Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage and support local authorities to ensure that children in their care with rights to British citizenship have their citizenship rights confirmed or registered, including where necessary by confirming relevant information from records held by the Home Office.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office regularly engages with local authorities to support them in ensuring that children in local authority care, who are not already British citizens, can make an appropriate application for registration for citizenship. Children in local authority care are not required to pay an application fee when applying for registration as a British citizen.
In most cases, local authorities have access to the information needed to establish the citizenship rights and apply for registration for children in their care. Where there are evidence gaps, the Home Office will assist any applicant by checking information held in its records to confirm a claim.
Following the implementation of the British Nationality Act 1981, a range of explanatory material was prepared to support those affected by changes made by the Act. This material has been maintained and now forms part of the content of the relevant GOV.UK pages. The Home Office maintains published customer guidance for every British citizenship and nationality route, and also provides a British nationality status confirmation service.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the suitability of Nuneaton constituency for a youth hub in the context of plans relating to the young futures unit.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to rolling out a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need.
Over the coming weeks we will be engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the Young Futures programme, including hubs and explore options for their delivery.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, under the policy whereby asylum seekers whose claims have been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of their own can request permission to work in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List published by the Home Office, how many such requests have been (1) made, and (2) granted, since the policy was introduced; and how many asylum seekers have taken up employment under that policy.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers granted permission to work are restricted by the Home Office to apply for jobs on the Immigration Salary List which replaced the Shortage Occupation List on 4 April 2024. The list itself is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, who will continue to review those occupations.
Asylum seekers are provided with accommodation and support to meet their essential living needs if they would otherwise be destitute whilst their claim is considered.
We also encourage asylum seekers to undertake volunteering activities, so long as it does not amount to unpaid work. Volunteering provides a valuable contribution to their local community and may help them to integrate into society if they ultimately qualify for protection.
The Home Office are unable to report how many asylum seekers have applied for and been accepted for permission to work as this information is not held in a reportable format or forms part of published data.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to alter the current arrangements for asylum seekers whose claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of their own to be able to request permission to work in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List published by the Home Office.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers granted permission to work are restricted by the Home Office to apply for jobs on the Immigration Salary List which replaced the Shortage Occupation List on 4 April 2024. The list itself is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, who will continue to review those occupations.
Asylum seekers are provided with accommodation and support to meet their essential living needs if they would otherwise be destitute whilst their claim is considered.
We also encourage asylum seekers to undertake volunteering activities, so long as it does not amount to unpaid work. Volunteering provides a valuable contribution to their local community and may help them to integrate into society if they ultimately qualify for protection.
The Home Office are unable to report how many asylum seekers have applied for and been accepted for permission to work as this information is not held in a reportable format or forms part of published data.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have (a) been recruited by and (b) left the National Crime Agency since January 2023.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The NCA recruits officers using the Civil Service Recruitment Principles of fair and open competition and appointment by merit. For campaigns run on this basis, it does not centrally record candidates’ originator organisations. I am therefore unable to provide the breakdown of numbers of Police Officers who have been recruited into the agency since 2023 and Police Officers who have left.
The NCA also runs a programme of secondment only recruitment campaigns which are targeted at Police Forces and offer opportunities for Police Officers to work at the NCA for fixed periods of time before returning to their original force. Since April 2023, 20 officers have joined the NCA on secondment from Police Forces. The secondment route makes up only a very small proportion of our overall workforce planning process.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on underage (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) abuse of (i) alcohol and (ii) drugs.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.
Policing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter but the Home Office works with a wide range of partners to share best practice and knowledge.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made in reforming vetting procedures for police recruits since 3 March 2021.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The framework for police vetting, which applies to the existing workforce as well as new recruits, is currently set by the College of Policing via its statutory code of practice on vetting and authorised professional practice (APP) guidance on vetting.
The vetting APP, which is reviewed on an ongoing basis, was last updated in March 2021. The College plans to publish a revised version this year following a public consultation in January and having considered recommendations from part 1 of the Angiolini Inquiry.
The government has committed to strengthening police vetting and will be bringing forward statutory measures to do so in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Manchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the minimum income threshold for applications for a (1) spousal, and (2) family, visa.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
To help ensure we reach the right balance and have a solid evidence base for any change, the Home Secretary has announced her intention to commission the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules. The government will consider their recommendations before making any changes.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 12 August (HL502), whether they have set a date for the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme roll out to EU nationals; and whether they have informed port operators about this timetable.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
No date has yet been set for the further rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme, including to European nationals. We expect to make an announcement very shortly and will work with ports and carriers on coordinated communications to those affected.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that UK citizens have the right to marry or form a civil partnership, other than a marriage of convenience, with whom they wish, and have the freedom to reside with their spouse or partner in the UK whatever their wealth or income.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
British citizens and those settled in the UK are free to enter into a genuine relationship with whomever they choose. Foreign partners are able to come to the UK to be married or enter into a civil partnership through a visit visa, where they intend to return home, or a fiancé visa where they intend to go on to apply for permission to stay as a spouse or partner.
Unmarried partners, where the couple have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years are able to apply for a permission to enter or stay in the UK as partner.
For those intending to establish their family life in the UK through the spouse, partner or fiancé routes, it is appropriate they should do so on a basis which is fair to the UK taxpayer and promotes integration with the wider community.
The government has announced the intention to commission the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to conduct a review of the financial requirements of the family immigration rules and will take into account their recommendations.