Home Office

The Government has not provided any additional (a) resources or (b) financial assistance to provide for security and potential immigration breaches to port and ferry operators at Cairnryan.

The Home Office does not conduct immigration and nationality monitoring at the port of Cairnryan. Immigration Enforcement officers regularly conduct intelligence led operations at Cairnryan and Loch Ryan in order to identify those seeking to circumvent the UK’s immigration controls by travelling to the UK via Ireland, focusing on those who have no right to be in the UK and/or those who may do harm in the UK.

The Government has not provided any additional (a) resources or (b) financial assistance to provide for security and potential immigration breaches to port and ferry operators at Cairnryan.

The Home Office does not conduct immigration and nationality monitoring at the port of Cairnryan. Immigration Enforcement officers regularly conduct intelligence led operations at Cairnryan and Loch Ryan in order to identify those seeking to circumvent the UK’s immigration controls by travelling to the UK via Ireland, focusing on those who have no right to be in the UK and/or those who may do harm in the UK.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

We are enabling other government departments and public authorities to be able to automatically access immigration status information. Currently, this includes the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and NHS England and Wales.

The data made available is specific to the need of each department and contains only the necessary information to inform their decision making. By making data available in this way, we are reducing the number of occasions on which an individual has to prove their status in the UK. The Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Privacy Notice provides information about how we share data with other government departments.

When applying for banking services, all individuals are required to provide proof of their identity as part of anti-money laundering, regulatory ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) checks.

We have produced guidance for financial providers to help them understand the documents we issue, including eVisas, and how they can be used as proof of identity for the purposes of KYC checks. This can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biometric-residence-documents-information-for-financial-providers

As detailed in this guidance, financial institutions can check someone’s identity, using the online ‘View and Prove’ service at:

https://www.gov.uk/check-immigration-status.

This enables checks to be conducted without physical documents changing hands or the checker having to assess the authenticity of the documents and whether the person presenting it is the rightful holder.

We are enabling other government departments and public authorities to be able to automatically access immigration status information. Currently, this includes the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and NHS England and Wales.

The data made available is specific to the need of each department and contains only the necessary information to inform their decision making. By making data available in this way, we are reducing the number of occasions on which an individual has to prove their status in the UK. The Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Privacy Notice provides information about how we share data with other government departments.

When applying for banking services, all individuals are required to provide proof of their identity as part of anti-money laundering, regulatory ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) checks.

We have produced guidance for financial providers to help them understand the documents we issue, including eVisas, and how they can be used as proof of identity for the purposes of KYC checks. This can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biometric-residence-documents-information-for-financial-providers

As detailed in this guidance, financial institutions can check someone’s identity, using the online ‘View and Prove’ service at:

https://www.gov.uk/check-immigration-status.

This enables checks to be conducted without physical documents changing hands or the checker having to assess the authenticity of the documents and whether the person presenting it is the rightful holder.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Delivery of registration services falls to local authorities who monitor demand and manage requests within their respective geographical areas.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Our New Plan for Immigration works in the interests of the whole of the UK, by attracting the skills we need, whilst supporting the domestic labour market. Recognising the extraordinary circumstances business are currently facing, the Government is providing visas as a time-limited, temporary measure for the food and fuel sector.

We allow asylum seekers to work if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).

But it is important to distinguish between those who need protection and those seeking to work here, who can apply for a skilled work visa under the Immigration Rules. Our wider policy would be undermined if people could bypass work visa Rules simply by lodging unfounded asylum claims here and working whilst they are dealt with. It would also act as an incentive for more to travel into the UK via unsafe and dangerous journeys, rather than claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.

The Skilled Worker route already contains several eligible occupations from this sector, such as weavers, upholsterers, tailors and dressmakers subject to salary and language requirements being met. An occupation at RQF3 or above does not need to be on the Shortage Occupation List to qualify for recruitment under the Skilled Worker Route.

In their last call for evidence the independent Migration Advisory Committee received evidence from several stakeholders from the garment industry, but they concluded this evidence did not warrant occupations from this sector being added onto the SOL. We will also not be creating more general routes allowing recruitment at or near the minimum wage into this sector via immigration as an alternative to investing in UK based staff and offering them rewarding packages of terms and conditions.

More generally those business facing recruitment issues should, in the first instance, engage with the Department for Work and Pensions about the support they can offer in seeking recruits and supporting training.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

There is currently no recall mechanism for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners (PFCCs).

In July this year we announced part two of the PCC review, which will assess the merits and demerits of a trigger mechanism for the recall of PCCs and PFCCs.

Part two of the Review is an internal piece of work that will report directly to the Home Secretary. Recommendations made will be published via a Written Ministerial Statement in due course.

Home Office Migration Statistics do not capture the number of travel documents issued to Afghan nationals since 29 August. This would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

The Home Office collects information on the number of Exposure and Voyeurism offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. However whether or not these offences involved street flashing is not separately identifiable.

The reports of the spiking of drinks with illegal substances, and of other attacks on individuals in night time venues, are of course concerning. This is an ongoing matter which the police are investigating. The Home Secretary has asked the police for an urgent update on the issues reported, including what steps they are taking to prevent the offences and apprehend the perpetrators. We would encourage anyone who is a victim or a witness of the offences to report the information to the police.

Still-birth registration appointments are prioritised alongside death registrations. Provisions within the Coronavirus Act 2020 allow these events to be registered by telephone at present.

Only one registration appointment is required, with details solely recorded in the still-birth register.

The Safer Streets Fund enables Police and Crime Commissioners and Local Authorities across England and Wales to support interventions such as improved CCTV and streetlighting in areas experiencing high rates of neighbourhood crimes, such as burglary and robbery. In total, £70 million has been invested and the third, £25 million, round, announced on 15 March following the tragic death of Sarah Everard, aims to increase the safety of public spaces for all, with a particular focus on helping to combat violence against women and girls.

All rounds of the Safer Streets Fund are being independently evaluated to ensure we develop the evidence base for crime prevention to inform future investment.

The Home Department has not needed to undertake consultation on policy and guidance on the regulation of animal testing for regulatory purposes for compliance with UK REACH.

Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) one of the permissible purposes for which animals can be used in research is the development, manufacture or testing of the quality, effectiveness and safety of drugs, foodstuffs and feed-stuffs or any other substances or products. This includes requirements under UK chemicals legislation (REACH). This is often termed ‘regulatory testing’ as the work fulfils a regulatory requirement.

The requirements for regulatory testing are set by regulators other than the Home Office Regulator, whose remit is solely to ensure compliance with protections afforded to animals used in science under ASPA.

All UK regulations and regulators abide by the principles of the 3Rs (the replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal use) and therefore only require animal testing where there are no alternatives and only to the degree needed to meet the scientific requirements of the regulations.

The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and crime. We know the serious impact that anti-social and criminal behaviour has on both individuals and communities.

We have provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to all forms of ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. These powers are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances.

In January of this year we updated the statutory guidance to support local agencies to make effective use of these powers and take the multi-agency approach that is needed to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour, in a way that takes account of the needs of the victim and the community. The revised guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/956143/ASB_Statutory_Guidance.pdf

The Beating Crime Plan published on 27 July laid out the Government’s plan for tackling crime and its commitment to working with local agencies and partners to drive down anti-social behaviour using the full range of powers and tools in the 2014 Act. It can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1015382/Crime-plan-v10.pdf

Several occupations within the social care sector are currently on the shortage occupation list including senior care workers.

The introduction of the Health and Care visa in August 2020 made it quicker and easier for regulated health and care professionals – including Senior Care Workers - and their dependants to secure their visa.

We have commissioned the MAC to look further at the issues surrounding the ending of free movement on the social care sector and we look forward to receiving their report next year.

Beyond the Points Based System, there is the existing resident labour market, which includes those who come to the UK through our Youth Mobility Schemes (which we are looking to expand), our new British National (Overseas) visa for those from Hong Kong, dependants of those arriving under the expanded skilled worker route, as well as over 6 million applications under the EU Settlement Scheme and those who arrive through family routes, who all have full access to the UK labour market.

Our Plan for Jobs is helping people across the country retrain, build new skills and get back into work. The Government encourages all sectors to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, careers options, and improve terms and conditions, including ensuring care workers are offered the rewarding packages they deserve and which are common in other sectors, rather than turning to immigration policy for an alternative to doing so.

As set out in the New Plan for Immigration, we will strengthen our safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees in need of protection.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those most in need. Overall, since 2015, we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees through safe and legal routes direct from regions of conflict and instability - around half of whom were children.

On 18 August 2021, the Prime Minister announced the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will see up to 20,000 people at risk resettled to the UK, with 5,000 in the first year.

The UK will maintain its long-term commitment to continue to resettle refugees from around the globe as capacity allows, alongside a fair but firm asylum system.

PQ 03518 – MPAM/0184552/21 – I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03600 – MPAM/0182609/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03590 – MPAM/0179849/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03604 – MPAM/0171774/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03603 – MPAM/0177314/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 20 October 2021.

PQ 03591 – There was no trace of this correspondence being received. A copy of the correspondence was received on 18^th October and was closed off on 19 October through your surgery call with the MP Engagement team.

UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team is pursuing enquiries on the following case and aims to respond as below:

PQ 03503 – MPAM/0182754/21 Further enquiries are being made and a substantive response will be issued to the MP by Friday 29 October 2021. UKVI MP Engagement team will contact you if it is not possible to provide full responses within this timeframe.

PQ 03518 – MPAM/0184552/21 – I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03600 – MPAM/0182609/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03590 – MPAM/0179849/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03604 – MPAM/0171774/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03603 – MPAM/0177314/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 20 October 2021.

PQ 03591 – There was no trace of this correspondence being received. A copy of the correspondence was received on 18^th October and was closed off on 19 October through your surgery call with the MP Engagement team.

UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team is pursuing enquiries on the following case and aims to respond as below:

PQ 03503 – MPAM/0182754/21 Further enquiries are being made and a substantive response will be issued to the MP by Friday 29 October 2021. UKVI MP Engagement team will contact you if it is not possible to provide full responses within this timeframe.

PQ 03518 – MPAM/0184552/21 – I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03600 – MPAM/0182609/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03590 – MPAM/0179849/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03604 – MPAM/0171774/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03603 – MPAM/0177314/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 20 October 2021.

PQ 03591 – There was no trace of this correspondence being received. A copy of the correspondence was received on 18^th October and was closed off on 19 October through your surgery call with the MP Engagement team.

UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team is pursuing enquiries on the following case and aims to respond as below:

PQ 03503 – MPAM/0182754/21 Further enquiries are being made and a substantive response will be issued to the MP by Friday 29 October 2021. UKVI MP Engagement team will contact you if it is not possible to provide full responses within this timeframe.

PQ 03518 – MPAM/0184552/21 – I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03600 – MPAM/0182609/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03590 – MPAM/0179849/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03604 – MPAM/0171774/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03603 – MPAM/0177314/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 20 October 2021.

PQ 03591 – There was no trace of this correspondence being received. A copy of the correspondence was received on 18^th October and was closed off on 19 October through your surgery call with the MP Engagement team.

UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team is pursuing enquiries on the following case and aims to respond as below:

PQ 03503 – MPAM/0182754/21 Further enquiries are being made and a substantive response will be issued to the MP by Friday 29 October 2021. UKVI MP Engagement team will contact you if it is not possible to provide full responses within this timeframe.

PQ 03518 – MPAM/0184552/21 – I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03600 – MPAM/0182609/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03590 – MPAM/0179849/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03604 – MPAM/0171774/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03603 – MPAM/0177314/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 20 October 2021.

PQ 03591 – There was no trace of this correspondence being received. A copy of the correspondence was received on 18^th October and was closed off on 19 October through your surgery call with the MP Engagement team.

UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team is pursuing enquiries on the following case and aims to respond as below:

PQ 03503 – MPAM/0182754/21 Further enquiries are being made and a substantive response will be issued to the MP by Friday 29 October 2021. UKVI MP Engagement team will contact you if it is not possible to provide full responses within this timeframe.

PQ 03518 – MPAM/0184552/21 – I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03600 – MPAM/0182609/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 18 October 2021.

PQ 03590 – MPAM/0179849/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03604 – MPAM/0171774/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 19 October 2021.

PQ 03603 – MPAM/0177314/21 - I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 20 October 2021.

PQ 03591 – There was no trace of this correspondence being received. A copy of the correspondence was received on 18^th October and was closed off on 19 October through your surgery call with the MP Engagement team.

UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team is pursuing enquiries on the following case and aims to respond as below:

PQ 03503 – MPAM/0182754/21 Further enquiries are being made and a substantive response will be issued to the MP by Friday 29 October 2021. UKVI MP Engagement team will contact you if it is not possible to provide full responses within this timeframe.

A cross-government campaign has run since November 2018, and has been updated three times, the most recent iteration was on 8 September 2020, which was to inform citizens of changes as a result of the end of the transition period following the UK’s exit from the European Union.

This campaign promoted the new passport validity rules for travel to most countries in Europe, as well as promoting Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s online passport checker, where customers can enter their details to see if HM Passport Office recommend they renew their passport to meet these new rules. This checker can be found at the following website:

www.gov.uk/check-a-passport-travel-europe

HM Passport Office has been directing customers to the checker using SMS and email, subject to the customer’s details being held from the previous application. For over-16s, these messages are sent to customers whose passport was issued over nine and a half years previously.

Provisions within the Act ensure there are controls in place by the registrar to check the authenticity of a marriage schedule or marriage document before a marriage is registered.

If unusual activity is identified the registration service and the General Register Office will investigate.

While the implementation of the Act provides for marriages to be registered in a central electronic register, marriage certificates continue to be issued in paper format only.

These new provisions have successfully enabled the modernisation of marriage registration in England and Wales, which includes the recording of the details of both parents in the entry, rather than just the father.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit were involved in contributing to and reviewing the paper cited and it thus aligns to the regulatory approach taken by the Unit.

The Home Office through the Animals in Science Regulation Unit assures that, in every research proposal animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible; the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought; and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

Officials are working urgently to stand up the remaining elements of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, amid the complex and changing picture.

The Home Office will continue to work closely with other government departments, non-governmental organisations, charities, local authorities and other partners and relevant organisations in the development and implementation of the ACRS.

Further information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement.

On average in 2020, each vessel ran for 1112 hours.

Each Border Force Cutter is available at short notice for deployment in UK territorial waters and is deployed for 15 days at a time in 12-hour shifts before the necessary crew changes are made.

The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Home Office responded on 18 October 2021.

The Ministry of Defence and Home Office ran a joint public consultation from May to July 2021 on the issue of waiving settlement fees for certain non-UK members of the Armed Forces.

The Government is carefully considering responses and will publish its formal response to the consultation shortly.

Children are unable to apply for public funds themselves; therefore, the no recourse to public funds policy is not relevant to the consideration of support provided for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC).

During financial year 2020-21, the annual fuel cost across the BF cutter fleet was £388,000.

The Home Office do not collect information on the number of police vehicles in a police force. Future requests should be directed to police forces.