The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s policy is on screening of high-risk patients for liver disease.
David Mowat
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on the diagnosis and management of a number of conditions affecting the liver including alcohol use disorders, cirrhosis, hepatitis B and C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to improve the service quality provided by call handlers who respond to NHS 111 and 999 calls; and what funding he plans to allocate to those services in the next five years.
Mr Philip Dunne
The service quality provided by call handlers who respond to 999 and 111 calls is the responsibility of local providers of these services.
Computer-aided dispatch and clinical decision support systems are used to guide call handers through 999 and 111 calls. These systems have embedded clinical governance processes which keep them under continual internal evidence based review.
In the future, the 111 phone number will be the “front door” to a 24/7 integrated urgent care service. It will provide access to a ‘clinical hub’ which offers patients access to a wide range of clinicians supported by access to clinical records.
National Health Service ambulance trusts (who operate 999 call handling services) and providers of NHS111 services are commissioned and funded locally by NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs work with these providers to take decisions on funding on a yearly basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made any calculation of the numbers of citizens of other EU member states working in different sectors of the economy.
Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The UK needs a fair and controlled immigration policy and that is exactly what this Government will deliver. The Government has been clear that we want to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many victims of human trafficking applied for asylum in each year from 2010 to 2015 by gender, age, citizenship and type of exploitation.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Between 1 January 2010 and 30 September 2015 1,200 applications for asylum were submitted by individuals recognised as victims of human trafficking by the National Referral Mechanism. Of those, 782 individuals (65.2%) were successfully granted some form of leave to enter/remain in the UK as a result of their asylum application.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who are also victims of trafficking were witnesses or accused in criminal proceedings in each year from 2010 to 2015.
Sarah Newton
The Home Office does not systemically record whether asylum seekers who are also victims of trafficking have involvement in criminal proceedings. Data on involvement of witnesses, defendants and offenders in criminal proceedings is a matter for the Ministry of Justice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria she is adopting to select refugees from the camp in Calais for resettlement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The EU’s Dublin Regulation clearly sets out the criteria for transferring asylum claims between Member States. The Government wishes to reaffirm that migrants in Calais have not yet been determined as refugees, and furthermore, the Dublin Regulation is the EU’s mechanism for transferring asylum claims, rather than a resettlement route. Section 67 of the Immigration Act sets out that ‘unaccompanied refugee children’ will be relocated to the UK. In respect of Calais, the Government has been clear that unaccompanied children will be prioritised if they meet the Dublin criteria.
We work closely with the French authorities and their partner agencies to ensure all those who come to the UK from the camps in Calais are eligible under the Dublin Regulation. All individuals are referred to the UK authorities by the NGO France Terre D’asile (FTDA) and are then interviewed by French and UK officials. Basic security checks are conducted on all individuals prior to arrival, with further verification carried out once in the UK.
Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age. Where we believe someone is significantly over 18, they will be refused. The Home Office does not use dental x-rays to confirm the ages of those seeking asylum as they have been described by the British Dental Association as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical.
Since June the Home Office has been working closely with local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK to ensure that we have the structures in place to support the transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children, both within the UK and from Europe.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities have agreed to relocate refugees from the camp in Calais.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The EU’s Dublin Regulation clearly sets out the criteria for transferring asylum claims between Member States. The Government wishes to reaffirm that migrants in Calais have not yet been determined as refugees, and furthermore, the Dublin Regulation is the EU’s mechanism for transferring asylum claims, rather than a resettlement route. Section 67 of the Immigration Act sets out that ‘unaccompanied refugee children’ will be relocated to the UK. In respect of Calais, the Government has been clear that unaccompanied children will be prioritised if they meet the Dublin criteria.
We work closely with the French authorities and their partner agencies to ensure all those who come to the UK from the camps in Calais are eligible under the Dublin Regulation. All individuals are referred to the UK authorities by the NGO France Terre D’asile (FTDA) and are then interviewed by French and UK officials. Basic security checks are conducted on all individuals prior to arrival, with further verification carried out once in the UK.
Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age. Where we believe someone is significantly over 18, they will be refused. The Home Office does not use dental x-rays to confirm the ages of those seeking asylum as they have been described by the British Dental Association as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical.
Since June the Home Office has been working closely with local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK to ensure that we have the structures in place to support the transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children, both within the UK and from Europe.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who are also either identified or potential victims of trafficking were housed in safe house accommodation rather than National Asylum Support Service accommodation in 2015.
Sarah Newton
Potential victims of modern slavery in England and Wales are supported through a Government-funded contract, delivered by the Salvation Army. This provides extremely vulnerable victims with a tailored and specialised package of care and support. This can include accommodation in a shelter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for police forces across (a) regions and (b) the UK having variations in their respective plans of action for dealing with traveller camps in (i) public parks and recreation sites and (ii) other publicly-owned land.
Brandon Lewis
Dealing with unauthorised traveller sites requires a multi-agency response, involving local authorities and supported by the police.
The police have powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to remove travellers from a site. The decision on whether to use these powers is an operational matter for the police who must consider their duties under the Equalities Act and Human Rights Act in each case.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the UK’s obligations as agreed in the August 2015 joint ministerial declarations, Managing migratory flows in Calais, of the French government’s decision to close the Calais camp for refugees and migrants.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Although the decision to clear the camp in Calais is a matter for the French Government, the UK and France remain committed to working together to protect our shared border in Calais and address the humanitarian challenges in the camps.
Both governments are clear that those in northern France in need of protection should claim asylum in France and those not in need should return to their home country.
Our priority is to ensure the safety and security of children in the camps. The UK Government has made clear its commitment to transfer unaccompanied refugee children under the 2016 Immigration Act, where it is in their best interests, and to ensure those with close family in the UK are brought here using the Dublin Regulation.