Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the recent announcement by the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing regarding the findings of The Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are independent of Government and independently published their response to Bishop James Jones’ report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families on 31 January 2023.
Whilst the timing of the Government’s response has been impacted by the need to avoid risk of prejudice during the Hillsborough criminal proceedings, work has been underway within the relevant departments and organisations to carefully consider and address those points of learning directed at the Government.
The Government has worked closely with police colleagues to consider and address the points of learning for which responsibility spans both government and policing, to improve the systems that are in place to ensure police officers account for their actions.
The Government is committed to engaging with the Hillsborough families prior to publication of its full response in due course.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times her Department has discussed with Sefton Council the potential location of asylum-seeking children and families within that Council's area in the last (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) year.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office has met with Sefton Council on seven occasions, since the first engagement took place in November 2022, to discuss sourcing appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers including asylum seeking families and children. The Home Office regularly engages with local councils across the UK. We are committed to engaging with local authorities and local partners to support successful delivery.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of placing asylum-seeking children and families in local authority areas which are rated inadequate for children’s services on (a) the standard of their education and (b) their human rights.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office, and wider government, work closely with Local Authorities to discuss proposed accommodation sites in their area before any decision being made to use accommodation. We are committed to engaging with Local Authorities and local partners to understand risks, including impact on local services.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) planning requirements of the Pontins site in Southport and (b) powers of Sefton Council to refuse change-of-use applications for that site on the housing of asylum-seeking children and families in Southport constituency.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Whenever the Home Office considers using accommodation for housing asylum seekers we examine the planning requirements to ensure compliance.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with Sefton Council in Multi-Agency Forums on the potential accommodation of asylum-seeking children and families in Southport.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office engages with local authorities across the UK to discuss sourcing appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers. As part of this, the Home Office has held discussions with Sefton Council on opportunities for asylum accommodation located in Sefton Metropolitan area.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of placing asylum-seeking children and families in local authority areas which are rated inadequate for children’s services on their human rights.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office, and wider government, work closely with Local Authorities to discuss proposed accommodation sites in their area before any decision being made to use accommodation. We are committed to engaging with Local Authorities and local partners to understand risks, including impact on local services.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the delay in announcing the decision on the housing of asylum seekers in Pontins in Southport on the provision of public services by Sefton Council.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Whenever we pursue accommodation, a decision will be made and following collaborative and in-depth discussions regarding the accommodation and the services which might be required by councils and other government departments.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will permit the creation of new asylum accommodation sites in areas which a local authority has deemed unsuitable.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
To inform decision making regarding an asylum accommodation centre, we would engage in collaborative and in-depth discussions about the accommodation and what services might be required with the local authority and other government departments.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has a timescale for informing Members of Parliament on decisions on new asylum accommodation sites within their constituencies after these have been decided within her Department.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
An announcement of any potential use of a site would involve collaborative and in-depth discussions regarding the accommodation and what services might be required within that Council and other government departments to inform decision making.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received representations from local authorities on the ability of those authorities to refuse leaseholders from engaging in a change-of-use of a site from holiday to asylum accommodation, in the context of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office, and wider government, works closely with Local Authorities to discuss proposed accommodation sites in their area. Each potential site will have its own property and planning requirements which must be complied with, this will depend on the site.