Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many rule 35 reports were issued in detention centres in 2023.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
We regularly publish the data you have requested and it can be found at Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The data is placed under the link entitled the same. Please note that quarter 4 (which will contain information from 1 October to 31 December 2023) is due to be published February 2024.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) planned timetable and (b) scope is for the review of his Department's Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy; and whether he has plans to consult outside of his Department as part of that review.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
The Home Office is currently undertaking a review of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention Policy. The policy aims to safeguard vulnerable individuals in immigration detention by providing a framework to assess if their detention or continued detention is appropriate.
The scope of the review includes the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy and Detention Centre Rules 34 and 35. The review is ongoing and the timetable for completion will become clearer as the review progresses.
Engagement outside of the Department will form part of this review and the process for this engagement is currently being considered.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023, if he will publish a timetable on the implementation of safe access zones around abortion clinics.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
I refer to the statement made by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Home Office in the House of Lords on 20th November.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safe and legal routes are available for Sudanese refugees to come to the UK to escape ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has a proud history of supporting refugees. Since 2015, we have offered a place through our safe and legal routes to over half a million people seeking safety in the UK, as well as family members of refugees. Where somebody has a link to the UK, they may be eligible for our family routes.
The UK continues to welcome refugees through our existing global resettlement schemes, which includes the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We are proud to have welcomed over 300 Sudanese nationals through the UKRS and Community Sponsorship since 2021.
Our global resettlement schemes are not application based; instead, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refers individuals for resettlement in accordance with their standard resettlement submission criteria. These are based on an assessment of protection needs or vulnerabilities. The UK does not seek to intervene in or influence UNHCR’s established selection processes.
There are additional routes for people to come to the UK to work or study provided they meet the requirements of the relevant immigration rules under which they are applying. However, the UK has finite resources and is so not able to provide tailored humanitarian routes in every circumstance.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the impact of the Government's policy on no recourse to public funds on single mothers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government published an overarching Equality Impact Assessment on the Compliant Environment measures, of which NRPF is part, earlier this year: Compliant environment: overarching equality impact assessment (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant women arrived in the UK by small boat in 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee recently asked a similar question and the response to that is currently under consideration by Ministers. That response will be given to Parliament shortly.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of how many families with children will be (a) detained and (b) removed from the UK under the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill in 2024.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
As set out in clause 1(1), the purpose of the Bill is to prevent and deter unlawful migration, and in particular migration by unsafe and illegal routes, by requiring the Home Secretary to return illegal migrants to their home country or remove them to a safe third country. An economic impact assessment will be published for the Bill in due course.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people predicted to be detained under clause 12 of the Illegal Migration Bill in (a) 2024, (b) 2025 and (c) 2026.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
As set out in clause 1(1), the purpose of the Bill is to prevent and deter unlawful migration, and in particular migration by unsafe and illegal routes, by requiring the Home Secretary to return illegal migrants to their home country or remove them to a safe third country. An economic impact assessment will be published for the Bill in due course.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time was for her Department to make a decision on a refugee family reunion application in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Information regarding processing times for family reunion applications is not routinely published and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role the detention gatekeeper will have in decisions to detain people under clause 12 of the Illegal Migration Bill.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The detention gatekeeper will continue to have a role in assessing an individual’s suitability for detention, in line with published policy.