Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have launched a pilot scheme to gather data on the needs of migrant victims of domestic violence; if so, when it will conclude; and when they expect to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Support for Migrant Victims Scheme launched in April this year and is intended to run until March 2022. The scheme was set up in order to provide protection and support for migrant victims of domestic abuse who are unable to access public funds and to enable the Government to take evidence based decisions on how best to protect these victims in the long term.
When we are satisfied that we are compliant with the Convention then we will, in line with section 1(3) of the Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017, make a statement to Parliament confirming this and set out the timetable for ratification.
This Government remains committed to ratifying the Convention as soon as possible.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers given leave to remain in the UK over the last five years have committed (1) minor, and (2) serious, offences; and of this number, how many ultimately applied for and received indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection will usually be granted a period of limited leave (for 5 years) along with any dependants included on the claim. When their leave is due to expire, they must apply for further leave for themselves and any qualifying dependants if they want to remain in the UK.
After 5 years limited leave, an individual becomes eligible to apply for settlement in the UK (which constitutes indefinite leave to remain) but this is a privilege and not an automatic right.
Settlement may be refused where protection is no longer required; or where there is evidence of criminality or concerns about their character, conduct or associations such that they should be denied the benefits of permanent residence in the UK. Those who no longer need protection can return home in safety or apply to stay under other provisions of the Immigration Rules. Those who are still at risk of serious harm in their country are not expected to return there and where appropriate they will be granted limited leave if they do not qualify for settlement.
The available published data on asylum-related grants of settlement (indefinite leave to remain) are published in settlement tables se_02_q and se_02 in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The published data do not show whether the applicant had previously committed 1) minor, and (2) serious, offences.
To capture the numbers requested would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. There are no plans to identify these individuals separately within our published statistics.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many illegal migrants arrived in the UK by sea in the last 12 months; what proportion of them were trafficked women and children; and of those, what proportion have leave to remain in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Permanent Secretary’s letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee on small boat attempts up to and including February 2019 can be found here:
The data from March is currently being reconciled to ensure accuracy. No decision has been taken on mode or frequency of any future publication of this data.We are tackling the organised crime gangs who are exploiting vulnerable and desperate individuals by working across Government and with both domestic and international agencies to respond to this issue.
As the Immigration Minister announced in Parliament there have been 24 arrests between IE and NCA in relation to small boat threats.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they provide the independent anti-slavery commissioner with regular information on new arrivals in the UK who may be victims of trafficking, whether or not they register with the National Referral Mechanism; and what guidance they provide on the need to offer care and protection to victims of trafficking while they have temporary leave to remain.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government recognises the importance of sharing data with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and will do so where appropriate, including on the number of modern slavery victims coming to the UK.
Safeguarding modern slavery victims is a top priority for this Government. We provide guidance available to all frontline staff to help them identify and support potential victims of modern slavery. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509326/victims-of-modern-slavery-frontline-staff-guidance-v3.pdf.
We also provide guidance to the staff of the Single Competent Authority (SCA), where all decisions are made on whether someone is a victim of modern slavery, to ensure victims are correctly identified and receive appropriate care and protection. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/797903/victims-modern-slavery-competent-auth-v7.0-ext.pdf.
The Government is also working to publish statutory guidance to further improve the identification and support for victims.
In addition, we are currently conducting a review of the training received by First Responders, to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities, and that they can effectively connect victims to the support they need.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they ensure that UK support for Albanian victims of human trafficking reaches those who need it most.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK is working closely with the Albanian Government to better support Albanian victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including the reintegration of returnees. For example, the UK and Albania are currently in the process of strengthening cooperation under the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding to enhance information-sharing.
Both the UK and Albania are signatories to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which requires our governments to design comprehensive frameworks to protect and assist victims of trafficking. The UK and Albania have developed National Referral Mechanisms to fulfil this requirement. The decision-making processes through our respective National Referral Mechanisms are independent and we are not seeking harmonisation beyond the sharing of best practice and expertise.
We are not aware of reports that victims have returned to Albania and not been provided with support due to local authorities not recognising UK Conclusive Grounds decisions. Should we receive reports, we will discuss with Albanian counterparts.
The UK provides comprehensive support to potential victims of trafficking in the UK through the National Referral Mechanism regardless of their nationality. All victims who receive a positive reasonable grounds decision are entitled to a minimum 45 days Reflection and Recovery period, during which specialist support and advocacy are provided. This includes access to emergency medical treatment, translation and interpretation, information and signposting, counselling, assistance at appropriate stages of criminal proceedings against offenders, assistance with returning to their home country, and tailored exit plans to move on from their time in service. This assistance is designed to meet the unique needs of individual potential victims.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Albanian survivors of human trafficking in receipt of positive conclusive grounds determinations under the National Referral Mechanism have returned to Albania to find that their local authorities disagree with those determinations, making them ineligible to receive any of the associated social support.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK is working closely with the Albanian Government to better support Albanian victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including the reintegration of returnees. For example, the UK and Albania are currently in the process of strengthening cooperation under the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding to enhance information-sharing.
Both the UK and Albania are signatories to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which requires our governments to design comprehensive frameworks to protect and assist victims of trafficking. The UK and Albania have developed National Referral Mechanisms to fulfil this requirement. The decision-making processes through our respective National Referral Mechanisms are independent and we are not seeking harmonisation beyond the sharing of best practice and expertise.
We are not aware of reports that victims have returned to Albania and not been provided with support due to local authorities not recognising UK Conclusive Grounds decisions. Should we receive reports, we will discuss with Albanian counterparts.
The UK provides comprehensive support to potential victims of trafficking in the UK through the National Referral Mechanism regardless of their nationality. All victims who receive a positive reasonable grounds decision are entitled to a minimum 45 days Reflection and Recovery period, during which specialist support and advocacy are provided. This includes access to emergency medical treatment, translation and interpretation, information and signposting, counselling, assistance at appropriate stages of criminal proceedings against offenders, assistance with returning to their home country, and tailored exit plans to move on from their time in service. This assistance is designed to meet the unique needs of individual potential victims.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what efforts they are making to harmonise conclusive grounds determinations of the UK and Albanian National Referral Mechanisms.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK is working closely with the Albanian Government to better support Albanian victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including the reintegration of returnees. For example, the UK and Albania are currently in the process of strengthening cooperation under the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding to enhance information-sharing.
Both the UK and Albania are signatories to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which requires our governments to design comprehensive frameworks to protect and assist victims of trafficking. The UK and Albania have developed National Referral Mechanisms to fulfil this requirement. The decision-making processes through our respective National Referral Mechanisms are independent and we are not seeking harmonisation beyond the sharing of best practice and expertise.
We are not aware of reports that victims have returned to Albania and not been provided with support due to local authorities not recognising UK Conclusive Grounds decisions. Should we receive reports, we will discuss with Albanian counterparts.
The UK provides comprehensive support to potential victims of trafficking in the UK through the National Referral Mechanism regardless of their nationality. All victims who receive a positive reasonable grounds decision are entitled to a minimum 45 days Reflection and Recovery period, during which specialist support and advocacy are provided. This includes access to emergency medical treatment, translation and interpretation, information and signposting, counselling, assistance at appropriate stages of criminal proceedings against offenders, assistance with returning to their home country, and tailored exit plans to move on from their time in service. This assistance is designed to meet the unique needs of individual potential victims.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what statistics they have about the level of crime in the UK over three years committed by (1) Albanians, (2) Kosovars, and (3) Macedonians.
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 does not hold the information being requested. The Home Office receives police recorded crime data from forces in England and Wales but does not receive information on nationality of suspect within these data.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
Her Majesty's Government how many Nepalese students applied to undertake further education in the UK in the last two years for which figures are available, and how many were accepted.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Information on total sponsored entry clearance visa applications to study by nationality, is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Sponsorship tables, (found here://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2017/list-of-tables#visas).
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Nepalese university students entered the UK during each of the last five years for the purposes of (1) higher education, and (2) further education; and how many were returned (a) for illegal entry, and (b) at the end of their course.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The available information relates to student admissions under Tier 4 and in the short term study (previously ‘student visitor) category, by nationality, published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Admissions table ad_03 on the .GOV.UK website and via the library of the House
Over time the data obtained through exit checks will contribute to the statistical picture. This level of detail is not yet available.