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1125361

registered interest
date	09/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Sponsorship
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of companies in the (a) digital, (b) arts and (c) sports sectors registered to sponsor immigration visas of any tier with a view to ensuring preparedness in the sector for the new immigration system after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	252053
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “The UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper, which is due to come into force from January 2021.</p><p>We are determined to ensure that the future immigration system is efficient and able to respond to users’ needs, and as proposed in the White Paper, we will reform existing sponsorship arrangements – streamlining, simplifying and minimising bureaucracy.</p><p>The Government values the positive contribution made to the UK by the digital, arts and sporting sectors and we want this to continue. We will ensure that the new system continues to support the UK’s thriving cultural and sporting life and will also explore options to support start-up companies in our new, expanding digital technology sector.</p><p>The White Paper is the start of a conversation and we hav launched a year-long engagement programme to take the views of a range of stakeholders across the UK, including the digital, arts and sporting sectors.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 15:46:29 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1125267

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
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 it his policy to ensure that Windrush compensation scheme payments will not be taken into account in eligibility assessments for means-tested benefits.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	252023
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government Response to the Windrush Consultation states at paragraph 4.50 on page 39 that we will exempt Windrush compensation payments from the calculation for income related benefits. The Home Office has been working with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to action this.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 10:48:10 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

1125286

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
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 estimate he has made of the average time taken by his Department to make a decision on an asylum application in each of the last ten years.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	251908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office does not publish data on the average time taken to make a decision on an asylum application in each of the last ten years, nor is that information available in a retrievable format. <br>However, the Home Office do publish data on the number of pending applications that have been awaiting an initial decision for more or less than 6 months. This data can be found at Volume 1, as_01 of the Immigration Statistics December 2018:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2018/list-of-tables#asylum" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2018/list-of-tables#asylum</a></p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 10:50:58 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1125311

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Free Movement of People: Arts and Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure the maintenance of freedom of movement for touring (a) musicians and (a) artists; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a two-year multi-entry visa for those people.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	251951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>While the government is clear that free movement will end when we leave the EU, we are aware that continued access to international talent and the ability for UK talent to tour are key concerns for the cultural and creative sectors.</p><p><br>Non-EEA musicians and artists can currently enter the UK through a range of routes. Standard visitors can be paid for their participation at Permit Free Festivals for up to six months, Permitted Paid Engagement visitors can undertake various engagements for up to one month and the Tier 5 (Creative and Sporting) route permits artists, performers and their entourage to work in the UK. Tier 5 visas are granted for up to 12 months and can be extended for up to a maximum of 2 years in the UK.</p><p><br>The Home Office has launched a year-long engagement programme on the proposals in the White Paper on our future skills-based immigration system. The Home Office is working with DCMS and creative and cultural industries throughout this process so that Government approaches policy well informed by those working in the sector.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 10:52:42 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1125312

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: Detainees
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 implement a statutory limit for the length of time suspected illegal immigrants can be detained.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	251911
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>As Stephen Shaw noted in his follow up review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention, the debate on a time limit for immigration de-tention rests mainly on slogans rather than evidence. My rt. hon. Friend the Home Secretary has commissioned an internal review of how time limits work in other countries and how these relate to any other protections within the de-tention systems in those countries.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 10:46:17 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1125350

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Entry Clearances: Biometrics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) accuracy, and (b) ability of facial recognition technology used at airports.to distinguish between identical twins and other siblings of similar appearance.
tabling member constituency	East Yorkshire
tabling member printed	Sir Greg Knight
uin	251913
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>Facial recognition technology employed by Border Force at airports is regularly assessed to ensure that it is operating within operational parameters agreed by ministers. The technology employs a matching algorithm to distinguish between individuals to confirm identity. There has been no specific research undertaken by Border Force or Home Office Biometrics into the ability of facial recognition algorithms to distinguish between identical twins or sib-lings who look very alike.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 10:55:05 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	1200 label Biography information for Sir Greg Knight

1125418

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
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: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum decision makers are employed in asylum operations offices in (a) Bootle, (b) Croydon, (c) Leeds, (d) Liverpool, (e) Newcastle and (f) Solihull.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
uin	252085
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>As of week ending 10 May 2019, the number of asylum decision makers that are currently employed in asylum operations offices in (a) Bootle, (b) Croydon, (c) Leeds, (d) Liverpool, (e) Newcastle and (f) Solihull are:</p><p>Bootle 113.76 FTE<br> Croydon 69.40 FTE<br>Leeds 54.37 FTE<br>Liverpool 57.66 FTE<br>Newcastle 32.64 FTE<br>Solihull 34.16 FTE<br>Total 362.00 FTE</p><p>Additionally, the Home Office currently employs 171.40 FTE decision makers in other locations; a total of 533.40 FTE. Of the 533.40 FTE are employed, 532.40 FTE are on permanent contracts and 1.00 FTE is employed on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) contract. The Home Office is currently recruiting and working towards 632.00 FTE asylum decision makers.</p><p>The Home Office is unable to report how many asylum decision makers have had their six-month probation contracts as advertised extended in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019, as to obtain this information would require a manual trawl and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 252086 252087 252088 question first answered 13/05/2019 15:53:13 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger

1125420

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
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: 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 (a) how many and (b) what proportion of Asylum Decision Makers are employed on permanent contracts.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
uin	252086
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>As of week ending 10 May 2019, the number of asylum decision makers that are currently employed in asylum operations offices in (a) Bootle, (b) Croydon, (c) Leeds, (d) Liverpool, (e) Newcastle and (f) Solihull are:</p><p>Bootle 113.76 FTE<br> Croydon 69.40 FTE<br>Leeds 54.37 FTE<br>Liverpool 57.66 FTE<br>Newcastle 32.64 FTE<br>Solihull 34.16 FTE<br>Total 362.00 FTE</p><p>Additionally, the Home Office currently employs 171.40 FTE decision makers in other locations; a total of 533.40 FTE. Of the 533.40 FTE are employed, 532.40 FTE are on permanent contracts and 1.00 FTE is employed on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) contract. The Home Office is currently recruiting and working towards 632.00 FTE asylum decision makers.</p><p>The Home Office is unable to report how many asylum decision makers have had their six-month probation contracts as advertised extended in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019, as to obtain this information would require a manual trawl and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes grouped question UIN 252085 252087 252088 question first answered 13/05/2019 15:53:13 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger

1124958

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Ministers of Religion
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 publish a response to Early Day Motion (a) 2358 on Changes to visa requirements for religious workers and (b) 2362 on Tier 5 visas for ministers of religion.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	251347
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government very much values the importance of religious and cultural expression to our communities in the UK and we continue to welcome Ministers of Religion from all faiths who wish to come to the UK in accordance with our Immigration Rules.</p><p>There are two routes for Religious Workers in the current immigration system.</p><p>Tier 2 Ministers of Religion is for those playing a leading role as faith leaders in our religious institutions. This category requires those coming to have a strong command of the English language in order to ensure Ministers of Religion can lead their congregations effectively and can interact with the wider communities they serve.</p><p>The second route, Tier 5 Religious Workers, is for those undertaking non-pastoral roles supporting the activities of these institutions. In line with our other temporary work categories, Tier 5 Religious Workers are not required to demonstrate their English language skills when applying for a visa.</p><p>We have taken steps to prevent our temporary work categories being used as a means to live in the UK for longer periods. Tier 5 is designed to facilitate short periods of knowledge sharing and cultural exchange and yet we have identified evidence of migrants using our Tier 5 Religious Worker and Charity Worker routes to facilitate near continuous residence in the UK.</p><p>We made changes to the Immigration Rules in October 2018 to preclude the use of Tier 5 by minister of Religion and to introduce a ‘cooling off period’, preventing Tier 5 Religious worker and Tier 5 Charity Worker visa holders from returning to the UK, via these immigration routes, for 12 months after their visa expires. This approach underpins the Government’s intention that these are temporary routes.</p><p>Bona fide Ministers of Religion are still welcome to come to the UK and that there remains a route for them in the immigration system through Tier 2.</p><p><br>The Government wrote to faith leaders in December, setting out the detail and explaining the rationale for the changes. Officials remain in regular contact with stakeholders and we are embarking on an extensive programme of engagement, in connection with the future immigration system.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 11:07:14 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1124981

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Religion
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 26 March 2019 to Question 235381 on Asylum: Religion, what progress his Department has made on investigating reports that asylum refusals have included quotations from religious texts; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	251363
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>After reports indicated that an asylum decision included quotations from religious texts and was not drafted in accordance with Home Office policy guidance, Asylum Operations conducted an investigation into this matter. A small number of religious conversion cases were sampled, and no further cases were identified during this sampling exercise.</p><p>All such decisions are currently subject to further scrutiny, pending the roll out of additional specialist training, which has been developed in collaboration with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief.</p><p>The Asylum Learning and Development Team started to deliver the specialist training package on religious claims on Monday 8 April, which will be mandatory for all asylum decision-makers.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 13/05/2019 11:01:42 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan