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Written Question
Migrants: Domestic Abuse
Monday 31st July 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what protections are in place to ensure that migrant victims of domestic abuse can safely report abuse to the police, without fear of immigration enforcement action.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

A Migrant Victims Protocol is being established. This will provide an assurance to individuals that no immigration enforcement action will be taken whilst criminal justice proceedings concerning allegations of domestic violence are ongoing and/or whilst support to make applications to regularise their stay is being sought.

Representatives of the domestic abuse sector have rejected the proposal of the protocol and opted not to engage further with the Home Office on its development.

Representatives of the domestic abuse sector have received regular updates on the development of the protocol through Home Office chaired stakeholder groups. The Home Office has engaged with police and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner on an initial draft of the Code of Practice prior to consultation as required by Section 82 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Feedback provided by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, as a representative of the domestic abuse sector, is being reviewed as the Code is developed. Consultation will take place before any Code of Practice is laid before Parliament for approval as required by the Act and will commence later this year.

The Protocol will be finalised and communicated later this year.


Written Question
Migrants: Domestic Abuse
Monday 31st July 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult representatives of the domestic abuse sector on (1) the development of the protocol, and (2) code of practice on data sharing, for migrant victims of crime.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

A Migrant Victims Protocol is being established. This will provide an assurance to individuals that no immigration enforcement action will be taken whilst criminal justice proceedings concerning allegations of domestic violence are ongoing and/or whilst support to make applications to regularise their stay is being sought.

Representatives of the domestic abuse sector have rejected the proposal of the protocol and opted not to engage further with the Home Office on its development.

Representatives of the domestic abuse sector have received regular updates on the development of the protocol through Home Office chaired stakeholder groups. The Home Office has engaged with police and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner on an initial draft of the Code of Practice prior to consultation as required by Section 82 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Feedback provided by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, as a representative of the domestic abuse sector, is being reviewed as the Code is developed. Consultation will take place before any Code of Practice is laid before Parliament for approval as required by the Act and will commence later this year.

The Protocol will be finalised and communicated later this year.


Written Question
Migrants: Domestic Abuse
Monday 31st July 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the evaluation of the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

In 2021 the Government awarded the charity Southall Black Sisters £1.4 million to run the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Scheme pilot. This was following the Government’s review (in 2020) of its response to migrant victims who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This funding has now been extended until March 2025.

The independent evaluation of the SMV Scheme considered the implementation and delivery of the pilot, the experiences and outcomes for those who accessed it, and how the pilot sat alongside existing support for migrant victims of domestic abuse. A total of 425 victims were supported during the pilot.

When we have carefully considered the findings, we will publish the evaluation in due course.


Written Question
Domestic Abuse
Tuesday 4th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the recommendations in the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s second report into migrant survivors, Safety before status: the solutions, published on 13 December 2022.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls is a government priority. We are committed to supporting victims of abuse, regardless of their immigration status.

The Home Office is grateful to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for publishing the ‘Safety Before Status: The Solutions’ report and to the Commissioner’s team and external partners for researching the vital issue of support for migrant victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

We will continue to engage with the Commissioner’s office on recommendations set out in the report, and across government. We have already begun to take forward work that stems from some of the recommendations.

We are giving detailed consideration to the findings of this research in conjunction with the external evaluation of the Home Office funded Support for Migrant Victims Scheme pilot (SMV) and considering the wider policies affecting migrant victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Our official response will be published as soon as is practicable. In the meantime, we continue to provide £1.4 million per annum to fund support for all migrant victims of domestic abuse.


Written Question
Domestic Abuse
Tuesday 4th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their response to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report Safety before status: the solutions, which was due in February.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls is a government priority. We are committed to supporting victims of abuse, regardless of their immigration status.

The Home Office is grateful to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for publishing the ‘Safety Before Status: The Solutions’ report and to the Commissioner’s team and external partners for researching the vital issue of support for migrant victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

We will continue to engage with the Commissioner’s office on recommendations set out in the report, and across government. We have already begun to take forward work that stems from some of the recommendations.

We are giving detailed consideration to the findings of this research in conjunction with the external evaluation of the Home Office funded Support for Migrant Victims Scheme pilot (SMV) and considering the wider policies affecting migrant victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Our official response will be published as soon as is practicable. In the meantime, we continue to provide £1.4 million per annum to fund support for all migrant victims of domestic abuse.


Written Question
Visas: Domestic Abuse
Tuesday 3rd January 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available for those on a student or visitor visa who become subject to domestic abuse whilst residing in England.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for this Government. Information on support for victims can be found on the Domestic abuse: how to get help page on GOV.UK, or through Government’s 'Enough' campaign.

Those on a student or visitor visa who become subject to domestic abuse whilst residing in England, can also seek support from the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme. The SMV scheme was launched as a 12-month pilot in March 2021, run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners, and supported with £1.5 million of Government funding. It provides support and wraparound services to migrant victims of domestic abuse. This support includes: accommodation, subsistence, legal advice and counselling.

Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support to migrant victims if a genuine care need is established that does not arise solely from destitution. Examples can include, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.

Evidence from the independent evaluation of the SMV pilot, to be produced in a final report in early 2023, will inform future policy decisions surrounding our support for migrant victims of domestic abuse. Whilst we consider the evaluation findings and the lessons learned for future policy decisions, we will provide £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund support for all migrant victims of domestic abuse.


Written Question
Migrants: Domestic Abuse
Tuesday 3rd January 2023

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, (1) to extend the destitution domestic violence concession (DDVC) to six months, and (2) to widen the eligibility to all migrant survivors of domestic abuse.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for this Government. Information on support for victims can be found on the Domestic abuse: how to get help page on GOV.UK, or through Government’s 'Enough' campaign.

Those on a student or visitor visa who become subject to domestic abuse whilst residing in England, can also seek support from the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme. The SMV scheme was launched as a 12-month pilot in March 2021, run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners, and supported with £1.5 million of Government funding. It provides support and wraparound services to migrant victims of domestic abuse. This support includes: accommodation, subsistence, legal advice and counselling.

Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support to migrant victims if a genuine care need is established that does not arise solely from destitution. Examples can include, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.

Evidence from the independent evaluation of the SMV pilot, to be produced in a final report in early 2023, will inform future policy decisions surrounding our support for migrant victims of domestic abuse. Whilst we consider the evaluation findings and the lessons learned for future policy decisions, we will provide £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund support for all migrant victims of domestic abuse.


Written Question
Migrants: Domestic Abuse
Friday 27th May 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their evaluation of the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Tackling domestic abuse and ensuring victims receive the support they need, is a priority for this Government. Furthermore, anyone who has suffered domestic abuse must be treated as a victim first and foremost, regardless of immigration status.

In April 2021, the Home Office launched the £1.5 million Support for Migrant Victims Scheme for migrant victims of domestic abuse who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). The pilot, being run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners for a duration of 12 months, provides wraparound support for migrant victims of domestic abuse, including subsistence, accommodation and counselling.

We have appointed an independent evaluator, Behavioural Insights Ltd, to assess the Scheme, with a view to producing a final report later this year. The Scheme and independent evaluation will help to build the evidence-base needed to better understand the diverse needs of the migrant population, which in turn should inform any future change in policy decisions.

In the interim, as announced in our recently published Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, we will provide £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund support for migrant victims of domestic abuse, whilst we take on board vital lessons learned from the pilot to inform future policy decisions.

The Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan will seek to transform the whole of society’s response in order to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems processes in place needed to deliver these goals. The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) National Statement of Expectations, and Commissioning Toolkit, which we have published alongside the Plan, will also provide support to commissioners to help them increase provision of ‘by and for’ and specialist services.


Written Question
Immigrants: Detainees
Tuesday 9th June 2020

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many residents of immigration removal centres (1) have displayed, or (2) are currently displaying, symptoms of COVID-19; and of those, how many have been tested. [T]

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The safety and health of people in the detention estate are of the utmost importance. We are following all Public Health England guidance and have robust contingency plans in place.

All immigration removal centres have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers. The Home Office, its suppliers and NHS England healthcare providers in immigration removal centres are following PHE guidelines for the management of COVID-19. Universal testing is not currently recommended under these guidelines for those in detention or those being released. Testing of individuals in immigration detention will be dependent on individual circumstances.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 in IRCs, all centres are following a reverse cohorting process which commenced on 20 April 2020. This requires new arrivals to be isolated from the main population for a period of 14 days to verify that each individual is asymptomatic. If a detainee shows symptoms during this time, they are be moved to protective isolation for seven days.

As of 3 June 2020, there are no cases of COVID-19 in immigration removal centres.

There have been two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in detainees, a third individual was identified but after his release from detention had been agreed.

Local management information indicates that for the period 9 March to 31 May 2020, fifty-seven detainees have been placed in protective isolation for displaying COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms. There is currently one detainee in protective isolation after showing symptoms of COVID-19. Historic information on the number of COVID-19 tests conducted in IRCs is not held.


Written Question
Asylum
Tuesday 9th April 2019

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what processes they operate for monitoring and reviewing decisions on asylum claims.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Asylum decision-makers are expected to carefully consider protection needs following an interview by assessing all available evidence provided by the claimant in context of published country information, which covers issues relating to freedom of religion and belief. They receive extensive training on considering asylum claims, which covers religious claims, and must follow published Home Office policy guidance.


We work closely with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, the Asylum Advocacy Group (AAG) and have engaged a range of faith groups to help us improve our approach to religious based claims. We value their support in helping us to improve policy guidance and training for caseworkers in this important and complex area.

We have an internal audit process which assesses the quality of decisions, interviews and the application of Home Office policy. We have Senior Case Worker assessments as well as independent auditors from Central Operations who audit asylum cases and provide quarterly reports. The quality of asylum decisions is systematically assessed against a detailed audit framework drawn up in consultation with external partners, including the UNHCR, which includes checks on compliance with existing asylum polices, relevant case law and the appropriate country of origin information reports.