The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-03-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 15 March (HL6859), whether the number of Home Office officials seconded to the Interior Ministry’s Dublin Unit in Paris will increase.
Lord Keen of Elie
The case for seconding UK experts to the Interior Ministry’s Dublin Unit is under review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a timetable has been established for bringing unaccompanied minors to the UK from refugee camps in Europe; and if so, how many children are anticipated to arrive during each stage.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As announced by the Prime Minister on 4 May and now reflected in the Immigration Act 2016, we will work to admit unaccompanied refugee children to the UK from elsewhere in the EU, where this is considered to be in the child’s best interests.
The legislation is clear that consultation with local authorities is needed before any figure is set. We are working closely with local authorities and consulting NGOs, the UNHCR, UNICEF and relevant Member States to establish suitable processes to im-plement this initiative.
We are committed to act as quickly as we can but we must take the necessary time to ensure we have the capacity to resettle and support those who are resettled.
We must also ensure that we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK. We will be working closely with local authorities to find suitable placements within the UK. Statutory agencies at a local level are best placed to understand and meet the needs of all children and will continue to make decisions about the right accommodation and support services for those who are looked after. Unaccompanied children will be eligible for foster care if it is considered that that this placement type will provide appropriate support and best meet their individual needs.
The UK has well-established and effective safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of children who come to the UK. All children brought to the UK will be given the care, support and education they require.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-07-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what UK-led English language classes are available in the refugee camps in Calais, Dunkirk and Turkey.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The provision of services in the migrant camps in France and Turkey is the responsibility of the respective Governments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the announcement by the Home Office that they have secured the necessary places with councils and devolved administrations across the UK to settle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020, whether the majority of those refugees will be settled in the UK by 2018; and if not, what steps they are taking to speed up the admissions process.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Government has been working with local authorities and devolved administrations across the UK in order to ensure we have the capacity and infrastructure to meet our commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrians by the end of this Parliament and through these discussions local authorities have committed their involvement in the resettlement programme between now and 2020.
We are not complacent. There is still a significant amount of work to be done with regions and local authorities to turn these pledges into arrivals. But we are committed to resettling 20,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees by the end of this Parliament and we are on track to do that.
The numbers resettled in a particular period will depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and care packages in the UK. We will manage the flows based on need and in support of the well-being of the people and communities involved, rather than rushing to meet arbitrary targets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they will give to the advice of bodies that have expressed concerns about the Right to Rent provision of the Immigration Bill.
Lord Bates
The Government has always been clear that the Right to Rent scheme would be rolled out across the country after phase one in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton. The Prime Minister committed to do so in May this year. Home Office Science has carried out an evaluation of phase one. The findings of the evaluation have now been published and are informing implementation of the roll out of the scheme.
The evaluation was overseen by an expert panel consisting of representatives from landlords and letting agents associations, housing charities, local authorities and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, to enable concerns about the operation of the scheme to be taken into account.
The Home Office evaluation reported on mystery shopping research, conducted by independent contractors. This found that there were no major differences in prospective tenants’ access to accommodation between the Right to Rent phase one area and comparator areas, where the scheme was not running.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities have agreed to accept Syrian and other refugees.
Lord Bates
Local authorities from across the UK participate in the four resettlement programmes which the UK operates. These run on a voluntary basis, and we do not disclose which are involved as resettlement can be a sensitive issue. Providing this information without their consent could deter other local authorities from participating in future.
It is at the discretion of Local Authorities to disclose whether or not they are involved with the Syrian Resettlement programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements for care in their home countries are made for those deported on reaching the age of 18.
Lord Bates
Those who depart the UK with the additional support of an assisted package may qualify for a combination of cash and in-kind support, depending on their individual circumstances and those in the country of return. Asylum seekers may qualify for assistance equivalent to a maximum value of £1,500, and families up to £2,000 per family members.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of safety and welfare in immigrant detention centres in the UK.
Lord Bates
The regulation of safety arrangements in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) is through the Detention Centre Rules 2001, the Operating Standards for IRCs, Detention Services Orders relating to security arrangements and the relevant sections of the contracts and service level agreements relating to security. Each IRC has a Home Office Immigration Enforcement Manager to monitor ongoing service provision.
Independent scrutiny is an important part of assurance that our removal centres are safe, secure and humane. Assessments of IRCs and holding rooms are published by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) and in the annual reports of Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB).
Home Office service improvement plans contribute to delivering continuing improvement of services in response to independent recommendations. Service improvement plans in response to HMCIP inspection reports have been publicly available on the HMCIP website for all reports published after 1 April 2015.
On 9 February 2015 my Right Honourable Friend, the Home Secretary, announced an independent review of the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons by Stephen Shaw, which included consideration of the conditions at IRCs and airport holding rooms. The Government’s position on the review was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 14 January 2016.
Current policy is clear that a number of groups of individuals, including pregnant women, the elderly, victims of torture and the mentally ill, should be detained only in very exceptional circumstances. The Government accepts Stephen Shaw’s recommendations that there should be a wider definition of those at risk, and will introduce a new “adult at risk” concept into decision-making on immigration detention, with a clear presumption that people who are at risk should not be detained, building on the existing legal framework.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of non-EU citizens who face being deported after 6 April because they earn less than £35,000.
Lord Keen of Elie
No migrant workers will be deported from April 2016 as a result of the £35,000 settlement threshold.
The threshold only applies to those who entered Tier 2 (General), the skilled work route, from 6 April 2011. Tier 2 workers sponsored in shortage or PhD-level occupations are exempt. Skilled workers may remain in Tier 2 (General) for up to six years in total, after which they are expected to meet the settlement criteria or leave. For those who entered in April 2011, the six year maximum period of stay will expire in April 2017.
Those who are paid below the threshold may apply to switch into any other routes for which they are eligible. Those workers who cannot extend their stay will be expected to leave the UK voluntarily when their visa expires. The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to ensure the proper provision of safe housing for unaccompanied minors brought to the UK from refugee camps in Europe.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As announced by the Prime Minister on 4 May and now reflected in the Immigration Act 2016, we will work to admit unaccompanied refugee children to the UK from elsewhere in the EU, where this is considered to be in the child’s best interests.
The legislation is clear that consultation with local authorities is needed before any figure is set. We are working closely with local authorities and consulting NGOs, the UNHCR, UNICEF and relevant Member States to establish suitable processes to im-plement this initiative.
We are committed to act as quickly as we can but we must take the necessary time to ensure we have the capacity to resettle and support those who are resettled.
We must also ensure that we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK. We will be working closely with local authorities to find suitable placements within the UK. Statutory agencies at a local level are best placed to understand and meet the needs of all children and will continue to make decisions about the right accommodation and support services for those who are looked after. Unaccompanied children will be eligible for foster care if it is considered that that this placement type will provide appropriate support and best meet their individual needs.
The UK has well-established and effective safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of children who come to the UK. All children brought to the UK will be given the care, support and education they require.