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1689441

	registered interest
	date	16/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of weekly payments to asylum seekers in catered accommodation being under £10 on their ability to access cash.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	14340
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office has a legal obligation to meet the essential living needs of destitute asylum seekers. Support is usually provided in the form of accommodation and a weekly allowance loaded onto a payment card called an Aspen card, which can be used to make purchases from retail outlets.</p><p>Individuals living in catered accommodation are issued a reduced weekly payment to cover essential living items that are not met by their accommodation provider, such as clothing and travel.</p><p>The level of allowance is reviewed each year to ensure it covers an individual's essential living needs. Following the 2023 review, allowances have increased for many supported individuals including pregnant women and young children.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 26/02/2024 17:14:50 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1686710

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Personal Care Services: Organised Crime and Undocumented Migrants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the use of barber shops as fronts for (a) organised crime and (b) illegal immigration.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	12561
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) and immigration related criminality. It has recently published a new SOC strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.</p><p>The National Crime Agency (NCA), Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) network, Border Force and law enforcement partners have specialised intelligence and investigative teams that are deployed across the full range of SOC threats, including illicit finance, fraud, money laundering, and immigration crime, to bring offenders to justice.</p><p>National, regional and local operational activity is always prioritised by law enforcement according to the threat, risk and harm posed.</p><p>This Government has increased NCA funding by more than 40% since 2019 to support the development of essential capabilities needed to tackle the full range of SOC threats.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 07/02/2024 15:37:50 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1685865

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing reduced fee tiers of visa payments for individuals with contributory ties with the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	12088
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to introduce fee tiers. It is the Home Office’s policy that fees should generally be charged consistently across customer groups in order to support the overall funding of the migration and borders system.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 07/02/2024 10:06:09 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1679528

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Married People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an estimate of the number of women on spousal visas that have been a victim of (a) domestic abuse and (b) modern slavery.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	8034
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2024 answer text <p>The number of women on spousal visas that have been a victim of domestic abuse and modern slavery does not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published.</p><p><br> The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration(opens%20in%20a%20new%20tab)" target="_blank">Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 15/01/2024 17:10:05 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1675916

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Marriage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the prevalence of arranged marriages in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	5595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government has not made a recent assessment on the prevalence of arranged marriages in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>In an arranged marriage the families take a leading role in choosing the marriage partner, but the marriage is entered into freely by both parties.</p><p> </p><p>This is in contrast to a forced marriage, where one or both people do not or cannot consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used to force them into the marriage.</p><p> </p><p>It is also a forced marriage when anything is done to make someone marry before they turn 18, even if there is no pressure or abuse.</p><p> </p><p>More information on forced marriage can be found here - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage</a></p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 19/12/2023 10:03:00 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1663752

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made (a) a comparative assessment of the speed of processing asylum claims for (i) her Department's existing method and (ii) alternative methods and (b) an assessment of the efficiency of alternative methods taken by other nations.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	201605
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>We have taken immediate action to speed up asylum processing whilst maintaining the integrity of the system. This includes simplifying guidance and streamlining processes. We have also introduced shorter, focussed interviews, making the interview process more efficient.</p><p>The asylum backlog of legacy cases had fallen by over 35,000 cases, between the end of November 2022 and the end of August 2023, and has continued to fall since the last publication of statistics.</p><p>Information on the legacy backlog is published online in the IMB_02 Tab of the data table regarding Statistics relating to the Illegal Migration Act - GOV.UK (<a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CMark.McLaughlin2%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C13fafc2fb7e04b123d6308dbce3cef89%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C638330533328633817%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=S6SmN5XuJffLuwEqfIL%2BQbqt84HF93ZEckLz%2BayoJOw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)</a>). This data is provisional and has not been cleansed to remove duplicates.</p><p>In the year ending June 2023, there were 23,702 initial decisions made on asylum applications, 61% more than in the previous year. This is in part due to an increase in the number of asylum decision makers employed by the Home Office.</p><p>We are confident that with increased capacity and improved efficiency this will help deliver further significant output over the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 23/10/2023 15:10:48 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1642665

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Consumer Goods
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides basic toiletries as standard to refugees in her Department's care.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	188319
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2023 answer text <p>Basic toiletries are considered an essential need for asylum seekers in receipt of asylum support. These are either provided directly by our accommodation providers under the AASC contract, or individuals can purchase the items with their weekly subsistence rate, which is currently £45 for those in self-catered or dispersal accommodation. Part of this allowance is intended for toiletries.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 16/06/2023 11:12:06 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1606607

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Drugs: Misuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the Misuse of Drug Act 1971 on the criminal justice system.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	904357
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>No recent assessment has been made. Assessments are made on a case by case basis as individual drugs or drug harms are identified.</p><p>Drug Legislation forms part of our wider approach to preventing drug misuse alongside prevention and education, supporting treatment and recovery, and tackling the supply of illicit drugs.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 28/03/2023 15:49:14 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1602368

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Migrant Workers: Clothing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the global talent visa to include (a) designers, (b) fashion photographers, (c) stylists, (d) fashion journalists and (e) other professionals in the fashion industry.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	161319
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2023 answer text <p>The Global Talent visa route utilises the expertise of six endorsing bodies to set criteria for applicants looking to apply as a leading talent or someone with the potential to be a leading talent in their respective fields.</p><p>On behalf of Arts Council England, the endorsing body for arts and culture, the British Fashion Council consider applications from individuals looking to be endorsed within the field of fashion design. Any expansion of the criteria to cover a wider range of roles within the fashion industry would be requested via our endorsing bodies – as the experts in their field – to consider and escalate to the Home Office if appropriate.</p><p>We continue to work closely with the endorsing bodies to ensure that the route is working for their sectors and that the UK is attracting and retaining highly talented individuals in science, research, digital technology and arts and culture.</p><p>There are a range of other visa routes open to applicants, that cater for professions within the fashion design industry.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 13/03/2023 13:23:16 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1503533

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2022 to Question 37514 on Sexual Offences, whether (a) incentives and (b) penalties exist to encourage police departments to meet the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences target of reaching a charging decision within 30 days of beginning work on a sexual assault case.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	45225
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>Protecting women and girls from violence and supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence is a key priority for this Government, and we expect cases to be dealt with sensitively and effectively. In June 2021, we published the End-to-End Rape Review Report and Action Plan which outlined a robust programme of work that aims to achieve a significant improvement in the way the criminal justice system responds to rape and sexual offences against adults.</p><p>As set out in the Rape Review, our ambition is to more than double the volume of adult rape cases reaching court over the Parliament, and we are using the Criminal Justice System (CJS) Delivery Dashboards to monitor progress towards this ambition.</p><p>There are no set targets for the police on timeliness. The published crime outcomes data shows that for all sexual offences the median days for a charge outcome to be assigned in 21/22 was 261 days, down from 268 days in 20/21. For all rape, the median days for a charge outcome to be assigned in 21/22 was 467 days compared to 465 days in 20/21.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 06/09/2022 15:52:13 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1503794

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Passports: Surrogacy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to expedite British surrogacy babies' passports who are born overseas in the context of enabling them to be vaccinated and cared for by their family in a timely way.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	45514
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2022 answer text <p>His Majesty’s Passport Office provides significant support to the commissioning parents of surrogate babies. In all applications, especially where there are safety concerns, HM Passport Office works in conjunction with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to prioritise the processing of applications, and to issue Emergency Travel Documents for travel to a safe location once checks have been satisfactorily completed.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 20/09/2022 15:26:14 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1490189

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Temporary Accommodation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a scheme allowing refugees to temporarily stay with members of the public while awaiting permanent dispersal.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	38699
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/08/2022 answer text <p>For those claiming asylum in the UK, we support and house those would otherwise be destitute whilst they await a decision on their claim.</p><p> </p><p>We have no plans to house those who require our accommodation in this way with members of the public. Where someone is then subsequently granted refugee status, whilst in the United Kingdom, we would provide advice to them on onward accommodation and Local Authorities would provide housing advice and support.</p><p> </p><p>For those who are granted refugee status abroad and then resettled in the UK, our Community Sponsorship Scheme enables civil society - including friends, charities and faith groups - to directly support families through both our UK Resettlement Scheme and now the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. Those brought to the UK under Community Sponsorship must have accommodation arranged in advance.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 26/08/2022 15:31:14 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1490191

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Mental Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect the mental health of vulnerable asylum seekers.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	38700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2022 answer text <p>Asylum seekers have full access to the NHS upon arrival in the UK.</p><p>All Home Office staff and contractors engaging with asylum seekers are trained to adopt a risk-based approach towards potential indications of vulnerability and to refer relevant cases onto the Safeguarding Hub, a dedicated resource assigned to identifying and safeguarding vulnerable asylum seekers.</p><p>The Safeguarding Hub works closely with the statutory agencies to signpost vulnerable customers for support with their health and social care needs.</p><p>The Government is planning to provide an additional £2.3 billion a year for mental health services by 2023/24, the largest increase in mental health funding in NHS history.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 25/07/2022 14:37:01 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1489665

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Temporary Accommodation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department makes an assessment of the (a) location and (b) cost of temporary accommodation when determining the order in which asylum seekers in that accommodation are given interviews.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	37513
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office do not make an assessment of the location or cost of temporary accommodation when determining the order in which asylum seekers are given interviews; our usual tasking priorities are followed.</p><p>We are currently concentrating on deciding older claims, cases with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children. Additionally, we are prioritising cases where an individual has already received a decision, but a reconsideration is required.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum Operations have also introduced a digital interviewing capability as part of the wider Home Office digital transformation programme. This enables us to maximise our capacity to conduct interviews in locations across the UK and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 28/07/2022 10:22:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1489689

	registered interest
	date	15/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a framework is in place to ensure that the police meet the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences target of reaching a charging decision within 30 days of beginning work on a sexual assault case.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	37514
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2022 answer text <p>Protecting women and girls from violence and supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence is a key priority for this Government.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In June 2021, we published the End-to-End Rape Review Report and Action Plan. The action plan outlined a robust programme of work to achieve a significant improvement in the way the criminal justice system responds to rape and sexual offences against adults.</p><p> </p><p>Our stated ambition in the Rape Review is to more than double the volume of adult rape cases reaching court over the Parliament, and we are using the Criminal Justice System (CJS) Delivery Dashboards to monitor progress towards this ambition.</p><p> </p><p>On 16 June, we published our second six-monthly Rape Review Progress Update and third national CJS Delivery Dashboard. There are no set targets for the police on timeliness, but the Dashboard showed that in the year to December 2021 the median days from offence recording to the police charging an offender was 374, which was a reduction of 29 from 403 days in the years to June and September 2021.</p><p> </p><p>The Rape Review Progress Update also outlined progress that has been made on key actions to improve the police’s response to adult rape in the year since the Rape Review, including:</p><ul><li>The Home Office is providing £6.65m in 2021-3 to support the expansion into a further 14 police forces of Operation Soteria, which will develop a new national operating model for the investigation of rape for police forces to adopt by June 2023. The Crown Prosecution Service will also expand Operation Soteria into the corresponding areas to those 14 police force areas.</li><li>Running a public consultation on police requests for third-party material, which can sometimes be unnecessary and disproportionate; and</li></ul><p>Continuing to make progress towards the target of recruiting 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023. As of March 2022, the Home Office had supported the recruitment of 13,578 police officers, and in 2022/3 we have allocated £550m to achieve the target of 20,000 officers by March 2023.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 22/07/2022 16:20:10 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1472580

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Hotels
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2022 to Question 9037 on Refugees: Hotels and Rented Housing, with reference to refugees being accommodated in hotels, whether her Department has set a target for the (a) number of asylum seekers to be hosted in hotels at any one time and (b) date for completing any necessary reduction to meet that target.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	23322
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office does not have a target for the number of asylum seekers who should be housed in hotels.</p><p>Our aim is to eliminate the use of hotel accommodation as contingency accommodation and we are working with Local Authorities and our Commercial Partners to do so.</p><p>This includes moving to a system of full dispersal covering all local authority areas in England, Wales and Scotland, as opposed to the previous position where many, including 31 out of 32 local authority areas in Scotland, did not take part in the dispersal accommodation system.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 01/07/2022 10:17:59 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1469796

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to reduce the amount of time it takes to process asylum visa applications.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	16995
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>To help reduce the amount of time it takes to process asylum applications we are investing in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up and simplify our processes, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.</p><p> </p><p>These initiatives include conducting shorter, more focused interviews or omitting interviews where it is appropriate to do so, streamlining decision templates and focusing on improving quality to ensure decisions are right first time. We have introduced specialist Decision Making Units, providing greater ownership and management of cohorts of asylum cases. Additionally, we have extensive ongoing recruitment and training plans in place, including career progression options to aid the retention of staff.</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to develop existing and new technology to help build on recent improvements such as digital interviewing and move away from a paper-based system. We are streamlining and digitising the case working process to enable more effective workflow, appointment booking and decision-making.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 21/06/2022 16:33:57 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1469798

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her target date is for the completion of her full dispersal accommodation plan for asylum seekers.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	16996
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>On 13 April the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration announced the Home Office would move, with immediate effect, to a policy of full dispersal for the procurement asylum accommodation. We are working in partnership with local authorities to develop full dispersal plans down to a region/nation level. Whilst these plans are being developed procurement under this policy has commenced and any properties procured during the interim period will be accounted for in region/nations plans. This process is being informed by the informal consultation which was launched on 9 May and closes on 1 July.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 21/06/2022 16:43:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1465764

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Hotels and Rented Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the cost of housing refugees in (a) hotels and (b) rented accommodation; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of housing more refugees in rented accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	9037
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office has not made a comparative assessment of the cost of housing asylum seekers in either hotels or in rented accommodation on the basis that hotel accommodation is and always has been contingency accommodation where we are unable to procure sufficient Dispersed Accommodation to meet our statutory obligation. Whilst we are working to reduce our use of hotels, we must continue to ensure there is sufficient capacity in the system to meet our obligations.</p><p> </p><p>That is why we wrote to all Local Authorities on 13 April 2022 to set out plans for Full Dispersal. This will reduce and then eliminate the use of hotels for asylum seekers by moving to a full dispersal model for asylum accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>We will achieve this through three key interventions:</p><p> </p><p>1. To reduce and eliminate the use of hotels for asylum seekers by moving to a full dispersal model for asylum accommodation. This will mean expanding our existing approach of using private rental sector housing to all local authority areas across England, Scotland and Wales.</p><p> </p><p>2. We are committed to working with local authorities to move to a fairer distribution of asylum seekers and have launched an informal consultation with local government to inform how this model will work across England, Scotland and Wales and within regions and nations. The consultation will explore how asylum dispersal can better take account of the impact of other protection based immigration on local authorities, including resettlement and the care of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.</p><p>.</p><p>3. Providing specific funding to recognise the existing contribution of local authorities and for new dispersed accommodation. We will continue to work with local government to capture and evaluate data to understand the impact of asylum dispersal on local authorities going forward.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 10/06/2022 12:54:37 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1463057

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Russia
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Russian citizens who are in the process of applying for UK Visas.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	2526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2022 answer text <p>Part of the government’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been to issue more than 107,000 visas to Ukrainians seeking to come to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme. This has inevitably had an impact on visa applications from other nationalities coming through normal visa routes.</p><p>As a result of the current conflict in Ukraine, applications from Russian nationals to enter the United Kingdom are subject to additional checks. Russia is also subject to sanctions which may impact on the ability of individuals to pay for certain services and a visa will not be granted if the purpose of the travel to the UK would be in breach of them.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/06/2022 15:18:34 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 2781 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1463065

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Russia
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to expedite UK visas for Russian men who have been conscripted into the Russian military against their will and whom are morally opposed to war.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	2527
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2022 answer text <p>The government has no plans to expedite visas for Russian nationals subject to conscription in the military.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/06/2022 07:43:03 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 2780 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1461939

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	HM Passport Office: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment she has made of the efficiency of each HM Passport Office branch for processing passport applications and renewals; and what steps her Department is taking to improve efficiency in branches that are comparatively less efficient.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	821
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2022 answer text <p>Due to differences in some of the work undertaken at individual passport offices, such as more complex international work, productivity will vary at a local level. However, Her Majesty’s Passport Office has a range of tried and tested arrangements in place to monitor performance at local and national level, which helps to ensure that there is no disparity in the handling of like-for-like cases across each site.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 19/05/2022 16:33:44 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1402700

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Vaccination
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to add further exemptions to her Department's absence policy to include absence related to reactions and side effects caused by covid-19 booster vaccination.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	103570
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2022 answer text <p>There is an existing exemption in our attendance management policy covering the acute phase of Covid infection.</p><p>For absences relating to reactions to, or side effects from, Covid vaccination (which are likely to be of short duration), managers are encouraged to take a sympathetic approach under the normal provisions of our attendance management policy. We have no plans to introduce an exemption covering reactions to Covid vaccinations.</p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean question first answered 21/01/2022 12:33:02 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1381066

	registered interest
	date	22/11/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the equity of her Department's decisions to grant indefinite leave to remain to Afghans and spouses of British citizens.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	79404
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2021 answer text <p>All decisions to grant indefinite leave to those evacuated from Afghanistan, including the spouses of British citizens, are taken on an individual basis and with consideration to the specific circumstances of the case.</p><p>These cohorts are treated more generously than other family members of British citizens because of the unique circumstances of the evacuation, alongside the need to quickly move people to safety without being able to assess their ability to meet the normal Immigration Rules.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 30/11/2021 11:22:24 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally

1359836

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Migrant Workers: Clothing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to add the garment industry to the Shortage Occupation List.
	tabling member constituency	Falkirk
	tabling member printed	John McNally
	uin	57099
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2021 answer text <p>The Skilled Worker route already contains several eligible occupations from this sector, such as weavers, upholsterers, tailors and dressmakers subject to salary and language requirements being met. An occupation at RQF3 or above does not need to be on the Shortage Occupation List to qualify for recruitment under the Skilled Worker Route.</p><p>In their last call for evidence the independent Migration Advisory Committee received evidence from several stakeholders from the garment industry, but they concluded this evidence did not warrant occupations from this sector being added onto the SOL. We will also not be creating more general routes allowing recruitment at or near the minimum wage into this sector via immigration as an alternative to investing in UK based staff and offering them rewarding packages of terms and conditions.</p><p>More generally those business facing recruitment issues should, in the first instance, engage with the Department for Work and Pensions about the support they can offer in seeking recruits and supporting training.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 22/10/2021 16:37:36 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 26365 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4424 label Biography information for John McNally