Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that the police fully investigate cases in which women have alleged that they have been exploited by their landlords; and if he will ensure that during those investigations any other tenants of the same landlord are also interviewed.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Everyone should be able to feel safe in their home and the sexual exploitation of tenants has no place in our society. It is important that local authorities and the police work collaboratively to tackle this issue and take action against criminal landlords.
The Renters (Reform) Bill includes provisions which will help to drive out criminal behaviour. These include increased investigatory and enforcement powers to help local authorities crack down on criminal landlords, and amending the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 to provide local authorities with new powers to issue fines, as an alternative to prosecution, to those who illegally evict or harass tenants.
Furthermore, the Government launched a call for evidence on ‘sex-for-rent’ arrangements, which closed on 30 June. We are currently analysing the results and will provide a response in due course. There are existing criminal offences in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 that may address this practice and both the police and Crown Prosecution Service have produced guidance on it.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has issued to the police on letting tenants living in a landlord's properties if that landlord has been convicted of exploiting another tenant.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Everyone should be able to feel safe in their home and the sexual exploitation of tenants has no place in our society. It is important that local authorities and the police work collaboratively to tackle this issue and take action against criminal landlords.
The Renters (Reform) Bill includes provisions which will help to drive out criminal behaviour. These include increased investigatory and enforcement powers to help local authorities crack down on criminal landlords, and amending the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 to provide local authorities with new powers to issue fines, as an alternative to prosecution, to those who illegally evict or harass tenants.
Furthermore, the Government launched a call for evidence on ‘sex-for-rent’ arrangements, which closed on 30 June. We are currently analysing the results and will provide a response in due course. There are existing criminal offences in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 that may address this practice and both the police and Crown Prosecution Service have produced guidance on it.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a Homes for Palestinians scheme similar to Homes for Ukraine.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Since 2015, over half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK. This includes over 28,600 individuals resettled to the UK under our global resettlement schemes. We continue to provide the most vulnerable refugees in need of protection a route to safety directly from regions of conflict and instability through these schemes, which include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement scheme. This represents one of the most generous resettlement offers in the UK’s history.
However, the U.K. only has finite capacity. We cannot provide a safe and legal route for every conflict in the world. There are no plans to introduce bespoke arrangements for people arriving from the region, and we are not considering establishing a separate route for Palestinians to come to the UK.
Immediate family members of British citizens, and those settled in the UK, who wish to come and live in the UK and do not have a current UK visa, can apply under one of the existing family visa routes.
The UK’s efforts are focussed on ensuring aid reaches those who need in most.The Prime Minister announced on Monday 23 October that the UK will provide a further £20 million of humanitarian aid for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). This latest funding is in addition to the £10 million of aid announced by the Prime Minister last week.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will lift visa fees for (a) Palestinian and (b) Israeli family reunions.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Applicants outside of the UK wishing to apply to join or accompany a British national; or a person present and settled in the UK, with a view to residing in the UK, may apply for a fee waiver if they consider they cannot afford the fee.
There is no fee attached to applications submitted under Appendix Family Reunion to the immigration rules.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support family reunions for Palestinians in the UK who have relatives in Gaza.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK Government is monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza closely to ensure that it is able to respond appropriately.
British citizens and those with settled status in the UK, together with their foreign national dependants may come to the UK provided that they have valid travel documents, and existing permission to enter or remain in the UK; or are non-visa nationals. They must also pass appropriate security checks.
Individuals who do not meet these criteria should apply for a visa to enable them to enter the UK in the normal way.
UKVI is working closely with the FCDO in supporting family members of British nationals evacuated from Gaza who require a visa, signposting the necessary steps and expediting appointments at the Visa Application Centre.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating medical visas for people unable to access healthcare in Gaza.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no plans to change the rules around medical treatment for visitors.
Since Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel on 7 October the UK has committed £30 million in additional aid. The aid will respond to critical food, water, healthcare, shelter and protection needs for those affected by this crisis.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has established services to support people seeking refuge in the UK from (a) Israel and (b) Palestine.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All asylum and human rights claims lodged in the UK and accepted into the UK asylum system, including those from Israel or Palestine, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Further information on how to claim asylum is available on the GOV.UK website at: www.gov.uk/claim-asylum
The Home Office does not provide immigration advice in individual casesFurther information is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing a scheme similar to the Homes for Ukraine scheme for Palestinians.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority. The UK is also calling for unimpeded humanitarian access in Gaza so that essential aid can reach civilian populations, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
The Home Office has not considered establishing a separate route for Palestinians to come to the UK. Since 2015, over half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK. We are not able to provide a tailored route for every conflict.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a family reunion scheme to support Israeli and Palestinian relatives of UK residents to come to the UK for the duration of the war.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no plans to create a bespoke family reunion scheme.
We will accept applications, which would normally have to be made in the country where the person is living, at any of the UK’s Visa Application Centres.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers waiting for the outcome of visas they have sponsored to be determined have been waiting for a decision for (a) over three months, (b) over six months, (c) over one year and (d) over two years as of 16 October 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
UKVI are unable to determine how many employers are awaiting the outcome of visa applications, as numerous applications may be linked to one employer and we do not produce published data on this.
The latest published data that shows the breakdown by the length of time taken to process a sponsorship application and the average length of time taken (days) to process a sponsorship application can be found here at Sponsorship transparency data: Q2 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)