Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many contractors they have engaged to assist with the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The asylum accommodation estate is provided by three providers under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts, Serco, Mears and Clearsprings Ready Homes. Previously, the Bibby Stockholm which housed asylum seekers, was managed by CTM under the Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services contract.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that work visas will be issued to those with dog grooming skills.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Points Based Immigration System uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code system, owned by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), to classify job roles. These codes can be broad, covering a multitude of job roles, many of which visas are unlikely to be granted for.
There is more to obtaining a Skilled Worker visa than just having a role on the list of eligible occupations. Jobs must also meet the required salary thresholds, as well as applicants having to be sponsored by a licensed employer, and meet English language requirements.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of adequate insurance capacity to enable them to achieve their target of building 1.5 million houses during this Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK’s insurance market is competitive, with many providers offering a wide variety of insurance products. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of financial services, has a primary objective to ensure relevant markets are functioning well.
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Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial allowances their contractors are permitted to provide to asylum seekers per month for (1) food, (2) clothing, (3) mobile phones, (4) education, (5) leisure activities, (6) accommodation, and (7) transport.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has a legal obligation to meet the essential living needs of asylum seekers or dependents who appear to be destitute or are likely to become destitute within a prescribed period, while their asylum claim is being considered.
Details of what is considered essential can be found in the annual asylum support rate review reports, published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many contractors they have engaged to assist with the management of asylum seekers, and what fees those contractors have been paid in (1) the last financial year, and (2) the current financial year to date.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The requested data is not centrally held in an easily accessible form, and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that one in 12 residents of London are “hidden and transient”, which includes people living at secondary addresses, visitors and tourists and irregular migrants.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Noble Lord will wish to be aware that those media outlets who published those reports have subsequently published corrections accepting that they were not accurate. Estimates of the illegal population are inherently uncertain, and no current accurate assessment is available.
Robust procedures are in place to ensure that individuals with no right to be in the UK are removed, either voluntarily or through enforcement action.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial provisions are made available to those who arrive to this country illegally in small boats, for clothing, food, laundry and other essentials; and whether such persons have immediate access to all NHS services.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has a legal obligation to meet the essential living needs of asylum seekers or dependents who appear to be destitute or are likely to become destitute within a prescribed period, while their asylum claim is being considered.
Details of what is considered essential can be found in the annual asylum support rate review reports, published on gov.uk; www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers(opens in a new tab).
Asylum seekers are not eligible for mainstream benefits.
The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to ensure that asylum seekers can address any necessary healthcare requirements
Further information about support asylum seekers may be entitled to can be found at: Asylum support: What you'll get - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to amend the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to change the mechanism for choosing a Stormont Executive.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government’s focus remains on working with the Executive and the Assembly to improve public services and generate economic growth.
We remain committed to ensuring the long-term stability of the Northern Ireland institutions and have no current plans to amend the Northern Ireland Act to change the mechanism for choosing an Executive.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 28 November 2024 (HL2549), how many individual claims were included in the £4,682,122 compensation paid out in the past five years to families of victims of the Troubles.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
My written Answer on 28 November 2024 referenced £4,682,122 of compensation paid to 'relatives of those shot and killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland during the Troubles'. That cohort included 20 individual claims.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many outstanding claims for compensation they have received and are processing from relatives of those shot or killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is processing 107 claims relating to individuals shot or killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland, during the Troubles.