Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the communication received by the hon. Member from Newton Abbot from her Department on 6 December 2022 stating that the Department proposes to respond to multiple constituent enquiries from hon. Members in a single letter, what advice her Department has received about the compatibility of those proposals with GDPR requirements.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The multi-response approach is compliant with GDPR guidelines. As is standard practice, MP’s offices are expected to ensure that they only share the information obtained from the Home Office with the relevant constituent to ensure compliance.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long on average applications are taking to be processed for the Homes for Ukraine scheme where the sponsor already has a named contact, as of 24 March 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Scheme has only been running for a short period so far; details on the number of visas issued, which will give an indication of processing times, will be released in due course.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a seasonal workers visa for the hospitality and tourism sector.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Points Based System already provides for many occupations within these sectors, including chefs, restaurant managers and hotel managers, subject to the requirements of the system – including English language and salary – being met.
Beyond the Points Based System, there is the existing UK labour market, which includes those who come to the UK through our Youth Mobility Schemes (which we are looking to expand), our British National (Overseas) visa for those from Hong Kong, dependants of those arriving under the expanded Skilled Worker route, as well as over 5.5 million people who have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Most of the solutions are likely to be driven by industry, with a push towards improving pay and conditions needed, rather than turning to the Home Office for immigration policy changes as an alternative to doing this.
We therefore have no plans to introduce a seasonal worker visa for the hospitality and tourism sector.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it remains her Department's policy to impose the cap on the number of asylum seekers the UK will accept of 5,000 in 2021 and 20,000 in total.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The UK does not impose a cap on the number of asylum claims the UK accepts. All asylum claims lodged from within the UK will be carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.
In reference to the number of people included in your question, the UK’s new Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will provide those put at risk by recent events in Afghanistan with a route to safety. This scheme will resettle up to 20,000 people at risk, with 5,000 in the first year. This is in addition to those brought to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to report on the effect of the £54 million given to the French authorities for the purposes of border control on the number of migrants reaching the UK via Channel crossings.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 20 July 2021, the Home Secretary and her French counterpart, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, signed an agreement that further strengthens UK-France joint cooperation to tackle illegal immigration across the Channel.
The UK-France Joint Statement, which contains further information on that agreement, can be found on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-france-joint-statement-next-phase-of-tackling-illegal-migration.
The impact on migration pressures of our investment under the Sandhurst Treaty is jointly assessed by France and the UK. The UK and France monitor the impact of funding through maintaining operational and policy level contact and regular strategic reviews. In line with previous arrangements, the impact of this year’s funding package will be reviewed through jointly agreed results frameworks and via a joint UK-France Monitoring Committee.
We are not intending to publish reports on the results frameworks, as these relate to sensitive operational activity.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the use of the £54 million given to the French authorities to tackle migrant Channel crossings.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 20 July 2021, the Home Secretary and her French counterpart, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, signed an agreement that further strengthens UK-France joint cooperation to tackle illegal immigration across the Channel.
The UK-France Joint Statement, which contains further information on that agreement, can be found on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-france-joint-statement-next-phase-of-tackling-illegal-migration.
The impact on migration pressures of our investment under the Sandhurst Treaty is jointly assessed by France and the UK. The UK and France monitor the impact of funding through maintaining operational and policy level contact and regular strategic reviews. In line with previous arrangements, the impact of this year’s funding package will be reviewed through jointly agreed results frameworks and via a joint UK-France Monitoring Committee.
We are not intending to publish reports on the results frameworks, as these relate to sensitive operational activity.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that potential victims of modern slavery are aware of the free legal assistance that they are entitled to from the Ministry of Justice.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government provides publicly-funded immigration legal advice to individuals identified as potential victims of modern slavery. In addition to this, advice is also available for victims of modern slavery who wish to make a claim under employment law or make a claim for damages in relation to their exploitation. These provisions are subject to statutory tests of means and merits.
The Home Office recently published a leaflet on immigration options for victims of modern slavery. The leaflet explains that, if you are accepted as a potential victim of modern slavery by the National Referral Mechanism, you are entitled to legal aid to discuss your immigration options. Further details can be found on the gov.uk website:
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure police forces have identified a single point of contact on modern slavery and exploitation at the (a) strategic command and (b) tactical investigative level.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In October 2016 the Home Secretary announced £8.5m of additional funding would be made available to police forces in England and Wales to transform the policing response to modern slavery. The funding from the Police Transformation Fund has provided for nearly 70 new and dedicated roles to provide the police with improved intelligence, better training and specialist tactical advice to overhaul and strengthen the operational response. Included in the additional capabilities are:
Single Points of Contact (SPOCs)
Forces have been encouraged to identify tactical and strategic SPOCs and have been given an action plan for SPOCs to help them develop best practice. A programme of roadshows and events that bring these SPOCs together at each level has taken place over the last year and this schedule projects forward beyond the end of the funding period.
Intelligence and Data
The Joint Slavery and Trafficking Analysis Centre (JSTAC) is building and developing the strategic intelligence picture by improving data collection and analysis of the information gathered. To aid in international dissemination of information, a seconded national expert to Europol to coordinate activity between UK law enforcement and European counterparts during cross-border investigations has been implemented. Supporting the JSTAC, the police national insight team and regional analysts located in the Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) provide regular intelligence products to inform policing at a national, regional, and force level.
All three of the analytical teams, and a separate team dedicated to overcoming challenges in the dissemination of NRM material are contributing to guidance to forces about crime recording, and intelligence flows within law enforcement and between partners.
Training and dealing with vulnerable people
The College of Policing accredited programme of training activity for all frontline police officers and staff, was launched in July 2017. Over 120 police trainers have been trained in delivering an awareness raising module within forces. Over 1000 frontline staff have attended awareness raising roadshows organised in each region. In addition, funding has been made available for a specialist training course for detectives working on modern slavery cases, which include advice and guidance on supporting victims through the CJS process. To date over 300 investigators have gone through these courses. In addition, new specialist guidance for officers who interview vulnerable victims of trafficking has been developed and over 575 interviewers have received training linked to this. Resources to support investigators, analysts and front line staff in the police, and appropriate other agencies, are available through the College of Policing Polka site.
One of the two victim advocacy roles within the Modern Slavery Police Transformation Programme has focused on improving the use of the Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) process in modern slavery cases, in light of the recommendation made in the Modern Slavery Act Review. This includes developing specialist interview techniques for victims reporting modern slavery. The approach has been endorsed by the College of Policing and promoted to over 575 existing ABE interviewers to date.
The Crown Prosecution Service has delivered mandatory face to face accredited training for prosecutors to develop expertise and build resilience in complex casework units, central casework units and for criminal justice advisors overseas.
Outcomes
As a result of this investment the number of modern slavery law enforcement operations ongoing at any one time have more than tripled (from 188 in December 2018 to 643 in March 2018). As of March 2018, police services are working to identify and protect at least 1500 vulnerable persons who the police consider may be victims of modern slavery.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that single points of contact for victims of modern slavery and exploitation (a) share best practice (b) convene quarterly regional meetings and (c) convene six-monthly national meetings.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In October 2016 the Home Secretary announced £8.5m of additional funding would be made available to police forces in England and Wales to transform the policing response to modern slavery. The funding from the Police Transformation Fund has provided for nearly 70 new and dedicated roles to provide the police with improved intelligence, better training and specialist tactical advice to overhaul and strengthen the operational response. Included in the additional capabilities are:
Single Points of Contact (SPOCs)
Forces have been encouraged to identify tactical and strategic SPOCs and have been given an action plan for SPOCs to help them develop best practice. A programme of roadshows and events that bring these SPOCs together at each level has taken place over the last year and this schedule projects forward beyond the end of the funding period.
Intelligence and Data
The Joint Slavery and Trafficking Analysis Centre (JSTAC) is building and developing the strategic intelligence picture by improving data collection and analysis of the information gathered. To aid in international dissemination of information, a seconded national expert to Europol to coordinate activity between UK law enforcement and European counterparts during cross-border investigations has been implemented. Supporting the JSTAC, the police national insight team and regional analysts located in the Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) provide regular intelligence products to inform policing at a national, regional, and force level.
All three of the analytical teams, and a separate team dedicated to overcoming challenges in the dissemination of NRM material are contributing to guidance to forces about crime recording, and intelligence flows within law enforcement and between partners.
Training and dealing with vulnerable people
The College of Policing accredited programme of training activity for all frontline police officers and staff, was launched in July 2017. Over 120 police trainers have been trained in delivering an awareness raising module within forces. Over 1000 frontline staff have attended awareness raising roadshows organised in each region. In addition, funding has been made available for a specialist training course for detectives working on modern slavery cases, which include advice and guidance on supporting victims through the CJS process. To date over 300 investigators have gone through these courses. In addition, new specialist guidance for officers who interview vulnerable victims of trafficking has been developed and over 575 interviewers have received training linked to this. Resources to support investigators, analysts and front line staff in the police, and appropriate other agencies, are available through the College of Policing Polka site.
One of the two victim advocacy roles within the Modern Slavery Police Transformation Programme has focused on improving the use of the Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) process in modern slavery cases, in light of the recommendation made in the Modern Slavery Act Review. This includes developing specialist interview techniques for victims reporting modern slavery. The approach has been endorsed by the College of Policing and promoted to over 575 existing ABE interviewers to date.
The Crown Prosecution Service has delivered mandatory face to face accredited training for prosecutors to develop expertise and build resilience in complex casework units, central casework units and for criminal justice advisors overseas.
Outcomes
As a result of this investment the number of modern slavery law enforcement operations ongoing at any one time have more than tripled (from 188 in December 2018 to 643 in March 2018). As of March 2018, police services are working to identify and protect at least 1500 vulnerable persons who the police consider may be victims of modern slavery.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to increase the capacity of the Modern Slavery Threat Group to produce intelligence-based assessments of the (a) national, (b) regional, and (c) cross-border threat from modern slavery.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In October 2016 the Home Secretary announced £8.5m of additional funding would be made available to police forces in England and Wales to transform the policing response to modern slavery. The funding from the Police Transformation Fund has provided for nearly 70 new and dedicated roles to provide the police with improved intelligence, better training and specialist tactical advice to overhaul and strengthen the operational response. Included in the additional capabilities are:
Single Points of Contact (SPOCs)
Forces have been encouraged to identify tactical and strategic SPOCs and have been given an action plan for SPOCs to help them develop best practice. A programme of roadshows and events that bring these SPOCs together at each level has taken place over the last year and this schedule projects forward beyond the end of the funding period.
Intelligence and Data
The Joint Slavery and Trafficking Analysis Centre (JSTAC) is building and developing the strategic intelligence picture by improving data collection and analysis of the information gathered. To aid in international dissemination of information, a seconded national expert to Europol to coordinate activity between UK law enforcement and European counterparts during cross-border investigations has been implemented. Supporting the JSTAC, the police national insight team and regional analysts located in the Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) provide regular intelligence products to inform policing at a national, regional, and force level.
All three of the analytical teams, and a separate team dedicated to overcoming challenges in the dissemination of NRM material are contributing to guidance to forces about crime recording, and intelligence flows within law enforcement and between partners.
Training and dealing with vulnerable people
The College of Policing accredited programme of training activity for all frontline police officers and staff, was launched in July 2017. Over 120 police trainers have been trained in delivering an awareness raising module within forces. Over 1000 frontline staff have attended awareness raising roadshows organised in each region. In addition, funding has been made available for a specialist training course for detectives working on modern slavery cases, which include advice and guidance on supporting victims through the CJS process. To date over 300 investigators have gone through these courses. In addition, new specialist guidance for officers who interview vulnerable victims of trafficking has been developed and over 575 interviewers have received training linked to this. Resources to support investigators, analysts and front line staff in the police, and appropriate other agencies, are available through the College of Policing Polka site.
One of the two victim advocacy roles within the Modern Slavery Police Transformation Programme has focused on improving the use of the Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) process in modern slavery cases, in light of the recommendation made in the Modern Slavery Act Review. This includes developing specialist interview techniques for victims reporting modern slavery. The approach has been endorsed by the College of Policing and promoted to over 575 existing ABE interviewers to date.
The Crown Prosecution Service has delivered mandatory face to face accredited training for prosecutors to develop expertise and build resilience in complex casework units, central casework units and for criminal justice advisors overseas.
Outcomes
As a result of this investment the number of modern slavery law enforcement operations ongoing at any one time have more than tripled (from 188 in December 2018 to 643 in March 2018). As of March 2018, police services are working to identify and protect at least 1500 vulnerable persons who the police consider may be victims of modern slavery.