Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training he plans to provide to staff responsible for assisting with the work of the upper tribunal in relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda; who will provide that training; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of that training; and whether he plans to issue a contract for the recruitment of those staff.
Answered by Gareth Bacon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts & Tribunals Service is responsible for the administration of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) and has been working with the Ministry of Justice to increase capacity in the justice system in preparation for the commencement of the Illegal Migration Act.
An additional 25 hearing rooms have been prepared with remote hearing technology to allow for either in-person or remote hearings to maximise flexibility.
Approximately 100 additional staff have been recruited to support the Upper Tribunal’s work and are currently undertaking training ready for the commencement of the Illegal Migration Act. These staff have been recruited on Fixed Term Contracts following external campaigns on the basis of fair and open competition. This training is being delivered internally within HMCTS as part of existing programmes of operational training.
This training is in relation to HMCTS processing of applications and appeals pertaining to individuals under the IMA scheme and is separate to any training given to Home Office staff in support of the decision making or removals of illegal migrants.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which private companies have been contracted by his Department to provide services to the (a) UK government and (b) Rwandan government, to assist in the delivery of the processes outlined in the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Department uses a number of suppliers to undertake detention and returns activity, MEDP being a workstream within this area. The key suppliers that will be involved with MEDP will be:
Mitie Care and Custody Ltd – via the immigration escorting contract https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/8e94f338-6049-48f7-8b82-9dea24af8857?p=1.
CWT – via the immigration travel service contract. https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/36f67d6d-2b26-4ecb-88c6-41291aa8af37?origin=SearchResults&p=1.
Services provided to the Rwandan Government by private companies are for the Government of Rwanda to procure.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Q339 of the evidence given by the Minister for Pensions to the Work and Pensions Committee on 10 January 2024, HC144, whether the Minister has had recent discussions with representatives of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) on indexation of pre-1997 contributions; and when he next plans to meet with PPF representatives.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I meet regularly with the Pensions Protection Fund and have discussed pre-97 Pensions Protection Fund indexation with them. The most recent meeting was on 7th March 2024.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the use of woody biomass as feedstock for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage on (a) global land use and (b) the availability of land for growing crops.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To ensure that bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) delivers genuine negative emissions, Government will require that only sustainable biomass is used. The 2023 Biomass Strategy included an assessment of sustainable biomass availability to the UK (including woody biomass), to support the UK’s net zero target. The availability of sustainable woody biomass was estimated using updated modelling which included considerations of global land use to exclude unsustainable changes, as well as accounting for wider land use pressures such as food security and biodiversity.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will update her Department’s greenhouse gas removals business model to include (a) enhanced rock weathering and (b) other technologies that do not use carbon capture and storage.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the potential role of greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technologies that do not require carbon capture and storage (CCS) in meeting net zero, including enhanced rock weathering, though specific technical and regulatory barriers must be addressed before any decisions can be made on their eligibility for the GGR business model. As set out in the Government response to the GGR business model consultation, published in June 2023, this includes the need for further evidence on permanence, reversibility, and environmental impacts associated with these methods.
The Government is working closely with academics, industry, and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) GGR Demonstrator projects to investigate the feasibility of scaling non-CCS GGR technologies in future.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of weekly payments to asylum seekers in catered accommodation being under £10 on their ability to access cash.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office has a legal obligation to meet the essential living needs of destitute asylum seekers. Support is usually provided in the form of accommodation and a weekly allowance loaded onto a payment card called an Aspen card, which can be used to make purchases from retail outlets.
Individuals living in catered accommodation are issued a reduced weekly payment to cover essential living items that are not met by their accommodation provider, such as clothing and travel.
The level of allowance is reviewed each year to ensure it covers an individual's essential living needs. Following the 2023 review, allowances have increased for many supported individuals including pregnant women and young children.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many disguised employment enforcement actions have been taken by HMRC against hairdressing salons in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The specific data requested is not available as HMRC systems do not segment data in away that would allow the required analysis. As such this information would only be available at disproportionate cost.
In addition, HMRC does not disclose data that could prejudice the assessment or collection of tax.
More generally, HMRC does however publish some customer compliance related information as part of the annually published report and accounts, which also includes data around Compliance activity.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help support small employers with increases in the national minimum wage.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government will be undertaking an extensive communications campaign to ensure businesses are informed and ready for the April 2024 upratings.
More broadly, the Government has regular engagement with key stakeholders at ministerial and official level including with the Federation of Small Business.
The Government provides extensive business support measures, with over 40 offers to help all types of businesses.
The Government has announced a business rates package worth £4.3 billion, and a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme, to help businesses with their bills.
Businesses can also access support via the Business Support Helpline, Gov.uk, and through our network of local Growth Hubs across England.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing reduced fee tiers of visa payments for individuals with contributory ties with the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are currently no plans to introduce fee tiers. It is the Home Office’s policy that fees should generally be charged consistently across customer groups in order to support the overall funding of the migration and borders system.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the use of barber shops as fronts for (a) organised crime and (b) illegal immigration.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) and immigration related criminality. It has recently published a new SOC strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.
The National Crime Agency (NCA), Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) network, Border Force and law enforcement partners have specialised intelligence and investigative teams that are deployed across the full range of SOC threats, including illicit finance, fraud, money laundering, and immigration crime, to bring offenders to justice.
National, regional and local operational activity is always prioritised by law enforcement according to the threat, risk and harm posed.
This Government has increased NCA funding by more than 40% since 2019 to support the development of essential capabilities needed to tackle the full range of SOC threats.