The Government Response to the Seventh Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2013-14 - HC 71

The Government Response to the Seventh Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2013-14 - HC 71 PDF Author: Great Britain: Home Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780101876926
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
Dated December 2013. Response to HC 71, session 2013-14 (ISBN 9780215062659)

The Government Response to the Seventh Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2013-14 - HC 71

The Government Response to the Seventh Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2013-14 - HC 71 PDF Author: Great Britain: Home Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780101876926
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
Dated December 2013. Response to HC 71, session 2013-14 (ISBN 9780215062659)

House of Commons - Home Affairs Committee: Asylum - HC 71

House of Commons - Home Affairs Committee: Asylum - HC 71 PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215062659
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
The asylum system is overburdened and under severe pressure. The backlog of asylum cases that should have been cleared by 2011 has reached 32,600, with some people waiting up to 16 years for a decision. Thousands appear to be living in a sub-standard level of housing as part of the COMPASS contract supplied by the private contractors G4S, Serco and Clearel. These companies must be held accountable. The quality of decision making is also of great concern as 30% of appeals against initial decisions were allowed in 2012. The impact of decisions are grave - if asylum is not granted when it should be then the UK is failing to protect a vulnerable person. If asylum is granted when it is not deserved then the UK may well end up harbouring war criminals and terrorists. Those who apply for asylum should be checked against national and international law enforcement agency and security databases to ensure that we are not harbouring those who intend us harm. The Home Secretary has to give assurance that any anomalies in the process, which have allowed decisions such as this to take place, are addressed immediately. The are also oncerns about the level of support available to those who seek asylum in the UK. The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 section 4, which provides a reduced support system for asylum seekers who had had their claim refused but were unable to return to their country of origin through reasons that were no fault of theirs, is not a solution.

House of Commons - Home Affairs Committee: Pre-Lisbon Treaty EU Police and Criminal Justice Measures: The UK's Opt-In Decision - HC 615

House of Commons - Home Affairs Committee: Pre-Lisbon Treaty EU Police and Criminal Justice Measures: The UK's Opt-In Decision - HC 615 PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215063410
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
This report is the Home Affairs Committee's response to the House's invitation of 15 July 2013, together with the Justice and European Scrutiny Committees, to submit a report by the end of October 2013 relevant to the exercise of the block opt-out of pre-Lisbon Treaty EU police and criminal justice measures, before the start of negotiations between the Government and the European Commission, Council and other EU member states on measures which the UK wishes to rejoin following exercise of the block opt-out. The Government has given notification of its intention to exercise the block opt-out. Its right to do so, and the conditions attached to the exercise of that right, are contained in Article 10 of Protocol 36 annexed to the EU Treaties. The block opt-out covers 130 EU police and criminal justice measures which had been adopted prior to 1 December 2009, the date of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. The Committee has also set out: (i) That there are many problems with the European Arrest Warrant, in its existing form, in particular that it is on a system of mutual recognition of legal systems which in reality vary significantly; (ii) The Committee welcomes and supports the Government's reform package for the arrest warrant; (iii) The Committee recommends separate votes on the arrest warrant to the rest of the opt-in package at an early stage to provide a parliamentary mandate for the Government's negotiations.; (iv) The Committee concludes that if the Government proceeds with the opt-in as proposed, it will not result in any repatriation of powers. Indeed, the increased jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice may result in a net flow of powers in the opposite direction.

HC 712 - The Work of the Immigration Directorates (January - June 2014)

HC 712 - The Work of the Immigration Directorates (January - June 2014) PDF Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215080939
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description
In 1998, the previous government abolished exit checks, paper-based embarkation records of passengers departing from the UK, because they were too resource intensive. Those universal exit checks were replaced by an intelligence-led approach, using CCTV and greater liaison between border agencies, port operators and transport carriers. This approach was subsequently superseded by the e-Borders programme, announced in February2005. The e-Borders programme has stalled and was "terminated" in March 2014 and that the Home Office would bereplacing individual systems, such as the Warnings Index and Semaphore, separately. At the moment, data for air passengers travelling in and out of the UK is sourced from carrier lists, known as Advanced Passenger Information (API). Air passengers buy tickets in advance and check in a reasonable time before departure, so API coverage is good, about 80% and increasing. Coverage is not so good for rail and ferry passengers, partly because of the ticketing systems and partly because customers can decide to travel, buy a ticket and have checked in at a time near to departure. Both the Minister and the Director General of Border Force have assured the Committee that 100% exit checks will be in place by 31st March 2015. To deliver exit checks, the Home Office needs to find a mechanism that can count all of the rail and maritime passengers as they depart the UK by the end of March. Exit checks will be carried out by the transport operators' staff, not Border Force. The Committee hope this can be delivered.

HC 711 - Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

HC 711 - Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 PDF Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215078985
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
This inquiry addresses police forces' use of RIPA powers to acquire communications data in the course of investigations. In two recent, high-profile cases, police have used RIPA powers to obtain material which might be regarded as journalistic material for the purposes of PACE. In the Metropolitan Police's Operation Alice (the investigation into the so-called "Plebgate" incident and subsequent events), the Metropolitan Police accessed a journalist's telephone records to establish whether the information provided to his newspaper might have emanated from within the MPS. In Kent Police's Operation Solar (the investigation into perversion of the course of justice by Constance Briscoe in relation to the trial of Rt Hon Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce) the police used RIPA powers to obtain material from Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) after an application by the police for access to the material under PACE had already failed because ANL had successfully claimed in court that journalistic privilege applied.

HC 203 - Child Sexual Explpotation and the Response to Localised Grooming: Follow-Up

HC 203 - Child Sexual Explpotation and the Response to Localised Grooming: Follow-Up PDF Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215078306
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 74

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Book Description
This report is a follow-up to the Committee's second report of session 2013-14. That report revealed results of an inquiry into children being treated in an appalling way not just by their abusers but, because of catastrophic failures by the very agencies that society has appointed to protect them. There is no mechanism at all to suspend or remove a Police and Crime Commissioner for behaviour which falls short of criminal. The current report includes a draft Bill which suggests mechanisms for removing PCCs from their post. It is vital that children's services are dramatically improved to prevent a similar situation from happening again. It was shocking that evidence of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham was ignored by both Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire Police. A number of individuals attempted to bring these crimes to light, only to face obstacles from the Council and Police which in some cases questioned their credibility and the veracity of their claims. If the Council and Police had taken these warnings seriously, the abusers could have been brought to justice more quickly and some of the later victims could have been spared their ordeal. The proliferation of revelations about files which can no longer be located gives rise to public suspicion of a deliberate cover-up. The only way to address these concerns is with a full, transparent and urgent investigation

HC 231 - Counter-Terrorism

HC 231 - Counter-Terrorism PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215071956
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
Recent events involving Boko Haram, Al-Shabab and Al Qaeda show that the terrorist threat to the UK is as grave as at any point in the past thirteen years. Interpol have the resources and experience to build a platform and the UK must take the lead in bringing others to the table. However, ensuring public safety cannot be the sole purview of the counterterrorism command and the security service, it is a responsibility in which all UK citizens and companies take a share. Stopping British men and women going to become foreign fighters, in Syria and other theatres of conflict, and engaging with them when they return is vital to avoid endangering the security of the UK. Whether in classrooms, local community centres, or through the global reach of the internet and social media, a clear message needs to be sent to those at risk. The agencies are at the cutting edge of sophistication and are owed an equally refined system of democratic scrutiny. It is an embarrassing indictment of our system that some in the media felt compelled to publish leaked information to ensure that matters were heard in Parliament. The Intelligence and Security Committee should be given a democratic mandate in the same way as other Select Committees

HC 201 - Female Genital Mutilation: The Case for a National Action Plan

HC 201 - Female Genital Mutilation: The Case for a National Action Plan PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215073339
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
The Committee recommends the immediate implementation of a national action plan and specific steps to respond to the growing FGM crisis. A number of successful prosecutions would send a clear message to those involved that FGM is taken with the utmost seriousness in the UK and will be punished accordingly. There should be an extension to the right to anonymity to include victims of FGM to aid prosecution. The good example of France should be emulated and there is a case for a system that empowers medical professionals to make periodic FGM assessments where a girl is identified as being at high risk. The Multi-Agency Guidelines on FGM should also be placed on a statutory footing to provide a stronger incentive for the provision of training on FGM to all those who need it. The Committee's further recommendations include: the inclusion of mandatory questioning on FGM for antenatal booking interviews and at GP registration, and changes to the Personal Child Health Record/Red Book to refer explicitly to FGM; a requirement for all schools to provide training on FGM and Headteachers to read guidance or face funding penalties; the introduction of FGM protection orders similar to those which exist for forced marriage. In 12 months' time, if reporting does not increase, a failure to report should be made a criminal offence. Better services for women and girls affected by FGM including refuge shelters for those at risk also need to be provided

HC 825 - Effectiveness of the Committee in 2012-13

HC 825 - Effectiveness of the Committee in 2012-13 PDF Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215078888
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
In order to monitor the effectiveness of its Reports, the Home Affairs Committee maintains a colour-coded grid of its recommendations. Recommendations are coded green if, in it's view, the Government has accepted them, red if they have been rejected, and yellow if they have been partially accepted, or if the Government has undertaken to give them further consideration. This Report covers the Committee's work in the 2012-13 Session. The Committee will use the grid to inform its choice of inquiries over the course of the Parliament, returning to earlier recommendations where it appears that there may be some merit in doing so, but avoiding reduplication of earlier work where it appears unlikely to prove beneficial

HC 200 - Tobacco Smuggling

HC 200 - Tobacco Smuggling PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Home Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215072987
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
There is an urgent need for improvements to the Government's 'Tackling tobacco smuggling' strategy. It is a matter of grave concern that, despite an increase in the resources over the last three years the numbers of arrests, prosecutions and convictions for organised crime cases involving tobacco have all fallen. It is vital that there is no reduction in enforcement action. The time of Jamaica Inn is over and our fight against tobacco smuggling must be a priority. It is most surprising that no UK tobacco manufacturer has ever been fined for over-supply of products to high-risk overseas markets, and that only one statutory warning letter has been issued. The penalties available are too weak and enforcement too rare. An immediate review should be taken against all historic and ongoing cases in order to ensure those who have committed an offence do not go unpunished. The standardised packaging decision should be made on the basis of health. It is vital that consideration of the potential effects on smuggling is thorough and common sense steps are taken to ensure that criminal gangs do not profit from the Government's decision