Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in relation to female genital mutilation, they are taking steps to investigate additional legislative measures to ensure that more prosecutions are secured.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.
The Home Office’s FGM Unit works closely with Border Force, who play a vital role in helping to identify and protect potential victims of FGM travelling to and from the UK. Border Force officers work in close partnership with other agencies, including social services and non government organisations. Between June and September, a number of operations took place at airports targeting inbound and outbound flights to and from countries with a high prevalence of FGM, forced marriage and human trafficking.
Information on live police investigations is sensitive and there is therefore a limit to how much information can be shared externally. To help encourage the sharing of best practice, we have recently published statutory multi-agency guidance providing information on this in relation to FGM. The FGM Unit has also recently visited all forces in England and Wales to understand their response to these issues and identify and collate examples of best practice.
We have significantly strengthened the law on FGM, through the Serious Crime Act 2015, to improve protection for victims and those at risk and to break down barriers to prosecution identified by the police and Crown Prosecution Service. Our focus is now on embedding the new legislative measures and we are working with the police, College of Policing, CPS and others to drive progress, including as part of work following HMIC’s review into so-called ‘honour-based’ violence. The Government will however keep the legal framework under constant review.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish regular reports from the Home Office FGM unit showing high level results, progress in police investigations and examples of best practice; and whether these will then be disseminated to all professionals with a mandatory duty to report female genital mutilation.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.
The Home Office’s FGM Unit works closely with Border Force, who play a vital role in helping to identify and protect potential victims of FGM travelling to and from the UK. Border Force officers work in close partnership with other agencies, including social services and non government organisations. Between June and September, a number of operations took place at airports targeting inbound and outbound flights to and from countries with a high prevalence of FGM, forced marriage and human trafficking.
Information on live police investigations is sensitive and there is therefore a limit to how much information can be shared externally. To help encourage the sharing of best practice, we have recently published statutory multi-agency guidance providing information on this in relation to FGM. The FGM Unit has also recently visited all forces in England and Wales to understand their response to these issues and identify and collate examples of best practice.
We have significantly strengthened the law on FGM, through the Serious Crime Act 2015, to improve protection for victims and those at risk and to break down barriers to prosecution identified by the police and Crown Prosecution Service. Our focus is now on embedding the new legislative measures and we are working with the police, College of Policing, CPS and others to drive progress, including as part of work following HMIC’s review into so-called ‘honour-based’ violence. The Government will however keep the legal framework under constant review.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent the Home Office FGM unit has formed operational links with police forces and Border Force airside operations to provide them with intelligence and guidance on high risk countries in relation to female genital mutilation.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.
The Home Office’s FGM Unit works closely with Border Force, who play a vital role in helping to identify and protect potential victims of FGM travelling to and from the UK. Border Force officers work in close partnership with other agencies, including social services and non government organisations. Between June and September, a number of operations took place at airports targeting inbound and outbound flights to and from countries with a high prevalence of FGM, forced marriage and human trafficking.
Information on live police investigations is sensitive and there is therefore a limit to how much information can be shared externally. To help encourage the sharing of best practice, we have recently published statutory multi-agency guidance providing information on this in relation to FGM. The FGM Unit has also recently visited all forces in England and Wales to understand their response to these issues and identify and collate examples of best practice.
We have significantly strengthened the law on FGM, through the Serious Crime Act 2015, to improve protection for victims and those at risk and to break down barriers to prosecution identified by the police and Crown Prosecution Service. Our focus is now on embedding the new legislative measures and we are working with the police, College of Policing, CPS and others to drive progress, including as part of work following HMIC’s review into so-called ‘honour-based’ violence. The Government will however keep the legal framework under constant review.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how robust is the advice given to them by the Migration Advisory Committee concluding that GPs and most categories of nurses should be excluded from the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.
Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013
The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.
The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to revise the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List in the light of the current exclusion of GPs and most categories of nurses from the list.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.
Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013
The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.
The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why actuaries and chefs are included in the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List but GPs and most categories of nurses are not.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.
Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013
The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.
The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they gave to the Migration Advisory Committee before it reached its conclusion that GPs and most categories of nurses should be excluded from the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.
Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013
The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.
The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 30 June (HL705), how many organisations tendered in the competitive procurement exercise that secured two Concession Service Providers of English language testing in the United Kingdom, and one overseas.
Answered by Lord Bates
Four organisations tendered for the Secure English Language Testing competitive procurement exercise.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish the report of the independent review into the provision of English language testing.
Answered by Lord Bates
There are no plans to publish the independent review into the provision of English Language testing.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 30 June (HL705), whether the competitive procurement exercise that secured two Concession Service Providers of English language testing in the United Kingdom, and one for overseas, was subject to an open tender process; and if not, what was the nature of the competitive procurement process, and how many providers were invited to tender.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Home Office advertised the tender opportunity using a contract notice on the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily - the online version of the 'Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union', dedicated to European public procurement). The Home Office followed the principles of the Open Procedure. There were 22 providers who were invited to tender.