This House of Lords Library briefing has been produced in preparation for the second reading of the Immigration Control (Gross Human Rights Abuses) Bill [HL] (HL Bill 17 of 2017–19) on Friday, 15 December 2017, a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws (Labour).
Immigration Control (Gross Human Rights Abuses) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (135 KB , PDF)
The Bill would enable the refusal of entry or leave to remain in the UK to a non-UK or non-EEA national who is “known to be, or to have been, involved in gross human rights abuses”. The Bill defines conduct constituting a gross human rights abuse as that in which “the three conditions referred to in section 241A of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (gross human rights abuse or violation) are met”. Section 241A of the Proceeds of Crime Act was the result of an amendment to the Criminal Finances Act 2017. This amendment was referred to as the ‘Magnitsky Amendment’, after the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who died in a Moscow prison in 2009. He had uncovered an alleged $230 million (US dollar) theft from the state budget by Russian tax officials. There has subsequently been a number of questions in Parliament from MPs of various parties asking the Government what action it was taking to impose not only the freezing of property and assets of alleged perpetrators in light of the Magnitsky case, but reforms to the immigration rules.
Immigration Control (Gross Human Rights Abuses) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (135 KB , PDF)
This private member’s bill would expand the criteria of who qualifies as a family member of a refugee and people granted humanitarian protection. Additionally, it would seek to reintroduce legal aid for such cases.
![Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 13 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/Immigration-VIGs-568x426.jpg)
The Labour government has set out its short- and long-term plans to reduce the pressure on prison capacity in England and Wales. This includes releasing eligible prisoners on licence into the community after they have served 40% of their sentence and building more prisons. Organisations have highlighted the risk of prison overcrowding on prisoner wellbeing. Some charities have called for better mental health support for prisoners whilst in custody and on release.
The prison population in England and Wales is at risk of exceeding prison capacity. To address this in the short term, the Labour government has changed the law to allow certain prisoners to be automatically released on licence into the community after serving 40% of their sentence in prison. This briefing explores what the reaction to the law change has been and whether there are alternative options that could prevent prisons becoming full.
