Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many in-country (a) leave to remain and (b) indefinite leave to remain applications remain outstanding beyond their six month service standard as of 21 February 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Our aim is to process all applications for leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain within our service level agreement (SLA). Each individual case is considered on its own merit, which means some cases will inevitably take longer than others to conclude. Cases may take longer dependent on the circumstances of the case, for example, if the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record.
If an application is deemed complex and expected to take longer than the published SLA, UKVI will write to the customer within the SLA and explain what will happen next.
Not all application routes have a six month SLA and certain routes do not have an SLA, this is due to the complexities of the applications submitted to us.
Information on our immigration routes with service standards and whether they have been processed against these standards is available as part of our transparency data, at: Migration transparency 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, whether she plans to add violence against women and girls to the strategic policing requirement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The issue of Violence Against Women and Girls is a key priority for the government and policing.
In September 2021, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) report “Police response to violence against women and girls” recommended the policing of violence against women and girls be added to the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR).
The purpose of the SPR is to set out what in the Home Secretary’s view are the national threats at the time the document is issued, and the appropriate national policing capabilities to counter those national threats.
Following the HMICFRS recommendation and a recent Home Office-led review of the SPR, we are currently considering the national threats and policing capabilities to be included in a revised SPR which will be published in due course.
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 discussions and correspondence the National Crime Agency has had with (a) HM Treasury and (b) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on fraud in the coronavirus business support schemes in the last three months.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government has consistently stated that fraud is unacceptable, and we are taking action on multiple fronts to recover money lost to error and fraud and, where necessary, take legal action against those who have sought to exploit the Covid support schemes.
The National Crime Agency works with a range of partners, including HM Treasury and BEIS, to achieve its operational priorities. They do not comment on communication with partners that could impact the operational response.
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 assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating specialist training for police officers who support Black women and girls affected by domestic abuse.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
This Government is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the support they need, including those from Black backgrounds. We know that domestic abuse affects a wide and disparate group and that a “one size fits all” approach is not appropriate to support all victims, especially those with specific needs and vulnerabilities, including ethnic minority victims.
The College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice on domestic abuse sets out that victims may have specific needs or issues relating to their cultural background or immigration status which should be considered when understanding risk and vulnerability of the victim. The Government continues to encourage forces to take on the College of Policing’s Domestic Abuse Matters training, which includes specific training on intersectionality and the different impacts of domestic abuse on black and minority ethnicity communities. This is part of their continued development, therefore, the Government does not feel it necessary to mandate such training.
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 training is provided to police officers on specific issues affecting Black victims of domestic abuse.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
This Government is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the support they need, including those from Black backgrounds. We know that domestic abuse affects a wide and disparate group and that a “one size fits all” approach is not appropriate to support all victims, especially those with specific needs and vulnerabilities, including ethnic minority victims.
The College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice on domestic abuse sets out that victims may have specific needs or issues relating to their cultural background or immigration status which should be considered when understanding risk and vulnerability of the victim. The Government continues to encourage forces to take on the College of Policing’s Domestic Abuse Matters training, which includes specific training on intersectionality and the different impacts of domestic abuse on black and minority ethnicity communities. This is part of their continued development, therefore, the Government does not feel it necessary to mandate such training.
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 recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of Bexley Council on support and accommodation for Afghan families in that borough.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government has worked at pace to develop and launch a new and bespoke resettlement scheme, announced on 18 August, which will relocate 5,000 vulnerable people in its first year, rising to up to 20,000 over the coming years –one of the most generous schemes in British history. The Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) is in addition to the Afghan Relocations Assistance Policy (ARAP), which offers any current or former locally employed staff who are assessed to be under serious threat to life priority relocation to the UK.
The need for suitable accommodation to support those we welcome is pressing. We need the help of every Council across the country to step up to offer accommodation and support for these families, so that we can swiftly help them into permanent, safe homes and enable them to start rebuilding their lives and integrating into our communities.
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 publish the evidential basis for her Department’s claim that the minimum income requirement encourages integration.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The purpose of the minimum income requirement, implemented in July 2012 along with other reforms of the family Immigration Rules, is to ensure family migrants are supported at a reasonable level so they do not become a burden on the taxpayer. The Government is committed to promoting social cohesion, good relations and a sense of belonging for all members of society. The ability to participate in activities and organisations outside the home plays a part in this. The minimum income requirement is not the only factor that promotes the ability to participate but the level at which it is set can mean that one particular barrier is reduced.
The Supreme Court has endorsed our approach in setting an income requirement for family migration which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration into our communities. In particular that it strikes a balance between the interests of those wishing to sponsor a partner form overseas and the community in general.
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 data her Department holds on the number of people with refugee status unable to work as a result of delays in accessing National Insurance numbers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold the required data in a way that would allow it to provide an accurate assessment of the number of people with refugee status unable to work as a result of delays in accessing National Insurance Numbers (NINo). Finding the requested information would be likely to breach the disproportionate cost threshold.
In January 2018 we introduced an aligned BRP and NINo process for people recognised as refugees. We now obtain the NINo directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for inclusion on the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). This means that the migrant does not need to make a separate application to DWP for a NINo.
Using this process we have issued nearly 60,000 BRPs to refugees. We have also introduced a number of checks into the BRP NINo alignment process to mitigate any delays that may arise in obtaining the NINo or printing the BRP.
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 recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Government support for people with No Recourse to Public Funds conditions.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Many of the wide-ranging COVID-19 measures the Government has put in place are available to migrants with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and have been recently extended.
The assistance being given under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-employed Income Support Scheme are not classed as public funds and are available to all those who are legally working or self-employed respectively, including those with NRPF status. Both these schemes have been extended until spring 2021.
The Government has continued to keep the situation under review and has introduced further measures as required, such as the Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme in England. This provides a £500 payment to those who have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace. Support is also available for those who do not meet the criteria of the scheme, in the form of a £500 discretionary payment, paid by local?authorities. This payment is available to those with NRPF, who meet any additional criteria set by the local authority. Further information on this scheme and discretionary payment can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme.
Individuals whose lawful basis of stay in the UK is based on their family life or human rights can apply to have the NRPF condition lifted by making a ‘change of conditions’ application if they are destitute or at risk of destitution, if the welfare of their child is at risk due to their low income, or where there are other exceptional financial circumstances.
Since the onset of the pandemic, we have continued to assess and prioritise NRPF ‘change of conditions’ applications and deal with them compassionately. To support the swifter processing of applications, we have introduced evidential flexibility so that caseworkers can make a decision without requiring every piece of information. Data published in July shows the average time taken to make a decision on cases is 30 days despite a large increase in applications in quarter 2 of 2020. Of the decisions taken in the same period, 89% were granted. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/no-recourse-to-public-funds-applications-to-change-conditions-of-leave-july-2020
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 plans she has to review the deportation order of Osime Brown.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We only ever return foreign national offenders who we and, where applicable, the courts are satisfied do not need our protection and have no legal basis to remain in the UK. No action would be taken to deport an individual while there are outstanding legal barriers that would prevent their removal from the UK and until all outstanding representations have been considered.
It would be inappropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.