Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to support disabled parliamentary and local government candidates.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government recognises that disabled people are likely to face greater costs when seeking elected office due to their disability which is why we launched the EnAble Fund for Elected Office to help cover disability related expenses.
The Fund is time limited and was set up to cover scheduled elections between December 2018 and March 2020. Officials are exploring how the Fund might support Police and Crime Commissioner and Local election candidates after 31st March 2020.
While financial support for candidates in elections is also a matter for political parties the Government is considering what support it might provide to succeed the current EnAble fund. The Disability Unit is considering options in connection with the National Strategy for Disabled People, which is due to be published in 2020.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the NHS is able to (a) recruit and (b) retain the workforce required in South London after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We have been clear that we want all EU nationals, including those working in the NHS and the care sector, to stay in the UK after we leave the EU.
In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “The UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. The White Paper proposals include a new route for skilled workers which will be open to anyone at RQF level 3 and above, irrespective of where they are applying from. This route will not be capped allowing all of those who meet our requirements to come to the UK and we intend to abolish the existing Resident Labour Market Test for highly skilled roles.
The White Paper also includes, as a transitional measure, a temporary workers route which will be open to anyone from qualifying countries, wishing to fill positions at any skill level, for up to 12 months. We do not intend to impose a cap on the number of people wishing to use the route.
The Government is undertaking an extensive programme of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, over the course of this year, including with the private, public and voluntary sector and local government, as well as industry representatives and individual businesses before taking final policy decisions on the future system.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were stopped and searched by the Metropolitan Police in each of the last five years; and for how many of those people was there no further action.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of stop and searches conducted by each Police Force Area in England and Wales and the number of resultant arrests. These data have been collected since 2001/02, and are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, and can be accessed here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/751160/stop-search-open-data-tables-ppp.ods
Prior to April 2016 data on other outcomes, including no further action, were not collected. Data from 2016/17 onwards, on the number of stop and searches which resulted in no further action, are also published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, and can be accessed here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/751163/best-use-stop-search-open-data-tables-ppp.ods
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of Stop and Search on the relationship between police officers and young BAME people.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The impact of stop and search on relations between officers and those searched, including those from BAME communities, is a priority for this Government. Reforms introduced by the Government and delivered by the police have led to significant improvements in this regard.
Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which governs conduct around searches, clearly states that officers must show “courtesy, consideration and respect” when carrying out searches, and that grounds for suspicion must be explained. Introduced in 2014, the Government’s “Best Use of Stop and Search” scheme also requires forces to adopt public observation schemes and complaints policies, so that individuals can observe stop and search in action and issues in the conduct of searches can be raised.
These reforms have worked. The arrest rate for searches is now the highest on record, and reports from HMICFRS show significant improvements in the conduct of searches in the last 5 years. We do, however, remain aware of concerns related to the impact of searches on communities, and will continue to work with the police to embed improvements, including around professionalism and community trust.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visit visa applications on the basis of the visitor donating an organ to a family member were successful in each year for the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Due to the range of activities visitors can undertake whilst in the UK, the Home Office does not publish statistics of the sub-sets of visitors.
An individual may act as an organ donor or be assessed as a potential organ donor to an identified recipient in the UK under the Standard Visitor route.
The Home Office continues to engage with stakeholders to better understand and support the needs of donors and recipients interacting with the UK’s immigration system.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long on average it has taken his Department to determine an application for indefinite leave to remain in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
1.We do not publish this specific data around average waiting times, the pub-lished statistics relating to individuals granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom are recorded together as part of published Migration Sta-tistics and can be located via the link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
2.There is no minimum time to determine an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain, however each case type is covered by a maximum waiting time if the case is considered straightforward. If a case is not straightforward we contact the customer by a set point within the process, details of these times can be found via the link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about-our-services
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to set a minimum response time for the Home Office to determine applications for indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
1.We do not publish this specific data around average waiting times, the pub-lished statistics relating to individuals granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom are recorded together as part of published Migration Sta-tistics and can be located via the link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
2.There is no minimum time to determine an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain, however each case type is covered by a maximum waiting time if the case is considered straightforward. If a case is not straightforward we contact the customer by a set point within the process, details of these times can be found via the link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about-our-services