Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the salary exemption for nurses under Tier 2 visas will be extended to EEA citizens.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We have been clear that we want all EU nationals, including those working in the NHS and the care sector, to stay in the UK after we leave the EU.
In their report, EEA migration in the UK, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended maintaining the existing system of salary thresholds.
The Government has been clear that we will undertake an extensive programme of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, including with the private, public and voluntary sector and local government, as well as industry representatives and individual businesses before taking a final decision on the level of salary thresholds.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on that country's visa plans for UK business travellers.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Policy on short stay visitors, such as business visitors, is an EU competence, rather than a Member State competence.
The EU has proposed that UK nationals would be able to enter the EU visa-free for short periods after the country’s exit, provided EU nationals enjoy the same conditions when travelling to the UK.
Whether we leave the EU with or without a deal, the Home Secretary has announced that EEA and Swiss nationals will be able to continue to travel to the UK for holidays or short-term trips, without needing a visa.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on plans that country has for a centralised biometric database when processing UK business travellers.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Policy on short stay visitors, such as business visitors, is an EU competence, rather than a Member State competence.
The Visa Information System (VIS) is the system that Schengen states use to exchange visa data for short-stay visas. This includes the capability to match biometric data.
The EU has proposed that UK nationals would be able to enter the EU visa-free for short periods after the country’s exit, provided EU nationals enjoy the same conditions when travelling to the UK. The Home Secretary has announced that EEA and Swiss nationals will be able to continue to travel to the UK for holidays or short-term trips without needing a UK visa.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2019 to Question 210043, with what organisations and agencies other than HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions and the NHS his Department has shared data; for what purposes; and how many instances of data sharing there have been for each purpose.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office will only collect and process personal data where we have a legal basis to do so and it is necessary and proportionate. The Home Office collects and processes personal data to fulfil its legal and official functions.
The Home Office may share information with other organisations, but only where the information needs to be shared and there is a legal basis for doing so. Further detail on this, including the categories of organisations with which we may share data, is set out in the Home Office personal information charter:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/about/personal-information-charter
and, for the Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System (BICS), including the EU Settlement Scheme, via the BICS privacy information notice:
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2019 to Question 207552 on Home Office: Brexit, how much of the £875 million allocated to his Department for Brexit preparations in 2018-19 and 2019-20 has been allocated to preparing for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
For the financial year 2018-19, the department was allocated £395m based on planning for both the ‘preferred’ scenario and ‘no deal’ scenario covered in the Department for Exiting the European Union’s (DExEU) ‘Implementation Guidance for the EU Exit Programme’.
For the financial year 2019-20, the Department received £480m. These funds have still to be allocated internally.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money his Department has allocated for preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal to date; how much of that funding has been made by way of ministerial direction; and for what functions that funding has been allocated.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
For the financial year 2018-19, the department has been allocated £395m to continue preparing for the UK to leave the EU. This funding is to cover all scenarios and is being allocated to address Home Office priorities including developing the EU Settled Status scheme and building resilience at the border.
No ministerial directions have been issued in relation to this funding.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received from the travel industry on border control in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We regularly work with businesses and stakeholders, including the travel industry, to ensure they are prepared for our exit from the EU.
The Government will continue to work closely with the travel industry to understand their concerns and address them as well as to create opportunities. Border Force has established a dedicated Industry Partnerships team for such engagement.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure eligible EU citizens have access to healthcare after (a) the UK leaves the EU and (b) June 2021.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The draft Withdrawal Agreement (WA) published in March guarantees the rights of EU citizens and their family members living in the UK, and UK nationals living in the EU.
EU citizens living in the UK by 31 December 2020, along with their family members, will be able to stay and continue their lives, with the same access to healthcare, benefits and other public services that they enjoy now. They will need to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021 to secure and demonstrate these rights thereafter.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions have taken place for offences under the Immigration Act 2014 since the inception of Right to Rent measures in February 2016.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
There have been no prosecutions.