Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the (a) terms of reference, (b) timetable and (c) scope of hotels and military barracks selected for the internal review into risk in relation to asylum seekers staying in hotels and military barracks.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The terms of reference for the review of initial asylum seeker accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic are to:
Conduct a rapid review of initial accommodation for single adult asylum seekers, including hotels and former military barracks, and provide assurance of compliance with public health guidelines to prevent the transmission of Covid 19.??This will include interviews with a wide range of interested parties including Local Authorities, Strategic Migration Partnerships, commercial providers, non-governmental organisations, asylum seekers and Government officials.
Provide advice and guidance to the Home Office,?providers and individual accommodation units?on best practice to prevent transmission of Covid 19
This is a rapid review to assure ourselves of the health and safety of asylum seekers during the Covid 19 pandemic. A report is due by the end of the month and we will seek to publish a summary of the recommendations.
We chose sites across the UK that would best inform our national approach going forward. This has augmented our business as usual activity on risk and assessment of accommodation during this time of crisis.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the decision-making process for the choice of hotels and military barracks selected for the internal review into risk in relation to asylum seekers staying in hotels and military barracks during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The terms of reference for the review of initial asylum seeker accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic are to:
Conduct a rapid review of initial accommodation for single adult asylum seekers, including hotels and former military barracks, and provide assurance of compliance with public health guidelines to prevent the transmission of Covid 19.??This will include interviews with a wide range of interested parties including Local Authorities, Strategic Migration Partnerships, commercial providers, non-governmental organisations, asylum seekers and Government officials.
Provide advice and guidance to the Home Office,?providers and individual accommodation units?on best practice to prevent transmission of Covid 19
This is a rapid review to assure ourselves of the health and safety of asylum seekers during the Covid 19 pandemic. A report is due by the end of the month and we will seek to publish a summary of the recommendations.
We chose sites across the UK that would best inform our national approach going forward. This has augmented our business as usual activity on risk and assessment of accommodation during this time of crisis.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision she is making for the education, health and mental welfare of unaccompanied asylum seekers detained in the Kent Intake Unit.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office takes its responsibility for the welfare of children seriously and we have very stringent statutory and policy safeguards in place.? We have seen record numbers of arrivals on the south coast in recent weeks and are working hard to make sure every unaccompanied child receives appropriate support.
Unaccompanied children arriving in Dover?are cared for in the Kent Intake Unit (KIU) before being placed in appropriate social services care. Those claiming asylum are only in the KIU whilst their claims are registered; it is not an immigration removal centre.
Children are always prioritised and supported there for as short a period as possible. The KIU also includes a non-detained waiting area where children can await the arrival of local authority social workers. Support is also provided on-site by the Refugee Council. Once a child is in the care of a local authority, they are afforded the same rights as all other looked-after children
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) safeguarding and (b) other training her Department makes available to (i) provider staff and (ii) hotel staff working in hotels which house asylum seekers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government demands the highest standards from contractors and their accommodation and monitor them closely to ensure this is maintained.
Details of the providers training programme that all staff including volunteers and subcontractor agents who are likely to have direct contact or have access to Service users details are set out in the contracts with the accommodation providers; specifically the “Statement of Requirements”, which can be found at: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what circumstances her Department will use its discretion to waive the requirement for applicants with settled status applying for British citizenship to have had Comprehensive Sickness Insurance in order to satisfy the requirement that they have been legally residing in the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
To meet the statutory requirements for naturalisation, a person of any nationality must have been in the UK lawfully during the residential qualifying period.
EEA regulations set out the requirements which individuals need to follow if they wish to reside here lawfully on the basis of free movement. In the case of students or the self-sufficient – but not those who were working here – the possession of comprehensive sickness insurance has always been a requirement.
The British Nationality Act allows us to exercise discretion over this requirement in the special circumstances of any particular case. We cannot therefore prescribe when discretion will or will not be exercised. UKVI consider cases sensitively, taking into account the nature and reasons for any period of unlawful residence alongside other information relevant to the individual.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received legal advice on whether the ban on evictions due to the covid-19 outbreak applies to people who have been granted refugee status and are living in accommodation for asylum-seekers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status are normally given notice that they must leave any accommodation that has been provided to them by the Home Office within 28 days, as they may now take employment and have access to mainstream benefits and housing assistance from their local authority. Whilst this process was paused on 27 March for a period of three months, we are currently reviewing plans about appropriate timing to resume issuing notices in individual cases in a carefully phased and measured way and have been having discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local Authorities and others on the arrangements.
The timing of those decisions is not affected by the current restrictions on evicting tenants from private rental properties. Those arrangements do not apply to those in asylum support accommodation. This is confirmed in paragraph 2.2 of the Government’s guidance to landlords and tenants, which can be found at: MHCLG guidance https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888843/Updated_Landlord_and_Tenant_Guidance.pdf
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants died after making an application.
Answered by Priti Patel
It is hugely regrettable that a claimant passes away before a compensation award can be made or an apology sent to them.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure that where they are aware of claimants with critical or life shortening illnesses, that their cases are prioritised.
In the deeply unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation claim, but before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely with the appointed representative, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible.
We are aware of five unfortunate cases to date where the claimant has passed away after having submitted a claim but before receiving compensation. We are working closely with the families and legal representatives to determine the right person to whom the compensation can be paid.
To help family members during this distressing time, we have provided links to Government websites that provide information on how to deal with bereavement and we have offered assistance from our claim’s assistance provider Citizens Advice which is well versed in dealing with the financial implications of bereavement.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants died before receiving compensation.
Answered by Priti Patel
It is hugely regrettable that a claimant passes away before a compensation award can be made or an apology sent to them.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure that where they are aware of claimants with critical or life shortening illnesses, that their cases are prioritised.
In the deeply unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation claim, but before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely with the appointed representative, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible.
We are aware of five unfortunate cases to date where the claimant has passed away after having submitted a claim but before receiving compensation. We are working closely with the families and legal representatives to determine the right person to whom the compensation can be paid.
To help family members during this distressing time, we have provided links to Government websites that provide information on how to deal with bereavement and we have offered assistance from our claim’s assistance provider Citizens Advice which is well versed in dealing with the financial implications of bereavement.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police officers are required to wear personal protective equipment during stop-and-search enquires during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises the importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all of those on the frontline and has published guidance on appropriate PPE for emergency workers, including the police.
The NPCC and the College of Policing have issued operational guidance to all forces on the use of PPE tailored to their unique role to ensure officers and staff are protected sufficiently. The guidance covers how, when and what type of PPE to wear across a range of scenarios, including close contact with the public such as when using stop and search, and where social distancing is not available.
The guidance is available online here: https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/Documents/Personal-Protective-Equipment-Operational-Guidance-1.pdf
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department's policy to serve eviction notices to people who have been granted refugee status to leave their asylum accommodation before the ban on evictions ends due to the covid-19 outbreak; and what discussions she had had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on accommodation needed for people facing eviction in order to prevent them from becoming homeless.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status are normally given notice that they must leave any accommodation that has been provided to them by the Home Office within 28 days, as they may now take employment and have access to mainstream benefits and housing assistance from their local authority. Whilst this process was paused on 27 March for a period of three months, we are currently reviewing plans about appropriate timing to resume issuing notices in individual cases in a carefully phased and measured way and have been having discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local Authorities and others on the arrangements.
The timing of those decisions is not affected by the current restrictions on evicting tenants from private rental properties. Those arrangements do not apply to those in asylum support accommodation. This is confirmed in paragraph 2.2 of the Government’s guidance to landlords and tenants, which can be found at: MHCLG guidance (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888843/Updated_Landlord_and_Tenant_Guidance.pdf)