Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to house (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees who are (i) women and (ii) children on (A) barges and (B) military bases.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The sites are or will be accommodating single adult male asylum seekers between the ages of 18 and 65.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a comparative assessment of potential risks to asylum seekers who are women across each type of accommodation used to house those asylum seekers in Wales.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Across our estate there is an expectation that there will be mixed cohorts within our accommodation.
Some of our core Initial Accommodation may be configured to provide segregated areas specially for families and singles. Similarly in our Dispersed Accommodation there will be a mix of family properties and Houses of Multiple Occupation that are specifically for either males, females or mothers and babies.
Women with children who are in receipt of support are not required to share sleeping quarters with unrelated individuals of the opposite sex but may depending on the circumstances be placed in accommodation facilities that are used to house such individuals.
The Home Office has published the Asylum Support Contracts Safeguarding Framework at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-support-contracts-safeguarding-framework.
This framework sets out a joint, overarching approach, as well as the key controls and reporting mechanisms in place, across the AASC contracts, for safeguarding arrangements.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what policies are in place to ensure the safety of asylum-seeking (a) women and (b) children in asylum accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Across our estate there is an expectation that there will be mixed cohorts within our accommodation.
Some of our core Initial Accommodation may be configured to provide segregated areas specially for families and singles. Similarly in our Dispersed Accommodation there will be a mix of family properties and Houses of Multiple Occupation that are specifically for either males, females or mothers and babies.
Women with children who are in receipt of support are not required to share sleeping quarters with unrelated individuals of the opposite sex but may depending on the circumstances be placed in accommodation facilities that are used to house such individuals.
The Home Office has published the Asylum Support Contracts Safeguarding Framework at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-support-contracts-safeguarding-framework.
This framework sets out a joint, overarching approach, as well as the key controls and reporting mechanisms in place, across the AASC contracts, for safeguarding arrangements.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on alternative accommodation for asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We are committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, habitable, and fit for purpose accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity whilst in our care.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average (a) cost and (b) time taken was for the conclusion of a (i) spousal and (ii) skilled worker visa application in Wales in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We do not treat applications for those working or residing in Wales any differently to those residing in the UK and we are in service standard for straightforward cases across the named routes.
Visa fees transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for (a) spousal, and (b) skilled worker visas in Wales were unresolved after (i) six and (ii) eight weeks in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We do not treat applications for those working or residing in Wales any differently to those residing in the UK and we are in service standard for straightforward cases across the named routes.
Visa fees transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of adherence to service standards in (a) priority service and (b) all skilled worker visa application services in Wales.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We do not treat applications for those working or residing in Wales any differently to those residing in the UK and we are in service standard for straightforward cases across the named routes.
Visa fees transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many skilled worker visa applications surpassed the service standard for conclusion in Wales in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We do not treat applications for those working or residing in Wales any differently to those residing in the UK and we are in service standard for straightforward cases across the named routes.
Visa fees transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stop and searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity were recorded in England in 2021-22.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the ethnicity of people stopped and searched in England and Wales on an annual basis. The latest data are available here: Update to stop and search and arrests statistics using 2021 Census estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Table 1 below shows how many searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity were recorded in England and Wales in 2021-22. Population data used to calculate the rates are from the 2021 Census.
Table 1 – stop and searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity in 2021-22, England and Wales
| Self-defined ethnicity | ||||
| White | Black or Black British | Asian or Asian British | Other Ethnic Group | Mixed |
Rate per 1,000 people - England | 5.5 | 26.7 | 8.8 | 6.7 | 9.3 |
Rate per 1,000 people - Wales | 5.3 | 17.7 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 6.8 |
The Home Office have explored using different denominators to calculate stop and search disparity rates. Within the Metropolitan Police Force area using suspects of violent crime reduced disparity rates for black people from 3.7 to 1.2. Further details are here: Exploration of an alternative approach to calculating stop and search rates in the Metropolitan Police Force Area – Experimental Statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We continue to work to refine and enhance stop and search statistics, and reflect the fact searches tends to be concentrated in geographical areas with high crime.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stop and searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity were recorded in Wales in 2021-22.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the ethnicity of people stopped and searched in England and Wales on an annual basis. The latest data are available here: Update to stop and search and arrests statistics using 2021 Census estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Table 1 below shows how many searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity were recorded in England and Wales in 2021-22. Population data used to calculate the rates are from the 2021 Census.
Table 1 – stop and searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity in 2021-22, England and Wales
| Self-defined ethnicity | ||||
| White | Black or Black British | Asian or Asian British | Other Ethnic Group | Mixed |
Rate per 1,000 people - England | 5.5 | 26.7 | 8.8 | 6.7 | 9.3 |
Rate per 1,000 people - Wales | 5.3 | 17.7 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 6.8 |
The Home Office have explored using different denominators to calculate stop and search disparity rates. Within the Metropolitan Police Force area using suspects of violent crime reduced disparity rates for black people from 3.7 to 1.2. Further details are here: Exploration of an alternative approach to calculating stop and search rates in the Metropolitan Police Force Area – Experimental Statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We continue to work to refine and enhance stop and search statistics, and reflect the fact searches tends to be concentrated in geographical areas with high crime.