Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the responses to his Department's call for evidence on long-term mental health support which closed on 7 July 2022.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
A summary of the responses received in response to the call for evidence was published on 17 May 2023 and is available at the following link:
The responses we received will feed into the development of mental health and suicide prevention policies we include in the Major Conditions Strategy and the Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of housing asylum seekers at RAF Scrampton on historical buildings at that site.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
RAF Scampton played a vital role in the Second World War and the Home Office has been clear that we will preserve and enhance the heritage feature of Scampton.
We have undertaken significant engagement with Historic England and will create an Operational Management Plan (OMP) which will set out clear actions and responsibilities to protect the heritage assets at RAF Scampton. A regularly updated Factsheet on RAF Scampton can be found at Factsheet: RAF Scampton asylum accommodation (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to stop foreign nationals overstaying their right to reside in the UK on each visa route.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We take robust action against those who abuse the conditions of their visa.
Any individuals abusing their visa are liable to be removed from the UK under section 10(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
A person who knowingly overstays their permission to enter or stay is, under section 24(C1) of the Immigration Act 1971, guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction with an unlimited fine, or with imprisonment for not more than four years, or with both.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that negotiations on an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response do not unduly constrain domestic decisions about public health matters in a future pandemic.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is clear that we would not sign up to any legally binding instrument that would compromise the UK's ability to take domestic decisions on national measures concerning public health. Decisions such as these will remain the sole competency of the UK Government. The UK, and other Member States, have flagged this as a priority. The UK is playing an active role in shaping this instrument, to deliver on the UK's global health priorities and protect the health of people in the UK and around the world from future pandemics.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce net migration figures.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
On 23 May, the Government announced a package of measures to tackle the substantial rise in the number of student dependants coming to the UK. This package includes:
o Removing the right for international students to bring dependants unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes.
o Removing students’ right to switch into a work route before their studies are complete.
o Reviewing maintenance requirements for those applying for student and dependant visas.
o Clamping down on unscrupulous education agents selling inappropriate applications.
o Improving communications about visa rules to universities and international students.
o Improved and more targeted enforcement activity.
We expect this package to have a tangible impact on net migration. Taken together with the easing of temporary factors, like our exceptional humanitarian offers, we expect net migration to fall to pre-pandemic levels in the medium term.
We keep all our immigration policies under constant review to ensure they best serve the UK and reflect the public’s priorities.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing all international students to bring dependents to the UK with them.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
As set out in the Home Secretary’s written statement made on 23 May 2023, the Government remains committed to bringing down net migration to sustainable levels. The immigration statistics highlighted an unexpected rise in the number of dependants coming to the UK alongside international students which the system was not intended for. We are therefore taking steps to remove the right for international students to bring dependants unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes. Those affected by this package will predominantly be dependants of students who make a more limited contribution to the economy than students or those coming under the Skilled Worker route. Restricting the ability to bring dependants under the Student route to the aforementioned cohort of international students also ensures we continue to attract the brightest and best talent the world has to offer.
We keep all our immigration policies under constant review to ensure they best serve the UK and reflect the public’s priorities.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's oversight of health policy of negotiations on an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response..
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have been clear that the United Kingdom will not sign up to a pandemic instrument or any instrument that would compromise the UK’s ability to make domestic decisions on national measures concerning public health policy. Protecting states’ sovereign rights to determine and manage their approaches to public health is a guiding principle for negotiators of the pandemic instrument. Other Member States have also identified this as a priority.
The UK has been and will continue to play an active role in shaping this instrument to deliver on the UK’s global health priorities and protect the health of people in the UK and around the world. No content of the instrument has yet been agreed and Member States are still in the early stages of the negotiation process.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to support businesses applying for visas for staff who need to stay in European countries for more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
To help businesses navigate the visa and work permit rules of EU countries, the Government has published guidance on GOV.UK on the entry requirements for each EU Member State, as well as for Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The Government is also using the Trade and Cooperation Agreement’s governance structures to ensure the European Union upholds its commitments on business travel.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his department is taking to improve the speed of processing Disability Living Allowance decisions for children.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We are currently experiencing higher than forecast demand for claims to Disability Living Allowance. We have already increased resources and have on-going recruitment to increase this further, which will speed up clearance times moving forward.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an estimate of the number of migrants who have illegally arrived in the UK since 1 January 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office has published data on the number of migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats on a weekly basis since January 2023 which can be accessed here: Migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Data on the quarterly total number of attempts to enter the UK irregularly is published in the irregular migration to the UK statistics release within the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed dataset and summary tables’. This data is currently published up to end of December. Data for the next quarter (January to March 2023) is due to be published 25th May 2023.