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967480

registered interest
date	04/09/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and (2) refugees of all ages, with close family members in the UK have so far been identified by UK immigration liaison officers sent to France, Italy and Greece; and how many have reached the UK as a result.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9973
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2018 answer text <p>The role of the UK liaison officers is to facilitate good working co-operation between EU Member States, including Italy, France and Greece, on asylum and immigration matters with the UK. Liaison officers are not involved in identifying children under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, as it is a matter for our partner states to refer children who meet the criteria and where it is in their best interests to transfer to the UK. Liaison officers are not involved in the identification of applicants with qualifying family members either as this is also a matter for the competent national authorities of Dublin states.</p><p>On 30 November, the Government published data on the numbers of children transferred to the UK from the Calais camp clearance under both the Dublin III Regulation and section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. The data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transfers-of-children-to-the-uk-from-the-calais-operation-november-2017</p><p>On 22 February 2018, the Home Office published data on the number of transfers into the UK from other Dublin states. The relevant statistics can be found at as_22_q, asylum volume 5 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017-data-tables. 2018 Dublin data will be published in February 2019.</p><p>We remain fully committed to delivering our commitment to transfer the specified number of 480 children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and are working very closely with participating States, to deliver the scheme in line with their national laws. Over 220 children are already in the UK and transfers are ongoing. We will not provide a running commentary on numbers and will publish the details once all children are in the UK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name as_22-q - Asylum Vol 5.xlsx title Table - as_22-q Asylum Vol 5 2 file name Table - Transfers of Children to UK from the Calais Op Nov 2017.xlsx title Table - Transfers of Children to the UK-Calais op[ question first answered 13/09/2018 13:39:17 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938811

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Interviews
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards they plan to put in place to ensure that any poor interpreting and poor interview practices do not adversely affect individual asylum claims.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9427
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>All asylum interviews are carried out by an impartial interviewing officer.</p><p>All interpreters engaged by the Home Office must demonstrate they have the required skills and qualifications. They are also bound by a “Code of Conduct” to ensure minimum standards for interpreting and behaviour. Home Office policy and guidance ensures that in the event of interpreters or interviews falling short of those standards, it would not adversely affect an individual’s asylum claim.</p><p>Interviewing Officers are encouraged to provide feedback on the performance of interpreters, using specifically designed monitoring forms. Interviews may also be monitored for training and security purposes. Increased use of technologies, such as interviewing by video conferencing facilities, are being trialled to increase efficiency and transform the asylum process. Currently the majority of interviews are conducted face to face.</p><p>We have recently introduced digital interviewing capability across the asylum casework operational as part of the wider Home Office digital transformation programme, which aims for the department to become ‘digital by default’. We are aiming to digitally record all asylum interviews and provide claimants and their legal representative with a digital recording of their interview in addition to a written transcript. Claimants who do not want their interview to be audio recorded and provide reasonable explanation for this will be exempt from the recording requirement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/07/2018 12:49:25 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938812

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Interviews
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to audio-record all substantive asylum interviews.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9428
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>All asylum interviews are carried out by an impartial interviewing officer. All interpreters engaged by the Home Office must demonstrate they have the required skills and qualifications. They are also bound by a “Code of Conduct” to ensure minimum standards for interpreting and behaviour.</p><p>Home Office policy and guidance ensures that in the event of interpreters or interviews falling short of those standards, it would not adversely affect an individual’s asylum claim. Interviewing Officers are encouraged to provide feedback on the performance of interpreters, using specifically designed monitoring forms. Interviews may also be monitored for training and security purposes.</p><p>Increased use of technologies, such as interviewing by video conferencing facilities, are being trialled to increase efficiency and transform the asylum process. Currently the majority of interviews are conducted face to face.</p><p>We have recently introduced digital interviewing capability across the asylum casework operational as part of the wider Home Office digital transformation programme, which aims for the department to become ‘digital by default’. We are aiming to digitally record all asylum interviews and provide claimants and their legal representative with a digital recording of their interview in addition to a written transcript. Claimants who do not want their interview to be audio recorded and provide reasonable explanation for this will be exempt from the recording requirement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/07/2018 12:50:01 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

934642

registered interest
date	04/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what responses they received to letters from the then Home Secretary to her counterparts in 2017 in France, Greece and Italy inviting referrals of eligible unaccompanied asylum-seeking children for transfer to the UK; how many referrals have been made since; and how many have been accepted.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9219
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2018 answer text <p>The previous Home Secretary received responses from each of the participating States and we have since been working with each of them at a Ministerial and official level to ensure safe transfer of unaccompanied children to the UK. We have received referrals from all participating States and the process is ongoing.</p><p>We remain fully committed to delivering our commitment to transfer the specified number of 480 children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and are working very closely with participating States, to deliver the scheme in line with their national laws. Over 220 children are already in the UK. We will not provide a running commentary on numbers and will publish the details once all children are in the UK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 13/07/2018 11:55:50 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

934643

registered interest
date	04/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the willingness of families, churches and rotary groups to sponsor and care for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children when they announced in April 2017 that they UK would take 480 children from Europe.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2018 answer text <p>Under the Children Act 1989, and relevant legislation in the devolved nations, local authorities have a responsibility to look after children in need in their jurisdiction. In accordance with section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, we consulted with local authorities on their capacity to care for unaccompanied children before announcing the specified number of 480. This is in addition to the over 4,500 unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), already in local authority care in the UK. In light of this statutory duty, we have no plans to extend caring responsibilities for unaccompanied asylum seeking children in this way.</p><p>A scheme to allow community groups to directly sponsor a resettled refugee family was launched by the then Home Secretary and Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace on 19 July 2016. The Full Community Sponsorship scheme enables community groups including charities, faith groups, churches and businesses, to take on the role of supporting resettled refugees in the UK. A ‘Help Refugees in the UK’ webpage has also been developed on GOV.UK to make it easier for the public to support refugees in the UK and allow local authorities to focus support on the goods and services that refugees need.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 13/07/2018 12:26:41 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

934483

registered interest
date	03/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any progress was made at the recent European Council on the issue of the protection, support, education, and health of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors already in European countries; and on the early identification of those who have close family links with the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9164
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2018 answer text <p>The focus of the June European Council was migration, there was no specific discussion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The Council agreed to reform the Common European Asylum System which provides minimum standards for the treatment of all asylum seekers and the functioning of the Dublin Regulation.</p><p>The Government continues to work closely with EU Member States to enact the safe transfers of unaccompanied children who have claimed asylum in another Member State to be transferred here to have their asylum claim assessed if they have a qualifying family member legally present in the UK and transfer would be in their best interests.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 13/07/2018 11:53:25 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

909627

registered interest
date	22/05/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Security: Turkey
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Home Secretary, or any other minister, has signed a declaration of intention with the government of Turkey concerning security cooperation; and whether any such declaration protects innocent persons against deportation or asset freezing.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL8122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2018 answer text <p>The Home Secretary signed a letter of intent with the Turkish Minister of the Interior, Süleyman Soylu, on 15 May. The letter agreed to take concrete steps towards measures that will formalise information sharing on a range of Home Office issues. It also reaffirmed our commitment to deepen co-operation between the Home Office and the Turkish Ministry of the Interior.</p><p>This commitment means that we will look at how our police, border, customs and coastguard agencies can share information more easily in order to tackle the terrorists and organised criminals involved in money laundering, drug smuggling and people and arms trafficking.</p><p>In terms of deportation or asset freezing, an investigation or any legal or administrative action is only taken where there is evidence of criminal wrongdoing in the UK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 06/06/2018 14:30:38 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

909628

registered interest
date	22/05/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Female Genital Mutilation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the intentions set out in their 2015 Counter Extremism Strategy, they intend to refuse entry visas to foreign preachers or teachers who are known to advocate female genital mutilation.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL8123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2018 answer text <p>The Government’s Counter Extremism Strategy is clear that female genital mutilation can be a harm of extremism. FGM is a crime and this Government will not tolerate it.</p><p>The Government takes a robust stance against individuals seeking entry to the UK where a person’s character, conduct or associations make it undesirable for them to do so. The Home Secretary has excluded 11 individuals from the UK for unacceptable extremist behaviour since the Counter Extremism Strategy was published in October 2015. We will continue to consider any cases brought to our attention and act in accordance with the individual circumstances involved.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 06/06/2018 13:25:10 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

906016

registered interest
date	16/05/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 16 May on the assessment of immigration and asylum applications, what assessment they have made of the impact on the quality of the first substantive interview of (1) the impartiality of the interviewer, (2) whether the interviewer is the same gender as the applicant, (3) the quality of any interpretation required, and (4) the availability of advance legal assistance to applicants; and whether they intend to provide advice from independent specialised paralegals to all immigration and asylum applicants in complex cases.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL7942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/05/2018 answer text <p>All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information. We ensure that claimants are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken, even where that information may be sensitive or difficult to disclose.</p><p>We are committed to delivering an asylum process that is gender sensitive and have developed an asylum gender action plan to achieve this building on the wider Government strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.</p><p>Furthermore there is a robust quality assurance process in place involving technical specialists which ensures that all policies related to deciding asylum claims are complied with, and supports a robust decision making process.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 29/05/2018 11:41:17 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

904251

registered interest
date	14/05/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Kosovo
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to call for an improved and simplified EU visa regime for students and professionals from Kosovo.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL7829
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2018 answer text <p>The UK does not participate in EU visa regimes with third countries as we do not participate in the relevant aspects of the Schengen agreement. It would not be appropriate for the UK to call for an improved EU visa regime with Kosovo. The UK has its own visa arrangements with Kosovo.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 24/05/2018 15:01:03 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton