Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on her Departments review of the restrictions that prevent asylum seekers from working.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Asylum seeker right to work is a complex issue and it is crucial we take the time to get this right. We are listening carefully to the arguments and considering the evidence put forward on the issue. Work on the review is ongoing.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Migration Advisory Committee’s January 2020 report on a points-based system and salary threshold for immigration.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Following the UK’s exit from the European Union and the end of free movement, we will deliver a new points-based immigration system that allows us to attract the brightest and best talent from around the world and works for all parts of the UK.
The independent Migration Advisory Committee published its report on salary thresholds and the points-based system on the 28 January. We will consider carefully its findings and recommendations before taking any final decisions.
We will set out proposals for the future immigration system in the near future.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has a single individual who is responsible for leading her Department's application of the Family Test.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government is committed to supporting families, including by tackling the scourge of domestic abuse and reducing the high harm of crime to our society.
The Home Office has a Family Test lead responsible for how the Family Test is applied. They are part of the Family Test Network, a cross-government forum to improve coordination and implementation.
This includes feeding into improvements to the existing guidance for officials in all departments on the Family Test.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the (a) number of illegal migrants who have entered the UK by crossing the English Channel and (b) proportion of such migrants that have been returned to France in the last 12 months.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Information regarding migrants crossing the English Channel was provided to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 5 March 2019 which gave the number of migrants detected entering the UK by small boats from January 2018 to February 2019 as 428.
On 22 July 2019 the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid provided an additional figure to Home Affairs Select Committee that up to 21 July 2019 725 migrants had crossed the English Channel.
Over 125 people who arrived on small boats have been returned to Europe.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 293633 on Immigration: EU Nationals, what estimate she has made of the proportion of settled status applications that are not completed within the five working days target.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Our aim is to process all applications to the Scheme as expeditiously as possible. The majority of applications are concluded within 5 working days.
The following link lists the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications, based on current performance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications.
However, it is likely to take longer in the following instances:
Overall, the total number of applications that have been concluded, as of 30 September 2019, was more than 1.5 million (1,524,500). Of these, 61% were granted settled status, 38% were granted pre-settled status.