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1204725

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2020
	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	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 during the covid-19 outbreak to improve the (a) provision and (b) accessibility of Government guidance and information on asylum to people seeking asylum.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	uin	60876
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>In March, we set up a dedicated engagement channel with key stakeholders to cover the impact of Covid-19 on asylum and resettlement, and to ensure that the necessary guidance and information was reaching asylum seekers across the UK. The British Red Cross were nominated by the sector as the single point of contact; officials speak to them on a regular basis and calls are often accompanied by written updates, which the British Red Cross share with the wider sector, and onto asylum seekers. We have also set up a similar engagement channel with the Strategic Migration Partnership, which also includes a weekly call and regular written updates.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Our liaison with British Red Cross as a single point of contact has successfully ensured that asylum seekers have the information they require in recent months. We are now in the process of drafting additional guidance, which will be published on GOV.UK, on asylum interviewing and decision-making during the period in which our operations are still affected by the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK. This will provide greater provision of information to asylum seekers.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/06/2020 15:51:24 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1204726

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2020
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been waiting more than six months for an asylum decision; and if she will grant those people the right to work and access education.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	uin	60877
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release). Data on the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision or further review are published in table Asy_D03 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets). Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2019. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the ‘summary tables’ (attached). The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum and resettlement.</p><p>Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ (https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&amp;organisations%5B%5D=home-office&amp;order=release-date-oldest).</p><p>Asylum seekers can work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months, through no fault of their own. Those allowed to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, which is published by the Home Office and based on expert advice from the Migration Advisory Committee.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum seeker right to work is a complex issue. A review of the policy is ongoing, and we are considering the evidence put forward on the issue.</p><p> </p><p>There is nothing in the Immigration Rules to prevent asylum seekers studying. However, asylum-seekers who wish to access higher education courses can expect to be charged the full cost of their course by the university concerned.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/06/2020 15:54:38 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp attachment 1 file name Copy of asylum-summary-sep-2019-tables.xlsx title Asylum summary tables
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1204727

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2020
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been waiting more than 12 months for an asylum decision; and if she will grant those people Discretionary Leave to Remain.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	uin	60878
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office does not publish data on the number of people waiting for more than 12 months for an asylum decision.</p><p> </p><p>The latest Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release, on data to the year ending March 2020, can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release</p><p> </p><p>Table Asy D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’ contains information on the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision or further review and are published in. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>All asylum claims are carefully considered on their individual merits on the evidence available to the decision maker. We are committed to ensuring that asylum claims are considered without unnecessary delay, so that those who need protection are granted as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Discretionary Leave (DL) is granted outside the Immigration Rules in accordance with published Home Office policy. DL covers those few individuals who do not qualify for any leave under the Rules, but where there are exceptional or compassionate reasons for allowing them to remain in the UK; as such, it is intended to be used sparingly and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Delays in decision making occur for a number of reasons, some of which are outside of the Home Office’s control, and it would generally not be appropriate to grant DL under these circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/06/2020 15:55:54 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1204728

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2020
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what feedback mechanism her Department has put in place for asylum seekers to communicate how well the Department has met their needs throughout their application process; and what recent assessment her Department has made of the quality of the support it provides to asylum seekers.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	uin	60879
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>UKVI uses feedback from complaints, reports and audits, surveys and customer focus groups to make sure that we are continually improving the service we provide to those who seek asylum in the UK.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>UKVI work closely with our key partners and stakeholders to seek and share this feedback to identify ways in which we can improve the quality of experience of people seeking asylum in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We have recently set up a Customer Experience Management Team, based across the UK, who will work closely on a local level with stakeholders, to identify key areas to improve the overall experience for people seeking asylum in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free accommodation and a weekly cash allowance to cover their other essential living needs. With effect from 15 June, the allowance was raised from £37.75 to £39.60, an increase of around 5%. The increase is significantly higher than general inflation, which Office of National Statistics data shows was only 0.8% in the 12 months period to April 2020. Food inflation over the same period was only 1.4%. Asylum seekers also receive free NHS healthcare and free education for their children.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/06/2020 15:56:54 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1203324

	registered interest
	date	12/06/2020
	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	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 potential merits of enabling people to apply for asylum at Regional Intake Units.
	tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
	tabling member printed	Tim Farron
	uin	59205
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>We take the wellbeing of asylum seekers extremely seriously.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our response to COVID-19, we have introduced regional intake units to allow asylum claims to be registered in a safe way that adheres to social distancing guidance and minimises travel.</p><p> </p><p>The introduction of the regional intake units in Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Leeds, Solihull and Cardiff, is a temporary measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these changes do not represent a new operating model. These are contingency measures put in place to allow asylum claims to be registered in a safe manner and ensure those that are at immediate risk of destitution can access support.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/06/2020 16:01:37 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1203325

	registered interest
	date	12/06/2020
	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, if she will make it her policy to end enforced room sharing between non-related persons in asylum support accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
	tabling member printed	Tim Farron
	uin	59206
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>Room sharing take place in a number of sectors and is not limited to supported asylum seekers.</p><p> </p><p>There asylum accommodation contracts set out clearly when room sharing can take place and the numbers of people sharing rooms is minimal.</p><p> </p><p>There are currently no plans to end room sharing for unrelated asylum seeking adults.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/06/2020 16:02:35 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1204428

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Airguns: Reviews
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish its response to the review of the regulation of air weapons in England and Wales, published in October 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Stevenage
	tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
	uin	59761
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government fully understands the interest that Members of Parliament and others have in the outcomes of the review of air weapons regulation, and the concerns that have been expressed about the consequences, sometimes tragic, arising from the misuse of these weapons.</p><p> </p><p>We intend to publish our conclusions in due course, alongside a consultation on firearms safety issues, to which we committed during the passage of the Offensive Weapons Bill.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 22/06/2020 16:25:22 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
	tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1204274

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: Hong Kong
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the extension from six months to 12 months of the rights of BN(O) passport holders to work in the UK in the event that China imposes its national security law on Hong Kong will be conditional on having a sponsor and a job offer that meets a minimum-salary threshold.
	tabling member constituency	Aberavon
	tabling member printed	Stephen Kinnock
	uin	59784
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK will continue to defend the rights &amp; freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. Should China push ahead and impose national security legislation on Hong Kong then we will provide a generous offer to BN(O)s of a bespoke immigration route providing unrestricted access to work and study with a pathway to apply for citizenship.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office and domestic departments on the offer to British Nationals (Overseas) and will set out more detail in due course.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 59785 59786 59787 question first answered 22/06/2020 16:08:01 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4359 label Biography information for Stephen Kinnock

1204281

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: British National (Overseas)
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under the terms of the Government's offer to extend the rights of BN(O) passport holders to work in the UK from six months to 12 months should China's national security law be imposed on Hong Kong, for how long will BN(O) passport holders need to be resident in the UK before they can apply for citizenship.
	tabling member constituency	Aberavon
	tabling member printed	Stephen Kinnock
	uin	59785
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK will continue to defend the rights &amp; freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. Should China push ahead and impose national security legislation on Hong Kong then we will provide a generous offer to BN(O)s of a bespoke immigration route providing unrestricted access to work and study with a pathway to apply for citizenship.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office and domestic departments on the offer to British Nationals (Overseas) and will set out more detail in due course.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 59784 59786 59787 question first answered 22/06/2020 16:08:01 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4359 label Biography information for Stephen Kinnock

1204283

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: British National (Overseas)
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the extension from six months to 12 months of the rights of BN(O) passport holders to work in the UK in the event that China imposes its national security law on Hong Kong, if she will confirm whether people wishing to apply for British citizenship will not be deported back to Hong Kong when their 12 months comes to an end.
	tabling member constituency	Aberavon
	tabling member printed	Stephen Kinnock
	uin	59786
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK will continue to defend the rights &amp; freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. Should China push ahead and impose national security legislation on Hong Kong then we will provide a generous offer to BN(O)s of a bespoke immigration route providing unrestricted access to work and study with a pathway to apply for citizenship.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office and domestic departments on the offer to British Nationals (Overseas) and will set out more detail in due course.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 59784 59785 59787 question first answered 22/06/2020 16:08:01 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4359 label Biography information for Stephen Kinnock