Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for asylum seekers to be invited to a substantive asylum interview after arrival in the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
This information is not routinely published and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
However, the Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by duration, for main applicants only. This data can be found at Asy_04 of the published Immigration Statistics: List of tables - GOV.UK (List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on the circumstances in which close protection could be declined by Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs during an overseas visit.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on matters of protective security. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Police Federation's proposals for a Victoria medal to be awarded to the families of Police officers killed whilst on duty.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
It is important that we recognise the vital role the police play in society. This is never more true than when officers and staff make the ultimate sacrifice in order to help keep us safe. That is why the Government supported the creation of the National Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum and enshrined the Police Covenant in law.
All UK honours and medals are in the personal gift of HM The Queen under the Royal prerogative. The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medal (HD Committee) gives advice to The Queen on honours matters, including new forms of official national recognition. The Honours and Appointments Secretariat in the Cabinet Office supports the Committee and will consider the options for recognition.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time is for British citizenship by naturalisation applications.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Secretary of State’s Home Department publishes data on naturalisation applications made and completed every quarter on the Gov.uk website. The most recent data set was published on 26 May 2022 and can be found here:
https://gov.uk/goverment/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q1-2022
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to evaluate the Recovery Needs Assessment; and if she will make it her policy to include consultation with survivors and the anti-slavery and trafficking sector in any review of that assessment.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is committed to delivering tailored, needs-based support to assist victims of modern slavery in their recovery.
The Recovery Needs Assessment (RNA) was introduced on 27 September 2019. Throughout the design and implementation of the Recovery Needs Assessment we engaged with our primary support provider, The Salvation Army, and our network of specialist support providers who work closely with victims on a daily basis.
We are committed to embedding survivor voice in our policy development. In 2020 we undertook work engaging with survivors directly, to better understand their recovery needs and their experiences of the National Referral Mechanism.
We are engaging with survivors, as well as the broader sector, on a new government strategy to tackle modern slavery, alongside ongoing work to improve the victim journey through the RNA process.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any consultation with survivors took place prior to the design and implementation of the Recovery Needs Assessment.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is committed to delivering tailored, needs-based support to assist victims of modern slavery in their recovery.
The Recovery Needs Assessment (RNA) was introduced on 27 September 2019. Throughout the design and implementation of the Recovery Needs Assessment we engaged with our primary support provider, The Salvation Army, and our network of specialist support providers who work closely with victims on a daily basis.
We are committed to embedding survivor voice in our policy development. In 2020 we undertook work engaging with survivors directly, to better understand their recovery needs and their experiences of the National Referral Mechanism.
We are engaging with survivors, as well as the broader sector, on a new government strategy to tackle modern slavery, alongside ongoing work to improve the victim journey through the RNA process.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the policy on data sharing is for providers subcontracted under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract; and when the temporary restrictions placed on providers sharing data will be reviewed.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In March, a contract change was agreed within the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC).
This contract change specifically facilitates for the use of sensitive authority data (whilst providing better oversight of data protection risks) in research projects by sub-contractors of that contract.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the membership of the firearms licensing fees working group.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government is committed to ensuring an efficient and effective firearms licensing system and to achieving full cost recovery for the police. We have commenced a review of firearms licensing fees for police issued certificates, which will be informed by the work of a Firearms Fees Working Group. The Working Group will carry out a detailed review of the cost to the police of administering firearms licensing and develop proposals for revised fees, in accordance with HM Treasury Guidance.
The Firearms Fees Working Group will be chaired by the Home Office, and comprise representatives of the following organisations:
The proposals for new fees for police issued certificates will be subject to public consultation in due course.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) speed of lab testing oral fluid rather than blood samples as evidential confirmation of drug driving offences.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
No such assessment has been made. We have been advised by the National Police Chief’s Council that, despite some backlogs with blood samples last year, toxicology supply has now significantly increased, and all backlogs have been cleared.
We will continue to monitor the situation as appropriate.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 111653, on British Nationality, whether her Department plans to consult relevant stakeholders to inform the drafting of the statutory guidance for the Nationality and Borders Bill.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The nationality guidance is not statutory guidance with a duty to consult on. We will, however, engage with relevant nationality stakeholders prior to implementation of the nationality provisions of the Bill.