Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
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 visa route for Ukrainians that could lead to settlement, similar to those implemented in (a) Poland and (b) Czechia.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.
The extension aligns with the UK Government’s ongoing support for Ukraine and its people, while also respecting the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for the future return of its citizens. It is for this reason that our offer of sanctuary through the Ukraine schemes remains temporary in nature and does not lead to settlement in the UK.
We continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under active review, whilst also working closely with Ukraine and international partners, including European countries offering protection under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce a long-term solution for Ukrainians who are not able to return to Ukraine.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.
The extension aligns with the UK Government’s ongoing support for Ukraine and its people, while also respecting the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for the future return of its citizens. It is for this reason that our offer of sanctuary through the Ukraine schemes remains temporary in nature and does not lead to settlement in the UK.
We continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under active review, whilst also working closely with Ukraine and international partners, including European countries offering protection under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to extend the Ukrainian Permission Extension scheme beyond 18 months.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.
The extension aligns with the UK Government’s ongoing support for Ukraine and its people, while also respecting the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for the future return of its citizens. It is for this reason that our offer of sanctuary through the Ukraine schemes remains temporary in nature and does not lead to settlement in the UK.
We continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under active review, whilst also working closely with Ukraine and international partners, including European countries offering protection under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to regulate the fees charged by GPs to applicants for a medical review for a firearms licensing application.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Medical checks are an important part of the firearms licensing process and help to ensure that those in possession of firearms licences do not present a threat to themselves or others.
Since November 2021, applicants have been required to provide medical information from a doctor when submitting their application for a firearms certificate. While doctors can charge a fee to the applicant to provide the medical information in relation to a firearms licence application, whether such a fee is charged, or the level of that fee, are a matter between the applicant and the doctor.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the decision to end overseas recruitment of care workers.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise the huge contribution of overseas care, but it is important that long-term plans are drawn up to train homegrown talent into the care sector.
As outlined in the ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System - Technical Annex’, it is estimated there will be an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main applicants resulting from the removal of Care and Senior Care worker occupations from the Health and Social Care route.
To manage this change, there will be a transitional period until 2028.
Many care workers arriving on this route have been widely exploited, with tens of thousands displaced and promised jobs that did not materialise. They will be given the opportunity to work in the care sector, alongside the ongoing development of future workforce plans.
The White Paper sets out a number of reforms to the immigration system which will be implemented in a phased way. Each measure will be subject to an impact assessment when they are brought into force.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to start (a) recording and (b) reporting on the number of animals who are bred for, but not actually used in, scientific procedures within animal testing figures.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred but not used in scientific procedures.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the benefits of extending protections for retail workers to retail delivery drivers in the Crime and Policing Bill.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under the previous government, shop theft soared to record highs, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We won’t stand for this because everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.
To tackle the unacceptable surge in shoplifting and retail crime, and following years of campaigning, our Crime and Policing Bill introduces a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, sending a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated.
As introduced, the definition of a ‘retail worker’ does not include delivery drivers. Keeping a tight definition provides legal clarity and ensures there is less ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Workers whose roles are not included are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH).
That said, the whole purpose of the parliamentary process is to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and we will, of course, consider carefully any amendments and supporting evidence.
Public-facing workers are also covered by the aggravating factor introduced by the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Act, which ensures the courts consider the public-facing nature of a victim’s role when issuing a sentence for an offence and sends a clear message that violence and abuse towards any worker will not be tolerated. We expect those who perpetrate these damaging crimes to always face the full force of the law.
Through the passage of this Bill, we will continue to engage with a number of stakeholders across relevant sectors to ensure the law is fit for purpose to protect all public-facing workers from violence and abuse.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether money spent on the UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership has been distributed to M23 militias in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the previous government’s Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) with Rwanda, an Economic Transformation and Integration Fund was agreed to support the Government of Rwanda to achieve its Vision 2050 and National Strategy for Transformation 1 development strategies, which are intended to support sustainable and inclusive economic growth within Rwanda and improve the conditions of the existing refugee population and host communities, including in areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, and job creation.
Further costs relating to the MEDP have been published here: Breakdown of Home Office costs associated with the MEDP with Rwanda and the Illegal Migration Act 2023 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the protection of personal data in the context of Apple’s withdrawal of Advanced Data Protection.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK has a strong track record of protecting people’s privacy whilst also ensuring action can be taken against child sexual abusers and terrorists.
The Investigatory Powers Act contains robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and ensure that data is only obtained on an exceptional basis and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so.
The Home Office does not comment on operational matters. This has been the longstanding position of successive UK Governments for reasons of national security.