Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of child protection procedures on families affected by myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Department for Education has made no recent assessments of the impact of child protection procedures on families affected by myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Local authorities must undertake enquiries if they believe a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm and decide if any action must be taken under section 47 of the Children Act 1989. Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) sets out the parameters and principles of high quality child protection assessments and procedures. The local authority is under a duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare and child protection decisions are based on the professional judgement of social workers and the circumstances of the individual child. The Equality Act 2010 is clear that all institutions, including local authorities, cannot discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability.
The Government is undertaking wide-ranging reforms to improve the quality of social work practice and decision-making, including through assessment and accreditation against Knowledge and Skills Statements, which are also the post qualifying standards for child and family social work.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the psychological effect on immigrants of detention without a time limit.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The health and welfare of detainees is of upmost importance. Although there is no statutory time limit on immigration detention under Immigration Act powers, the law does not allow indefinite detention.
Under the adults at risk in immigration detention policy – which is part of the Government’s response to Stephen Shaw’s review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention - the consideration of any vulnerability, including mental health, is based on a case-by-case assessment of the appropriateness of detention for each individual. All individuals detained also have ready access to medical professionals and health care, including mental health services. In all cases, detention is kept under regular review to ensure that it is necessary, appropriate and takes into account the welfare of those detained.
The Home Office has published guidelines on acceptable room capacity in immigration removal centres, which build on requirements set out in secondary legislation. Capacity across the detention estate is kept under regular review.
In line with the Home Secretary’s statement on immigration detention on 24 July, the practice of accommodating three detainees in rooms designed for two has now ceased.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government plans to take to tackle overcrowding in immigration detention centres.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The health and welfare of detainees is of upmost importance. Although there is no statutory time limit on immigration detention under Immigration Act powers, the law does not allow indefinite detention.
Under the adults at risk in immigration detention policy – which is part of the Government’s response to Stephen Shaw’s review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention - the consideration of any vulnerability, including mental health, is based on a case-by-case assessment of the appropriateness of detention for each individual. All individuals detained also have ready access to medical professionals and health care, including mental health services. In all cases, detention is kept under regular review to ensure that it is necessary, appropriate and takes into account the welfare of those detained.
The Home Office has published guidelines on acceptable room capacity in immigration removal centres, which build on requirements set out in secondary legislation. Capacity across the detention estate is kept under regular review.
In line with the Home Secretary’s statement on immigration detention on 24 July, the practice of accommodating three detainees in rooms designed for two has now ceased.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to tackle the socio-economic factors behind knife and gang-related crime.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Serious Violence Strategy represents a step change in the way we think and respond to violence, including gangs. The strategy sets out the key risk factors which may mean a young person may have a greater propensity to get involved in crime than would otherwise be the case such as school absence and peer pressure.
The strategy also outlines the importance of early intervention to tackle criminal involvement by young people and the importance of providing positive activities to help them lead productive lives free from crime. We are also supporting work to build local resilience and awareness by match funding local area reviews, which help local areas to respond to gang-related threats.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department plans to take to proactively tackle the socio-economic root causes of gang violence in communities.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Serious Violence Strategy represents a step change in the way we think and respond to violence, including gangs. The strategy sets out the key risk factors which may mean a young person may have a greater propensity to get involved in crime than would otherwise be the case such as school absence and peer pressure.
The strategy also outlines the importance of early intervention to tackle criminal involvement by young people and the importance of providing positive activities to help them lead productive lives free from crime. We are also supporting work to build local resilience and awareness by match funding local area reviews, which help local areas to respond to gang-related threats.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of record-keeping by the police in relation to up-skirting.
Answered by Nick Hurd
We expect the police to record and investigate all crimes that are reported to them. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services inspect all forces to assess the integrity of their recorded crime data.