Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 65944, on asylum, for what reasons her Department set a 19-day target within which asylum seekers should move from initial accommodation to dispersed accommodation; and how her Department records the transfer of asylum seekers to dispersed accommodation from initial accommodation.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The transfer of asylum seekers from initial accommodation to dispersal accommodation is managed and delivered by individual accommodation providers. The Home Office measures and monitors the performance of suppliers based against a suite of KPIs, including the timeliness and quality of service provision. The 19-day turnaround for dispersal from Initial Accommodation is an internal management expectation based on established process timescales. UKVI monitors the transfer of asylum seekers to dispersed accommodation using a variety of sources.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2017 to Question 63970, how many asylum claims lodged in the UK have been rejected in each year since 2014; and what proportion and how many claims lodged were correctly decided upon the first time in each such year.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Home Office publishes figures on the outcome of asylum claims made during each calendar year in table as_06 of the Immigration Statistics release.
The Home Office also publishes figures on asylum appeals and determinations, in table as_14_q of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.
A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics July to September 2016, is available from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information. We ensure that claimants are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken, even where that information may be sensitive or difficult to disclose.
We are working to improve the quality of decision-making to ensure that we properly consider all the evidence provided and get decisions right the first time. UK Visas and Immigration has an internal audit process, consisting of reviews by senior case workers and independent auditors, which assesses whether Home Office policy has been followed.
An allowed appeal is not in itself an indication that our decision was incorrect at the time it was made though we aim to reduce the allowed appeal rate by analysing the reasons why appeals are allowed and using this to further improve guidance and training.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2017 to Question 64009, whether her Department has received representations from providers on the current asylum seeker accommodation system and its effectiveness; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Home Office is committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are accommodated in safe, secure and suitable accommodation whilst their claims are considered.
We remain in daily contact with our providers and have worked closely with them to develop improvements to the service over the lifetime of the contract and as part of the recent contract extension. The Department will continue to monitor the providers closely to ensure that they comply with the requirements of the contract and work closely with non-Government Organisations and service users to respond to feedback and continue to improve the system.
We have started putting in place new arrangements for when these contracts expire in 2019. This work is at an early stage and we are engaging with a range of stakeholders to consider options for the future arrangements.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2017 to Question 64009, what proportion of and how many asylum seekers have moved from initial accommodation to dispersed accommodation within the 19-day period in each year since 2014.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
I am sorry but the Home Office does not record this information centrally and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost by examination of individual records.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2017 to Question 63853, what proportion of and how many asylum seekers access (a) mainstream benefits, (b) the labour market and (c) secure accommodation within 28 days of leave being granted.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
I am sorry but the Home Office does not record this data.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the length of stay in initial accommodation in the asylum system.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Home Office aims to move asylum seekers from Initial Accommodation to Dispersed Accommodation within 19 days. Some asylum seekers stay in Initial Accommodation for shorter or longer periods depending on their individual needs; the Home Office closely monitors the length of stay. The Home Office is working closely with it providers to ensure that there is sufficient accommodation to allow asylum seekers to move on from initial accommodation within an appropriate timescale.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent illegal fur from being imported into the UK.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Border Force is responsible for enforcing controls at the border on imports of fur products protected by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), Council Regulation (EEC) No 3254/91 and Council Regulation (EC) No 1523/2007 which prohibit the import of fur and fur products from certain animals.
A National Co-operation Agreement between Border Force and DEFRA, the Department with lead policy responsibility for controls on furs and fur skin products, provides a clear framework for co-operation to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation governing the import of plants, animals and products of plant and animal origin at the border.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what audits her Department conducts on imported fur originating from (a) China, (b) Denmark, (c) the US and (d) other countries.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Border Force is responsible for enforcing controls at the border on imports of fur products protected by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), Council Regulation (EEC) No 3254/91 and Council Regulation (EC) No 1523/2007 which prohibit the import of fur and fur products from certain animals.
A National Co-operation Agreement between Border Force and DEFRA (who has lead policy responsibility for controls on furs and fur skin products) provides a clear framework of co-operation to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation governing the import of plants, animals and products of plant and animal origin at the border.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that its initial decisions on granting asylum are made accurately and fairly.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information. We ensure that claimants are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken, even where that information may be sensitive or difficult to disclose
We continually work to improve the quality of decision-making to ensure that we properly consider all the evidence provided and get decisions right the first time. UK Visas and Immigration has an internal audit process, consisting of reviews by senior case workers and independent auditors, which assesses whether Home Office policy has been followed.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people granted asylum in the UK in initial accommodation are properly supported for the duration of their stay.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Asylum seekers are usually moved from Initial Accommodation to Dispersed Accommodation before their asylum claim is decided. When a supported asylum seeker is granted leave they are given 28 days accommodation and support to allow them to access mainstream benefits and the labour market and secure accommodation. The Home Office works closely with Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to ensure that claims for mainstream benefits are processed during the 28 day grace period.