Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to implement all the recommendations of the report by Wendy Williams entitled Windrush Lessons Learned Review, published on 19 July 2018.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Since the injustices of Windrush came to light, there has been a concerted effort across the Home Office to right the wrongs suffered by those affected. This work continues and the department is making sustained progress delivering on the recommendations of the Lessons Learned Review and the commitments made in the Comprehensive Improvement Plan (2020).
Wendy Williams acknowledged that our ambition to achieve genuine cultural change requires ongoing reflection and a commitment to constant improvement. The Home Office keeps HASC updated on progress against the recommendations and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to address delays to DBS checks for people recruited to the care sector.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) operates to service standards of completing 80% of Basic check applications within two days, 80% of Standard check applications within 14 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.
Year to date performance up to August 2022 is 85.1% for Basic checks, 96% for Standard checks, and 78.4% for Enhanced checks. These attainments apply to applications across all employment sectors, including the care sector.
DBS Adult First is a service provided by the DBS that can be used in cases where, exceptionally, and in accordance with the terms of Department of Health guidance, a person is permitted to start work with adults before a DBS Certificate has been obtained. This applies to adult services such as care homes, domiciliary care agencies and adult placement schemes where DBS Certificates are required by law.
Depending on the result from the DBS Adult First, a person can be permitted to start work, under supervision, with vulnerable adults before a DBS certificate has been obtained. Staff working within COVID roles in social and healthcare can also start in advance based on the outcome of the DBS Adult First check.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the name of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda refers to migration when the scheme relates to asylum seekers.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Migration and Economic Development Partnership will see those travelling to the UK through illegal, dangerous and unnecessary methods and whose asylum claims are inadmissible to the UK’s asylum system, considered for relocation to Rwanda, where they will have their asylum claim processed.
The partnership recognises the need for international co-operation and partnership on migration and Rwanda will host both asylum seekers and migrants and offer them legal pathways to settle there.
For those granted protection in Rwanda, individuals will be supported to build a safe and prosperous new life. Those whose claims for protection are rejected will either be offered the chance to stay in Rwanda and be granted alternative immigration status, or return to their home country.
Anyone who wishes to settle in Rwanda will have their needs met. Rwanda will create a safe environment for migrants to start a new life, with education, employment and accommodation.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the compatibility of her policy to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda under the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership with the UK's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government has assessed that the Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the UK and Rwanda fully complies with all national and international law, including the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership was designed to operate through a Memorandum of Understanding rather than an agreement that is binding in international law.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The UK has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rwanda for the provision of an asylum partnership arrangement and to address the shared challenge of illegal migration. An MoU is a common mechanism for establishing an arrangement or partnership between countries.
The MoU was negotiated with close care and attention to ensure that assurances were in place to ensure the partnership operated appropriately, with a strong regard to the welfare of those it concerns, and in line with both parties’ international obligations. While not legally binding in international law, the terms of the MoU – including the monitoring arrangements – give the assurances we need that the arrangement will be operated in line with our international obligations and in a manner which ensures the safety of those relocated.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that asylum seekers transferred to Rwanda are (a) subject to a (i) fair and (ii) efficient asylum process and (b) protected from refoulement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Section 9.1.1 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the UK and Rwanda, for the provision of a Migration and Economic Development Partnership, states that Rwanda will process asylum claims in accordance with the Refugee Convention, Rwandan immigration laws and international and Rwandan standards, including under international and Rwandan human rights law. Individuals will be provided with access to interpreters and legal assistance as required.
The MoU also states that relocated individuals will be protected from refoulement.
In addition, a Monitoring Committee is being established to ensure that the provisions of the MoU are being implemented as expected.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is prioritising applications for family migration visas made by people who are fleeing Ukraine.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Applications for the new Ukraine Family Scheme opened on Friday 4 March. Applications under the Scheme are being prioritised by UKVI
Further updates on the number of Ukraine Family Scheme visas issued can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for family migration visas made in Ukraine have been concluded within 24 hours as of 25 February 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Home Office Migration Statistics do not capture the number of applications for family migration visas made in Ukraine concluded within 24 hours. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and would incur disproportionate cost on the department
Information on the number of applications currently being processed under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage:
Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to enable the Ukrainian family members of British nationals to obtain family migration visas in the event that they cannot safely reach a Visa Application Centre.
Answered by Kevin Foster
While the Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Kyiv and Lviv have had to close in response to the conflict, the Home Office has surged capacity to other countries, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Moldova. We have also established a new pop-up VAC in Rzeszow, Poland.
Since Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.
The Home Secretary’s statement of 10 March sets out the latest update for the Ukrainian Family Scheme. It can be found on the GOV.UK website:
Home Secretary update on support for Ukrainians - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2022 to Question 126868 on Immigration: Applications, if she will publish data held by her Department on the number of outstanding applications for (a) leave to remain and (b) indefinite leave to remain as at 24 February 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The most recent published data for outstanding leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain applications can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data
Under Visas and Citizenship Data, Tab VC_02 includes the number of straightforward applications and non-straightforward applications that remained outstanding at the end of the last reported period.
This data was published on 24 February 2022.