation to this case.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to bring forward the Draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government is committed to introducing this important piece of legislation to Parliament, as announced in the King’s Speech on 7 November.
The Government launched a public consultation on the requirements within the Standard Tier, which closed on 18 March. We are currently reviewing the consultation findings to ensure that all feedback is fully considered and that the measures included in Martyn’s Law are proportionate, and that they do not place an undue burden on premises within scope.
We will introduce the Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows, and I am happy to write to the Honourable Member and Parliament once the Bill is introduced.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he has taken to tackle the People’s Republic of China’s security and intelligence network operating in the UK in response to the arrest of three alleged spies.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On Tuesday 14 May, on instruction from the Foreign Secretary, the Chinese Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The FCDO was unequivocal in setting out that the recent pattern of behaviour directed by China against the UK including cyberattacks, reports of espionage links and the issuing of bounties is not acceptable. The summons followed Monday's announcement that three people have been charged with offences under the National Security Act as part of an investigation led by officers from the Met Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The foreign intelligence service to which the charges relate is that of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As the investigation remains ongoing, we will not comment further in relation to this case.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many terrorism incidents have been declared in (a) the Turks and Caicos Islands, (b) Bermuda and (c) the Cayman Islands in each of the last five years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There have been no reported terrorist incidents in (a) the Turks and Caicos Islands, (b) Bermuda or (c) the Cayman Islands in each of the last five years. We are working with the authorities to increase local capacity to respond to threats to security.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a new counter-terrorism strategy on state threats.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the 2023 CONTEST refresh, the Government is focusing on the nexus between terrorism and state threats, utilising our counter-terrorism powers, capabilities and expertise, to protect the UK. Alongside our counter-terrorism toolkit, the powers in the National Security Act 2023 will help to keep the UK safe by making it harder for those states who seek to conduct hostile acts against us.
In addition, the UK’s approach to state threats has been set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, which recognises that state threats are increasing and diversifying. It lays out the overarching objectives of our response; to protect the UK and its interests abroad; build consensus internationally and domestically; compete to disrupt and deter threat activity; and understand the evolving threat.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many multi-agency public protection arrangements referrals were made to probation services for category (a) one, (b) two and (c) three offenders in each year since 2015.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) are the set of arrangements through which the Police, Probation and Prison Services work together with other agencies to assess and manage the risks posed by violent, sexual and terrorism offenders in the community.
There are four categories of offender eligible for MAPPA management, in accordance with the provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 2003:
Most offenders managed under MAPPA qualify automatically for MAPPA management due to their offence and sentence. Therefore, referrals are necessary only where the offender needs to be managed via formal multi-agency meetings.
We do not hold data on the number of referrals made each year. Specific data on the number of individuals managed under MAPPA in each category on 31 March each year since 2006-7 is published in Table 2(a) at MAPPA_Annual_Report_2022-23.xlsx (live.com). Data on the number of individuals managed at each Level on 31 March each year since 2013-14 are published in Table 2(b) at MAPPA_Annual_Report_2022-23.xlsx (live.com).
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of men in prison have access to legal advice on the issue of parental rights and responsibilities.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Prisoners are entitled to civil legal aid if their legal matter is in scope, and they pass both a merits and a means test. The merits test considers the case’s likelihood of success and benefit to the client.
Legal aid is available in certain family matters, such as public family law cases which fall under the Children Act 1989. These types of cases include proceedings relating to whether a child should be taken into care or who should have parental responsibility.
In private family proceedings, legal aid is available for domestic abuse victims and where the child is at risk of abuse, subject to providing the required evidence and meeting the means and merits tests.
However, the National Security Act 2023 introduced a restriction on access to civil legal aid for convicted terrorists, which narrowed the range of circumstances in which individuals convicted of specified terrorism offences can receive civil legal aid services, though these provisions have not yet commenced.
It is not possible to estimate how many prisoners have a family law-related issue that is in scope of legal aid, and/or are eligible for legally-aided advice, as doing so would require each prisoner undertaking a means test and merits test of their case, as well as an examination of their issue to understand whether it is in scope.
Prison staff are required to assist prisoners who wish to access legal advice by providing lists of legal advisers, supplying appropriate forms, and assisting prisoners to complete them where requested due to language or literacy difficulties.