Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s planned timescale is for the re-procurement of the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.
Answered by Sarah Dines
We are working with a cross-departmental team to assess potential contract and policy options for a new model of modern slavery victim support for adults to replace that currently met through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) in England And Wales ending in June 2025. This new contracted service for victims of modern slavery will be offered for competitive tender.
We are planning both market and policy engagement events to gain input from a wide range of external stakeholders, with an initial early market supplier event held on 20 February 2023. This event included a range of potential suppliers who were notified via the publication of an early market engagement notice. The attendees included the incumbent supplier, and several of their supply chain partners.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's estimated timeline is for the re-procurement of the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract to the providers which issue support for victims of modern slavery.
Answered by Sarah Dines
We are working with a cross-departmental team to assess potential contract and policy options for a new model of modern slavery victim support for adults to replace that currently met through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) in England And Wales ending in June 2025. This new contracted service for victims of modern slavery will be offered for competitive tender.
We are planning both market and policy engagement events to gain input from a wide range of external stakeholders, with an initial early market supplier event held on 20 February 2023. This event included a range of potential suppliers who were notified via the publication of an early market engagement notice. The attendees included the incumbent supplier, and several of their supply chain partners.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applications for asylum made by Palestinian people were successful in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions made on asylum applications by nationality can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending December 2022. Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications were processed by her Department in the last 12 months; and how many and what proportion of these applications were made by Palestinians.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions made on asylum applications by nationality can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending December 2022. Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to allow people on British National (Overseas) visas to work as professional sportspersons.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office currently has no plans to remove the restriction on work as a professional sportsperson from the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of IT issues in her Department on (a) processing times for Skilled Worker visa applications and (b) Skilled Worker visa applications where the applicant has paid for the priority service.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In August 2022, some applications processed through the Atlas Caseworking system were impacted by a number of unrelated IT incidents which were spread across the end -to -end case-working digital platform. These issues were varied and due to some initial delays in being able to identify them, some customers directly informed us of delays in their applications.
A programme of IT stabilisation was commissioned and good progress has been made to date in both understanding and tackling the root causes of these incidents and also proactively identifying issues when they happen, before they adversely affect customers.
The total number of incidents being raised in early 2023 has fallen by more than half and IT Support continues to focus on resolving the underlying issues and creating better proactive reporting, removing the impact on customers and wider case-working service standards.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department issues guidance on legal routes to claim asylum in the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims fromoverseas. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Our resettlement schemes operate differently to asylum. We have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK. The UK welcomes people at risk through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Mandate Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship and the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme and we have routes for Hong Kongers and Ukrainians via other safe and legal routes. This commitment, alongside a fair and firm asylum system, will ensure we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK for those in need of protection. Our focus will remain on helping individuals directly from regions of conflict and instability.
Further information on our resettlement schemes is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/resettlement-policy-statement.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures are in place to support Afghan children who were separated from their families during the evacuation of Kabul and arrived in the UK (a) unaccompanied and (b) with other family members.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Following the evacuation of Kabul any children who we became aware of in the UK, that were not with their parents, have been dealt with on a case-by-case basis. When this has happened, we work in close collaboration with social services and the relevant local authority.
The safety and welfare of those who are resettling or relocating in the UK is of paramount importance to us as such we have comprehensive and robust safeguarding processes in place for those under our care.
The Government has been, and continues to, provide a warm welcome to Afghans arriving in the UK, providing accommodation, food, integration support, English lessons, and healthcare. All children who were evacuated under Op Pitting are now in school, and children who have joined us since then are either in school or being placed in schools. This means they are subject to the same statuary rights as any school child in the UK and the relevant support packages or services.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions are in place to provide emotional support for Afghan children who were separated from their families during the evacuation of Kabul and arrived in the UK (a) unaccompanied and (b) with other family members.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Following the evacuation of Kabul any children who we became aware of in the UK, that were not with their parents, have been dealt with on a case-by-case basis. When this has happened, we work in close collaboration with social services and the relevant local authority.
The safety and welfare of those who are resettling or relocating in the UK is of paramount importance to us as such we have comprehensive and robust safeguarding processes in place for those under our care.
The Government has been, and continues to, provide a warm welcome to Afghans arriving in the UK, providing accommodation, food, integration support, English lessons, and healthcare. All children who were evacuated under Op Pitting are now in school, and children who have joined us since then are either in school or being placed in schools. This means they are subject to the same statuary rights as any school child in the UK and the relevant support packages or services.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2023 to Question 143853 on Refugees: Afghanistan, what procedures are in place for unaccompanied children from Afghanistan to (a) make themselves known to and (b) seek support from the relevant authorities in the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Following the evacuation of Kabul any children who we became aware of in the UK, that were not with their parents, have been dealt with on a case-by-case basis. When this has happened, we work in close collaboration with social services and the relevant local authority.
The safety and welfare of those who are resettling or relocating in the UK is of paramount importance to us as such we have comprehensive and robust safeguarding processes in place for those under our care.
The Government has been, and continues to, provide a warm welcome to Afghans arriving in the UK, providing accommodation, food, integration support, English lessons, and healthcare. All children who were evacuated under Op Pitting are now in school, and children who have joined us since then are either in school or being placed in schools. This means they are subject to the same statuary rights as any school child in the UK and the relevant support packages or services.