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1484211

registered interest
date	28/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the average time taken by her Department to process applications under the family visa route; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	26812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2022 answer text <p>Average processing times do not form part of any current transparency data for family applications.</p><p>The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fcollections%2Fmigration-transparency-data%23uk-visas-and-immigration&amp;data=05%7C01%7CSheffieldFamily.PQandFOI%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C68baeb4cb470480dc90608da47a2e699%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637901062213241689%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=pD9T%2Bmx2%2FMyxOHRWsrOirYLvh1pmqYgqjTuQnf%2FAjH0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>The Home Office has been currently prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are communicating directly with customers to explain that applications for study, work and family visas have been taking longer to process at this time.</p><p> </p><p>Current average processing times:</p><p>Standard visitor visas - 6 weeks</p><p>Student visas - 3 weeks</p><p>Work visas - 6 weeks.</p><p>The service standard for overseas Marriage and Family applications has been extended from 60 days to 120 days.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 26813 question first answered 06/07/2022 13:32:53 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1484212

registered interest
date	28/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	UK Visas and Immigration: Standards
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 her Department has made of the standard of service that customers are receiving from UK Visas and Immigration; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	26813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2022 answer text <p>Average processing times do not form part of any current transparency data for family applications.</p><p>The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fcollections%2Fmigration-transparency-data%23uk-visas-and-immigration&amp;data=05%7C01%7CSheffieldFamily.PQandFOI%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C68baeb4cb470480dc90608da47a2e699%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637901062213241689%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=pD9T%2Bmx2%2FMyxOHRWsrOirYLvh1pmqYgqjTuQnf%2FAjH0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>The Home Office has been currently prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are communicating directly with customers to explain that applications for study, work and family visas have been taking longer to process at this time.</p><p> </p><p>Current average processing times:</p><p>Standard visitor visas - 6 weeks</p><p>Student visas - 3 weeks</p><p>Work visas - 6 weeks.</p><p>The service standard for overseas Marriage and Family applications has been extended from 60 days to 120 days.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 26812 question first answered 06/07/2022 13:32:53 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1334100

registered interest
date	14/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: LGBT+ People
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 LGBTQ+ individuals seeking asylum in the UK from homophobic, biphobic or transphobic persecution are (a) treated fairly and with dignity and (b) protected from persecution and harassment during their application.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	15324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2021 answer text <p>All LGBTQ+ individuals seeking asylum in the UK are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken, including where it may be sensitive or difficult to disclose.</p><p>Each case is considered on its individual merits by caseworkers who receive extensive training. All available evidence is carefully and sensitively considered in light of published country information ensuring all individuals are treated fairly and with dignity.</p><p>The Home Office work closely with a range of organisations specialising in asylum and human rights protection to trans and LGB communities. <br> <br> We ensure LGBTQ+ asylum seekers are signposted to relevant NGOs specialising in the support of these individuals. This is done through an information leaflet given to all asylum claimants at the point of claim which includes sections on legal advice, additional help and assistance with links to relevant legal bodies and support organisations. <br> <br> LGBTQ+ claimants can access specialist support upon claiming asylum from Rainbow Migration (formerly known as the UK Lesbian &amp; Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG)) who will guide them through the asylum procedure, including providing relevant information. They also offer one-to-one and group peer support to claimants.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 22/06/2021 12:25:36 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1329679

registered interest
date	04/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
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 her Department has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the operation of ASPEN cards; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	10514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2021 answer text <p>The PrePaid Financial Services (PFS) solution is a well-established Mastercard pre-paid card used by organisations across the UK as well as abroad and has undergone over 5 months of rigorous testing to integrate with Home Office systems.</p><p>Service users were notified of the transition in advance and a significant majority of service users have received their Aspen card and successfully activated them.</p><p>The service is functioning as expected. The cards are working, withdrawals and purchases are being made and the automated IVR activation line is operating well.</p><p>Transitions of this nature are complex, and plans to mitigate anticipated issues were, and remain, in place. Cash payments were made available in emergencies. We will continue to work with the remainder of service users to activate their cards and ensure they are supported throughout.</p><p>Our main focus is to ensure all remaining service users have an activated card so the new service can be accessed and support payments received. As part of our management of service contracts continuous improvement assessments will be factored in throughout the contract term and implemented accordingly.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 14/06/2021 15:51:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1317037

registered interest
date	21/05/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Royal Mail: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with representatives from Royal Mail on the Royal Mail delivery fee text message scam.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5216
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2021 answer text <p>Fraudsters are sophisticated and will exploit any vulnerabilities they can, especially as more of us find ourselves at home and online.</p><p>To protect the public, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK’s national technical authority on cyber security, established the Suspicious Email Reporting Service. This service allows the public to report suspicious emails and potential phishing scams more effectively and easily to law enforcement. It has proved an instant success with the public, with over 5.8 million reports received and over 43,000 scams and 84,000 websites taken down since its inception in April 2020. To use the service, suspicious emails should be forwarded to: <a href="mailto:report@phishing.gov.uk" target="_blank">report@phishing.gov.uk</a>.</p><p>As well as this, we continue to encourage the public to forward suspicious text messages to 7726 (which is free of charge) and anyone who has been a targeted by a scam to report it. Action Fraud is the national reporting service for all victims of fraud and cybercrime and can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040 or through their website: <a href="http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud" target="_blank">http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud</a>. All of this information is being used by the City of London Police, the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency alongside crime reports to identify, disrupt and stop fraudsters.</p><p>The Government is also aware of the ongoing scams relating to Royal Mail and the Post Office. We are working closely alongside the City of London Police (the national lead force for fraud) and wider law enforcement to track and mitigate the risk to the public. Royal Mail has issued guidance on how to spot fake emails and communications and what to do if you have received one. More information can be found on the Royal Mail’s website: <a href="https://www.royalmail.com/help/scam-examples" target="_blank">https://www.royalmail.com/help/scam-examples</a>.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 5217 question first answered 02/06/2021 11:28:27 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1317038

registered interest
date	21/05/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Fraud: Internet
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Cyber Security Centre Suspicious Email Reporting Service in tackling online scams and frauds.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5217
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2021 answer text <p>Fraudsters are sophisticated and will exploit any vulnerabilities they can, especially as more of us find ourselves at home and online.</p><p>To protect the public, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK’s national technical authority on cyber security, established the Suspicious Email Reporting Service. This service allows the public to report suspicious emails and potential phishing scams more effectively and easily to law enforcement. It has proved an instant success with the public, with over 5.8 million reports received and over 43,000 scams and 84,000 websites taken down since its inception in April 2020. To use the service, suspicious emails should be forwarded to: <a href="mailto:report@phishing.gov.uk" target="_blank">report@phishing.gov.uk</a>.</p><p>As well as this, we continue to encourage the public to forward suspicious text messages to 7726 (which is free of charge) and anyone who has been a targeted by a scam to report it. Action Fraud is the national reporting service for all victims of fraud and cybercrime and can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040 or through their website: <a href="http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud" target="_blank">http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud</a>. All of this information is being used by the City of London Police, the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency alongside crime reports to identify, disrupt and stop fraudsters.</p><p>The Government is also aware of the ongoing scams relating to Royal Mail and the Post Office. We are working closely alongside the City of London Police (the national lead force for fraud) and wider law enforcement to track and mitigate the risk to the public. Royal Mail has issued guidance on how to spot fake emails and communications and what to do if you have received one. More information can be found on the Royal Mail’s website: <a href="https://www.royalmail.com/help/scam-examples" target="_blank">https://www.royalmail.com/help/scam-examples</a>.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 5216 question first answered 02/06/2021 11:28:27 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1317052

registered interest
date	21/05/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Internet: Fraud
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 raise awareness of online scams.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	5218
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2021 answer text <p>The Government recognises the serious risks presented by online scams and fraud and is working collaboratively with law enforcement and the private sector to reaffirm messages to the public setting out how they can protect themselves from fraud and stay safe online.</p><p>We know one of the best ways to deal with these scams is for the public to be well-informed on how to protect themselves. This is why we published guidance for the public to spot potential frauds and the steps they can take to avoid them. This advice can be accessed at:</p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime</a>.</p><p>As well as this, Action Fraud, the national reporting service for all victims of fraud and cybercrime, also regularly provide fraud alerts via their website, which can help individuals raise their awareness of these sorts of scams, and advise on how to combat them:</p><p><a href="http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news" target="_blank">www.actionfraud.police.uk/news</a>.</p><p>We continue to encourage anybody who suspects an email, text or other form of communication to be suspicious to report it to <a href="mailto:report@phishing.gov.uk" target="_blank">report@phishing.gov.uk</a> or forward a text to 7726, free of charge.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 02/06/2021 11:34:06 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1282530

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrants: Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations her Department has received on the use of specialist digital technology to facilitate safe and secure online right to work checks; and whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing that technology.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	146945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office’s online right to work checking service has been in operation for over two years. It enables employers to undertake free digital checks on prospective employees with a biometric residence card, status under the EU Settlement Scheme or the new Points-Based System. The online service is more secure than physical document checks and relies on real-time information from the Home Office about an individual’s status.</p><p>Since its inception, the service has been used by employers over 150,000 times and feedback from employers and user groups has been positive.</p><p>The online right to work checking service is part of our wider ambition to develop a border and immigration system which is “digital by default” for all migrants, including evidence of immigration status. Over time this means we will increasingly replace physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. As part of this, we continue to work closely with employers and employers’ groups, including on the merits of specialist technology, such as Identity Document Validation Technology, in conducting checks.</p><p>In March 2020, we introduced an adjusted right to work checking process to support businesses through the pandemic. We are currently conducting a review of the process to ensure the current and future checking regimes meet the requirements of employers through the unique circumstances presented by the pandemic, whilst maintaining the security and integrity of our system in the long-term.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 146946 146947 question first answered 08/02/2021 17:02:34 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1282531

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrants: Employment
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 (a) the potential benefits of the temporary removal of physical right to work checks for (i) employers and (ii) employees and (b) whether a permanent transition to an online system could (i) support post covid-19 economic recovery and (ii) encourage participation in the labour market.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	146946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office’s online right to work checking service has been in operation for over two years. It enables employers to undertake free digital checks on prospective employees with a biometric residence card, status under the EU Settlement Scheme or the new Points-Based System. The online service is more secure than physical document checks and relies on real-time information from the Home Office about an individual’s status.</p><p>Since its inception, the service has been used by employers over 150,000 times and feedback from employers and user groups has been positive.</p><p>The online right to work checking service is part of our wider ambition to develop a border and immigration system which is “digital by default” for all migrants, including evidence of immigration status. Over time this means we will increasingly replace physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. As part of this, we continue to work closely with employers and employers’ groups, including on the merits of specialist technology, such as Identity Document Validation Technology, in conducting checks.</p><p>In March 2020, we introduced an adjusted right to work checking process to support businesses through the pandemic. We are currently conducting a review of the process to ensure the current and future checking regimes meet the requirements of employers through the unique circumstances presented by the pandemic, whilst maintaining the security and integrity of our system in the long-term.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 146945 146947 question first answered 08/02/2021 17:02:34 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1282561

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrants: Employment
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 her Department’s decision to move to a system of online right to work checks during the covid-19 outbreak, what plans her Department has to make an assessment of the potential effect of that move on (a) employers and (b) people seeking work.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	146947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office’s online right to work checking service has been in operation for over two years. It enables employers to undertake free digital checks on prospective employees with a biometric residence card, status under the EU Settlement Scheme or the new Points-Based System. The online service is more secure than physical document checks and relies on real-time information from the Home Office about an individual’s status.</p><p>Since its inception, the service has been used by employers over 150,000 times and feedback from employers and user groups has been positive.</p><p>The online right to work checking service is part of our wider ambition to develop a border and immigration system which is “digital by default” for all migrants, including evidence of immigration status. Over time this means we will increasingly replace physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. As part of this, we continue to work closely with employers and employers’ groups, including on the merits of specialist technology, such as Identity Document Validation Technology, in conducting checks.</p><p>In March 2020, we introduced an adjusted right to work checking process to support businesses through the pandemic. We are currently conducting a review of the process to ensure the current and future checking regimes meet the requirements of employers through the unique circumstances presented by the pandemic, whilst maintaining the security and integrity of our system in the long-term.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 146945 146946 question first answered 08/02/2021 17:02:34 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day