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  • Geraint Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Geraint Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geraint Davies on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons Best Interest Assessor training applications are restricted to (a) approved mental health professionals, (b) social workers, (c) nurses, (d) occupational therapists and (e) chartered psychologists.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Department worked closely with stakeholders including representatives in Wales, primary care trusts, local authorities, hospitals and care homes, voluntary organisations and interested individuals whilst drafting the regulations that specify who can be trained as a Best Interest Assessor. Following consultation, it was decided that the professional training of these groups coupled with their Post-Qualifying experience made them best suited to undertake the training for Best Interest Assessors.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs in England have specialised in mental health.

    David Mowat

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health workers are attached to GP practices in England.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This information is not collected by the Department.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016, to Question 42888, how many clinical commissioning groups were rated as inadequate for 2015-16; and how many such inadequate ratings given in relation, at least in part, to poor IVF provision.

    David Mowat

    There were 26 clinical commissioning groups rated as inadequate for 2015-16. The ratings do not go into such a degree of granularity as to reference specific services or treatments (for example IVF provision).

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the financial cost to local authorities of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards for people who are placed in care homes or hospitals for their care or treatment.

    David Mowat

    The Department published an impact assessment on the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in 2008; it has made no further estimate. The Law Commission’s review of the safeguards, which has been commissioned by the Department, is expected to be published at the end of the year.

  • Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to accelerate the reunification of families for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.

    We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.

    We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe.

    We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to accelerate the process of family reunification for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.

    We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.

    We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe.

    We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of using institutional visa refusal rates as a indicator of institutional compliance with Tier 4 visa regulations.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Home Office launched a Tier 4 visa pilot involving the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bath and Imperial College London on 25 July. The pilot has been introduced to test the benefits of a differentiated approach within the education sector on the basis of compliance with immigration sponsorship requirements.

    The pilot is deliberately narrow in scope, with the institutions selected on the basis of their consistently low level of visa refusals. Visa refusal rates are part of the Basic Compliance Assessment, which requires all Tier 4 sponsors to meet three core requirements based on measures of visa refusals, enrolment and completion of studies.

    The limited nature of the pilot is intended to ensure that the outcomes can be adequately monitored, whilst minimising the risk of unintended consequences, before considering rolling-out the scheme more widely.

    The four selected institutions were consulted regarding its implementation. Should the pilot be successful and rolled out more widely, the Home Office will consult key stakeholders about its expansion.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many child refugees have been assisted to enter the UK in the past year (a) in total and (b) who have come from Calais to join family living in the UK.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    In the year ending June 2016, 49% (1,308) of those resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) were under 18 years old. In April 2016 the Home Office announced a new scheme to resettle vulnerable children from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. We have worked closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to design this scheme.

    Since the beginning of this year, over 120 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe have been accepted for transfer to the UK, over 70 of which are from France.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review the Government’s commitments on the number of refugees to be granted access to the UK at the UN General Assembly Summit on Refugees and Migrants in September 2016.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government has no plans to introduce additional pathways for refugees to come to the UK. The UK is already a leading resettlement state, offering a number of safe and legal pathways for refugees. In the year ending June 2016, a total of 3,439 people were resettled in the UK.

    In addition to the 20,000 Syrian refugees and up to 3,000 vulnerable persons from the Middle East and North Africa region that the Government has committed to resettle by 2020, the UK has also committed to relocate unaccompanied refugee children from France, Greece and Italy. Under the family reunion policy we have reunited around 22,000 refugees with their immediate family over the past five years and will continue to do so. The Government supports the principle that those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. This allows vulnerable persons to receive help quickly rather than risking their lives on hazardous journeys into and across Europe or falling victim to criminal gangs who are exploiting the situation. Providing humanitarian aid in the region is the best way to provide much needed support to the majority of those fleeing persecution while working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to resettle the most vulnerable who cannot reasonably remain.