Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many non-UK EU nationals are working on (1) passport checks, (2) e-passport gates, (3) immigration control, (4) customs checks, and (5) other UK border control checks, at each of the London airports of (a) Heathrow, (b) Stansted, (c) Gatwick, (d) City, and (e) Luton; and what is the breakdown of staff in each category, and at each airport, in terms of (i) full-time staff, (ii) part-time staff, and (iii) agency staff.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office undertakes checks to confirm that potential candidates meet the eligibility requirements to work in the UK.
I am sorry but the Home Office does not record the nationality of employees on our IT systems and is unable to provide this information.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many non-UK EU nationals are employed by Border Force in total, either directly or through agencies, at all UK air and sea ports; and what proportion this represents of the total number of employees and agency staff.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office undertakes checks to confirm that potential candidates meet the eligibility requirements to work in the UK.
I am sorry but the Home Office does not record the nationality of employees on our IT systems and is unable to provide this information.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have ever considered using drones to monitor Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit border with the Republic of Ireland and the European Union; whether they have any plans to do so; and if not, whether they intend explicitly to rule it out.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangement pre-dates the EU and leaders in Ireland and the United Kingdom, including the Northern Ireland Executive have been unequivocal - all want to protect this arrangement.
To date the use of drones has not been considered as a method of monitoring the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland post-Brexit. Indeed regulation in the UK does not permit the use of drones beyond line of sight . Discussions between the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister have underlined their desire to work together to find a creative and innovative solution and to maintain the closest possible relationship following the UK’s exit from the EU.
We will continue the high level of collaboration with Ireland on the future of the CTA once the UK has left the EU, avoiding the imposition of fixed immigration controls and being clear that there will be no immediate changes to our practices surrounding the CTA.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (HL783), whether they have now considered the judge's remarks made during <i>Taiwo v Olaigbe and another </i>[2016] UKSC 31; if so, what is their assessment of them; and if not, when they plan to do so.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government has provided strong protections for overseas domestic workers, including giving them the right to change employers during the six-month period for which they are admitted. There are no current plans to amend the Modern Slavery Act, but we keep the measures in the Act under review.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the referendum of the UK membership of the EU, whether families and individuals already established in the UK, including families and individuals from other EU countries, will be able to stay in the UK whatever changes may be made in regard to future migration to the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government wants to be able to guarantee the legal status of EU nationals who are living in the UK, and we are confident that we will be able to do this.
But we must also win the same rights for British nationals living in European countries, and it will be an early negotiating objective for the Government to achieve those things together.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to maintain the normalisation of the Irish border in terms of the common travel area, and whether they plan to take steps to ensure that there will be no ethnic profiling of people crossing that border.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Prime Minister has reiterated the importance of continuing to engage with Ireland on how we can maintain the Common Travel Area (CTA). The CTA arrangement pre-dates the EU and we remain committed to it. The Government continues to work closely with Ireland to improve the security of the CTA. UK law enforcement agencies carry out intelligence-led checks on CTA routes to combat abuse – all of which is done within the law.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to amend the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to deal with the mistreatment of migrant domestic workers by employers who exploit their employees' vulnerable situation, in the light of the remarks by Baroness Hale of Richmond in paragraph 34 of the judgment on 22 June in <i>Taiwo v Olaigbe and another</i> [2016] UKSC31.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is considering the Judge’s remarks in the context of the wider support available to victims of modern slavery provided for in the Modern Slavery Act.