The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times (a) have EU member states notified the UK and (b) has the UK notified other EU member states of convictions of nationals of their respective countries via the European Criminal Records Information system in each year since 2012.
Brandon Lewis
The Home Office does not hold the information requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions have (a) EU member states exchanged with the UK and (b) the UK exchanged with other EU member states information related to EU citizens on the (i) adults and (ii) children’s barred lists in each year since 2012.
Sarah Newton
Where an employer is considering an individual’s suitability for employment it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the individual is suitable to work with vulnerable people (including children). This may include seeking information from other countries, including EU member states. The Disclosure and Barring Service uses information from the England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scottish barred lists.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals are recorded by the Disclosure and Barring Service as having worked in regulated activity for (a) children and (b) adults in each year since 2012.
Sarah Newton
The Disclosure and Barring Service does not collect this specific information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on the solar power industry of the proposed 2017 business rate rise for organisations investing in rooftop solar power for their own consumption.
Mr Marcus Jones
Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We have proposed a £3.4 billion transitional relief scheme to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices were issued by the police to motorists who use mobile telephones while driving in the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.
Brandon Lewis
The number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued to motorists for the use of handheld mobile phones while driving in each of the years from 2010 to 2014 is published in the annual “Police Powers and Procedures” statistical bulletin, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 22 September 2016 to Question HL1788, how many outstanding family reunion applications there are for unaccompanied children from France; what steps are being taken to ensure those applications are processed quickly; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK remains in contact with children with outstanding applications in the event that they are moved away from Calais.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Home Office teams have been deployed to France to work with the French Authorities to speed up the identification and transfer of eligible cases under both the Dublin Regulation and Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.
More children are arriving to join their family in the UK each day. It is therefore not possible to provide an exact number of outstanding family reunion applications.
The UK has made clear that the remaining children, including those who do not qualify for family reunion must be looked after in safe facilities. The UK Government is ready to help fund such facilities and provide resources to aid the decision-making.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will grant all children brought from Calais under the Dublin agreement or the Dubs amendment indefinite leave to remain.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government will process cases in line with the EU’s Dublin Regulation and Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.
The Dublin Regulation does not confer leave on individuals; it is a mechanism for transferring responsibility of asylum claims between Member States.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the age of young refugees from the camp in Calais received into the UK.
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, what steps she is taking to pre-screen young refugees from the camp in Calais before they enter the UK.
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 Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46417, what assessment the Government has made of the likelihood of reaching its target of resettling 20,000 Syrians before the end of the current Parliament at current resettlement rates.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Work continues with local authorities and International Partners to deliver the Government’s commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over the lifetime of this Parliament and we are on track to do this.
Progress on resettlement will be indicated in quarterly immigration statistics. The last set of statistics, published on 25 August 2016 showed that 2,646 Syrians were relocated to the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme between October 2015 and June 2016.