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682378

registered interest
date	31/01/2017
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 the Government is taking to (a) ensure that the initial discussions on asylum applications are correct and (b) reduce the number of asylum decisions overturned at appeal.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	62574
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2017 answer text <p>All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information. We ensure that claimants are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken, even where that information may be sensitive or difficult to disclose.</p><p> </p><p>We are working to improve the quality of decision-making to ensure that we properly consider all the evidence provided and get decisions right the first time. UK Visas and Immigration has an internal audit process, consisting of reviews by senior case workers and independent auditors, which assesses whether Home Office policy has been followed.</p><p> </p><p>An allowed appeal is not in itself an indication that our decision was incorrect at the time it was made though we aim to reduce the allowed appeal rate by analysing the reasons why appeals are allowed and using this to further improve guidance and training.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 06/02/2017 14:03:21 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

522646

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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, if she will develop a coordinated refugee dispersal policy with (a) all nations of the UK, (b) other government departments and (c) local government incorporating the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme, the dispersal and transfer of unaccompanied children and the Compass Contracts for accommodation of asylum seekers.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	38960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2016 answer text <p>The UK Government has been co-ordinating the dispersal of asylum and resettlement schemes for many years and we will continue to ensure that all refugees are provided with appropriate care, regardless of their route to the UK.</p><p>Our existing policies are aimed at ensuring an equitable distribution of asylum seekers and refugees across the country so that no individual local authority bears a disproportionate share of the burden. However, we recognise that the development of existing schemes will require an expansion of current networks and the impact on local communities and infrastructure will need to be managed carefully to ensure that no local authority is required to take more than they can support.</p><p>That is why the Home Office is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Education to ensure consultation with local authorities is consistent and co-ordinated across all resettlement and relocation programmes. The Home Office will continue to maintain an active partnership with local governments across the whole of the UK, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact s of these different schemes so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made to ensure that people continue to be integrated sensitively into local communities.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 09/06/2016 15:00:34 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

522164

registered interest
date	26/05/2016
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 measures are in place to ensure that the appropriate health services, mental health services and sexual health services are available to asylum seekers dispersed to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	38920
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>The Home Office maintains an active partnership with local governments across the UK, including those in Scotland, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact on communities and local services so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made where appropriate.</p><p>Free access to NHS healthcare is provided to asylum seekers. Asylum Health Teams are commissioned by NHS England and Scotland to provide healthcare and screening. Strategic Migration Partnerships work with Care Commissioning Groups to plan for the health care needs of asylum seekers in their regions.</p><p>All children are entitled to free primary and secondary education. To enable access to education, internal checks are in place to triage applications involving children of school age for priority dispersal into permanent accommodation. Strategic Migration Partnerships discuss education provision as part of their local authority engagement. Asylum seekers are able to access legal advice via the Legal Aid system and are provided details of local solicitors as part of their induction into their dispersal region.</p><p>Local authorities are consulted before asylum seekers are placed in their area, so that the potential impact on communities and local services is fully considered. During discussions on widening dispersal in Scotland we are and will continue to ensure that Local Authority leads and partners on health and education, as well as the Scottish Government and the Scottish Law Society, are involved to address any concerns and to ensure the close and successful partnership working in Glasgow is replicated elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire grouped question UIN 38917 38919 38940 question first answered 06/06/2016 13:23:39 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

522166

registered interest
date	26/05/2016
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 discussions took place between December 2015 and May 2016 between Ministers and (b) officials of her Department with the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Law Society of Scotland on plans to widen asylum dispersal in Scotland; and whether any further such discussions are planned.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	38918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2016 answer text <p>The Home Office is currently exploring the widening of dispersal agreements across all Scottish Local Authorities on a voluntary basis.</p><p>Once new dispersal agreements have been agreed and the location and likely demand for legal services is known, we will seek to meet with the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Scottish Law Society on the proposals. Similar discussions will also be held with Migrant Help and other Non-Government Organisations to discuss provision of service and support.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 09/06/2016 11:56:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

522168

registered interest
date	26/05/2016
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 measures are in place to ensure that local communities are involved and considered in discussions on the dispersal of asylum seekers to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	38940
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>The Home Office maintains an active partnership with local governments across the UK, including those in Scotland, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact on communities and local services so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made where appropriate.</p><p>Free access to NHS healthcare is provided to asylum seekers. Asylum Health Teams are commissioned by NHS England and Scotland to provide healthcare and screening. Strategic Migration Partnerships work with Care Commissioning Groups to plan for the health care needs of asylum seekers in their regions.</p><p>All children are entitled to free primary and secondary education. To enable access to education, internal checks are in place to triage applications involving children of school age for priority dispersal into permanent accommodation. Strategic Migration Partnerships discuss education provision as part of their local authority engagement. Asylum seekers are able to access legal advice via the Legal Aid system and are provided details of local solicitors as part of their induction into their dispersal region.</p><p>Local authorities are consulted before asylum seekers are placed in their area, so that the potential impact on communities and local services is fully considered. During discussions on widening dispersal in Scotland we are and will continue to ensure that Local Authority leads and partners on health and education, as well as the Scottish Government and the Scottish Law Society, are involved to address any concerns and to ensure the close and successful partnership working in Glasgow is replicated elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire grouped question UIN 38917 38919 38920 question first answered 06/06/2016 13:23:38 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

522172

registered interest
date	26/05/2016
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 measures are in place to ensure that the appropriate educational provision is in place for asylum seekers dispersed to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	38919
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>The Home Office maintains an active partnership with local governments across the UK, including those in Scotland, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact on communities and local services so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made where appropriate.</p><p>Free access to NHS healthcare is provided to asylum seekers. Asylum Health Teams are commissioned by NHS England and Scotland to provide healthcare and screening. Strategic Migration Partnerships work with Care Commissioning Groups to plan for the health care needs of asylum seekers in their regions.</p><p>All children are entitled to free primary and secondary education. To enable access to education, internal checks are in place to triage applications involving children of school age for priority dispersal into permanent accommodation. Strategic Migration Partnerships discuss education provision as part of their local authority engagement. Asylum seekers are able to access legal advice via the Legal Aid system and are provided details of local solicitors as part of their induction into their dispersal region.</p><p>Local authorities are consulted before asylum seekers are placed in their area, so that the potential impact on communities and local services is fully considered. During discussions on widening dispersal in Scotland we are and will continue to ensure that Local Authority leads and partners on health and education, as well as the Scottish Government and the Scottish Law Society, are involved to address any concerns and to ensure the close and successful partnership working in Glasgow is replicated elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire grouped question UIN 38917 38920 38940 question first answered 06/06/2016 13:23:39 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

522173

registered interest
date	26/05/2016
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, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 3 May 2016, Official Report, column 45WH, on asylum seeker dispersal, if she will provide the names of the (a) 103 local authorities that are currently asylum dispersal areas, (b) 20 local authorities signed up to be asylum dispersal areas and (c) 28 local authorities that her Department is in discussions with to become asylum dispersal areas.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	38939
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>Recently published Home Office data confirms that, as at the end of March 2016 there were 107 local authorities accommodating dispersed asylum seekers. This data can be accessed via the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016/list-of-tables#asylum" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016/list-of-tables#asylum</a></p><p>Not all dispersal areas are currently housing asylum seekers; future published data will detail new dispersal areas as asylum seekers are dispersed to them.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 06/06/2016 12:39:21 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

522198

registered interest
date	26/05/2016
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, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 3 May 2016, Official Report, column 45WH, on asylum seeker dispersal policy, if she will publish the template letter she plans to send to leaders of local authorities on widening dispersal.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	38749
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2016 answer text <p>We continue to work closely with a wide range of local authorities across the UK to increase the number of areas that accommodate and support people seeking asylum and protection.</p><p>I am reassured that the number of local authorities participating in the dispersal scheme continues to increase. I intend therefore only to write to specific local authority leaders if progress is unsatisfactory.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 27/06/2016 09:54:56 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

447431

registered interest
date	25/01/2016
answering body	Scotland Office
answering dept id	2
answering dept short name	Scotland
answering dept sort name	Scotland
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2016 to Question 22198, on asylum, what the (a) dates, (b) minutes and (c) outcomes were of the discussions referred to in that answer.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	24000
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2016 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">The West Coast main line was closed between Glasgow and Carlisle on 31 December 2015. Since then, Ministers in the Scotland Office and the Department for Transport have sought to assure themselves that all appropriate steps are being taken to repair Lamington Viaduct and to mitigate the impact of the closure of the line for rail users.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">I refer the honourable Gentleman to my answer of 20 January 2016 and to my Written Ministerial Statement of 11 January 2016, which sets out the progress on this issue.</ins></p> answering member constituency Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale answering member printed David Mundell question first answered 28/01/2016 15:33:20 question first ministerially corrected 10/02/2016 09:52:09 answering member 1512 label Biography information for David Mundell previous answer version 41840 answering member constituency Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale answering member printed David Mundell answering member 1512 label Biography information for David Mundell
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray

444286

registered interest
date	12/01/2016
answering body	Scotland Office
answering dept id	2
answering dept short name	Scotland
answering dept sort name	Scotland
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Statement of 11 January 2016 on the Smith Commission Agreement, HCWS458, what the (a) dates, (b) minutes and (c) outcomes was of any discussions or meeting held since 28 November 2014 on issues relating to asylum seekers with (i) Home Office Ministers and (ii) Ministers or Officials of the Scottish Government.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh South
tabling member printed	Ian Murray
uin	22198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2016 answer text <p>In the period since the Smith Commission, the UK and Scottish Governments have had regular meetings to discuss issues relating to asylum seekers. These have included discussions on the non-legislative proposals from the Commission, and a demonstration for Scottish Government officials of the asylum process at the Home Office in Glasgow. This cross-government work with the Scottish Government on asylum issues is on-going.</p> answering member constituency Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale answering member printed David Mundell question first answered 20/01/2016 16:11:08 answering member 1512 label Biography information for David Mundell
tabling member	3966 label Biography information for Ian Murray