Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mental health support the Government provides to (a) refugees and (b) asylum applicants in the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Refugees and asylum seekers have access to free NHS medical services in the same way as British Citizens and other permanent residents. This includes mental health services.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average attendance rate is in Government-funded ESOL courses for Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy participants is.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This information is not held centrally by the Home Office.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve police responses to child sexual exploitation by organised networks.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Home Office investment is supporting the police to relentlessly pursue offenders and protect victims of these horrific crimes. We fund the Tackling Organised Exploitation programme and regional analysts to help uncover more offending.
The Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme and senior leaders training drives improvement in the response to victims. And we will act on any recommendations in the forthcoming IICSA report on organised networks.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department’s policy to confiscate (a) wedding rings and (b) other items belonging to migrants arriving in the UK by small boat.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
85276: The statutory powers used to seize mobile phones are s. 19 of PACE as applied by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to immigration officers and designated customs officers in England and Wales) Order 2013 (the PACE Order) and s. 48 Immigration Act 2016.
85277: – Since November 2020, Immigration Enforcement have returned to the owners the majority of mobile telephone devices which have been seized by people arriving illegally via small boat to the UK.
85278: It is not our policy to take wedding rings from people. Personal items may be taken for safekeeping during the initial screening of migrants, but these are restored to the owner at the earliest opportunity. Items that may provide evidence of a criminal offence such as people smuggling may can be retained for a longer period if they form part of an active investigation.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of mobile telephones that have been confiscated from people arriving to the UK by boat since November 2020 have been returned to their owners.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
85276: The statutory powers used to seize mobile phones are s. 19 of PACE as applied by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to immigration officers and designated customs officers in England and Wales) Order 2013 (the PACE Order) and s. 48 Immigration Act 2016.
85277: – Since November 2020, Immigration Enforcement have returned to the owners the majority of mobile telephone devices which have been seized by people arriving illegally via small boat to the UK.
85278: It is not our policy to take wedding rings from people. Personal items may be taken for safekeeping during the initial screening of migrants, but these are restored to the owner at the earliest opportunity. Items that may provide evidence of a criminal offence such as people smuggling may can be retained for a longer period if they form part of an active investigation.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 17 November 2020 to Question 114198, under what statutory powers the mobile telephones of people arriving by boat are seized and held for three to six months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
85276: The statutory powers used to seize mobile phones are s. 19 of PACE as applied by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to immigration officers and designated customs officers in England and Wales) Order 2013 (the PACE Order) and s. 48 Immigration Act 2016.
85277: – Since November 2020, Immigration Enforcement have returned to the owners the majority of mobile telephone devices which have been seized by people arriving illegally via small boat to the UK.
85278: It is not our policy to take wedding rings from people. Personal items may be taken for safekeeping during the initial screening of migrants, but these are restored to the owner at the earliest opportunity. Items that may provide evidence of a criminal offence such as people smuggling may can be retained for a longer period if they form part of an active investigation.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State of 5 July 2021, Official report, column 606, when the Government plans to begin the time-limited review into sex offenders changing their names; and what the terms of reference of that review will be.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Protecting the public from sex offenders and dangerous criminals is a top priority for the Government. We are committed to ensuring that the system and the monitoring that underpins the management of these offenders is as robust as it can be, and that the relevant safeguards are in place.
The Government has already begun the internal review into this issue. The review will consider the scale and nature of offenders changing their name to facilitate further offending; fully understand all formal and informal methods by which someone can change their name and the opportunities to strengthen those to prevent abuse by nefarious criminals.
We will do this whilst balancing any policy change with the need to continue to ensure protection to victims of crime who may need to change their name for safeguarding reasons and the majority of people who change their names every year, for honest reasons.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the spiking of women and girls' drinks' with illegal substances in nightclubs.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The reports of the spiking of drinks with illegal substances, and of other attacks on individuals in night time venues, are of course concerning. This is an ongoing matter which the police are investigating. The Home Secretary has asked the police for an urgent update on the issues reported, including what steps they are taking to prevent the offences and apprehend the perpetrators. We would encourage anyone who is a victim or a witness of the offences to report the information to the police.
The Government is supporting the rollout of pilot initiatives to improve the safety of women in public spaces at night, including in the night-time economy. We have committed to delivering a £5 million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ fund, in addition to the £25 million Safer Streets Fund Round 3. These funds will support projects that target potential perpetrators, seek to protect potential victims, or deliver programmes intended to address offending behaviour.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken to expedite the biometric processing of eligible applications to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy; and what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues and relevant officials on biometric processing in third countries.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Officials are working with the authorities in countries neighbouring Afghanistan to ensure that biometric enrolment of those eligible to apply under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme can be carried out in as rapid and efficient manner as possible.
Cabinet colleagues and officials have been regularly updated.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will publish the full eligibility criteria for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
On 6 September, the Prime Minister gave an update on the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which will provide a safe and legal route for up to 20,000 Afghans in the region over the coming years, with 5,000 in the first year – one of the most generous schemes in British history.
Under this scheme we will work with the United Nations and aid agencies to identify those we should help, as we have done in respect of those who fled the war in Syria. We will also include those who have contributed to civil society or face a particular risk from the Taliban, for example, because of their role in standing up for democracy and human rights, or because of their gender, sexuality or religion. Those arriving through the ACRS will be granted immediate Indefinite Leave to Remain, allowing them to benefit from full rights and entitlements and providing them with the certainty and stability they need to build their life here.
We are working urgently to open this route and further details will be announced in due course.