Topical Questions

Answer from Suella Braverman

The UK is working closely with France to reduce illegal small boat crossings over the channel. Over the past year, those efforts have produced results. Today, I was in Paris with my French counterpart, Gérald Darmanin, to agree a more integrated and strengthened approach aimed at making that lethally dangerous route unviable, with world-class law enforcement teams from both countries working even more closely together. This includes UK officers joining French law enforcement as embedded observers, sharing real-time information on the ground and in command HQ. We will provide investment of up to £62 million this year.

Answer from Suella Braverman

If the details are sent, the relevant teams will look at that case concerning my hon. Friend's constituent's father who has played a prominent role in women's education and received recognition from the United Nations.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I would be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman and the Baroness to discuss her report. We take safety at immigration removal centres seriously, as shown by the hard work of officers in difficult circumstances following recent disturbances.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

We want to increase the productivity of our Home Office staff so that cases are not being decided to the tune of one per person per week, but at four, five or six per person per week. We had a positive pilot in Leeds and intend to roll it out across the country.

Answer from Chris Philp

There is no need for smoke and mirrors when the police budget this year is £1.1 billion higher than last year. On completion of the police uplift programme in just a few months' time, there will be more uniformed police officers on our streets than at any time in this country's history.

Answer from Sarah Dines

The Government are committed to tackling violence against women and girls. We are taking action through the rape review and the tackling violence against women and girls strategy and tackling domestic abuse to improve the police's response to these crimes. Charge volumes for rapes are up 8%.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

The hon. Gentleman and I have already spoken about this matter, and it is absolutely right that officials at the Home Office treat Members of Parliament and their staff with the respect they deserve and that we ensure they get the relevant meetings and decisions.

Answer from Chris Philp

I join my hon. Friend in thanking Sergeant Richard Neeves for the work he did encouraging and helping my hon. Friend to participate in the parliamentary police and fire service scheme. Yes, I do agree: Members from right across the House should engage in that scheme.

Answer from Suella Braverman

The accommodation pressure is due to unprecedented numbers of illegal migrants arriving. We have a duty to accommodate them and are working with France to stop crossings.

Answer from Suella Braverman

We need a multi-pronged approach. Some regimes governing asylum may change, and we are taking measures that will be announced in due course.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I would be happy to look into that case.

Answer from Sarah Dines

The Government are committed to tackling child sexual abuse. Good work is being done by the NCA and GCHQ. There will be some news imminently.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

We work together as one United Kingdom. Recent figures show Scotland's unemployment rate at 3.3% compared with the UK average of 3.5%. It is important to work as a united UK.

Answer from Suella Braverman

The interventions by the French have been impressive but not enough. We are increasing gendarmes, embedded observers, and joint working to combat illegal crossings.

Answer from Sarah Dines

The police must use their powers carefully and target offenders. There are codes of conduct, body-worn video data, and 40% of searches in London are of young men.

Answer from Suella Braverman

We have a clandestine command and control team with Dan O'Mahoney, Border Force officials, military presence, and impressive technology like surveillance drones.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I would be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. The extension was reviewed by the Government and, on the basis of the representations made to us by the industry, we extended it to April 2023. If he has heard other representations, I would be pleased to hear about them.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

We want to exit hotels as soon as possible, including in my hon. Friend's constituency, and move to simple but decent accommodation that does not provide an additional pull factor to the UK. The challenge is considerable, however, as 40,000 people are making that perilous crossing every year, which places immense pressure on our asylum system and prevents us from providing the kind of humane and compassionate response that we want to provide to people coming here in genuine peril.

Answer from Chris Philp

The hon. Lady makes an important and valid point. I had a similar conversation with Sir Mark a couple of weeks ago and I was out with officers in my borough of Croydon the week before last where the emergency response team told a similar story. Sir Stephen House is looking at this topic as part of his review into police productivity, but I also plan to have discussions with colleagues across Government, including in the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, to find out what more we can do.

Answer from Suella Braverman

I thank my hon. Friend and other honourable colleagues for their important campaigning to ventilate this issue. He speaks not only with passion, but with a deep understanding of the issue. I very much agree with him. I think that there are people from all walks of life who do not necessarily have a degree or want one who can be very good police officers. That is why I have asked the College of Policing to consider options for a new non-degree entry route to complement the existing framework. The current transitional arrangements will be extended in the meantime, and I am very clear that the police force must be open to those who neither have or want a degree.

Answer from Chris Philp

Council budgets are obviously a matter for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and they will be set out in the local government funding settlement in a few weeks' time. When it comes to police budgets, which are the Home Office's responsibility, as I have said once or twice already, the budget this year is £1.1 billion higher than it was last year—it stands now at £16.9 billion—and by April next year, when the police uplift programme is complete, we will have more uniformed police officers recruited than at any time in our country's history.