Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of (a) the National Crime Agency's capacity to detect money linked to corruption flowing from African states into the UK and (b) steps that could be taken to improve the Agency's capacity.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The National Crime Agency has specialist capability to address the threat posed to the UK by illicit finance, including the proceeds of international corruption.
The International Corruption Unit, established in 2015, has effectively investigated and prosecuted cases involving money linked to corruption flowing from African states into the UK. The performance of the unit is subject to a published annual review. The NCA-hosted International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (established in 2016) also brings together specialist law enforcement officers from multiple agencies around the world to tackle allegations of grand corruption, including in Africa.
The Agency has processes to ensures resource is effectively prioritised and focussed on the highest risk. These processes consider broader questions of capacity.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of difficulties in obtaining in-person legal advice on the quality of legal assistance given to asylum seekers in immigration detention who have experienced (a) rape, (b) other gender-based violence and (c) torture.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office regularly reviews its policies, guidance and processes. A number of mechanisms exist to identify vulnerable people in immigration detention. All individuals receive a healthcare screening within 2 hours of a person’s arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) and, unless they decline, an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours; Induction interviews with Home Office Detention Engagement Team staff include questions which seek to identify vulnerability; and Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 / Rule 32 of the Short Term Holding Facility Rules 2018 require the medical practitioner to report where they have concerns a person’s health may be injuriously affected by detention, a person may have suicidal intentions, or a person may have been a victim of torture.
The Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention (AAR) policy strengthens the presumption against the detention of those who are particularly vulnerable to harm in detention. Under the AAR policy, vulnerable individuals will be detained only when the evidence of vulnerability in their particular case is outweighed by the immigration considerations, including expected date of removal, compliance with immigration law, and public protection. Where a decision is taken to maintain the detention of a vulnerable person, safeguards are in place including regular reviews to ensure detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate.
All Home Office staff working in the detention system are given training and support to identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability.
Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an IRC. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.
There is a dedicated welfare team available daily within each IRC who focus on residents’ needs and assist all detained individuals to obtain legal advice.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 132223 on Asylum: Mental Health, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Adults at Risk policy and other existing guidance and rules at (a) identifying asylum seekers who have experienced (i) rape and (ii) torture, and (b) ensuring their prompt release from immigration detention.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office regularly reviews its policies, guidance and processes. A number of mechanisms exist to identify vulnerable people in immigration detention. All individuals receive a healthcare screening within 2 hours of a person’s arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) and, unless they decline, an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours; Induction interviews with Home Office Detention Engagement Team staff include questions which seek to identify vulnerability; and Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 / Rule 32 of the Short Term Holding Facility Rules 2018 require the medical practitioner to report where they have concerns a person’s health may be injuriously affected by detention, a person may have suicidal intentions, or a person may have been a victim of torture.
The Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention (AAR) policy strengthens the presumption against the detention of those who are particularly vulnerable to harm in detention. Under the AAR policy, vulnerable individuals will be detained only when the evidence of vulnerability in their particular case is outweighed by the immigration considerations, including expected date of removal, compliance with immigration law, and public protection. Where a decision is taken to maintain the detention of a vulnerable person, safeguards are in place including regular reviews to ensure detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate.
All Home Office staff working in the detention system are given training and support to identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability.
Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an IRC. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.
There is a dedicated welfare team available daily within each IRC who focus on residents’ needs and assist all detained individuals to obtain legal advice.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to publish the findings of research commissioned by the Home Office and Department for Education, conducted by Liverpool John Moores University, on the effectiveness of multi-agency safeguarding partnerships in dealing with young people at risk or involved in serious violence and county lines.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Home Office is working collaboratively across Government and with operational partners to strengthen the local safeguarding response to child criminal exploitation.
Alongside the Department for Education, the Home Office has worked with Liverpool John Moores University to understand the effectiveness of multi-agency safeguarding partnerships in supporting young people at risk of or involved in serious violence and county lines.
Having received the final research, we are considering the best way to share learning with local areas and build the findings from the deep dive into future policy.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of being held in immigration detention centres on the mental health of asylum seekers who have experienced (a) rape, (b) torture and (c) war.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There is no exemption from immigration detention for any particular group. However, we fully accept that some groups of individuals can be at particular risk of harm in immigration detention. This is the basis of the Adults at Risk in immigration detention (AAR) policy, which strengthens the presumption against detention for vulnerable individuals.
The policy covers a wide range of vulnerabilities and includes people who suffer from a mental health condition. It enables Home Office staff to promptly identify whether a person is vulnerable and consequently whether they should be detained. Under the policy, vulnerable people will be detained only when the evidence of vulnerability in their particular case is outweighed by the immigration considerations, including immigration compliance, criminality factors and expected date of removal. The published Detention Services Order on Gov.uk supplements the statutory AAR policy, setting out operational guidance for all Home Office, centre supplier and healthcare staff working in the immigration removal estate on the care and management of adults in detention who are identified as being at risk.
Additional safeguards are also in place for those in detention displaying such vulnerabilities, including regular reviews of detention and reporting mechanisms, such as Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 and Rule 32 of the Short-Term Holding Facility Rules 2018, to ensure that particularly vulnerable individuals are brought to the attention of those with direct responsibility for authorising, maintaining and reviewing detention.
All immigration removal centres (IRC) have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers and deliver trauma informed mental health service, where appropriate. In addition to published guidance, staff at all centres are also given training and support to proactively identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability at the earliest opportunity. Welfare teams are onsite at every IRC to assist detained individuals in accessing support specific to their needs.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Understanding serious violence among young people in London, published by the Greater London Authority in December 2021, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact on serious youth violence of (a) area unemployment, (b) area school absence rates, (c) area food insecurity, (d) area deprivation, (e) area youth unemployment and (f) area school suspension rates.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government understands the importance of tackling serious violence from all angles and is aware of the multiple risk factors that make a young person more likely to be involved. As a result, we are taking a whole system approach to reducing violence – this means working with a wide range of partners to prevent serious violence, including schools.
Since 2018, we have invested £105.5m into multi-agency Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in the 18 areas most affected by serious violence. This includes London which received £21m to support its VRU. In addition, the Metropolitan Police have been allocated over £43.9m to fund a surge in police operational activity on serious violence.
We know engagement in education is one of the strongest protective factors against serious violence, that is why the Government is investing over £45m in mainstream (over 3 years) and Alternative Provision (AP) schools (over 2 years) in serious violence hotspots including London to support young people at risk of involvement in serious violence to re-engage in education.
This year we are also investing up to £20m in new early intervention programmes that will help stop young people from being drawn into violence, and our Creating Opportunities Forum programme will provide meaningful employment-related opportunities and raise the aspirations of young people at risk of being drawn into serious violence and knife crime. In London Croydon, Hackney, Lambeth and your own borough Newham are part of the programme that is already supporting young people to access work-related opportunities.
In the longer term, our £200m 10-year Youth Endowment Fund is testing what works to divert young people away from serious violence.
However, we know there is still more to do. That is why we are introducing a duty on public sector bodies to take a joined-up approach to addressing serious violence through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Building a robust response to perpetrators: recommendations for the new Domestic Abuse Strategy, published by the Drive Partnership on 9 September 2021, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the recommendations in that report.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government have committed to publish a comprehensive perpetrator strategy that aims to bring more perpetrators to justice and reduce reoffending.
In the new year, we will publish a strategy dedicated to tackling domestic abuse. It will be informed by the 180,000 responses we received to our Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Call for Evidence. The strategy will seek to transform the whole of society’s response to domestic abuse to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems in place needed to deliver these goals.
We are extremely grateful for the input, advice, and expertise we have received so far from the domestic abuse sector, including the report on Building a robust response to Perpetrators, which we have considered when developing the strategy.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of children being criminally exploited in England and Wales.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The exploitation of children for criminal purposes is wholly unacceptable and this Government is determined to tackle it.
In 2020 there were 2544 National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals for Child Criminal Exploitation only. There were an additional 687 NRM referrals for children criminally exploited in addition to other exploitation types. The data is published on gov.uk : Official statistics overview: Modern Slavery: National Referral Mechanism and Duty to Notify statistics UK, end of year summary 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We are committed to increasing awareness of county lines exploitation amongst those best placed to spot it and have published guidance for frontline professionals on how to identify potential victims of county lines and appropriate referral routes. Criminal Exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: County Lines guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many child victims of modern slavery offences involving child criminal exploitation have been flagged on the police national computer in each of the last three years.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Statistics on referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK’s system for support and identification of victims of modern slavery, are published on a quarterly basis. The latest statistics which cover Quarter 3, July – September 2021 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/modern-slavery-national-referral-mechanism-and-duty-to-notify-statistics-uk-quarter-3-2021-july-to-september
Previous reports published by the Home Office, including the end of year summary reports, can be found here National Referral Mechanism statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Table 3 in each of the published Data Tables sets out the number of NRM referrals by age group at exploitation, country of responsible police force, exploitation type and gender. It is important to note that criminal exploitation has only been reported as a separate category from 1 October 2019 when improvements were made to how NRM data is collected and on how exploitation types are recorded. Prior to this, criminal exploitation was recorded as labour exploitation.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of local safeguarding partnerships that have a child criminal exploitation strategy.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
We are working collaboratively across Government and with operational partners to raise the profile and improve the local safeguarding response to child criminal exploitation.
The statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ sets out the detail of what safeguarding partnerships are required to publish as part of their arrangements; including how they will work together to identify and respond to the needs of children in their area
Alongside the Department for Education, we are working with Liverpool John Moores University to test the effectiveness of multi-agency safeguarding partnerships in dealing with young people at risk or involved in serious violence and county lines.
We have recently received the findings from those reviews and are considering the best way to share the learning and practise with local areas.