Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, on what evidential basis his Department decided to set a minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas at £38,700; whether his Department held discussions with (a) the Migration Advisory Committee and (b) relevant stakeholders before changing the minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting a lower threshold.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government engages regularly with the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and business sectors through a number of advisory groups when developing its policies. The Government will be engaging with the MAC and business on aspects of the package in due course. Careful analysis has been undertaken to support decision making in this process and a Regulatory Impact Assessment will be developed in due course.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent estimate she has made of (a) when neonatal care and leave will be provided under the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 and (b) the number of families that will be able to access that care and leave in its first year.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are committed to introducing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as quickly as possible and work is ongoing across Government to deliver these new entitlements by April 2025 at the earliest, subject to parliamentary scheduling of the necessary SIs.
In the region of 40,000 babies spend over one week in neonatal care each year and it is estimated that approximately 60,000 parents will be eligible for Neonatal Care Leave and Pay with around 34,000 parents taking up this entitlement every year.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of British citizens leaving the UK each year to join spouses and partners.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 5 December is attached.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement to the House on 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, on what evidential basis his Department decided to set a minimum income threshold for family visas at £38,700; whether his Department held discussions with (a) Migration Advisory Committee and (b) stakeholders before changing the minimum income threshold for family visas; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting a lower threshold.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The government will publish an impact assessment on these changes in due course. The Migration Advisory Committee was not asked to provide further advice related to this change as previous advice and evidence provided by the Migration Advisory Committee was already available and considered.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date he plans to bring into force the increase in financial threshold for family visas to £38,700; and whether people who apply before the new threshold comes into force will have the existing threshold applied to them if their application has not been decided before the date of the threshold increase.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The government will publish an impact assessment on these changes in due course. The Migration Advisory Committee was not asked to provide further advice related to this change as previous advice and evidence provided by the Migration Advisory Committee was already available and considered.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Statement of 4 November 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report column 42, what the evidential basis was for setting the income threshold for spouse and family visas at £38,700; and whether he sought (a) advice from the Migration Advisory Committee and (b) other independent advice before setting that threshold.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The government will publish an impact assessment on these changes in due course. The Migration Advisory Committee was not asked to provide further advice related to this change as previous advice and evidence provided by the Migration Advisory Committee was already available and considered.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an impact assessment of the rise in income thresholds for spouse and other family visas to £38,700.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The government will publish an impact assessment on these changes in due course.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the UK Visas and Immigration seasonal workers team was established; how many visits it has made to farms since its establishment; whether it found evidence of underpayment of workers on its visits; what powers they have to compensate workers for underpayment of wages; and what steps they are taking to ensure workers are not penalised for reporting issues.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not publish data concerning farm visits under the seasonal workers scheme.
The Seasonal Worker team undertakes farm visits to check sponsor compliance by interviewing farm managers, checking worker accommodation and speaking to sponsored seasonal workers.
If evidence of underpayment is identified, that is investigated in line with published Sponsor Guidance and action taken if necessary. UKVI do not compensate sponsored workers for loss of earnings.
Anonymity is offered to workers speaking to our officers; workers are also able to report concerns via the online reporting tool. Full details of how to report information to the Home Office are available at: www.gov.uk/reportimmigration-crime
Allegations of abuse should also be reported to the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority. Details of how to do this are available on the GLAA website, at: www.gla.gov.uk/report-issues/english-report-form/
The Government keeps the Seasonal Worker route under close ongoing review. Separately, the independent Migration Advisory Committee announced on 22 March 2023 that it is conducting a review of this route.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will undertake a review of the seasonal workers scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not publish data concerning farm visits under the seasonal workers scheme.
The Seasonal Worker team undertakes farm visits to check sponsor compliance by interviewing farm managers, checking worker accommodation and speaking to sponsored seasonal workers.
If evidence of underpayment is identified, that is investigated in line with published Sponsor Guidance and action taken if necessary. UKVI do not compensate sponsored workers for loss of earnings.
Anonymity is offered to workers speaking to our officers; workers are also able to report concerns via the online reporting tool. Full details of how to report information to the Home Office are available at: www.gov.uk/reportimmigration-crime
Allegations of abuse should also be reported to the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority. Details of how to do this are available on the GLAA website, at: www.gla.gov.uk/report-issues/english-report-form/
The Government keeps the Seasonal Worker route under close ongoing review. Separately, the independent Migration Advisory Committee announced on 22 March 2023 that it is conducting a review of this route.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's plan to implement The High Court judgment in Independent Monitoring Authority v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 3274 (Admin) by providing those with pre-settled status a two year extension before it expires, what steps she plans to take to ensure that an (a) employers conducting right to work checks and (b) landlords conducting rent checks are aware that (i) a share code showing an impending expiration date is actually an EUSS pre-settled status and (ii) the expiry date shown is therefore incorrect and will be replaced with a new expiry date.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The guidance for employers and landlords has been updated to explain that EUSS pre-settled status will be automatically extended before the original grant expires. The wording on the Home Office online checking service has also been updated to highlight the extension of pre-settled status.
Therefore, if a right to work or right to rent check shows that a person is approaching the expiry date of their pre-settled status, employers and landlords will be aware, from the updated guidance and the updated wording on the online checking services, that a person’s pre-settled status will be extended. Once a person’s pre-settled status has been extended, the new expiry date will be reflected on the Home Office online checking services.