Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers or refugees are currently on Diego Garcia and what is the total annual cost of keeping them there.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are currently 56 Tamil migrants in Diego Garcia, and a further 8 in Rwanda for medical treatment that could not be provided in Diego Garcia.
The FCDO provides funding to the BIOT Administration to help support the good governance of the Territory. This funding includes all costs associated with temporarily supporting the migrants on BIOT and supporting their departure from the territory. In FY 23/24, the FCDO provided £29.3million of funding. BIOT is constitutionally distinct and separate from the UK and is administered by the BIOT Administration. The FCDO does not hold a record of a detailed expenditure breakdown. However, the Administration has confirmed that the majority of funding was spent on supporting migrants.
The BIOT Administration has prioritised the welfare and safety of migrants on BIOT at all times. They receive dedicated 24-hour-a day medical care from a medical team formed of doctors, paramedics, registered nurses and mental health practitioners as well as food, accommodation, education, telecoms and recreational facilities.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make arrangements for lawyers to visit their clients on Diego Garcia; and for the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory to sit there, following the recent decision of the United States to withhold logistical support, including food and water, from the court.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The migrant camp is situated within the UK-US military facility in Diego Garcia. The facility is vital for regional and global security; both countries work to ensure its secure and effective operation.
The FCDO continues to work with the BIOT Administration and the U.S. Government to enable the BIOT Supreme Court hearing to go ahead in a manner that respects the unique context on Diego Garcia.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure the implementation of the UNHCR recommendations on the safeguarding and welfare of refugees and asylum seekers on Diego Garcia; and what arrangements are being made to bring those people to the UK, given the UNHCR's finding that Diego Garcia is not a suitable environment.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
BIOT is not a suitable long-term location for the migrants which is why we are working to find a lasting solution.
The BIOT Administration has taken careful note of the UNHCR's recommendations on the safeguarding and welfare of the migrants. The welfare and safety of migrants on BIOT is the Administration's top priority. They are provided with food, telecoms, education and recreational facilities, and 24-hours-a-day medical support., to the extent to which this is possible in Diego Garcia.
The BIOT Administration has worked to put appropriate safeguarding and social care systems in place for the migrants. All allegations of criminality are fully investigated, with criminal charges brought where appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the licence fee settlement on BBC news and current affairs programmes.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2022, His Majesty’s Government agreed a settlement with the BBC which saw the licence fee remain at £159 until 2024 to protect licence-fee-payers from inflationary pressures, and then rise in line with inflation until the end of 2027 when the BBC’s current Royal Charter is due for renewal.
HM Government will use the annual rate of inflation as calculated by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in September 2023 to calculate the licence fee uplift in April 2024. This decision will ensure the additional cost to licence-fee-payers is kept as low as possible while giving the BBC over £3.8 billion in annual licence fee funding to spend on world-leading content and to deliver on its mission as set out in its Royal Charter: to serve all audiences with impartial, high-quality, and distinctive output and services which inform, educate, and entertain.
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government and decides how it delivers its services, including its news and current affairs programming. We are, however, clear that the BBC must deliver its remit to serve all audiences with impartial, high-quality, and distinctive output and services which inform, educate, and entertain. The Royal Charter makes clear that the BBC has a vital role to play in enabling all audiences to engage fully with major local, regional, national, and global issues, and to participate in the democratic process, at all levels. The Government expects Ofcom, as the BBC’s regulator, to ensure that the Corporation is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duty.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme dependent visas have been issued to family members of Afghans resettled in the UK under Pathway 1 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
At 4th November 2022:
Whilst I am not able to provide a breakdown of this data for family members, work is underway to assure information relating to all the individuals relocated under the ARAP and ACRS on case working systems. Once this work concludes, further statistics on both schemes - including the number of people resettled under each - will be included in the published Immigration Statistics.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people they expect to resettle under Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in the first year of this pathway.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
We anticipate receiving referrals from UNHCR for up to 2,000 refugees during the first year of this pathway and this number will be kept under review.
The pace of arrivals in any particular period will necessarily depend on some key factors, including the flow of referrals from UNHCR, and the availability of suitable accommodation and support in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Department for Work and Pensions Health is everyone's business: Proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss, published in July 2019, what steps they have taken to bring forward its proposals (1) to allow statutory sick pay to be available from the first day of absence, and (2) to change statutory sick pay rules to help an employee returning from a period of absence to have a phased return to work.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
Health is Everyone’s Business (2019) consulted on a broad package of measures related to the work and health agenda. This included some proposals related to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
In the response to the consultation (2021), Government stated that the pandemic was not the time to introduce significant changes to SSP. As we learn to live with COVID-19, Government is continuing to take a broader look at the role of SSP and is keeping the system under review.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the support that people with long term degenerative conditions like multiple sclerosis receive when they are no longer able to work.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make employers aware of the 'Access to Work' scheme to ensure that people with long term progressive conditions can remain in work for longer.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many multiple sclerosis specialist nurses work in the NHS; and what plans they have, if any, to ensure all people with multiple sclerosis have access to a specialist nurse.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
Data on the number of multiple sclerosis (MS) specialist nurses working in the National Health Service is not held centrally. Services for adults with MS are part of local neurology services commissioned by clinical commissioning groups. NHS England is leading a programme to develop optimal neurology pathways including, MS services. The MS pathway includes access to specialist nurses for all patients diagnosed with MS.
NHS England commissions a highly specialised service for children with MS across seven centres. All children with MS have access to a specialist paediatric nurse with an expertise in paediatric MS. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises a multidisciplinary approach and recommends the involvement of professionals to best meet the needs of the patient, including MS nurses.