Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 4 July (HL1091), which stated that the policy guidance for the assessment of the suitability of individual asylum seekers to be accommodated at Linton-on-Ouse will be reviewed as part of preparations to open the accommodation, what consultations have been undertaken or will take place with medical and other experts regarding the review; and what is the expected timetable for the review and the publication of new guidance.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Internal considerations are ongoing.
The guidance will be published once a final decision is taken on Linton-on-Ouse.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of far-right extremist activity in relation to proposed asylum accommodation at Linton-on-Ouse; what steps they are taking to address the issue; what support they are providing to people affected by any such activity; and what additional policing costs are anticipated in light of such activity.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The safety and security of the local community, asylum seekers, staff and visitors to potential future sites is of paramount importance. We are committed to engagement with local authorities and local partners to understand and mitigate risks and concerns of the wider community. This includes working closely with the police in matters relating to the operation of the site, safety and security and the handling of any protests. The Home Office will work closely with the Counter Extremism Unit as well as the Community Tensions Team to discuss and inform any developments at Linton-on-Ouse. These partnerships will ensure the site, if the decision is made to progress, is fit for purpose and operates safely and securely, whilst minimising impacts on local services.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 4 July (HL1093), which stated the that experience and lessons learnt from Napier Barracks would be applied to the provision of health services at the Linton-on-Ouse reception centre, what lessons were learnt.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The lessons learnt from the provision of healthcare at Napier were of the benefits to service users of having easy access to healthcare based on site. This model prevents strain on the provision of services and healthcare for local residents.
The Home Office are working closely with NHS colleagues to design an appropriate healthcare model for the Linton-on-Ouse Accommodation Centre should a decision be taken to use the site. Furthermore, the Service Provider will be required to have a Partnership Manager on site who will oversee safeguarding and wellbeing, working in collaboration with their onsite Risk & Assurance Manager, who will be responsible for the risk and safety elements of welfare.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 2 May, what were the reasons why the proposed asylum reception centre at Linton-on-Ouse was “pivotal” to the plan to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
There is no link between the proposed non-detained site at Linton-on-Ouse and the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) with Rwanda.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UNHCR has visited the proposed asylum reception centre at Linton-on-Ouse; and whether they will publish the report made following any such visit.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UNHCR have visited the proposed site on 19 May and advised they would be writing a report.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a person who is not present in the UK may make a claim for asylum before travelling to the UK; and if so, where in the (1) Immigration Rules, or (2) immigration policy, such provision is made.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
While we sympathise with the many millions of people facing difficult situations around the world, there are no plans to introduce a provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
Our current policy is clear we will not consider asylum claims made abroad and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
We already welcome vulnerable people in need of protection to the UK through our resettlement schemes and are standing up specific new migration routes in response to the situation in Ukraine. These schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights and will continue this record.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a person may be granted a visa that cannot be cancelled for the purpose of coming to the UK to apply for asylum; and if so, in which paragraph of the Immigration Rules this provision is made.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
While we sympathise with the many millions of people facing difficult situations around the world, there are no plans to introduce a provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
Our current policy is clear we will not consider asylum claims made abroad and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum.
We already welcome vulnerable people in need of protection to the UK through our resettlement schemes and are standing up specific new migration routes in response to the situation in Ukraine. These schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights and will continue this record.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether dual British-Afghan nationals (1) are, and (2) will be treated as if they are, British nationals, for the purposes of relocation from Afghanistan to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
A British national will always be treated as such, irrespective of whether they hold nationality of a second country.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the commitment in their report The end-to-end rape review report on findings and actions, published on 18 June, that no victim will be left without a phone for more than 24 hours, whether this will be achieved by (1) providing a replacement phone, or (2) extracting the required information within that period; and, if the latter, what technology will be used to do so.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Our ambition is to ensure that victims receive their own phone back within 24 hours in the majority of cases. The provision of a replacement will be a safety net in cases where it is not possible to return a phone quickly to guarantee victims are not cut off from their support network.
The technology to extract data from mobile phones varies between police forces. As part of our commitments in the end-to-end rape review, we are working with forces to provide a package of new technology to allow police to examine more devices at the scene. This means a faster, safer and more sensitive service for victims
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Court of Appeal's judgment of 26 May against the Secretary of State on the immigration exemption clause in the Data Protection Act ([2021] EWCA Civ 800); and what steps they intend to take in response.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We will not be appealing and will comply with the court’s ruling.
We are currently considering the next steps in order to do this.