Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that asylum seekers housed in asylum accommodation have access to free and accessible community spaces to build social connections.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office contracted accommodation providers deliver induction briefings and information packs which include signposting to voluntary sector services alongside local leisure and recreational facilities and services, for all new arriving asylum seekers.
The AASC Requirements below give a detailed breakdown of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect:
Additionally, all asylum seekers have access to a 24/7 Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help, where they can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to develop engagement forums with asylum seeker and refugee communities.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We regularly engage with stakeholders through standalone meetings and various forums such as the Asylum Strategic Engagement Group, which includes organisations who both speak for and represent asylum seekers.
The Asylum Lived Experience Advisory Panel (ALEAP) is a regular engagement forum, which enables refugees with recent lived experience of the UK asylum system an opportunity to discuss the impact of Home Office policies and processes across their asylum journey.
It is important that we distinguish between individuals who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what statistical evidence is held by the Home Office to support the claim made by former Home Secretary in the Daily Telegraph on 3 February that between 6 September 2022 and 13 November 2023, she “became aware of churches around the country facilitating industrial-scale bogus asylum claims”.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Every asylum claim is determined on its individual merits in line with our published policy and guidance. There are a small number of recent cases which have raised concerns that not all conversions are necessarily genuine and it is right we work with faith leaders to better understand these cases.
We are unable to comment further on the former Home Secretary’s remarks. She was reshuffled on 13th November 2023.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the schedule for, and availability of, transport provided to residents of MDP Wethersfield to leave the site.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Those living at the site are able to come and go. The process for leaving the site is the same as the rest of our asylum accommodation.
To minimise the impact on the local services, and to ensure the orderly flow of people onto and off the site, a regular transport service is in place to take asylum seekers to larger local towns to access amenities and planned voluntary and community activities off-site.
This has been developed following consultation with key stakeholders in the Multi Agency Forum (MAF).
If off-site services are needed, transport services will be available by the Home Office’s provider.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to accommodate the planned maximum population of 1,700 asylum seekers at MDP Wethersfield, and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office is using a phased approach; increasing the number of asylum seekers accommodated at the site over time, with the practicalities of managing the site under constant review. The site can accommodate 1,700 individuals when fully operational.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that residents on the Bibby Stockholm can access outside space and the surrounding community without requiring inspection by staff or the use of scanners each time.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Those accommodated on the vessel are non-detained. However, movement in and around the Port will need to adhere to the health and safety requirements of the Port itself. Through our service supplier, the Home Office provides a bus service to take asylum seekers from the Port to destinations agreed with local agencies.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 11 December 2023 (HL597), how often is the doctor at the onsite primary healthcare available to hold in-person consultations for residents.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The site has on-site primary healthcare delivered by a local healthcare provider during working hours Monday to Friday. The medical centre is open for 12 hours on arrival days.
Healthcare provision on site is designed to be comprehensive and minimise any impact on local services. It is analogous to a conventional GP’s surgery with additional, bespoke, health screening capability.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many days is a GP on site on the Bibby Stockholm each week; and whether they have plans to review this level of provision.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The medical facility on the barge is staffed 5 days a week to provide an onsite primary healthcare service with which the asylum seekers will register; this means individuals will not need to register with a local GP practice. The medical team has previous experience of working with asylum seekers.
This team provides care to the asylum seekers either on the vessel itself between the hours of 9am-5pm, or remotely (including outside of these hours).
Medical provision includes:
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions an asylum seeker has been given fewer than five days' notice before a transfer to the Bibby Stockholm.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All asylum seekers are given 7 days' notice of a move to the Bibby Stockholm and within this have 5 working days to submit any representations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what risk assessments are carried out when facilitating room-sharing on the Bibby Stockholm, and at what intervals this is repeated after the outset of an asylum seeker’s relocation to the vessel.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The welfare of asylum seekers is our utmost priority. The Home Office ensures that accommodation provided is adequate and regularly reevaluates to ensure it meets the regulatory standards.