Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidelines entry clearance officers apply when considering a visit visa applicant’s income history in assessing whether they are a genuine visitor to the UK; what procedures are in place to ensure quality and consistency in entry clearance decisions for visit visa applications; and what appeal and complaint mechanisms are available for rejected visit visa applicants.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Immigration Rules for Visitors set out that visitors must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. In assessing whether an applicant has sufficient funds, decision makers will consider the individual’s personal circumstances, including any evidence provided. There is also provision in the rules for an applicant’s travel, maintenance and accommodation to be provided by a third party.
The Visit Caseworker Guidance provides guidance to decision makers when assessing Visitor applications. Additional guidance for applicants is also available in the Supporting Documents guidance, which sets out suggested evidence required for the different types of visits including what types of financial documents applicants can present. These guidance documents are published on gov.uk
UK Visas and Immigration regularly reviews visit visa decisions as part of their overall decision quality approach. UKVI regularly undertakes decision maker training and refresher training courses, and uses lessons learned reviews to enhance and improve decision quality.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to appoint a UK Special Envoy for the Sudan crisis who would work to facilitate humanitarian access to Sudan and bring the conflict to an end.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea spends a significant amount of time on efforts to secure peace in Sudan, working closely with other envoys covering Sudan. Our HMA to Khartoum - now based in Addis Ababa - continues to engage with key international partners on achieving the UK's strategic objectives to support peace in Sudan, as do other British Ambassadors in the region.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the effectiveness of UK Official Development Assistance spending in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Zimbabwe works primarily through multilateral organisations, non-governmental organisations and private contractors, to ensure maximum impact and targeted support for the poorest Zimbabweans. A portfolio evaluation of the UK's work in Zimbabwe under the 2016-2020 business plan is publicly available as are annual reviews for each programme.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that tropical viruses such as West Nile Virus have spread to Europe, what assessment they have made, if any, of the case for screening blood donations for tropical viruses.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
United Kingdom blood services test blood donations for West Nile virus (WNV), if it is indicated by the information provided in the individual’s donor safety questionnaire that they have travelled to an area where WNV is circulating. Other tests for malaria, cytomegalovirus, and the parasite trypanosoma cruzi may be conducted if the donor has a history of recent travel to an area where one or more of these conditions is common.
The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) advises the Government on the most appropriate ways to ensure the safety of blood, including screening. The SaBTO Virology Subcommittee is conducting a review into the approach of screening for WNV. A report with their recommendations will be published following completion of the review.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contingency planning, if any, they have conducted to anticipate the spread of tropical virus transmission to the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The outbreak of an emerging infectious disease is a categorised risk, in the 2023 National Risk Register. Working closely with the Department and NHS England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has a programme of work in place to plan and respond to this risk.
The UKHSA continues to monitor the global epidemiology of infectious diseases, to inform the assessment of risk to the United Kingdom’s population. Routine surveillance is carried out for a range of viral infections that may be acquired overseas. Data on some of these infections is published in the annual Travel-associated infections reports. Information collated from these various sources are routinely reviewed and assessed through the relevant UKHSA Horizon Scanning Group, with appropriate public health actions proposed to mitigate any threats.
The Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory has a small serological study, partnering with NHS Blood and Transplant and at-risk groups, to look for evidence of exposure to Usutu, West Nile, and tick-borne encephalitis viruses. The Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology group study vector distribution, and look for the presence of tropical and other viruses in relevant arthropod species in an ongoing surveillance programme. The Animal and Plant Health Agency has a programme of surveillance in wild birds and mammals. The Department of Health and Social Care, the UKHSA, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a national contingency plan for invasive mosquitoes that may spread vector-borne diseases, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement the recommendations of Bite Back’s report Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us, published on 22 February, concerning the sale and marketing of unhealthy food and drink to children and young people.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to working with businesses to ensure we create the conditions for a healthier nation. We welcome Bite Back’s report, Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us, and will consider its recommendations.
Plans to restrict the location of foods high in fat, salt or sugar came into force on 1 October 2022. These restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy at reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the National Health Service of over £4 billion, over the next 25 years. Calorie labelling in large restaurants, cafes and takeaways has also been in force since April 2022 to support consumers to make healthier choices when eating out or getting a takeaway.
On 1 October 2025, the volume price promotion restrictions will come into force restricting volume price promotions such as "3 for 2" offers on less healthy products. The Government will simultaneously introduce a United Kingdom-wide 9pm TV watershed for products high in fat, salt or sugar and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online, also on 1 October 2025.
The Government has held a consultation to gather evidence on the existing UK colour coded front of pack labelling scheme and will respond in due course. The Government laid legislation in Parliament on 20 February 2024 which will introduce improvement notices for breaches to compliance with nutrition and health claims which will come into force on 1 October 2024. This will enable improvement notices to be used as a more proportionate first step in the enforcement of the requirements around the use of nutrition and health claims on food and drinks in England.
The Government is working with industry on the Food Data Transparency Partnership in co-developing voluntary reporting requirements for food business to demonstrate the healthiness of their sales.
Decisions about the future development of taxes are made by the Chancellor, in line with the Government’s tax policy-making framework.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions enforcement action has been taken against care providers who fail to provide sufficient work for health and care workers recruited from overseas under the Certificate of Sponsorship scheme.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office does not publish data that would cover this request.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance is currently issued to health and care workers recruited from overseas with regard to the right of entry of dependent children.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes guidance on the Health and Care visa to assist in making a visa application, including for dependents. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa.
The guidance will be updated once the net migration changes announced in December come into force. Further details on the measures, and how carers and dependents will be affected, is available here: https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/reducing-net-migration-factsheet-december-2023/.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether support is provided to health and care workers recruited overseas in the visa application process for dependent children.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes guidance on the Health and Care visa to assist in making a visa application, including for dependents. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa.
The guidance will be updated once the net migration changes announced in December come into force. Further details on the measures, and how carers and dependents will be affected, is available here: https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/reducing-net-migration-factsheet-december-2023/.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Zimbabwe about the continued detention of Jacob Ngarivhume and Job Sikhala MP in Chikurubi maximum security prison and what assessment it has made of reports that Job Sikhala is now seriously ill.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK continues to monitor the ongoing detention of former MP Job Sikhala, and notes the conviction of Jacob Ngarivhume on 27 April for inciting the public to commit violence. The Minister of State for Africa and Development raised the trend of lengthy pre-trial detention of government critics in Zimbabwe- and the case of Job Sikhala specifically - with Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa when they met in the margins of His Majesty the King's Coronation in May. Mr Sikhala received medical attention for his recent illness on 9 October.