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579531

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2016
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what psychological support the Government is providing to lone children in Europe.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	45795
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2016 answer text <p>The responsibility for unaccompanied children in Europe lies with the Member State in which they are present. The UK can only contribute in ways agreed with the authorities in the relevant Member State and in compliance with EU law.</p><p>The UK has established a £10 million Refugee Children Fund for Europe to support the needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children arriving in Europe. The fund includes targeted support to meet the specific needs of un-accompanied and separated children. Support will include identifying children in need, providing safe places for at risk children and services such as coun-selling and legal advice.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 15/09/2016 16:15:02 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

747757

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures are in place to ensure human rights legislation is complied with in respect of detainees in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	2563
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2017 answer text <p>The Human Rights Act 1998 requires that primary and subordinate legislation must be given effect in a way that is compatible with the Convention rights defined in Act.</p><p> </p><p>Detainees in the immigration detention estate, including those in Dungavel immigration removal centre (IRC), must be treated in accordance with the Detention Centre Rules 2001, the operating standards for IRCs and Detention Services Orders.</p><p> </p><p>Service providers for IRCs are contractually required to comply with all relevant UK legislation.</p><p> </p><p>IRCs are subject to statutory oversight by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons and by Independent Monitoring Boards who are both members of the National Preventative Mechanism comprising a group of independent bodies which monitor the treatment of and conditions for detainees.</p><p> </p><p>This contributes to the UK’s response to its international obligations under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 10/07/2017 13:02:32 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1244462

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many completed inspections of garment factories in Leicester have been carried out by (a) the Health and Safety Executive, (b) the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, (c) HMRC and (d) Leicestershire police since 1 July 2020.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	105399
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers for commercial gain. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take the issue very seriously.</p><p>As a result of the widespread allegations of labour exploitation in the garment sector in Leicester, a multi-agency taskforce (Op TACIT), led by the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to work together to secure robust intelligence to carry out appropriate enforcement activity. The Taskforce is physically based in Leicester and draws in all the relevant enforcement organisations and agencies including, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs- National Minimum Wage; Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate; Leicestershire Police; National Crime Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Leicester City Council; Department for Work and Pensions; Public Health England; Leicester Fire and Rescue Service and Immigration Enforcement.</p><p>While we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations, we can confirm that since 1 July, 116 factory inspections have been undertaken by the taskforce including the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, HMRC and Leicestershire police.</p><p>The Taskforce activity is regularly reviewed and overseen by Ministers to ensure the most appropriate and effective law enforcement response is adopted to respond to emerging threats. The lessons learnt from this taskforce will be taken into consideration as the Government develop the single enforcement body for employment rights.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 105397 105400 105401 question first answered 27/10/2020 13:07:38 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1244015

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Factories: Conditions of Employment
	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 introduce a fit to trade licensing scheme to tackle labour exploitation in garment factories.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	104117
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling labour exploitation and protecting workers’ rights. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take this issue very seriously. In light of the very concerning recent allegations of illegal and unsafe working conditions for garment workers in Leicester, a multi-agency Taskforce, led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been established to enable the relevant enforcement bodies to work together at pace, to take appropriate action against unscrupulous employers and individuals who exploit workers.</p><p>We are also working in partnership with the industry through the Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol, a partnership between enforcement bodies and industry partners - including, the British Retail Consortium, UK Fashion and the Textile Association – aimed at tackling all forms of labour exploitation in the garment industry. Given the serious nature of the allegations in Leicester and the spectrum of labour market non-compliance issues that have been raised, it is imperative that we have a strong evidence base to inform the options we are considering to protect vulnerable workers and drive up standards. The Government will continue to work closely with the taskforce to consider the most appropriate measures to tackle labour exploitation in this sector.</p><p>The Government is committed to improving enforcement of employment rights. We have announced the intention to introduce a Single Enforcement Body, which will provide a clearer route for workers to raise a complaint and get support, enabling more coordinated enforcement action and the use of pooled intelligence to better target proactive enforcement. The public consultation on the establishment of the new Single Enforcement Body included questions on extending licensing to other high-risk sectors. We will publish a response to this consultation in due course.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 104116 question first answered 22/10/2020 14:49:20 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1244460

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Agriculture and Food: Exploitation
	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 effectiveness of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority licensing requirement in the food and farming sector to protect workers from exploitation.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	105398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2020 answer text <p>The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) operates a licensing scheme for labour providers operating in the agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and associated processing and packaging sectors. The licensing scheme ensures that businesses in these sectors are compliant with UK legislation, and that workers’ rights are not breached. The GLAA’s licensing standards sets out the legislation and working conditions that these businesses must be adhere to.</p><p>Under the Gangmasters (Licensing Authority) Regulations 2005 the GLAA is required to produce an Annual Report and Accounts which is laid before Parliament each year by the Secretary of State for the Home Office. This report, which sets out its activities and financial information for the previous financial year, includes a performance report and analysis of the GLAA’s functions, including its licensing scheme.</p><p>The GLAA’s most recent Annual Report and Accounts is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gangmasters-and-labour-abuse-authority-annual-report-and-accounts-for-2018-to-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gangmasters-and-labour-abuse-authority-annual-report-and-accounts-for-2018-to-2019</a></p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 27/10/2020 13:09:37 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

810494

	registered interest
	date	21/12/2017
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Hate Crime
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) reported and (b) unreported hate crimes against (i) disabled people and (ii) homeless people in each of the last five years for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	120840
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2018 answer text <p>The Home Office collects information on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, by monitored strand, including disability. Information for the last five years can be found in the Home Office Open Data Tables for hate crime, available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables</a></p><p>The number of hate crimes recorded by the police has increased over the last five years. The increase over this time period is largely due to general improvements in crime recording by the police, better identification by the police of what constitutes hate crime and more victims coming forward to report these crimes to the police.</p><p>The Home Office does not hold information on whether the victim of a crime was homeless or not. The Crime Survey for England and Wales for the combined years 2012/13 to 2014/15 estimates that 48% of overall hate crime was reported to the police.</p><p>This Government is committed to tackling hate crime. The UK has a strong legislative framework to tackle hate crime. We are working across Government with police, (including National Community Tensions Team), the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these crimes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 12/01/2018 13:18:04 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1193799

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Exploitation: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to safeguard (a) vulnerable people and (b) autistic and other neurodivergent groups of vulnerable people from abuse and exploitation (i) during and (ii) following the covid-19 lockdown.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	43960
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/05/2020 answer text <p>We recognise that there are greater risks to vulnerable groups during the lockdown period. That is why the Government has taken clear steps to address these risks and ensure that we continue to support some of the most vulnerable people in our society.</p><p>In particular the Home Office response to vulnerable children in the COVID-19 epidemic has focused on:</p><p>o Stepping up communications through schools, online guidance, the private sector and charities.</p><p>o Addressing the hidden nature of abuse by identifying and mobilising protective “eyes and ears” within the community.</p><p>o Reinforcing the importance of multi-agency working.</p><p>o Working across government to support the charity sector.</p><p>The Home Office is working closely with other government departments and the third sector to allocate some of the £750m funding for charities, announced by the Chancellor last month, to charities supporting vulnerable people, including:</p><p>o £2 million for community-based services for victims of domestic abuse</p><p>o £28 million to help survivors of domestic abuse and their children by providing more safe spaces, accommodation and access to support services during the coronavirus outbreak</p><p>o £7.8 million for organisations supporting vulnerable children at risk of abuse, exploitation and other serious harms; and</p><p>o £1.73 million to support adult victims of modern slavery through The Salvation Army and their thirteen sub-contractor charities.</p><p>In addition, last month the Department of Education announced that more than £12 million will be spent on projects to tackle the increased risk some children and young people are facing as they stay at home to reduce the spread of Coronavirus.</p><p>We are continuing to work closely with other government departments to ensure that the necessary support is in place to continue to support vulnerable people beyond lockdown. As an example, the Government are continuing the progression of the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill through Parliament to better protect victims and bring perpetrators to justice.</p><p>We recognise the challenges that autistic people and people with neurodiverse conditions and their families face as a result of the response to COVID-19.</p><p>We are working with stakeholders and charities to ensure that all people with neurodiverse conditions are supported appropriately during the pandemic and after. Our support includes, for example, the development of specific guidance and access to online support and social groups. Guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a></p><p>The Guidance includes information about supporting the physical and mental health, and wellbeing of people with learning difficulties and/or autism.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 18/05/2020 11:52:32 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1244456

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
	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 extent of labour exploitation in garment factories in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	105397
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers for commercial gain. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take the issue very seriously.</p><p>As a result of the widespread allegations of labour exploitation in the garment sector in Leicester, a multi-agency taskforce (Op TACIT), led by the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to work together to secure robust intelligence to carry out appropriate enforcement activity. The Taskforce is physically based in Leicester and draws in all the relevant enforcement organisations and agencies including, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs- National Minimum Wage; Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate; Leicestershire Police; National Crime Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Leicester City Council; Department for Work and Pensions; Public Health England; Leicester Fire and Rescue Service and Immigration Enforcement.</p><p>While we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations, we can confirm that since 1 July, 116 factory inspections have been undertaken by the taskforce including the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, HMRC and Leicestershire police.</p><p>The Taskforce activity is regularly reviewed and overseen by Ministers to ensure the most appropriate and effective law enforcement response is adopted to respond to emerging threats. The lessons learnt from this taskforce will be taken into consideration as the Government develop the single enforcement body for employment rights.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 105399 105400 105401 question first answered 27/10/2020 13:07:38 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1244014

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Factories: Conditions of Employment
	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 level of labour exploitation in garment factories in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	104116
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling labour exploitation and protecting workers’ rights. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take this issue very seriously. In light of the very concerning recent allegations of illegal and unsafe working conditions for garment workers in Leicester, a multi-agency Taskforce, led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been established to enable the relevant enforcement bodies to work together at pace, to take appropriate action against unscrupulous employers and individuals who exploit workers.</p><p>We are also working in partnership with the industry through the Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol, a partnership between enforcement bodies and industry partners - including, the British Retail Consortium, UK Fashion and the Textile Association – aimed at tackling all forms of labour exploitation in the garment industry. Given the serious nature of the allegations in Leicester and the spectrum of labour market non-compliance issues that have been raised, it is imperative that we have a strong evidence base to inform the options we are considering to protect vulnerable workers and drive up standards. The Government will continue to work closely with the taskforce to consider the most appropriate measures to tackle labour exploitation in this sector.</p><p>The Government is committed to improving enforcement of employment rights. We have announced the intention to introduce a Single Enforcement Body, which will provide a clearer route for workers to raise a complaint and get support, enabling more coordinated enforcement action and the use of pooled intelligence to better target proactive enforcement. The public consultation on the establishment of the new Single Enforcement Body included questions on extending licensing to other high-risk sectors. We will publish a response to this consultation in due course.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 104117 question first answered 22/10/2020 14:49:20 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1309080

	registered interest
	date	14/04/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Females
	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 support women and girls against domestic abuse during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	181024
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>There is no place for domestic abuse in our society. Home should be a safe place, but for many people sadly this is not the case. That is why this government is committed to ensuring that those who are experiencing harm or living in fear of abuse at home are able to seek support and refuge.</p><p>We know that victims of domestic abuse may feel particularly vulnerable at this time, which is why last year the Government launched our #YouAreNotAlone awareness raising campaign to signpost support available. The campaign has reached over 30 million UK adults and has been seen by over 130 million followers on social media.</p><p>In January, we also launched the ‘Ask for ANI’ Codeword scheme to enable domestic abuse victims to seek victim focussed support, including engagement with specialist victim support services and the police as necessary. Over 5,000 pharmacies across the nation are now participating in the scheme, and the scheme has been used by over 60 victims and survivors.</p><p>We have provided unprecedented new funding to victim support services to ensure that they have the capacity to provide support to victims and adapt their operational capacity in light of the impacts of the Pandemic. To that end we have awarded £27 million in additional funds to support domestic abuse services last financial year alone, comprising £25 million from the government’s £76 million in emergency funding for the most vulnerable in society, and an extra £2 million from the Home Office in April 2021 to bolster the capacity of domestic abuse organisations affected by the pandemic.</p><p>In November 2020 we announced a further £11 million towards a range of services offering practical and emotional help – allowing domestic abuse and specialist rape organisations to recruit more staff, adapt to remote counselling methods during the pandemic and keep helplines open for longer. This funding extends all the way into March of this year, covering the most recent period of national lockdown restrictions.</p><p>This financial year the Ministry of Justice has also announced in February that victims of rape and domestic abuse will be helped by a major £40m funding boost for specialist support services.</p><p>We continue to work closely with the police, victim support services and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to better understand the scale of harm and how best to support victims throughout the Pandemic, and our transition out of social distancing measures.</p><p>Our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill - due to achieve Royal Assent this Spring - will further strengthen our response to perpetrators and improve our protection to victims, as will the publication of our domestic abuse strategy and linked violence against women and girls strategy later this year.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 22/04/2021 15:23:48 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron