Contributions
3,654 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMetal TheftIn terms of the monitoring by local councils of cash payments by scrap metal yards, the picture has improved. On prevention, that is precisely why we have seed-corn funded the…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersMy Lords, the Government owe a debt of gratitude to interpreters who have risked their lives working alongside UK Armed Forces. Iraqi interpreters were supported through the…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersMy Lords, I gave that in my first response to the noble Baroness. I was also indebted to her and the whole House during the Afghanistan evacuation. I had all sorts of cases. Of…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersMy Lords, we have communication lines for people to access. Clearly, Afghanistan is a far more difficult environment than Iraq at this time, but, yes, we reach out to people.14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersAs I say, anyone from Iraq now wanting to come to the UK can apply for a visa through the wider immigration system and applications can be made through the UK’s resettlement…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersThe ARAP scheme and the locally employed staff assistance scheme in Iraq were set up for precisely that purpose.14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftSeed-corn funding is generally pump-prime funding, which is then intended to be self-financing ongoing, and the agencies and organisations involved are actually supportive of this…14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftI say to my noble friend that the various measures I have outlined today have helped to tackle these types of thefts, but also the sentencing guidelines on theft highlight that,…14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftI am very happy to convene a meeting, but I would say that the NICRP does share intelligence between forces and utility companies, which does help with crime prevention and…14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftWe at the Home Office carried out a review of the Act in 2017 and found that it had been effective in addressing metal theft and should be retained, but now on top of this we have…14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftMy Lords, the Home Office provided £177,000 of seed-corn funding in the last financial year to establish the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership. The partnership…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersThe noble Lord is talking about Afghan citizens. Clearly, Afghanistan is an incredibly difficult environment at this point in time, but, as I have reiterated in previous answers,…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersMy Lords, I have just given the figures for both ARAP and the LESAS in Iraq. I do not think it could be said that we hang out to dry those people who help this country; I think we…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersMy Lords, I would not use the word “shameful”. In total, from Iraq, we relocated, with their families, 1,328 people. Of course, 7,000 Afghan nationals have now been resettled in…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersI agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of the noble Baroness’s question, which is that anyone who helps us should in turn be afforded the right for us to help them. Obviously,…14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftWe talked about cash payments being outlawed some years ago, and in fact they have been. Some of the innovations like marking and tracing are now in place to make theft of things…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersMy Lords, due to the very nature of a war-torn country, these processes are not swift. We have gone above and beyond what is necessary to try to get as many people out as quickly…14 Oct 2021HANSARDIraqi InterpretersAs I say, I agreed with the premise of the question of the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins. We must also guard against the people whom we settle here not being thoroughly vetted,…14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftThe noble Lord is right in one sense: metal theft overall has decreased by 74%, but the amount of infrastructure-related metal theft has increased by 21% in the year ending March…14 Oct 2021HANSARDMetal TheftThe British Transport Police has plans whereby SmartWater would cover any shortfall in the funding required to stamp out this theft. There are a number of different innovations…14 Oct 2021