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Written Question
Detainees and Prisoners: Pregnancy
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant people are detained in (a) prison and (b) an immigration detention centre.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

As of 20 December 2023, there are currently no pregnant women detained in immigration removal centres. Questions regarding pregnant people in prisons should be addressed to the Secretary of State for Justice.


Written Question
Domestic Abuse: Administration of Justice
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the experiences of the criminal justice system of survivors of domestic abuse.

Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

In March 2022, we published the cross-Government ‘Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan’, which seeks to transform society’s response to domestic abuse through preventing reoffending, supporting victims, pursuing perpetrators and strengthening the systems processes in place needed to deliver these goals.

To ensure victims are given the support they need, the Government has supported the Domestic Abuse Matters programme which provides specialist domestic abuse training to police forces. We are funding the development of a new module of this training programme, targeted specifically at investigators of domestic abuse offences to enable further improvement in police responses to domestic abuse incidents. A 2020 evaluation of the programme showed a 41% increase in arrests for coercive or controlling behaviour, associated with the training.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have quadrupled funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10. This funding includes £21 million ringfenced per annum for PCCs to commission services supporting victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse. The MoJ are using additional ringfenced funding to increase the number of ISVAs and IDVAs by 300, to over 1,000, by 2024/25 - a 43% increase.

In February 2023, MoJ laid secondary legislation to ensure legal aid will be available for domestic abuse victims seeking a Domestic Abuse Protection Order. The legislation now also allows for more types of evidence to be accepted from victims of domestic abuse, making it easier for victims to evidence their claims and access the support they need.

In March 2023, the Government introduced the Victims and Prisoners Bill to Parliament. Under the Victims’ Code, victims are entitled to have their crime investigated without unjustified delay and to be provided with information about the investigation and prosecution.


Written Question
Migrants
Friday 12th January 2024

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the no recourse to public funds status on (a) homelessness, (b) poverty, (c) access to healthcare and (d) violence against women and girls.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

The Government published an overarching Equality Impact Assessment on the Compliant Environment measures, of which the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is part, earlier this year: Compliant environment: overarching equality impact assessment (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).


Written Question
Passports: Children
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of children's passport renewal applications rejected on the grounds that both parents' consent could not be obtained due to the inability of one parent being unable to obtain a domestic violence related court order in each of the last three years.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

An application for a British passport in the circumstances described would not be rejected due to the omission of a Court Order alone. His Majesty’s Passport Office supports customers who are vulnerable or at risk from harm based upon their individual circumstances and will explore all options to enable a passport application to be progressed.

Data relating to the reasons that an application for a British passport is rejected is not held in a reportable format and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Immigration Controls: Republic of Ireland
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people to use Irish passport cards at eGates.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

To be eligible for entry via an e-gate at present, a traveller must hold a machine-readable biometric passport. Cards are not compatible.

The Government has an ambitious vision for the future UK border, in which most people crossing the border will experience an e-gate style arrival, using automation as their only point of contact.

We continue to look at options for expanding the use of e-gates to cohorts of passenger not currently able to use them.


Written Question
Immigration Controls: Gibraltar
Tuesday 25th July 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people to use Gibraltan identity cards at eGates.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

To be eligible for entry via an e-gate at present, a traveller must hold a machine-readable biometric passport. Cards are not compatible.

The Government has an ambitious vision for the future UK border, in which most people crossing the border will experience an e-gate style arrival, using automation as their only point of contact.

We continue to look at options for expanding the use of e-gates to cohorts of passenger not currently able to use them.


Written Question
Immigration: Applications
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to process applications for leave to remain for which service standard processing times have been exceeded.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

UK Visas and Immigration are currently operating within their global customer service standards across all of the main legal migration routes for customers who make an entry clearance application from overseas.

Details of current performance against these customer service standards are updated regularly and can be found at:

Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).


Written Question
Asylum: Sudan
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a scheme to enable family members of Sudanese nationals who reside in the UK to come to the UK.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Over 2,000 people have been evacuated to safety in the longest and largest airlift of any western nation during the crisis in Sudan. As well as British nationals, the UK has also evacuated Sudanese clinicians who work in the NHS.

The UK Government is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely to ensure that it is able to respond appropriately. We recognise that some people displaced by the fighting may wish to join family in the UK, and where those family members do not have a current UK visa, they can apply for one via one of our standard visa routes, which remain available, and applications can be submitted at the nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC).

The UK continues to welcome refugees through our existing resettlement schemes which include the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. While our safe and legal routes are some of the most generous anywhere, we cannot accommodate everyone who wants to come to the UK.


Written Question
Naturalisation: Applications
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to process naturalisation applications for which service standard processing times have been exceeded.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The most recent Migration Transparency data published in May 2023 shows that 98.4% of straightforward applications were decided within six months.

It is not always possible to conclude non-straightforward applications for citizenship within the published service standards. The Home Office actively monitors and reviews such cases on a regular basis, to ensure they can be progressed as soon as possible. Where a case is not straightforward, customers are contacted to explain that their application cannot be decided within the six months service standard.

The link to the latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q1-2023


Written Question
Migrant Workers: Fees and Charges
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of waiving the Immigration Skills Charge for employers sponsoring people working in the early years sector.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) is levied on employers looking to bring in workers from overseas to the UK under the Points-Based System. The revenue raised from the ISC plays an important role in supporting the development of skills in the UK.