Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people who are in receipt of support under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are able to pay (a) travel costs that can only be paid in cash and (b) other travel costs in order to attend Home Office reporting centres.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The assistance available to people supported under section 4 of the 1999 Act consists of accommodation (with gas, electricity and water provided free) and provision of a debit card (the “Aspen Card”) which can be used to buy food and other essential items. The Aspen card cannot be used to withdraw cash, but it bears the visa logo and can be used at retail outlets that accept visa transactions.
If the supported person is required to report as a condition of their immigration bail their travel costs are also covered if they are accommodated more than 3 miles away from the reporting centre or in certain other circumstances, for example if they are unable to walk because of a disability.
In practical terms the travel costs are covered by issuing tickets or by uploading further funds on to the person’s Aspen card.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the frequency of requirements for asylum claimants to attend a Home Office centre are not excessively (a) burdensome and (b) expensive for people more than five miles away from such a centre.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Asylum seekers in receipt of section 95 asylum support are provided with a weekly allowance which can be used to cover expenses such as travel costs.
The assistance available to people supported under section 4 of the 1999 Act consists of accommodation (with gas, electricity and water provided free) and provision of a debit card (the “Aspen Card”) which can be used to buy food and other essential items. The Aspen card cannot be used to withdraw cash, but it bears the visa logo and can be used at retail outlets that accept visa transactions.
If the supported person is required to report as a condition of their immigration bail their travel costs are also covered if they are accommodated more than 3 miles away from the reporting centre or in certain other circumstances, for example if they are unable to walk because of a disability.
In practical terms the travel costs are covered by issuing tickets or by uploading further funds on to the person’s Aspen card.
The Home Office keeps these arrangements under regular review.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people who are in receipt of Section 4 support are able to pay (a) travel fares which can only be purchased with cash and (b) other upfront travel costs in order to report at Home Office reporting centres.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure reporting frequencies are not excessively (a) burdensome and (b) expensive for people who live in places where the journey to a Home Office reporting centre is significant.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure people who are in receipt of Section 4 support are able to cover (a) travel fares which can only be purchased with cash and (b) other upfront travel costs in order to report at Home Office reporting centres.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure reporting frequencies are not excessively (a) burdensome and (b) expensive for people who live in places where the journey to a reporting centre is significant.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria his Department uses for the allocation of funding under the Prevent programme.
Answered by Ben Wallace
Prevent funding is prioritised based on threat and risk across the country where we assess the risk of radicalisation to be highest.
A number of factors, including local and national intelligence / information, the number of TACT arrests and disrupted plots, as well as Channel referral data, are used to help determine the locations where the threat from terrorism and radicalisation is greatest.
Each priority area receives funding for a dedicated Prevent Coordinator and for civil society organisations to deliver campaigns and activity that counter terrorist narratives and build resilience in communities against radicalisation. We do not provide detailed information about the funding allocation of local Prevent projects by area.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a list of properties in Stoke-on-Trent that were considered as alternative locations for the Stoke-on-Trent Reporting Centre.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Our estates partners were commissioned to identify an alternative site for reporting functions in Stoke that provided adequate access to the public, security and accommodation that would enable us to provide a good level of service to the reporting population. Our partners were unable to locate any such suitable premises in the local area.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what length of journey to a reporting centre is deemed to be reasonable by the Home Office.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Individuals subject to reporting can be required to attend the nearest reporting centre or other specified location, including police stations, to their home address.
There is no upper limit to the distance which an individual may be required to travel in order to attend their nearest reporting centre. When deciding reporting conditions the Home Office will give due consideration to the young, elderly and those with medical issues and the potential impact of frequent travel over long distances which is considered to involve in excess of 2 hours’ journey time each way.
Asked by: Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what options were considered when taking the decision to close the Stoke reporting and offender management centre.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office have been unable to find a suitable location in Stoke for staff and the reporting population so utilised police stations. Staffordshire Police have subsequently rationalised their estate and could not provide the Home Office with accommodation to conduct the full range of functions required.
In the absence of any suitable accommodation in the area, which also took into account security, safety of signers and staff, the reporting function was moved to Manchester reporting centre.