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1468908

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow Home Office officials discretion in immigration cases to re-define memorial services as memorial services in lieu of a funeral in cases where it can be shown that a death took place at a time when covid-19 restrictions prevented one of the (a) holding of and (b) travel to a funeral for a deceased immediate family member abroad and for such cases to be considered as having the status of a funeral for the purpose of the decision on whether a case should be fairly expedited; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	15224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>Those who qualify to visit the UK may undertake a range of activities, which include attending a funeral or a memorial service.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to prioritise any urgent compelling or compassionate cases across all workstreams.</p><p> </p><p>Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency or travelling to a funeral for a deceased immediate family member including memorial services), we may consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.</p><p> </p><p>UKVI encourages all customers to apply in good time ahead of intended travel dates, and customers can also make use of UKVI’s optional priority visa services for visit visas in certain locations.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2022 15:21:18 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1468925

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
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 expand the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
tabling member printed	Dr Dan Poulter
uin	15228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>On Monday 13<sup>th</sup> June, the government launched a new Food Strategy, which will seek to address challenges faced by the sector. Recognising the sector cannot sustainably rely on migrant labour, especially in light of global pressures elsewhere, the strategy sets out that Government will commission an independent review to tackle labour shortages in the food supply chain, considering the roles of automation, domestic labour and migration routes.</p><p> </p><p>To support the sector, the Government will release 10,000 additional visas for the seasonal worker visa route, with 2,000 of these going to the poultry sector for the eight-week period prior to Christmas. This is to cover the surge in demand for chicken, turkey and goose during the festive season and to ensure the smooth running of the food supply chain.</p><p> </p><p>The Government introduced the Points Based System in 2020 which is designed to attract the skills and expertise which the UK requires. Acting upon advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the Government broadened the skills threshold of the Skilled Worker route and introduced a lower salary threshold which, as modelling by the MAC suggests,<strong> strikes a reasonable balance between access to labour and controlling immigration</strong><strong>. </strong>The independent review’s consideration of the role of migration will therefore need to be with reference to the MAC’s advice. A number of roles in the food production sector are already eligible for a Skilled Worker visa.</p><p>For those roles in the sector which do not meet the threshold for the Skilled Worker route, there is the domestic labour market which includes UK workers and migrants with general work rights. The Government does not intend to introduce a route for those who do not meet the skills and salary threshold allowing recruitment at or near minimum wage.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 15229 question first answered 16/06/2022 16:19:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter

1468926

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrant Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to provide visas for workers in food production.
tabling member constituency	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
tabling member printed	Dr Dan Poulter
uin	15229
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>On Monday 13<sup>th</sup> June, the government launched a new Food Strategy, which will seek to address challenges faced by the sector. Recognising the sector cannot sustainably rely on migrant labour, especially in light of global pressures elsewhere, the strategy sets out that Government will commission an independent review to tackle labour shortages in the food supply chain, considering the roles of automation, domestic labour and migration routes.</p><p> </p><p>To support the sector, the Government will release 10,000 additional visas for the seasonal worker visa route, with 2,000 of these going to the poultry sector for the eight-week period prior to Christmas. This is to cover the surge in demand for chicken, turkey and goose during the festive season and to ensure the smooth running of the food supply chain.</p><p> </p><p>The Government introduced the Points Based System in 2020 which is designed to attract the skills and expertise which the UK requires. Acting upon advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the Government broadened the skills threshold of the Skilled Worker route and introduced a lower salary threshold which, as modelling by the MAC suggests,<strong> strikes a reasonable balance between access to labour and controlling immigration</strong><strong>. </strong>The independent review’s consideration of the role of migration will therefore need to be with reference to the MAC’s advice. A number of roles in the food production sector are already eligible for a Skilled Worker visa.</p><p>For those roles in the sector which do not meet the threshold for the Skilled Worker route, there is the domestic labour market which includes UK workers and migrants with general work rights. The Government does not intend to introduce a route for those who do not meet the skills and salary threshold allowing recruitment at or near minimum wage.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 15228 question first answered 16/06/2022 16:19:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter

1468942

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
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 her Department's progress in preventing undocumented migrants from crossing the English Channel since December 2019.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Lee Anderson
uin	15377
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>Preventing the illegal entry of people to the UK in small boats is an ongoing priority for the Government. These crossings are dangerous and unnecessary and must be made unviable. To achieve this, the UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration at the shared border. Most recently, a bilateral arrangement was reached between the UK and France on 20 July 2021, where the UK pledged to make a further financial investment of approximately £54 million (€62.7 million) in 2021/22 to tackle illegal migration and small boats.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>The UK and France have agreed to keep the impact of these measures and their implementation, under close review, including via a UK-France Joint Monitoring Committee, chaired by senior officials from both countries. This will enable us to respond to our shared challenges as they change. Last year’s investment saw France doubling the number of its officers patrolling French beaches. Our joint activity with France prevented more than 23,000 crossings in 2021. So far in 2022, over 8,000 people have been prevented from crossing – more than twice the number to this point in 2021. Furthermore, since the UK-France Joint Intelligence Cell (JIC) was established in July 2020, we have, with France, dismantled 21 small boat organised criminal groups and secured over 500 arrests. We assess that this has had a considerable impact upon facilitators. Going forward, the Home Office will continue to cooperate closely with the French Government on this important issue.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 17/06/2022 11:19:13 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4743 label Biography information for Lee Anderson

1468975

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Children
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 affordability fee waiver scheme for citizenship registration for individuals under the age of 18, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing low-income families who have accrued considerable debt while applying for visas for their children to apply retrospectively for such a waiver.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
uin	15356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>This waiver is only applicable to the fees to register a child as a British citizen and is not being applied retrospectively, which means it will only be applied to eligible applications submitted on or after 16 June. The affordability assessment is set out in guidance available on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2022 16:16:44 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1468976

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Body Searches: Children
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 8 June to Question 8160 on Body searches: Children, for what reason police forces will be providing data on strip searches for 2021-22 on a voluntary basis.
tabling member constituency	Battersea
tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
uin	15370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>New data collections, such as the one proposed on strip searches, are often introduced on a voluntary basis when forces need time to make changes to their IT systems or recording processes to enable them to provide the requested data on a consistent basis.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 16/06/2022 11:19:48 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1468991

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Animals in Science Regulation Unit
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 enforcement of regulations by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit.
tabling member constituency	Enfield North
tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
uin	15392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>The use of animals in science is highly regulated, including a three-tier system of licensing, the monitoring of compliance of licence holders, and on-site inspections.</p><p>All licensed establishments are required to have a dedicated governance framework comprising of individuals that includes veterinary surgeons with legal responsibilities for the care and welfare of animals. Ethical review bodies embedded in each establishment review proposals for the use of animals and promote the 3Rs of animal use (replacement, reduction, refinement).</p><p>The Animals in Science Regulation Unit continues to ensure compliance with the legal requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. As part of continuous improvement, a regulatory reform programme is underway to modernise the regulator and strengthen its regulatory oversight.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 15393 question first answered 17/06/2022 13:45:31 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark

1468992

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Animals in Science Regulation Unit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the effectiveness of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Enfield North
tabling member printed	Feryal Clark
uin	15393
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>The use of animals in science is highly regulated, including a three-tier system of licensing, the monitoring of compliance of licence holders, and on-site inspections.</p><p>All licensed establishments are required to have a dedicated governance framework comprising of individuals that includes veterinary surgeons with legal responsibilities for the care and welfare of animals. Ethical review bodies embedded in each establishment review proposals for the use of animals and promote the 3Rs of animal use (replacement, reduction, refinement).</p><p>The Animals in Science Regulation Unit continues to ensure compliance with the legal requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. As part of continuous improvement, a regulatory reform programme is underway to modernise the regulator and strengthen its regulatory oversight.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 15392 question first answered 17/06/2022 13:45:31 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4822 label Biography information for Feryal Clark

1469000

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the Answer of 24 May to Question 1238, in what format the passport office gathers data to measure if service standard times for processing passports are being met, and how they compare performance over time.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	15311
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>While average processing times before 6 April 2021 are held, prior to this date the published processing time for standard applications from the UK differed by application type. The data is not held in a reportable format to demonstrate performance by application type against these differing processing times.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2022 16:12:06 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1469012

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Migrant Workers: Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to ensure that migrant women who are victims of domestic abuse can be granted residence in the UK which is not dependent on the spouse or partner who is the perpetrator of that abuse.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	15312
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2022 answer text <p>Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for this Government and we are committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse. Anyone who has suffered domestic abuse must be treated as a victim first and foremost, regardless of immigration status.</p><p>On 30 March, we published the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan which will seek to transform the whole of society’s response to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems in place to deliver these goals.</p><p>Support is provided to migrant victims of domestic abuse through our Destitute Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC) which enables those victims, who entered the UK on certain partner or spousal visas, three months access to public funds, which can be used to fund safe accommodation.</p><p>Migrant victims can also apply for settlement through the Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain Rules (DVILR). The intention is to safeguard eligible victims by offering them leave independent of the abusive partner.</p><p>Following the Government’s review of support for migrant victims in 2020, last year we launched the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme to provide a support net for victims who are not eligible to apply under the DDVC.</p><p>The 12-month pilot, run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners, and supported with £1.5 million of Government funding, has provided wraparound support services for migrant victims of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds. Support includes: accommodation, subsistence, and counselling.</p><p>The pilot and independent evaluation aims to ensure that we have a robust evidence base to inform future policy decisions. The evaluation will be producing a final report in Summer 2022.</p><p>In the interim, we will provide £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund support for migrant victims of domestic abuse, whilst we take on board vital lessons learned from the pilot to inform future policy decisions.</p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean question first answered 15/06/2022 15:51:26 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson