Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allow event organisers to apply earlier for speakerās visas to ensure that they are considered in time for events.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
There are currently no plans to introduce a separate earlier application window for speakers attending events in the UK.
The three-month application window for visit visas is a longstanding operational policy designed to ensure decisions are based on an applicant's most up-to-date circumstances. It applies equally to all visitors and helps maintain the integrity of the immigration system.
The Home Office publishes service standards of three weeks for non-settlement visit visa applications made outside the UK. In addition, a range of paid priority services are available in many locations, providing applicants and event organisers with flexibility where a faster decision is required.
The Home Office will continue to keep this approach under review.
Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on the national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.
Answered by Jess Phillips
We are working urgently to establish the national inquiry and appoint a suitable independent chair.
Baroness Casey is now actively supporting this process. We are also developing the Terms of Reference with partners across government and beyond, informed by early consultation with victims and survivors so that work on the inquiry can begin as soon as possible.
Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of missing children in the West Midlands; and what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of Black and Asian missing children.
Answered by Jess Phillips
The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, issued by the College of Policing, sets out best practice guidance for all missing person investigations, including missing children.
The Government recognises the need for an effective multi-agency response to missing person investigations. To this end, the Home Office and Department for Education have been supporting the National Police Chiefsā Council (NPCC) lead for Missing Persons in the development of a āMissing Children from Careā framework, which has been piloted in West Yorkshire. This framework outlines good practice that can be adopted by local areas when setting up their own multi-agency protocols for the strategic and operational response to a missing incident, with an aim to ensure that the appropriate safeguarding partner responds in the best interest of the missing person.
The Home Office has also funded the NPCC for Missing Persons to conduct research to explore disproportionality and discrimination in police missing persons investigations; comparing how risk is categorised in different ethnic groups. The final report is nearing completion.
Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of her Department taking over the sponsorship of migrant care staff visas from employers.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May, announced proposed reforms in a number of areas ,including social care visas and visa sponsorship, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a geographical based income threshold for family visas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
We must ensure that the Family Immigration Rules maintain the balance between respecting the right to family life and protecting the economic wellbeing of the UK. Any change must be underpinned by a solid evidence base and form part of a system that is fair, clear and consistent. To achieve this the Home Secretary has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules.
The MAC is an independent body and their review will be robust and transparent. It is expected the MAC will issue their report in the Summer. We will carefully consider the MAC's recommendations before making any further changes.
His Majesty's Government is not considering a regional visa scheme.