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541201

registered interest
date	20/07/2016
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Asylum and Immigration Tribunal: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why fees in the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal are to be increased, and what percentage of requests for a waiver of such fees were refused in each quarter since the beginning of 2015 to date.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1364
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2016 answer text <p>The financial challenges faced by the Government means taking tough decisions on reducing public spending across a wide range of services.</p><p> </p><p>That is why the Government consulted on proposals to increase fees in asylum and immigration proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>Breaking down the data requested by quarter would incur disproportionate costs.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 03/08/2016 15:47:52 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

540435

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Deportation: Young People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make an assessment of the report by the Refugee Support Network <i>After Return</i>, in particular with a view to preventing hardship and persecution of 18-year-old refugees sent back to their country of origin and to gaining benefits for the UK from the education of those individuals by not insisting on return in all cases.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1315
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2016 answer text <p>We do not send refugees back to their country of origin. Those who no longer need protection are not refugees and are expected to apply under other provisions of the Immigration Rules if they want to stay in the UK.</p><p>We have noted the content of the report but believe that the current policy framework meets the needs of this group and strikes the correct balance. Decision makers take into account the specific vulnerabilities of individuals when considering applications for further leave in addition to considering whether there are other exceptional or compassionate reasons to justify granting leave.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 29/07/2016 12:03:55 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

540436

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran: Baha'i Faith
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the report by the Baha'i International Community published in October 2015 on the economic oppression of Baha'is in Iran; whether they plan to continue to make representations to the government of Iran about that issue and in particular about the return of confiscated properties; and whether they will ensure that the full facts of economic and religious persecution are reflected in guidance to interviewers and others dealing with asylum applications in the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1316
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/08/2016 answer text <p>Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials attended the UK launch of the October 2015 report by the Baha’i International Community on 19 July and delivered a speech highlighting the Government’s concerns over the Iranian government’s actions against the Baha’i community. We share the desire to see Iran fulfil its human rights obligations and cease harassment of all religious minorities. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran with the Iranian government and will continue to do so. The Home Office has responsibility for carefully considering all asylum claims on their individual merits. Published guidance for Home Office staff on interviewing and consideration of asylum claims on religious grounds is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of religious groups and other stakeholders.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 08/08/2016 15:32:26 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

540437

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Jobcentre Plus: Training
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that Jobcentre staff and Jobcentre Plus advisers understand fully, and respond effectively to, mental health problems.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2016 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions supports its staff in developing the skills required to identify and effectively support claimants with mental health conditions. A number of learning products such as ‘Introduction to Working with People with a Mental Health Condition’ and ‘Supporting Customers with a Vulnerability’ have been specifically developed to build capability for Jobcentre staff. Jobcentre staff also promote “Disability Confident” which is an initiative that includes working with employers to show that employing disabled people, including those with mental health conditions, is good for the individual, business and society.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 28/07/2016 14:02:10 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

540438

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of England is covered by Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and what assessment they have made of whether those schemes have the necessary resources to make known the emergency financial support that is available to benefit claimants suffering from delays or other problems connected with Universal Credit.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2016 answer text <p>From April 2013, non-ring fenced funding was passed to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, who all now administer Welfare Assistance Schemes on a devolved and localised basis. How those local authorities administer this support is for them to decide and outside of my Department’s remit.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014 the Department undertook a review of this change and confirmed that local authorities were delivering targeted support more effectively than was the case with the previous provision under the Social Fund. This confirmed the Government’s wider view that local authorities are best placed to deliver help and support at a local level, ensuring effective provision for those who need it most, and coherent links with wider social care.</p><p> </p><p>Further support is available from Universal Credit and Universal Support for claimants who are in financial difficulty or who are awaiting a Universal Credit payment. This includes advance payments, Alternative Payment Arrangements (more frequent payments, split payments within a household and the payment of rent direct to landlords) and Personal Budgeting support.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/08/2016 13:16:55 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

540439

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in reforming benefit sanctions and in preventing hardship to children and other dependent family members.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1319
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2016 answer text <p>We keep the operation of the sanctions processes under constant review to ensure they continue to function effectively and fairly, to promote positive behaviours. Where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.</p><p>Following the recommendations from the Oakley Review and the subsequent report ‘Benefit sanctions policy beyond the Oakley Review’ by the Work and Pensions Select Committee, we have made a number of improvements to the Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) sanction systems, particularly around communications to claimants and safeguarding measures for those who maybe vulnerable.</p><p>We are now focussing our efforts on continuing with the current improvements in JSA and ESA, to ensure that all the agreed recommendations and improvements can continue to be delivered in Universal Credit.</p><p>We also have a well-established system of hardship payments, available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene, as a result of their sanction.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 28/07/2016 14:09:59 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

539186

registered interest
date	18/07/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Families
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the British Red Cross report <i>Not So Straightforward</i> and its campaign to reunite refugee families, <i>Torn Apart</i>.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2016 answer text <p>We are reviewing our process for dealing with applications for refugee family reunion in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Justice. We are working closely with the British Red Cross and are considering the recommendations made in the Not So Straightforward report in detail.</p><p>We have now improved our guidance on processing family reunion applications so that it is clear, consistent and accessible. We intend to publish this in the next few weeks. We have also committed to redesigning the application form to ensure that applicants better understand the process and what is required of them.</p><p>There are no plans to extend the family reunion criteria as called for in the British Red Cross Torn Apart campaign. The current family reunion policy meets our international obligations and strikes the right balance. Where family members cannot meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules, such as in the case of an 18 year old applying to join their refugee parents in the UK, we consider whether there are exceptional circumstances or compassionate reasons to justify granting entry clearance outside the Rules.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 29/07/2016 12:14:11 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

535894

registered interest
date	13/07/2016
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Commonwealth
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to strengthen the capacity of the Commonwealth to prevent and resolve conflicts between or within its members; and whether they will seek to provide the Secretary-General with greater resources for that purpose.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1173
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2016 answer text <p>We are committed to strengthening the capacity of the Commonwealth towards preventing and resolving conflicts between member states, including through the Secretariat and the Good Offices of the Secretary-General. We welcome the work already done by the Secretary-General in this area, most recently her appointment of a Special Envoy to strengthen multi-party democracy towards inclusive presidential elections in the Maldives in 2018.</p><p>We will work closely with Patricia Scotland and partners as we build towards the UK hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Spring 2018. We believe she is the right person to drive through reform, strengthen the Commonwealth’s voice and unite members behind the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.</p><p>A key strand of strengthening the Commonwealth’s focus on democracy, the promotion of the rule of law and preventing conflict is the Commonwealth Secretariat’s work in promoting democratic values, including through election observation missions. We welcome these missions and will work with the Secretary-General to take forward this important programme.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 28/07/2016 14:24:23 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

535598

registered interest
date	12/07/2016
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Waleed Abulkhair
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they made on 19 May to the government of Saudi Arabia about the case of Mr Waleed Abu Al-Khair; what response they received; and whether there has been any progress on that case since then.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1145
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2016 answer text <p>We are not aware of progress in the case of Walid Abu Al-Khair since last raised with the Saudi Arabian authorities on the 19 May. We believe that we will be more successful in discussing cases privately with Saudi Arabia and we will continue to follow this case closely and will raise when appropriate.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 02/08/2016 13:19:09 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

535599

registered interest
date	12/07/2016
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to improve the quality of initial interviews and decisions in asylum cases in order to reduce the need for appeals.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2016 answer text <p>The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits and grants protection for those who genuinely need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. In every asylum case the particular circumstances of the individual is considered in light of published country information.</p><p>All asylum decision-makers receive extensive training on how to consider asylum claims and are expected to follow published Home Office policy guidance. The 5-week Foundation Training Programme (FTP) for new decision makers trains staff on all aspects of the asylum decision making process. All decision makers are currently receiving credibility training. This course trains decision makers on how to assess the evidential value of their interview questions, the various reasons why someone may not come across as credible in an asylum interview and discusses issues such as speculation and implausibility. Asylum decision-makers carefully assess the protection needs of each asylum claimant following an interview by assessing all available evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information and policy guidance. The Home Office systematically assesses the quality of asylum decisions against a detailed quality audit framework drawn up and agreed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.</p><p>We expect asylum claimants to disclose all relevant evidence to support their claim at the earliest opportunity so that we can properly consider their claim. We aim to reduce the appeal rate by analysing the reasons why appeals are allowed and using this to further improve guidance and training. We are committed to continuous improvement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 26/07/2016 15:45:52 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton