Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether migrants who have crossed the English Channel and were subsequently detained by Border Force have been tested for COVID-19; and if so, what percentage of such migrants have so far tested positive.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Since we introduced quarantine measures in June, those who have come to the UK in illegally facilitated crossings have been placed in facilities where they must self-isolate for 14 days, given we cannot be certain which countries they have travelled through.
Anyone who is symptomatic will be taken to designated accommodation and tested according to Public Health England guidance.
Care pathways follow published HM Government guidance on COVID-19 and more detailed PHE and NHS England guidance on the management of COVID-19 in places of detention. Under these guidelines universal testing is not recommended.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prepare to accommodate British National (Overseas) passport holders from Hong Kong; and where such passport holders will be accommodated.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Secretary was pleased to recently announce details of the new immigration route for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) citizens, which can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/hong-kong-bno-visa-policy-statement/hong-kong-british-national-overseas-visa-policy-statement-plain-text-version
This is a special bespoke set of arrangements, developed for the unique circumstances we face and in light of our historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong.
British National (Overseas) citizens who choose to come to the UK will need to be self-sufficient and will be able to work in the UK.
Recognising this new immigration route applies across the Union, Home Office officials, with support from the Territorial Offices, have already begun engaging with the Devolved Administrations. This engagement has kept the Devolved Administrations informed of the policy as it develops, which will enable them to co-ordinate the most effective response for their respective regions.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about their plans to offer a route to British citizenship to British National (Overseas) passport holders from Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Secretary was pleased to recently announce details of the new immigration route for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) citizens, which can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/hong-kong-bno-visa-policy-statement/hong-kong-british-national-overseas-visa-policy-statement-plain-text-version
This is a special bespoke set of arrangements, developed for the unique circumstances we face and in light of our historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong.
British National (Overseas) citizens who choose to come to the UK will need to be self-sufficient and will be able to work in the UK.
Recognising this new immigration route applies across the Union, Home Office officials, with support from the Territorial Offices, have already begun engaging with the Devolved Administrations. This engagement has kept the Devolved Administrations informed of the policy as it develops, which will enable them to co-ordinate the most effective response for their respective regions.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what legal basis they offered British National (Overseas) passport-holders in Hong Kong a route to British citizenship.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Following the imposition by the Chinese Government of a national security law on Hong Kong that restricts the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong in breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the UK Government has confirmed new immigration arrangements will be put in place for British Nationals (Overseas).
As announced by the Foreign Secretary on 1 July, a new bespoke immigration route will allow BN(O)s to apply to come to the UK without the current 6 month limit, granting them 5 years limited leave to remain, with the ability to live and work in the UK, after which they may apply for settled status and a year later citizenship. This is a special bespoke set of arrangements, developed for the unique circumstances we face and in light of our historic commitment to BN(O)s in Hong Kong.
We have set out our intention and will give effect to this through changes to the Immigration Rules in due course.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what costs have been incurred from (1) intercepting, (2) processing, and (3) housing and maintaining, people who have illegally entered the UK by sea since January.
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 publishes data regarding its financial accounts on the GOV.UK website as part of its financial reporting procedures, and also as part of the transparency agenda. The latest report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2018-to-2019
We do not routinely publish breakdowns of operational departmental spending, and are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people illegally entered the UK by sea since January.
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.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who entered the UK illegally by sea since January have (1) applied for asylum, (2) been detained pending further enquiries, and (3) been returned to another country.
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 has published data on the number of illegals migrants who have entered the UK illegally by crossing the Channel and the point at which they were encountered, up to and including February 2019, and this information can be found at Table 2, at the link below:
Year | Number of People encountered and to the point they were encountered |
2019 | 177 |
Data from March 2019 is currently being reconciled to ensure accuracy. No decision has been taken on mode or frequency of any future publication of this data.
The Home Office is unable to report on how many people who entered the UK illegally by sea since January have (1) applied for asylum, (2) been detained pending further enquiries, as the method of entry for those who claim asylum in the UK is non recorded in a format that can easily be retrieved and to obtain this information would require a manual trawl and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
The Home Office does publish data on the number of applications for asylum in the UK, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release, the latest release published 24th May 2019. The number of asylum applications for main applicants by country of nationality, made since January 2019 can be found in table as_01_q for main applicants:
Year | Total asylum applications (Main applicants) |
2019 Q1 | 8,922 |
Latest edition available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#asylum
The Home Office does publish data on the number of people entering detention, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release, the latest release published 24th May 2019. The number entering detention since January 2019 can be found in table dt_01_q:
Year | Total detainees |
2019 Q1 | 6,153 |
Latest edition available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#detention
The number of illegal migrants who entered the UK illegally by small boats and have been returned to another country currently stands at 35.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a returning ISIS fighter from Syria, who is an Irish citizen, will be allowed to enter, settle and work in the UK under Common Travel Area rules.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK has robust policies in place to exclude those whose behaviour is non-conducive to the public good in the UK. The Home Secretary has the power to exclude non-British nationals from the UK if he believes they represent a serious threat to our society. Exclusion decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis by Ministers.
Irish citizens have long held a status in the UK as part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements, reflecting the close ties between the UK and Ireland. These arrangements, which mean Irish citizens can live, work, study and access benefits and services in the UK without being subject to a requirement to obtain leave to enter or remain, do not prevent an Irish citizen from being excluded or deported from the UK.
The UK’s approach since 2007 has been to only consider Irish citizens for deportation where a criminal court has recommended deportation or conviction or where the Secretary of State concludes that due to the exceptional circumstances of the case the public interest requires deportation. This approach is to be maintained.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions in the last 12 months they have advised individuals to renounce their British citizenship; and for what purposes.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Information on renouncing British citizenship is available on the Gov.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/renounce-british-nationality. It is a matter of individual choice if a person wishes to renounce British citizenship and rely on any other nationality they hold.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who entered the UK illegally via the English Channel have been deported in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The latest published statistics on returns can be found on line on the www. gov.uk website.
Deportations are a subset of enforced returns. They may occur either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. Information on those deported is not separately available. Published statistics refer to enforced returns, which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers who have declined to leave voluntarily. Most illegal immigrants are removed from the UK under administrative or illegal entry powers and not deported.
The Home Office does not separately record the method of entry of those who are returned and as such the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.