:00:00. > :00:00.expected to be on the 23 rd February. Over now live to the House
:00:00. > :00:09.of Commons. THE SPEAKER: Order. Order Mr
:00:10. > :00:16.Nicholas Brown. Mr Speaker, I beg to move that you
:00:17. > :00:23.do issue your warrant to the clerk of the Crown to make out a new writ
:00:24. > :00:29.for the electing of a member to serve in this present Parliament for
:00:30. > :00:37.the county constituency of Copeland in the room of jameson Ronald Reid,
:00:38. > :00:42.who since his election for the said county constituency has been
:00:43. > :00:45.appointed to the office of steward and bailiff of Her Majesty's manner
:00:46. > :00:51.of north stead in the county of York.
:00:52. > :00:54.THE SPEAKER: The question is that I do issue my warrant to the clerk of
:00:55. > :01:00.the Crown to make out a new writ for the electing of a member to serve in
:01:01. > :01:06.the present Parliament for the county constituency of Copeland in
:01:07. > :01:09.the room of Jameson Ronald Reid who since his election for the said
:01:10. > :01:13.county constituency has been appointed to the office of steward
:01:14. > :01:19.and bailiff of Her Majesty's manner of north stead in the county of
:01:20. > :01:29.York. As many of that opinion say aye. To the contrary no. The ayes
:01:30. > :01:35.have it. Order. Order. I beg to move that Mr Speaker do issue his warrant
:01:36. > :01:40.to the clerk of the Crown to make out a new writ for the electing a
:01:41. > :01:46.member to serve in this present Parliament for the borough
:01:47. > :01:52.constituency of Stoke-on-Trent central in the room of Mr Trace
:01:53. > :01:55.Troon Julian William hunt who since his election for the said borough
:01:56. > :02:05.constituency has been appointed to the office of steward and bailiff of
:02:06. > :02:08.her Her Majesty's three Chiltern hundreds of Stoke, desborough and
:02:09. > :02:12.Burnham in the county of Buckingham. THE SPEAKER: The question is I do
:02:13. > :02:20.issue my warrant to the clerk of the Crown to make out a new writ for the
:02:21. > :02:26.electing a member to serve in the current parlt for Stoke-on-Trent
:02:27. > :02:28.central in the room of trace tram Julian William Hunt, who since the
:02:29. > :02:36.election for said borough constituency has been appointed to
:02:37. > :02:42.the office of steward and bailiff of her Her Majesty's county of
:02:43. > :02:49.Buckingham. As many are of that opinion say aye. To the contrary no.
:02:50. > :03:03.The ayes have it. Order. LAUGHTER
:03:04. > :03:12.THE SPEAKER: Order. Questions to the Secretary of State for the home
:03:13. > :03:18.department. Number one, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, with permission I will
:03:19. > :03:21.take this question with numbers ten and 11 together. Immigration remains
:03:22. > :03:25.a reserved matter. We will consider the needs of the UK as a whole,
:03:26. > :03:29.applying different immigration rules to different parts of the UK would
:03:30. > :03:33.complicate the immigration system, harming its integrity and cause
:03:34. > :03:39.difficulties for employers who need the flexibility to deploy their
:03:40. > :03:47.staff over the UK. Mr Speaker that is a very disappointing response
:03:48. > :03:51.infused with both arrogance and complacency. There are large
:03:52. > :03:55.countries such as Canada and Australia which have regional
:03:56. > :04:00.variations in their immigration and visa policies to take account of
:04:01. > :04:05.diverse and complicated economic circumstances. Is it not foolhardy
:04:06. > :04:07.for this Government to rule out the prospect of doing that in the
:04:08. > :04:11.regions and nations of the United Kingdom? I'm sure the honourable
:04:12. > :04:15.gentleman shares my view that any changes to any policy should be
:04:16. > :04:21.informed by the facts and by assessments, which is why we
:04:22. > :04:26.consulted the migration advisory council to look at regional issues.
:04:27. > :04:29.They were unequivocal in their conclusions. I urge the honourable
:04:30. > :04:34.gentleman to take a look at that report. Doesn't the Secretary of
:04:35. > :04:38.State understand that Scotland needs more immigrants, so given that, why
:04:39. > :04:45.doesn't she give us the power to choose our own targets for our own
:04:46. > :04:50.needs, for our own countries? The honourable gentleman must share my
:04:51. > :04:53.view, surely, that Scotland has a sufficient powers, has its own
:04:54. > :04:59.powers to do many things it could do, perhaps to improve its education
:05:00. > :05:05.system, perhaps to improve its health system, but immigrants will
:05:06. > :05:08.come to a place where they see an improving education and improving
:05:09. > :05:13.Health Service. Perhaps the SNP should spend more time applying
:05:14. > :05:17.itself to those issues rather than constitutional ones. We were told
:05:18. > :05:21.during the referendum campaign that Scotland should have control over
:05:22. > :05:26.immigration. Now we've already been told that leavinglet EU is meant to
:05:27. > :05:30.be clear in what it means. Why is it she can keep commitments that will
:05:31. > :05:33.cost us jobs but not one that might create some jobs? I'm afraid I don't
:05:34. > :05:39.share the honourable gentleman's views about the outcome of the
:05:40. > :05:42.referendum. The fact is we have an immigration policy that works for
:05:43. > :05:45.the whole of the United Kingdom and that's the one we will continue to
:05:46. > :05:51.support. I repeat my comments to him as I said to his colleague, I would
:05:52. > :05:58.urge the SNP to apply themselves to making Scotland an attractive place
:05:59. > :06:02.for immigrants to go to. Does my right honourable friend agree while
:06:03. > :06:07.it's right we seek to take account of labour market kerbs and
:06:08. > :06:11.demographic -- concerns and demographic differences, any
:06:12. > :06:14.immigration policies for Scotland or Wales would risk creating softer
:06:15. > :06:19.alternative entry points for the rest of the UK. Of course my right
:06:20. > :06:23.honourable friend puts it so well. Any immigration policy will take
:06:24. > :06:26.into account needs driven by industry, driven by our skills. It
:06:27. > :06:29.won't be regionally based. The fact is people like to be able to move
:06:30. > :06:34.around. It is right they should be able to do so.
:06:35. > :06:42.During the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, steps were taken at
:06:43. > :06:46.the border there to ensure that Commonwealth citizens visiting the
:06:47. > :06:53.UK could easily transit our borders. Would the secretary look at that to
:06:54. > :06:55.all borders in the UK. I share my honourable friend's view about how
:06:56. > :07:00.important the Commonwealth is to the UK. I will certainly take under
:07:01. > :07:04.consideration his suggestion. Can I urge the Home Secretary to make sure
:07:05. > :07:07.there is consistency of border security and immigration policies
:07:08. > :07:11.across the United Kingdom, can she tell the House what conversations
:07:12. > :07:16.have been had with EuroStar and border force to put an end to the
:07:17. > :07:20.Lille loophole? We cannot have a situation where profits are put
:07:21. > :07:24.before protection. I thank my honourable friend for raising that
:07:25. > :07:27.issue. It is a very serious matter. We are taking forward immediately
:07:28. > :07:31.actions this week tone sure that it doesn't happen and we'll be having
:07:32. > :07:37.conversations with both to ensure certainty going forward.
:07:38. > :07:42.Can I remind the Home Secretary that it is the right honourable member
:07:43. > :07:44.for Surrey Heath who said during the EU referendum campaign that
:07:45. > :07:51.migration should be devolved to Scotland. A starting point might be
:07:52. > :07:55.to allow EU nationals residing in Scotland to stay. Last week, the
:07:56. > :07:59.committee for exiting the European Union heard evidence from witnessing
:08:00. > :08:04.representing both EU nationals living in the UK and witnesses
:08:05. > :08:09.representing British citizens living elsewhere in the European Union.
:08:10. > :08:14.Every single one of them said that it's their desire for the British
:08:15. > :08:18.Government to make a unilateral declaration of continued rights of
:08:19. > :08:23.EU citizens in the UK. Will she now persuade the Prime Minister to do
:08:24. > :08:26.that? Well, I would like to remind the right honourable lady that
:08:27. > :08:30.nothing has changed. We are still in the European Union. Those citizens
:08:31. > :08:34.still have the same rights. In terms of their ongoing rights, the Prime
:08:35. > :08:38.Minister was very clear last week when she made her speech. She said
:08:39. > :08:42.it was going to be an early priority to give them the security they seek.
:08:43. > :08:47.I would just urge all colleagues here to reassure their constituents
:08:48. > :08:57.that is our intention. We need to make sure it's reciprocal for UK
:08:58. > :09:07.citizens as well. ( Across Scotland in common with other parts of the UK
:09:08. > :09:11.there are applications to remain. Like a Spanish constituent who is
:09:12. > :09:14.dismayed at having been rejected because they can't prove either five
:09:15. > :09:19.years continuous service with the same employer or having paid in for
:09:20. > :09:23.private health insurance. Can the Home Secretary readvise the the
:09:24. > :09:27.rigid erequirements who penalise EU nationals like her who have been
:09:28. > :09:30.home makers or students on short-term contracts or
:09:31. > :09:35.self-employed and end this bureaucratic nightmare. There is no
:09:36. > :09:39.penalising of people like the lady who the honourable lady was
:09:40. > :09:43.referring to. We continue to value the important contribution that EU
:09:44. > :09:46.nationals make to this country. I would repeat and I would urge the
:09:47. > :09:49.honourable lady to follow the advice that I previously set out which is
:09:50. > :09:53.to reassure constituents like the one she referred to that in fact we
:09:54. > :09:57.are doing our best to ensure that their future will be secure and the
:09:58. > :10:03.Prime Minister says it will be an early priority to do so. Question
:10:04. > :10:06.number two, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. With permission I will
:10:07. > :10:11.answer questions two and five on the order paper together. The Government
:10:12. > :10:14.remains committed to reforming the current police funding arrangements
:10:15. > :10:17.to ensure fairer, more up to date and transparent formula. We are
:10:18. > :10:22.currently undertaking a period of detailed engage the with the
:10:23. > :10:25.policing sector and indeed rerabbit experts including academics. Any new
:10:26. > :10:28.formula will be subject to public consultation.
:10:29. > :10:33.I thank the minister for that response much the current formula
:10:34. > :10:37.for allocating funding to police forces uses data which is 14 years
:10:38. > :10:41.old. Does the minister agree it's time to update this formula My
:10:42. > :10:47.honourable friend makes a very good point, which I know he's lobbied on
:10:48. > :10:52.behalf of his authority for and have spoken to the PCC for Essex as well.
:10:53. > :10:57.It is true it is out of date. That's why it was in the manifesto to
:10:58. > :11:00.deliver a fairer funding review. Derbyshire Police force is also
:11:01. > :11:05.disadvantaged by the current formula. When can they expect the
:11:06. > :11:08.fair level of funding they deserve? I would say to my honourable friend,
:11:09. > :11:12.obviously, Derbyshire will get an increase in funding this year. I
:11:13. > :11:15.appreciate having spoke ton himself and colleagues who have spoken to on
:11:16. > :11:19.behalf of Derbyshire there is a feeling that the formula at the
:11:20. > :11:23.moment is not fairly weighted to a number of areas across the country,
:11:24. > :11:27.that's why it's important to go through this. I'm not going to give
:11:28. > :11:30.a time scale. We want to go through this in a methodical way. I'm
:11:31. > :11:33.confident we will get to the right position to have a clear and fair
:11:34. > :11:40.and transparent formula in good time. (
:11:41. > :11:45.Would the Minister accept the current proposed settlement is below
:11:46. > :11:51.the level of inflation and, therefore, the cost is going to fall
:11:52. > :11:55.on local taxpayers, so in my area, is 3.8% rise will happen? Is that
:11:56. > :12:00.not just a transfer from central government to local government? I
:12:01. > :12:04.would say that the government has put in a flat cash funding
:12:05. > :12:09.protection for police funding over this spending review. That is a good
:12:10. > :12:13.thing to do, but it is also a result of the fact we inherited a terrible
:12:14. > :12:16.economic legacy from the previous Labour government who spent money
:12:17. > :12:20.the country did not have and we have two nature of this country lives
:12:21. > :12:23.within its means. That is an appropriate and sensible thing to
:12:24. > :12:34.do. Members of the party opposite should look at that in the future.
:12:35. > :12:37.We will debt of gratitude to the office of Police and Crime
:12:38. > :12:40.Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall for having discovered the mistake
:12:41. > :12:45.that led to the pausing of the review. That was 15 months ago.
:12:46. > :12:50.There is really no excuse for such a delay. The minister inherited this
:12:51. > :12:54.problem, but can we please have timetable so local police forces can
:12:55. > :13:02.know when they can get their funding? I am as keen as he clearly
:13:03. > :13:07.is to see the new funding formula review completed so he can get it
:13:08. > :13:11.into place. It is important that we do this correctly, that we work with
:13:12. > :13:16.the sector. I want to thank everybody across the sector, PCC 's
:13:17. > :13:20.and Chief constables, who have given me feedback, I made them regularly,
:13:21. > :13:23.they are happy with the process and the timescale you're working on and
:13:24. > :13:28.I won't rush. We need to get it right. Northamptonshire Police are
:13:29. > :13:31.leading the way in combining the delivery of front line services
:13:32. > :13:35.together with the local fire brigade. Will the police minister
:13:36. > :13:39.ensure that forces which are undertaking such a radical new
:13:40. > :13:44.initiatives to improve local efficiency are rewarded through the
:13:45. > :13:47.new funding formula? My honourable friend Alex and important point that
:13:48. > :13:51.emergency services following the policing and crime Bill will have
:13:52. > :13:55.that opportunity to collaborate and a duty to collaborate and bring
:13:56. > :14:00.together police and fire gives an opportunity for rewards in terms of
:14:01. > :14:03.savings by working together work collaboratively to deliver a better
:14:04. > :14:09.front line. Northamptonshire has been a leading light in this over
:14:10. > :14:13.the past few years. The Scottish police authority is the only
:14:14. > :14:18.territorial police authority in the United Kingdom which is unable to
:14:19. > :14:24.recover the VAT it pays. This has cost the Scottish public purse ?75
:14:25. > :14:28.million since 2013 and has consequences for investment and
:14:29. > :14:31.resourcing. The First Minister and the finance secretary raised the
:14:32. > :14:34.issue with the Chancellor this month, can the Minister confirm what
:14:35. > :14:40.discussions he has had with the Chancellor about this important
:14:41. > :14:44.issue? In terms of what we are doing around police funding, there are
:14:45. > :14:47.regular conversations between me and the Treasury. I am happy to feed
:14:48. > :14:54.back with more detail once we have had our next round of conversations.
:14:55. > :14:59.Whichever way you cut it, the cute is just too small. More than 20,000
:15:00. > :15:04.police officers cut since 2010 and now we know from the ONS that crime
:15:05. > :15:09.is twice as high as the government says. When will the Minister
:15:10. > :15:14.recognised that the combination of high crime and low police numbers
:15:15. > :15:19.leaves the public at risk? Well, I would just respectfully say to the
:15:20. > :15:23.honourable lady, she will want a clear and transparent set of
:15:24. > :15:28.figures. What she has said is not accurate at all. The reality is the
:15:29. > :15:32.ONS has, for the first time, included cybercrime in its figures
:15:33. > :15:36.with fraud. Cybercrime and fraud is an area that has been recorded for
:15:37. > :15:41.the first time. It is not true to say the figures are double. I am sad
:15:42. > :15:45.that the Labour Party, when in government, never give these
:15:46. > :15:50.figures. It is right. I would also congratulate them for recording more
:15:51. > :15:55.crime. The honourable lady does not have to give us an imitation of
:15:56. > :16:01.Bruce Forsyth. She has asked a question and should with a reply. I
:16:02. > :16:05.think people can see those ONS figures and see the reality. It is
:16:06. > :16:08.also clear, and I am proud of the fact to be part of the government
:16:09. > :16:16.which has seen a fall in crime since 2010. The resort area of Cleveland
:16:17. > :16:21.has suffered a spate of vandalism and anti-social behaviour in recent
:16:22. > :16:25.weeks. Can the Minister assure me that adequate resources will be
:16:26. > :16:31.provided to Humberside Police and other forces to do with this sort of
:16:32. > :16:35.anti-social behaviour? My honourable friend raises an important point
:16:36. > :16:38.about making sure we have local accountability through the Police
:16:39. > :16:42.and Crime Commissioner is to look at where the crime is in areas, where
:16:43. > :16:45.they focus resources, work with excellent chief constables around
:16:46. > :16:48.the country and have a fairer funding formula that has principles
:16:49. > :16:52.agreed across the sector that will contribute to making that more
:16:53. > :17:00.fairer in the future. Number three, Mr Speaker. Ministers recently
:17:01. > :17:02.sought views from a public consultation on whether proceedings
:17:03. > :17:07.of part two of the live is an enquiry was proportionate,
:17:08. > :17:09.appropriate and in the public interest. Interested parties could
:17:10. > :17:14.make clear their views which will help inform the decision by the
:17:15. > :17:18.Culture Secretary and Home Secretary. Sur le Gutsul will be
:17:19. > :17:23.consulted before a decision is taken. I thank the Minister for that
:17:24. > :17:27.question, which bore no relation to the question I asked the sub 30
:17:28. > :17:32.public officials have gone to prison as a result of the love is an
:17:33. > :17:35.enquiry. How can it be appropriate to even consider cancelling Levinson
:17:36. > :17:45.to which would look at the question of police corruption and the role of
:17:46. > :17:50.politicians in not? The question for no summons to the answer I gave
:17:51. > :17:52.earlier. It is clear, the reason we are having a consultation on the
:17:53. > :17:58.love is an enquiry is to make sure we get this right. Journalists have
:17:59. > :18:01.broken their lot with sickness incredibly seriously and that is why
:18:02. > :18:05.the honourable lady will be pleased to hear that of the recommendations
:18:06. > :18:09.by Sir Brian Levenson covering police and press, all of those
:18:10. > :18:13.recommendations are underway to being in fermented. When the
:18:14. > :18:16.concentration complete on January and after a pending court case, the
:18:17. > :18:23.government will make its position clear. The entire house knows the
:18:24. > :18:31.Levinson enquiry was always meant to have two parts. The government seems
:18:32. > :18:36.poised to break a promise, hiding behind a completely gratuitous
:18:37. > :18:42.enquiry. The whole house knows about cases like Millie Dowler and also
:18:43. > :18:46.the totally innocent is different Jeffries in Bristol this photo was
:18:47. > :18:52.plastered all over the tabloids as a murder suspect as a consequence of
:18:53. > :18:57.collusion between the police and the media. Why cannot the Minister see
:18:58. > :19:02.that it would be nothing less than a betrayal of the victims of phone
:19:03. > :19:08.hacking, like Millie Dowler and Christopher Jeffries, if this
:19:09. > :19:15.government blocks the second half of Levinson? The honourable lady will
:19:16. > :19:19.know the consultation finished on the 10th of January. There was
:19:20. > :19:22.140,000 responses to this consultation. I don't know about the
:19:23. > :19:27.honourable lady, but it takes time to go through those 140,000. We also
:19:28. > :19:31.have to deal with the current court case that would make it harder for
:19:32. > :19:35.us to respond to this consultation until that hearing is complete. Once
:19:36. > :19:39.it is complete I assured the honourable lady we will be happy to
:19:40. > :19:47.meet with and discuss further the recommendations. Question number
:19:48. > :19:51.four, Mr Speaker. The resettlement programme is on track to deliver the
:19:52. > :19:55.commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrians during this
:19:56. > :20:01.Parliament. The of October 2015 and the end of September 2016 4162
:20:02. > :20:05.people had been resettled under the Syrian honourable person's
:20:06. > :20:11.resettlement scheme across 175 local authorities. My constituents have
:20:12. > :20:15.been deeply moved by the refugee crisis and have asked me what they
:20:16. > :20:19.can do to help. I welcomed the launch of the community sponsorship
:20:20. > :20:23.scheme accepted my honourable friend update the House and the progress of
:20:24. > :20:28.this scheme and what he is doing to harness the generosity of the
:20:29. > :20:34.British people? The community-based sponsorship scheme was launched in
:20:35. > :20:38.July 20 16. The scheme put in the Prime Minister is Home Secretary to
:20:39. > :20:41.develop a scheme to allow individuals, charities, faith
:20:42. > :20:45.groups, churches and businesses to support those refugees. My
:20:46. > :20:47.honourable friend's constituents are part of that generous giving,
:20:48. > :20:54.wanting to help some vulnerable people. They help refugees in the UK
:20:55. > :20:58.web page has been developed to make any member of the public to support
:20:59. > :21:03.refugees in the UK and allow local authorities to focus support and the
:21:04. > :21:07.goods and services refugees need. Those granted refugee status from
:21:08. > :21:13.Syria can apply for immediate family members to join them here. Since the
:21:14. > :21:16.Home Office stopped funding DNA tests for such relatives, refusals
:21:17. > :21:20.from many countries have shot up. But what good will the Home Office
:21:21. > :21:26.review on this matter have been completed and published? The
:21:27. > :21:31.honourable gentleman makes some valid points. I will come back to
:21:32. > :21:34.you with the exact details of the timescale and, to help inform them
:21:35. > :21:41.of refugees further than just Syria is well on that scheme. Would the
:21:42. > :21:45.honourable member like to congratulate councils like Kingston
:21:46. > :21:47.Council who have come forward to host vulnerable Syrian refugees and
:21:48. > :21:51.families he have done so and explain that it is still the case that
:21:52. > :21:55.individual housing is required, rather than joining a family in an
:21:56. > :22:00.existing house because lots of these people are victims of terrible
:22:01. > :22:02.atrocities? The honourable member makes an important point. It is
:22:03. > :22:06.important for this scheme to work that people come forward and many
:22:07. > :22:10.local authorities and the Scottish Government have been incredibly
:22:11. > :22:14.generous in offering and holding out the hand of friendship. We do need
:22:15. > :22:18.more. We need community groups to come through but I have two warm
:22:19. > :22:21.members that when charities and the third sector come forward with make
:22:22. > :22:25.sure we do due diligence to make sure the very vulnerable people are
:22:26. > :22:32.given exactly the right support they need to nature it is sustainable.
:22:33. > :22:36.Question number seven, Mr Speaker. He published the latest statistics
:22:37. > :22:42.on response times to fires in England on the 19th of January. They
:22:43. > :22:47.do show that times do continue to increase gradually and some areas
:22:48. > :22:51.sought reductions, such as house fires and commercial buildings
:22:52. > :22:54.fires, which had a reduction and, luckily unfortunately, due to the
:22:55. > :22:58.good work of the Fire Service, fires and five related fatalities have
:22:59. > :23:02.been on a downward trend for a number of years, reaching
:23:03. > :23:06.historically low levels recently. I thank the Minister for his response,
:23:07. > :23:09.however, continued cuts are having a profound impact on firefighter and
:23:10. > :23:15.public safety. Increased response times, they are having to travel
:23:16. > :23:19.further afield, which means they are pitching more serious fires.
:23:20. > :23:26.Minister agree that these cuts have gone far gone far too far? I would
:23:27. > :23:31.say that in terms of house fires, in house fires we have seen a reduction
:23:32. > :23:34.in the response times to fires in homes and in buildings more
:23:35. > :23:37.generally, but in terms of the finance issue, I would say that what
:23:38. > :23:43.we have seen the Fire Service over the last three years is 154%
:23:44. > :23:48.increase in reserves. Her own Fire Service has gone from 7 million to
:23:49. > :23:54.some ?29 million in reserve all of which can be used to find
:23:55. > :23:59.efficiencies and finance services. Fire related deaths have gone up 15%
:24:00. > :24:04.in England and 14% in Scotland over the last year, which is clearly
:24:05. > :24:11.unacceptable and must surely sent a signal that the cuts have gone too
:24:12. > :24:14.far. Will the Minister look at both the funding, but also the
:24:15. > :24:20.organisations which are taking fire crews further away from the areas
:24:21. > :24:24.they need to service? I would say to the honourable gentleman, as I said
:24:25. > :24:27.in the previous question, the response to house in Paris and
:24:28. > :24:32.Berlin fires has improved in the last year. It is important that and
:24:33. > :24:36.death as a result of fire is unacceptable. We all want to see no
:24:37. > :24:41.deaths. That is why good work done by fire authorities, health and
:24:42. > :24:44.safety work in our homes is important. We must always stay
:24:45. > :24:50.vigilant. That is why people should test and have smoke alarms. I would
:24:51. > :24:52.say to all fire authorities to nature to find efficiencies to be
:24:53. > :24:58.given to nature of the money is on the front line to deliver people
:24:59. > :25:03.every day. According to the Home Office own figures, published last
:25:04. > :25:09.Thursday, deaths from house fires are up by 18% on previous years and
:25:10. > :25:13.response times are slower. Fire crews are being deprived resources
:25:14. > :25:17.and Fire Service jobs are being lost. Will the Minister not accept
:25:18. > :25:21.that the current round of cuts are putting the public at risk and
:25:22. > :25:28.demoralising hard-working, dedicated fire officers? Well, I would say, as
:25:29. > :25:32.I said earlier on, we need to be clear about the figures. There has
:25:33. > :25:36.been a 52% reduction in the total number of reported fires in recent
:25:37. > :25:41.years. Five related fatalities are down 22%, while response times to
:25:42. > :25:45.house fires and building fires are slightly down and improved. We do
:25:46. > :25:52.need to be vigilant, we need to be clear about the fact as well. Number
:25:53. > :25:55.eight, Mr Speaker. The response by the government includes a law
:25:56. > :25:58.enforcement agencies are taking action against online offenders
:25:59. > :26:02.developing new capabilities defined and Cisco victims and working with
:26:03. > :26:07.the internet industry to remove illegal images. We have led a global
:26:08. > :26:09.response to current expedition, working with countries, companies,
:26:10. > :26:18.civil Latest Government statistics show in
:26:19. > :26:22.2015 over 500 children in Wiltshire were victims of online abuse and
:26:23. > :26:28.became subjects of a child protection plan. What impact is the
:26:29. > :26:32.image database having to help catch those who perpetrate this vile
:26:33. > :26:36.crime? The database makes it much easier
:26:37. > :26:41.for our National Crime Agency and other assets to tackle the threat
:26:42. > :26:47.posed by paedophiles online. That's why we're determined that the powers
:26:48. > :26:51.given to us can add to that to make sure we add these people. Child
:26:52. > :26:55.sexual abuse is horrific and carries on on the internet across the
:26:56. > :26:58.country. Can I urge the House that people recommend to their
:26:59. > :27:01.constituents that a process of contributing to keeping their own
:27:02. > :27:06.children safe is to take time out to look at the think you know campaign
:27:07. > :27:11.on the National Crime Agency because we all, I as a parent have a role in
:27:12. > :27:17.making sure my parent knows what's safe online. Actually, don't
:27:18. > :27:20.children need to be educated about how to help themselves stay safe
:27:21. > :27:24.online? And wouldn't it be the case if we had compulsory sex and
:27:25. > :27:29.relationship education that every school could make sure that every
:27:30. > :27:32.child knew how to you safe online? Can I ask the honourable lady to go
:27:33. > :27:37.onto the website of the National Crime Agency and look at the think
:27:38. > :27:41.you know campaign, it is tailor made for children to go through the ewe
:27:42. > :27:48.tore online and it's broken down by age. So my young children have an
:27:49. > :27:53.appropriate curriculum to look at and it makes a real difference.
:27:54. > :27:56.There's even one for her so she can follow and understand how she can be
:27:57. > :28:06.safe online and make sure children are as well. Would my reasoned not
:28:07. > :28:09.agree with me that the Wiltshire constabulary might be better
:28:10. > :28:14.spending the ?1 million and applying the 18 fulltime officers that
:28:15. > :28:18.they're currently looking into bogus allegations against Sir Edward Heath
:28:19. > :28:22.into looking at those 500 cases? My honourable friend will know that
:28:23. > :28:26.priorities for the police are set by the police. It is not for ministers
:28:27. > :28:35.to interfere with knows decisions they make. It is very important that
:28:36. > :28:39.we investigate all allegations of sexual abuse, without fear or safer
:28:40. > :28:43.and get to the bottom of it and put away those people causing such harm.
:28:44. > :28:47.The minister is being far too glib on this. All the research shows the
:28:48. > :28:52.best intermediary for teaching children is someone they trust in a
:28:53. > :28:57.school. That is the truth. Online work doesn't actually prove very
:28:58. > :29:00.effective. Isn't the truth that bullying, exploitation is rampant.
:29:01. > :29:06.Isn't it about time we stopped making excuses and took on the
:29:07. > :29:11.Googles and the people who allow this to be transmitted. The
:29:12. > :29:14.honourable gentleman misses point, we are taking on the big internet
:29:15. > :29:20.companies and if he spends time in the schools, in the primary schools
:29:21. > :29:25.where my children go, to they are given classes on how to stay safe
:29:26. > :29:27.online. This is not just a website. It's teachers, parents, everyone has
:29:28. > :29:31.their role in it. That is being delivered. The challenge we have in
:29:32. > :29:35.the world of the internet is keeping pace with the huge numbers of
:29:36. > :29:39.referrals we get every month from international paedophiles who abuse
:29:40. > :29:43.the internet to exploit our children and take advantage of the latest
:29:44. > :29:46.technology to keep our, to make sure our law enforcement agencies are
:29:47. > :29:50.having to constantly go the extra mile to catch them.
:29:51. > :29:54.THE SPEAKER: I gently remind the honourable lady who nodded sagely at
:29:55. > :29:59.me to denote her interest in this matter, that on the whole it is
:30:00. > :30:07.prudent to stand. As the Speaker has many qualities but he is not
:30:08. > :30:11.psychic. I do apologise, we have had a dreadful local case where an
:30:12. > :30:17.international paedophile ring such as the one the minister mentioned
:30:18. > :30:19.infiltrated a chat room aimed at nine-year-olds with dreadful
:30:20. > :30:21.consequences for those children. Could the minister help us with what
:30:22. > :30:27.investment the Government is making to help the police and other law
:30:28. > :30:34.enforcement agencies deal with and stamp out this sort of abuse? I'm
:30:35. > :30:37.grateful to my honourable friend. The National Crime Agencies child
:30:38. > :30:43.exploitation and online protection command received an extra ?10 poll
:30:44. > :30:47.this year in. November of 2015, the NCA joined up with GCHQ in a joint
:30:48. > :30:52.operations cell to make sure we tackle some of the most complicated
:30:53. > :30:57.crimes online. Those two are just part of the whole process. I would
:30:58. > :31:03.be happy to brief my honourable friend further on the whole spectrum
:31:04. > :31:07.of efforts we range against paedophiles and online abuse. The
:31:08. > :31:11.key to this is we can all contribute to that safety - teachers, parents,
:31:12. > :31:15.law enforcement agencies and community leaders to make sure we
:31:16. > :31:24.are aware of how paedophiles operate and shut them down and put them
:31:25. > :31:27.away. Number nine, Mr Speaker. I will answer questions nine and 17
:31:28. > :31:30.together. This Government is absolutely committed to tackling all
:31:31. > :31:35.forms of domestic abuse. This morning I chaired the domestic abuse
:31:36. > :31:41.national oversight group which oversees the delivery of important
:31:42. > :31:44.HMIC recommendations. Victims who experience extreme psychological and
:31:45. > :31:47.emotional abuse can now bring their perpetrators to justice. The college
:31:48. > :31:54.of pleating has updated its guidance. Every police force has a
:31:55. > :31:58.domestic abuse action plan. I thank my right honourable friend for her
:31:59. > :32:03.response. That's welcome new. In Bath a charity called Voices
:32:04. > :32:07.provides support to those victims or survivors of domestic violence. What
:32:08. > :32:11.is my right honourable friend doing tone sure where there is violence
:32:12. > :32:15.against women and girls at home and also abroad that they too can get
:32:16. > :32:18.similar support? I thank my honourable friend and I welcome the
:32:19. > :32:23.work that Voices does helping women and girls. We are a global leader in
:32:24. > :32:31.tackling violence against women and girl at home and overseas. Since
:32:32. > :32:37.2010 we have invested ?184 million and doubled our campaigns overseas
:32:38. > :32:41.from 64 programmes in 2012 to 127 in 2016. We've hosted various important
:32:42. > :32:46.international conferences such as global call to action on protecting
:32:47. > :32:50.women and girls in emergencies, the global summit to end sexual violence
:32:51. > :32:56.summit and the ground breaking girl summit. Can I also add my thanks to
:32:57. > :33:04.my right honourable friend's answer as well. Operation encompass which
:33:05. > :33:10.helps fight domestic violence through the school system, began in
:33:11. > :33:14.my constituency. Will she join me in praising the return of sergeant
:33:15. > :33:18.David Carney hayworth in setting up the operation and will ensure this
:33:19. > :33:23.is spread as many police forces across the country too? I am
:33:24. > :33:27.delighted to join him in congratulating the work of David
:33:28. > :33:32.Carney Hayworth I would say to him what he has brought our attention to
:33:33. > :33:35.is a good example of local practice. It is local practice, local
:33:36. > :33:40.initiative, local momentum that is really going to help the women and
:33:41. > :33:45.girls we want to reach. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can the minister update
:33:46. > :33:48.the House in relation to the violence against women and girls
:33:49. > :33:54.strategy, in particular with reference to the promised additional
:33:55. > :33:59.funding of ?18 million. How can this fund be accessed? And what's the
:34:00. > :34:04.criteria? Yes, I'm very happy to update the honourable lady. ?40
:34:05. > :34:06.million of the money is apportioned by DCLG, particularly for
:34:07. > :34:12.accommodation. We have access to most of the rest of it. I
:34:13. > :34:16.particularly draw her attention to the ?15 million which organisations
:34:17. > :34:19.are bidding for. It is a combination of commissioners and local
:34:20. > :34:34.organisations which she may like to access to support her constituents.
:34:35. > :34:38.The... Proposing an offence of domestic abuse. They want to end
:34:39. > :34:45.violence against women and girls at the earliest opportunity. Can the
:34:46. > :34:48.secretary speak to the ratification of the bill? I'm delighted to work
:34:49. > :34:53.with the Scottish Government on this important subject. I no thee they
:34:54. > :34:55.have put aside ?20 million to work on this particular topic. I welcome
:34:56. > :34:59.that initiative. If the honourable gentleman would like to come and see
:35:00. > :35:06.me or a colleague we can discuss his proposal. Any victim of domestic
:35:07. > :35:10.violence should receive equal support and respect regardless of
:35:11. > :35:15.their heritage and faith. Does my right honourable friend share my
:35:16. > :35:18.concerns about the report that CPS are dropping so-called honour cases
:35:19. > :35:21.for the fear of offending Asian communities? I do share my
:35:22. > :35:25.honourable friend's commitment to ensuring that so-called honour based
:35:26. > :35:29.violence is not neglected in any way, any type of violence against
:35:30. > :35:33.women and girls is something that this Government will not shy away
:35:34. > :35:38.from tackling. I'm certainly happy to work with her on this important
:35:39. > :35:42.matter. Number 12 Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The policing and
:35:43. > :35:47.crime bill has now completed the Lord stages. That introduces a new
:35:48. > :35:50.duty to collaborate between the emergency services and it enables
:35:51. > :35:53.Police and Crime Commissioners to take on the governance of Fire
:35:54. > :35:57.Rescue Service. Thanks to the excellent efforts of my honourable
:35:58. > :36:00.friend it will allow the Police and Crime Commissioners to become the
:36:01. > :36:04.police, fire and Crime Commissioners. We are working with
:36:05. > :36:09.key stake holder groups and I know a number of PCCs are looking athat the
:36:10. > :36:12.model. I'd like to thank the minister for his response and the
:36:13. > :36:17.fact that we will be changing the name of the Police and Crime
:36:18. > :36:19.Commissioners. Where there is a strong case for Police and Crime
:36:20. > :36:23.Commissioners to take the responsibility for the Fire Rescue
:36:24. > :36:27.Service, such as in Staffordshire, can my right honourable friend
:36:28. > :36:33.outline the process and the time frames that we'll be Lookmanning at
:36:34. > :36:36.in terms of -- looking at it terms of this change? I know the Police
:36:37. > :36:41.and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire is keen to move
:36:42. > :36:45.forward with this. It will be for the Police and Crime Commissioner to
:36:46. > :36:48.put forward a business case outlining their proposal to do this.
:36:49. > :36:53.If there isn't local agreement it will come forward and be assessed by
:36:54. > :36:56.an ept group. That process will be agreed with the local Government
:36:57. > :37:00.association to make sure it's clear and transparent. Hopefully by the
:37:01. > :37:06.end of this year we will see the first areas coming forward. In
:37:07. > :37:09.Staffordshire, Matthew ellist, the police -- Ellis, the Police and
:37:10. > :37:13.Crime Commissioner has identified so million worth of savings if only the
:37:14. > :37:17.two can cooperate. I'm sure this is going to be the case and
:37:18. > :37:19.incidentally, welcomed by firefighters throughout
:37:20. > :37:23.Staffordshire. I'm sure it's the case in other parts of the United
:37:24. > :37:27.Kingdom too. So what sort of time table does he actually think will be
:37:28. > :37:33.the case when we can see such mergers? My honourable friend makes
:37:34. > :37:36.a very good point and highlights the considerable savings that allows
:37:37. > :37:42.that money to go back into the frontline for both police and fire
:37:43. > :37:45.as we move forward by bringing together and finding efficiencies.
:37:46. > :37:48.The time frame will be down to the business case speed with which the
:37:49. > :37:53.Police and Crime Commissioner will put that forward. If they have local
:37:54. > :37:57.agreement, I would hope to see the first commissioners coming forward
:37:58. > :38:05.in a matter of months after it is granted. I'm very grateful to my
:38:06. > :38:11.honourable friend for raising such an important matter. We made forced
:38:12. > :38:17.marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a
:38:18. > :38:21.very clear Eid -- clear message that this abhorrent practice will not be
:38:22. > :38:25.tolerated in the UK. We want to see more victims having the confidence
:38:26. > :38:30.to come forward to report this often hidden crime. That's why we're
:38:31. > :38:34.introducing lifelong anonymity for victims through the police and crime
:38:35. > :38:37.bill. I thank the minister to that answer. I'm glad that this country
:38:38. > :38:41.is leading the way on tackling violence against women and girls.
:38:42. > :38:45.Does the minister agree with me, we need to keep up the pressure to
:38:46. > :38:50.eradicate child marriage as that's a particular pernicious form of
:38:51. > :38:55.violence. I do indeed. The UK is a world leader in the fight to stamp
:38:56. > :39:02.out forced marriage. I'm clear that to end these crimes in the UK, we
:39:03. > :39:09.must end them overseas too. That's why we're pursuing an ambitious
:39:10. > :39:12.programme of work at an international level, a ?36 million
:39:13. > :39:20.programme to end child, early and forced marriage. Number 14 perfect
:39:21. > :39:22.Speaker. -- Mr Speaker. The Government recognises that
:39:23. > :39:26.international students make an important contribution during their
:39:27. > :39:29.time here. And they help make education system one of the best in
:39:30. > :39:32.the world. We are in regular contact with the sector. There is no limit
:39:33. > :39:38.on the number of genuine international students who can come
:39:39. > :39:41.here to study in the UK. International students bring
:39:42. > :39:44.academic and cultural benefits to our universities, contribute
:39:45. > :39:51.billions of pounds to the economy, support the creation of tens of
:39:52. > :39:56.thousands of jobs and enable these institutions to innovate buildings
:39:57. > :40:00.with businesses and invest in every region of the UK. Would the minister
:40:01. > :40:04.ensure the House that his Government has no plans to reduce the number of
:40:05. > :40:08.international students coming to UK universities and what steps will he
:40:09. > :40:11.take to increase numbers? I've got to say I agree with her absolutely.
:40:12. > :40:16.Certainly as I mentioned already, there is no limit on the number of
:40:17. > :40:20.students that come here. Since 20 so, we've seen a 17% increase in
:40:21. > :40:27.university applications from outside the EU and the Russell group an
:40:28. > :40:32.amazing 47% increase. The whole House knows it's vital to maintain
:40:33. > :40:37.our global reputation as an open and fair place to study. But in
:40:38. > :40:39.mid-December last year, the Home Office lost a major test case
:40:40. > :40:44.against international students, because the Home Office claimed the
:40:45. > :40:50.students had made bogus claims about English language skills. Can I ask
:40:51. > :40:56.the minister were the total legal costs in this test case? How many
:40:57. > :41:03.other cases were initiate and had to be dropped? And what estimate has
:41:04. > :41:08.been made from the potential liability of the students deported
:41:09. > :41:13.from evidence free claims but right now have a right to sue for wrongful
:41:14. > :41:18.deportation? I'm delightly surprised that the honourable lady has the
:41:19. > :41:26.brass neck to refer to bogus students in bogus colleges. We had
:41:27. > :41:30.to take away the licenses from 920 colleges to take bogus students for
:41:31. > :41:35.bogus courses. I will get back to her specifically on that legal case.
:41:36. > :41:39.Thank you Mr Speaker. In January 2016, this Government changed
:41:40. > :41:41.legislation to the benefit of widows, widowers and civil partners
:41:42. > :41:45.of police officers in England and Wales who have died on duty. As a
:41:46. > :41:50.result, those survivors who qualified for a survivor pension
:41:51. > :41:51.will now continue to receive their survivors benefits for life
:41:52. > :42:09.regardless of remarriage. The stock elsewhere in the UK,
:42:10. > :42:14.police widow pensions have been reinstated regardless of the date of
:42:15. > :42:18.their remarriage. Does my right honourable friend agree with me that
:42:19. > :42:22.all police widows should be treated the same regardless of where police
:42:23. > :42:27.officers served in the United Kingdom and would he need with other
:42:28. > :42:31.colleagues to discuss this? I know my honourable friend has campaigned
:42:32. > :42:36.on this. I would be happy to meeting to discuss it. He will be aware that
:42:37. > :42:39.there is a clear tradition that successive governments have held
:42:40. > :42:44.around at other retrospective changes of this nature. I am happy
:42:45. > :42:50.to discuss it further with them. Question number 16. Long-term
:42:51. > :42:54.migration statistics are produced by the independent office for National
:42:55. > :43:01.statistics. These figures estimate that in the year ending June 2000
:43:02. > :43:06.16, known EU nationals came here to study. In that same year, 45,000
:43:07. > :43:11.non-EU nationals who were former students left. For EU nationals the
:43:12. > :43:18.corresponding figures are 34000 and 18,000 respectively. I thank the
:43:19. > :43:21.Minister for the detailed response. I accept that students are
:43:22. > :43:24.internationally classified as an instant when figures are published,
:43:25. > :43:27.would not be a good idea to state how many of those people are
:43:28. > :43:33.students, bringing money this country? I can confirm to my
:43:34. > :43:37.honourable friend that the statistics are produced and
:43:38. > :43:41.presented by the ONS figures for students are clearly separately
:43:42. > :43:45.identified within them. And this immigration related matter I would
:43:46. > :43:53.call the number, if you were standing, that if he doesn't want.
:43:54. > :43:59.This government's immigration family is separating families because of
:44:00. > :44:03.restrictive rules on evidence of financial support. When when these
:44:04. > :44:10.rules be changed to support the real needs of family units? It is
:44:11. > :44:13.certainly very important when we do have family reunification,
:44:14. > :44:16.especially for spouses, that we have rules in place to ensure these
:44:17. > :44:22.people are not a burden upon the taxpayer. The level set would be a
:44:23. > :44:29.higher figure for Scotland given that average incomes are higher than
:44:30. > :44:32.in the UK overall. Question number one. We are determined to protect
:44:33. > :44:37.children and vulnerable people. That is why the government has tabled an
:44:38. > :44:40.important amendment to the Digital economy Bill. It will give the
:44:41. > :44:43.police power to go to the court to compel foreign companies to shut
:44:44. > :44:48.down phone lines being used by county lines gangs to sell drugs.
:44:49. > :44:52.These can use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and
:44:53. > :44:57.money to and from urban areas. Once caught up in county lines there are
:44:58. > :45:02.risks of extreme violence and trafficking behind those people
:45:03. > :45:07.behind this despicable crime. We can disrupt this criminality and the
:45:08. > :45:13.expedition which is an integral part of drug stealing. During the recent
:45:14. > :45:16.delegation is part of the all party Parliamentary group against
:45:17. > :45:18.anti-Semitism became clear that international Parliamentary
:45:19. > :45:22.colleagues are concerned about the rise of hate crime and in particular
:45:23. > :45:27.anti-Semitism from the left in UK universities. Will my honourable
:45:28. > :45:29.friend agree with me and Baroness Royale, when she says that Labour
:45:30. > :45:35.does not take anti-Semitism seriously because of the inaction of
:45:36. > :45:38.the members at Oxford University accused of anti-Semitism and that
:45:39. > :45:44.this has a wider impact on hate crime in general? I thank my
:45:45. > :45:47.honourable friend for raising this important matter, especially during
:45:48. > :45:52.Holocaust memorial week. He will note the government published a new
:45:53. > :45:55.hate crime action plan to drive forward action to tackle all forms
:45:56. > :46:01.of hate crime across government and to work with police and communities.
:46:02. > :46:04.I completely agree with him that all organisations, including
:46:05. > :46:06.universities, and political parties, have an obligation to stamp out
:46:07. > :46:14.anti-Semitism wherever it is encountered. Recent revelations from
:46:15. > :46:19.the public Law Project indicates that country guidance in Eritrea was
:46:20. > :46:22.offered to suggest diminished risk of human rights abuses where there
:46:23. > :46:27.was no evidence to support this, only in order to lower the number of
:46:28. > :46:30.refugees allowed entry. A significant case in the upper
:46:31. > :46:35.immigration tribunal last October found that the new Home Office
:46:36. > :46:40.guidance on Eritrea was not credible. We note the guidance has
:46:41. > :46:45.since been withdrawn, but was the then Home Secretary involved in the
:46:46. > :46:50.initiation of that misleading guidance and can be Secretary of
:46:51. > :46:56.State say how many refugees may have been wrongly denied entry and how
:46:57. > :46:59.many of them were children? The honourable lady has raised an
:47:00. > :47:03.important part of our immigration policy and that is to make sure that
:47:04. > :47:07.you keep all countries where the returning people to under review.
:47:08. > :47:13.Quite rightly, stuff from the Home Office will visit appropriate
:47:14. > :47:16.countries and Eritrea in 2014, to make the country assessments. I am
:47:17. > :47:19.confident that the processes at the Home Office are delivered in the
:47:20. > :47:26.correct way. We will always keep it under review. Despite the current
:47:27. > :47:32.police funding formula not being fully applied to Leicestershire
:47:33. > :47:35.police, meaning a loss of ?5.6 million annually, even under this
:47:36. > :47:39.and fairer funding formula, Chief Constable Simon Cole and his
:47:40. > :47:44.excellent team have continued to drive down crime locally. Can I red
:47:45. > :47:49.honourable friend reassuringly and that day and Worcestershire will get
:47:50. > :47:54.a fair funding the very soon? My honourable friend makes a good point
:47:55. > :47:57.around the excellent work done by Chief Constable Simon Cole and his
:47:58. > :48:01.team in Leicestershire. Can I say, we are working to make sure we get a
:48:02. > :48:05.fair and transparent review funding formula through with all the Chief
:48:06. > :48:11.constables and the Police and Crime Commissioner. We will deliver that
:48:12. > :48:16.work as quickly as we can. Waffle is all we are getting in answers on
:48:17. > :48:24.dealing with Facebook and Twitter and take crime on the internet. If
:48:25. > :48:30.Germany can find these companies half ?1 million every time they feel
:48:31. > :48:35.to take down hate speech within 24 hours, why can we not have practical
:48:36. > :48:42.action to hold them to account for their feelings on dealing with hate
:48:43. > :48:47.speech? The honourable gentleman makes a really important point. Hate
:48:48. > :48:53.crime has no place in our society whatsoever. It destroys communities
:48:54. > :48:57.and lives. We are taking every action possible. We have the
:48:58. > :49:01.strongest legislative framework of any country in the world and that
:49:02. > :49:05.includes working with internet providers. I can absolutely assure
:49:06. > :49:07.him that where it is identified we have a grievance with internet
:49:08. > :49:15.providers and they will take the horrendous stuff down. Cheshire
:49:16. > :49:21.Constabulary are currently rolling out operation Shield which allows
:49:22. > :49:24.the -- people to mark valuables with a unique DNA liquid proving
:49:25. > :49:28.ownership of stolen items in the event they recovered. What is the
:49:29. > :49:33.Department in to support similar crime-fighting initiatives? My
:49:34. > :49:36.honourable friend highlights a good example of using modern technology
:49:37. > :49:40.to fight crime and I congratulate Cheshire police and that forward
:49:41. > :49:44.thinking work. We are supporting this kind of work through the police
:49:45. > :49:47.translation fund. Innovative ideas like that, through the police
:49:48. > :49:52.themselves to move things forward and be efficient and effective in
:49:53. > :49:58.the future. Off-road bikers are vandalising the mountains in my
:49:59. > :50:02.constituency. These troublemakers turn up the land, they intimate
:50:03. > :50:12.local people and frightened animals. It is the Tories. Because off-road
:50:13. > :50:15.bikers often don't where the police cannot, can the Home Office looking
:50:16. > :50:22.to providing resources, agreement and licensing on the use of drones
:50:23. > :50:24.to help us tackle this problem? I do recognise the challenge of dealing
:50:25. > :50:30.with people who inappropriately use that parts and ruin it for the
:50:31. > :50:34.majority of people and the rest of society and it is right and the
:50:35. > :50:38.credit and the police for wanting to track down on this. Drums are
:50:39. > :50:41.another good example of modern technology. Police forces and fire
:50:42. > :50:46.brigades are using it and sharing it. That is exactly the kind of
:50:47. > :50:52.thing the police translation fund might be useful in. In light of
:50:53. > :50:55.recent terrorist threats, can my honourable friend update the House
:50:56. > :50:59.and what steps the government is taking the nature we are not
:51:00. > :51:03.vulnerable to a similar attack? My honourable friend is right to
:51:04. > :51:09.highlight that counterterrorism is always ongoing. In 2015 we committed
:51:10. > :51:13.to updating the contest review, that is the strategy to deal with
:51:14. > :51:16.counterterrorism here and abroad and I can inform my honourable friend
:51:17. > :51:22.that the update will be published soon. In addition, the government is
:51:23. > :51:24.committed to increasing by 30% in real terms funding for
:51:25. > :51:32.counterterrorism in the lifetime of this Parliament. Blackwood
:51:33. > :51:38.University in my constituency has seen its international students
:51:39. > :51:42.numbers fall by nearly 45% since 2010. In a university that in 2016
:51:43. > :51:47.was listed by the times in the top 200 most international universities.
:51:48. > :51:50.As the honourable member has outlined, the benefit international
:51:51. > :51:54.students bring to a city like Bradford cannot be overstated. What
:51:55. > :51:57.will the Minister do to reverse this trend and which at one of our
:51:58. > :52:04.greatest assets continues to attract pupils? I say to the honourable lady
:52:05. > :52:08.I Sherrock about the importance of overseas students and especially
:52:09. > :52:11.perhaps at the University of Bradford. Some universities have
:52:12. > :52:16.seen an increase Konzen have seen a decrease. More students are coming
:52:17. > :52:20.from China, less from India. This is the market. Work with university and
:52:21. > :52:25.perhaps come back as with any suggestions she might have had to
:52:26. > :52:28.improve the outcome for them. We referred in this place to the good
:52:29. > :52:37.work of the police officers, men and women and police community support
:52:38. > :52:40.officers before now. It is only right that they receive their fair
:52:41. > :52:44.share of the money of the policing budget. What matters is the
:52:45. > :52:47.Department taking teenager Devon and Cornwall police received a fair
:52:48. > :52:54.funding settlement? I think my honourable friend for his question.
:52:55. > :52:57.It was useful last week. I also want to thank his Police and Crime
:52:58. > :53:01.Commissioner and his Chief Constable for feeding into a working trip the
:53:02. > :53:09.new funding formula is fair and transparent and has the input from
:53:10. > :53:12.forces across the country. Violence against doctors, nurses, paramedics
:53:13. > :53:17.and other health workers has been on the rise in England and Wales over
:53:18. > :53:21.the last few years. In Scotland have a specific law, a specific criminal
:53:22. > :53:25.offence of such violence. Isn't it the same had the same in England and
:53:26. > :53:29.Wales? The honourable gentleman does raise an important point and it
:53:30. > :53:31.links closely with the work we are going around making sure that
:53:32. > :53:36.offences against police officers are dealt with in the strongest possible
:53:37. > :53:39.terms. The punishments are there but we have the nature of that
:53:40. > :53:42.sentencing council have these things available. We are working with
:53:43. > :53:47.colleagues at the Ministry of Justice to look at this very issue.
:53:48. > :53:53.I was pleased recently to attend the little little litter pickers
:53:54. > :53:56.celebration organised by the innovative Falcon one team in
:53:57. > :54:00.Taunton Deane. The litter pickers are just one aspect of this
:54:01. > :54:03.commendable one team community partnership bringing together the
:54:04. > :54:07.police, social workers, teachers and local residents to tackle serious
:54:08. > :54:11.deprivation with real results in terms of tackling crime and
:54:12. > :54:14.anti-social behaviour. Does the Minister agree with me that they can
:54:15. > :54:18.Act as a model across the country and would she join me in commending
:54:19. > :54:25.all their hard work, especially that of Sergeant Andy Murphy? I am
:54:26. > :54:33.absolutely delighted to commend the work of this multi agency team which
:54:34. > :54:36.operates in her constituency. It is indeed a marvellous example of where
:54:37. > :54:41.the police and local agencies work together in their communities with
:54:42. > :54:46.vulnerable people, tackling environmental issues and providing
:54:47. > :54:48.young people with a constructive alternative to avoid them being
:54:49. > :54:55.dragged into a life of crime and anti-social behaviour. In the light
:54:56. > :54:59.of Holocaust Memorial Day this week, would the Minister join me in paying
:55:00. > :55:03.tribute to the Holocaust memorial day trust and the Holocaust
:55:04. > :55:07.educational trust the reminders of the worst example we have ever
:55:08. > :55:10.witnessed as to where anti-Semitism can lead and in light of the
:55:11. > :55:15.forthcoming publication of the community security trust 2016
:55:16. > :55:22.anti-Semitic incident report next week, bearing in mind we saw the
:55:23. > :55:27.third highest level, annual level we have always seen of an increase in
:55:28. > :55:30.hate incidents last year, what is the government doing to combat
:55:31. > :55:35.rising levels of anti-Semitism? I think the honourable lady for the
:55:36. > :55:39.opportunity to join her in thanking the Holocaust Memorial Day trust and
:55:40. > :55:43.the Holocaust education trust for the extraordinary work they do in
:55:44. > :55:48.reminding us of what took place and I am one of the MPs, I am sure there
:55:49. > :55:52.are many, he took the opportunity to visit and will always remember the
:55:53. > :55:57.impact that had. I work closely with the CST. I need the hate crime
:55:58. > :56:03.action plan my priority. We will work with them to do
:56:04. > :56:11.Over 30 unaccompanied -- over 30,000 unaccompanied child refugees arrived
:56:12. > :56:17.in Calais last year. Can we have an update when those children will
:56:18. > :56:28.agree from Greece and Italy under the Dubs criteria? In 2016 we
:56:29. > :56:31.transferred over 900 unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Following
:56:32. > :56:35.consultation with local authorities I remind the House that the
:56:36. > :56:39.Government will transfer a specificed number of children in
:56:40. > :56:43.accordance with section 67 of the Immigration Act who meet the spirit
:56:44. > :56:47.behind rot vision. This includes over 200 children already
:56:48. > :56:51.transferred from France. We will announce in due course the basis on
:56:52. > :56:58.which the remaining places will be filled from Greece, Italy and the
:56:59. > :57:00.final number. This afternoon, we've been talking
:57:01. > :57:04.about police funding in the abstract. But there's a human cost
:57:05. > :57:12.as well. This weekend a police officer was shot and badly wounded
:57:13. > :57:19.in north Belfast. Will the Home Secretary hand on to Chief Constable
:57:20. > :57:23.the unqualified support for the whole House on the work that the
:57:24. > :57:25.PSNI are doing and the deepest sympathy to the friends and family
:57:26. > :57:30.of the police I thank the right honourable
:57:31. > :57:36.gentleman for the opportunity to do exactly that. We are very lucky the
:57:37. > :57:40.good work, the bravely, the courage that takes place by the PSNI. I will
:57:41. > :57:48.on his behalf and of the whole House pass on those good wishes and
:57:49. > :57:54.thanks. The French dispersal centre which took children from Calais is
:57:55. > :57:59.set to close on February 10. What steps is he taking ensure that the
:58:00. > :58:02.cases of all the children who might have rights of entry to the UK are
:58:03. > :58:05.being considered before then? I thank the honourable gentleman for
:58:06. > :58:09.that question. I spoke just this morning to my new French counterpart
:58:10. > :58:13.about actions we are taking together to ensure that the correct
:58:14. > :58:16.assessment is continuing on the children who would like to come to
:58:17. > :58:19.the UK. There are still a substantial number of centres open.
:58:20. > :58:24.We still have a number of staff out there. We will be reducing our work
:58:25. > :58:27.going forward, as the Calais camp has largely dispersed. We will
:58:28. > :58:33.continue to have an interest and ensure we work closely with the
:58:34. > :58:36.French to stop a new camp coming up. My constituent has twice tried to
:58:37. > :58:40.get his family from Morocco to Scotland to visit while they sort
:58:41. > :58:45.out their visa arrangements, twice the Home Office have frustrated this
:58:46. > :58:50.process. And I quote they have said Eric right to family life can be
:58:51. > :58:54.enjoyed in Morocco. He has a genetic disorder which can only be treated
:58:55. > :58:57.in the UK. Will she commit to look at this case again and meet with me
:58:58. > :59:02.to work out how this family can be reunited and live together? Can I
:59:03. > :59:05.say briefly, I'd be more than happy to meet with the honourable lady to
:59:06. > :59:13.discuss this specific case and see what can be done. Thank you Mr
:59:14. > :59:19.Speaker. Is the police minister aware of the stark warning given to
:59:20. > :59:25.his predecessor by Cumbrian chief cub stab Jerry Graham about the
:59:26. > :59:30.failure of the previous funding formula's ability to take into
:59:31. > :59:33.account the cost premium for the sparsity rurality and geographical
:59:34. > :59:36.isolation of Cumbria. Will he meet with all Cumbria's MPs to discuss
:59:37. > :59:44.this very important issue before his new proposals come out? I am very
:59:45. > :59:51.aware of the changes, this is why it's important we do this work me
:59:52. > :59:57.noedically. I have been - I will talk to Cumbria's Chief Constable
:59:58. > :59:58.and take input from any source. THE SPEAKER: We must move