Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent seasonal agricultural workers being charged recruitment fees; and how many UK recruitment firms have lost their licence for charging such fees illegally.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
A key objective of the Seasonal Workers Scheme is to ensure that migrant workers are protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses, including the charging of recruitment fees. The safety and wellbeing of workers is considered paramount.
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) assess overseas labour providers when they apply for a licence to be a part of the Seasonal Workers Scheme. Charging recruitment fees would be a breach of the licensing standards. Any labour provider found to be in breach of the licensing standards is not provided with a licence or would have their licence revoked. To date, no licence holder part of the Seasonal Workers Scheme has been found to be in breach of the standards related to recruitment fees.
The GLAA is undertaking work in partnership to prevent exploitation of workers. For example, the GLAA and seasonal worker pilot operators are jointly developing an informative video, specifically addressing issues related to recruitment fees. The video is due to be launched in the coming weeks. The GLAA is also developing specific guidance aimed for overseas businesses will also be published shortly. Finally, the GLAA is working with UK embassies to engage more closely with in-country government agencies and ensure local laws and regulations are always met.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new customs agents have been recruited to staff the UK's borders in the light of the UK's departure from the EU; and what is their eventual target for the recruitment of such agents.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Since 2018-19, Border Force has been building its staffing to meet the requirements of exiting the European Union and the end of the transition period.
By the end of the transition period, over 1,350 permanent staff were in post. Whilst recruitment and training continues, Border Force is also using contingency resources to provide additional short-term coverage where required.
Border Force anticipates requiring a total of 2,000 additional operational staff by July 2021, when full customs import controls are implemented on movements of goods from the EU to Great Britain but continues to keep the position under review based on operational requirements.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they consider that people designated as "no recourse to public funds" under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 will have access to food during the lockdown.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office is working closely with other government departments, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to support people, including migrants with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), through this crisis.? Departments are sharing what they are learning from other bodies and charities with each other to ensure we continue to take a compassionate and pragmatic approach to an unprecedented situation.
Many of the wide-ranging Covid-19 measures the Government has put in place, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Self-employment Income Support Scheme and rental and mortgage protections are not public funds and therefore are available to migrants with NRPF.
Local authorities can provide basic safety net support if it is established there is a care need which does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question. The Government has provided more than £3.2 billion of funding to local authorities in England, and additional funding under the Barnett formula to the devolved administrations to enable them to respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including services helping the most vulnerable. In addition, on the 8th April the Chancellor announced an additional £750m package of support for charities across the UK to ensure they can continue their vital work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
More information on the support available for migrants affected by Covid-19 can be found on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk.
We will keep the situation under review and consider further measures if needed.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the future EU workers visa scheme will allow farmers to employ seasonal workers on part-year contracts for consecutive years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We have published an ambitious White Paper, setting out proposals for our future skills-based immigration system, including a new Temporary Worker route, open to all skill levels, to ensure UK businesses and employers have the staff they need, including seasonal workers.
Following a cooling off period, previous holders of a temporary short-term work visa will be eligible to apply for another temporary work visa to come to the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to re-introducing the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our world-leading food and farming industry. We have asked the Migration Advisory Committee for advice on the UK’s reliance on EU labour and they will help us shape immigration policy going forward.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have permanently to fund the National Wildlife Crime Unit to ensure that the proposed ivory ban can be enforced.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Together with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other partners, the Home Office funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit. The Government has made a commitment to fund the Unit until 2020 and the end of this spending review period.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Internet Watch Foundation has the necessary legal powers and authority to remove non-photographic child sexual abuse images, in particular Manga and CGI-based material, as defined by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, on (1) UK hosted, and (2) non-UK hosted, internet sites.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This Government is committed to eradicating online child sexual exploitation and that includes working with organisations like the Internet Watch Foundation. The IWF has no legal powers. It is a self-regulatory body but is the recognised UK authority in issuing notices to remove criminal child sexual abuse content.
The IWF addresses reports concerning non-photographic images when they are hosted on UK websites where such images are believed to be criminal and are depicted on a website hosted in the UK, they will work in partnership with the hosting provider and NCA-CEOP to remove the content and provide information to assist investigations into its distribution.
The IWF operates as a point of expertise for advice to their members on whether such images on their networks are potentially criminal and should be considered for investigation by the police.
If the site is outside the UK, it is reported by the NCA to the host country via Interpol channels to take appropriate action.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions UK police have taken to (1) restrict access to, or (2) remove, non-photographic child sexual abuse material on (a) UK hosted, and (b) non-UK hosted, internet sites.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This Government is committed to eradicating online child sexual exploitation and that includes working with organisations like the Internet Watch Foundation. The IWF has no legal powers. It is a self-regulatory body but is the recognised UK authority in issuing notices to remove criminal child sexual abuse content.
The IWF addresses reports concerning non-photographic images when they are hosted on UK websites where such images are believed to be criminal and are depicted on a website hosted in the UK, they will work in partnership with the hosting provider and NCA-CEOP to remove the content and provide information to assist investigations into its distribution.
The IWF operates as a point of expertise for advice to their members on whether such images on their networks are potentially criminal and should be considered for investigation by the police.
If the site is outside the UK, it is reported by the NCA to the host country via Interpol channels to take appropriate action.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has made of the extent of child sexual abuse and exploitation online; which groups of children are particularly at risk; and whether there is evidence of a growing problem of online sexual risk for UK children.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The National Crime Agency, of which the CEOP Command forms part, publishes the National Strategic Assessment annually. The Assessment provides a comprehensive picture of the risk posed to the UK and its interests by serious and organised crime, including child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The National Crime Agency also publishes an Annual Report which contains a set of statistics in respect of the whole of its activity.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has published any statistics in publicly available research reports since 2013; and if not, whether it has any plans to do so in the short term.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The National Crime Agency, of which the CEOP Command forms part, publishes the National Strategic Assessment annually. The Assessment provides a comprehensive picture of the risk posed to the UK and its interests by serious and organised crime, including child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The National Crime Agency also publishes an Annual Report which contains a set of statistics in respect of the whole of its activity.