Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the refund eligibility criteria for individuals who purchased the UKVCAS Super Priority Service but did not receive a decision on their visa application within 24 hours.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office’s published immigration and nationality refunds policy sets out the circumstances in which priority service fees will be refunded Immigration and nationality refunds policy (publishing.service.gov.uk).
The circumstances in which a refund of the fee paid to expedite an application through the Super Priority service will be made include where the applicant has taken necessary steps to complete their application, but the application has not been processed within the published timescales. A partial refund of the difference between the Super Priority and Priority fee can be considered if an application goes on to be processed under the published timescales for the Priority service.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what resources are being provided to support asylum seekers required to fill in the 11 page questionnaire in English and return it within 20 days.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Streamlined Asylum Process policy guidance was published on 23 February 2023 (Streamlined asylum processing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). On the same day, questionnaires began to be sent out to legacy claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen to their most recently recorded correspondence address. These countries have been included in the streamlined asylum process on the basis of their high-grant rate of 95% or higher and over 100 grants in the year-ending September 2022 of protection status (refugee status or humanitarian protection). All questionnaires should be dispatched to eligible claimants by the end of March 2023.
The asylum claim questionnaires are in English as is generally the case for immigration paperwork across the Department. If necessary, claimants can utilise legal representatives, Non-Government Organisations and other support networks to help them respond to the questionnaire. For those who are unable to return the questionnaire within 20 working days, a reminder will be sent to the claimant allowing a further 10-working days to complete and return it to the Home Office. A further extension can be requested where the timeframe cannot be met, for example because the claimant has serious medical conditions which is impacting their ability to respond to the questionnaire.
The intention of these questionnaires is to enable claimants to provide any further information about their claims after their initial screening interview upon arrival.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his department plans to publish its response to the public sexual harassment consultation that closed on 1 September 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling public sexual harassment and as such on the 25th October, we were delighted to launch the second stage of our ‘Enough’ communications campaign. This new stage includes a range of new communications assets across television, social media, digital advertising and other channels, which look to advise and give bystanders practical tips on how they can safely take action to stop violence against women and girls.
We are grateful for all the responses received to the consultation on whether there should be a public sexual harassment offence, and Ministers will make clear their position on the issue as soon as possible.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to make public sexual harassment a criminal offence.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Sexual harassment in public places is an appalling practice, which this Government is committed to tackling. Women and girls have the right to both be and feel safe on our streets.
As set out in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, published last July, we have been looking carefully at where there may be gaps in existing law and how a specific offence for public sexual harassment could address those.
As a result of this work, last month we announced that by the summer recess we would launch a public consultation on whether there should be a new offence of public sexual harassment.
In the VAWG Strategy we also committed to non-legislative actions to help tackle this issue. Following this, in December the College of Policing published a new advice product for police officers, advising them about the preventative strategies and criminal offences which they can use to respond to reports of various different types of public sexual harassment. The Crown Prosecution Service will also soon be publishing an updated version of its legal guidance on public order offences, to include specific material on public sexual harassment.
In addition, on 1 March the Home Office launched the ‘Enough’ communications campaign, which seeks to change public attitudes and tolerance towards crimes such as public sexual harassment and help create an atmosphere in which women and girls can report such crimes to the police with confidence.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of potential legal routes to make public sexual harassment a crime.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Sexual harassment in public places is an appalling practice, which this Government is committed to tackling. Women and girls have the right to both be and feel safe on our streets.
As set out in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, published last July, we have been looking carefully at where there may be gaps in existing law and how a specific offence for public sexual harassment could address those.
As a result of this work, last month we announced that by the summer recess we would launch a public consultation on whether there should be a new offence of public sexual harassment.
In the VAWG Strategy we also committed to non-legislative actions to help tackle this issue. Following this, in December the College of Policing published a new advice product for police officers, advising them about the preventative strategies and criminal offences which they can use to respond to reports of various different types of public sexual harassment. The Crown Prosecution Service will also soon be publishing an updated version of its legal guidance on public order offences, to include specific material on public sexual harassment.
In addition, on 1 March the Home Office launched the ‘Enough’ communications campaign, which seeks to change public attitudes and tolerance towards crimes such as public sexual harassment and help create an atmosphere in which women and girls can report such crimes to the police with confidence.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests she has received from hon. Members on behalf of Afghan citizens who wish to come to the UK since 15 August 2021 as at the date of answering.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 15 August we have received 8978 emails and calls from hon. Members relating to Afghan citizens wishing to come to the UK.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were charged with the offence of rape in each of the last five years in England and Wales.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of allegations of rape recorded by the police in England and Wales.
The data can be found in the Rape incidents and crime data year ending March 2017 to year ending March 2020 Home Office Open Data Tables, available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
The Home Office also publishes the outcomes of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, including the number of rape offences resolved through a charge. These data can be found at the same link in the crime outcomes tables.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of rape were reported to the police in each of the last five years in England and Wales.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of allegations of rape recorded by the police in England and Wales.
The data can be found in the Rape incidents and crime data year ending March 2017 to year ending March 2020 Home Office Open Data Tables, available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
The Home Office also publishes the outcomes of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, including the number of rape offences resolved through a charge. These data can be found at the same link in the crime outcomes tables.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the cost to (i) local authorities in the UK and (ii) Southwark of supporting households with no recourse to public funds.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold data on the total number of people rough sleeping in Southwark, London or across the UK who are subject to no recourse to public funds (NRPF). We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to reduce the incidence of rough sleeping among non-UK nationals. The Home Office’s Rough Sleeping Support Service (RSSS) also offers an enhanced service for local authorities and registered charities to establish whether a rough sleeper has access to public funds. Part of this service includes the RSSS contacting Home Office casework teams (where there is an open application) to request that the case is prioritised.
The NRPF is a condition applied to most temporary migrants, who are required to demonstrate that they can maintain and accommodate themselves and their families in the UK when they make an immigration application. However, individuals whose basis of stay in the UK is based on their family life or human rights can apply to have the NRPF condition lifted by making a ‘change of conditions’ application if there are exceptional circumstances related to financial circumstances, to avoid destitution and rough sleeping. Other groups, such as refugees, are exempt from the condition.
The Home Office has published its policy equality statement on the impact of the No Recourse to Public Fund (NRPF) policy on migrants on the 10-year human rights route. It can be found at:
To avoid destitution and sleeping rough, those without immigration status, who also have no recourse to public funds, should regularise their stay or leave the UK. There is support available to do this through the Voluntary Returns Service which offers practical support for people who are in the United Kingdom with no right to reside, as well as those who have, or are claiming, asylum and have decided they want to return home. This is with the exception of Foreign National Offenders, who are not eligible for the service.
With regard to the cost to local authorities of supporting households with no recourse to public funds, the Government has provided unprecedented support of over £8 billion of funding to local authorities in England to help councils manage the impacts of Covid-19 to respond to the spending pressures they are facing, including £4.6 billion which is not ringfenced. Funding provided to local authorities under the Covid-19 emergency response will be paid through a grant, recognising that local authorities are best placed to decide how this funding is spent. The Government has also provided additional funding for the devolved administrations under the Barnett formula as part of the wider government response.
More information on the support available to migrants during the pandemic, including those with NRPF, can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of No Recourse to Public Funds rules on levels of rough sleeping in (a) Southwark, (b) London and (c) the UK.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold data on the total number of people rough sleeping in Southwark, London or across the UK who are subject to no recourse to public funds (NRPF). We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to reduce the incidence of rough sleeping among non-UK nationals. The Home Office’s Rough Sleeping Support Service (RSSS) also offers an enhanced service for local authorities and registered charities to establish whether a rough sleeper has access to public funds. Part of this service includes the RSSS contacting Home Office casework teams (where there is an open application) to request that the case is prioritised.
The NRPF is a condition applied to most temporary migrants, who are required to demonstrate that they can maintain and accommodate themselves and their families in the UK when they make an immigration application. However, individuals whose basis of stay in the UK is based on their family life or human rights can apply to have the NRPF condition lifted by making a ‘change of conditions’ application if there are exceptional circumstances related to financial circumstances, to avoid destitution and rough sleeping. Other groups, such as refugees, are exempt from the condition.
The Home Office has published its policy equality statement on the impact of the No Recourse to Public Fund (NRPF) policy on migrants on the 10-year human rights route. It can be found at:
To avoid destitution and sleeping rough, those without immigration status, who also have no recourse to public funds, should regularise their stay or leave the UK. There is support available to do this through the Voluntary Returns Service which offers practical support for people who are in the United Kingdom with no right to reside, as well as those who have, or are claiming, asylum and have decided they want to return home. This is with the exception of Foreign National Offenders, who are not eligible for the service.
With regard to the cost to local authorities of supporting households with no recourse to public funds, the Government has provided unprecedented support of over £8 billion of funding to local authorities in England to help councils manage the impacts of Covid-19 to respond to the spending pressures they are facing, including £4.6 billion which is not ringfenced. Funding provided to local authorities under the Covid-19 emergency response will be paid through a grant, recognising that local authorities are best placed to decide how this funding is spent. The Government has also provided additional funding for the devolved administrations under the Barnett formula as part of the wider government response.
More information on the support available to migrants during the pandemic, including those with NRPF, can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk.