Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated for implementation of the Serious Violence Duty by police force area in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
This data is expected to be published in due course, once agreed with HM Treasury.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help people entering the UK by irregular means access legal (a) advice and (b) aid before they are removed.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All migrants (with the exception of those who are removed within 7 days of refusal of leave to enter at the border) are given a notice period prior to removal allowing time for access to justice, and those detained pending removal are able to access legal aid surgeries.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the impact the Illegal Migration Bill on victims of (a) slavery and (b) human trafficking.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
I refer the Hon. Member to my response to Question 161356 on 22 March: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of reductions in funding for fire and rescue services.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of 8.1 per cent in cash terms compared to 2022/23
In 2023-24 no referendum principles were set for Combined Authority Mayors, so the referendum limit for council tax does not apply to Greater Manchester Fire. This means that the Mayor can take a decision to increase council tax above the core referendum principle of £5 without triggering a local referendum.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the findings on far-right extremism in Hope Not Hate's report entitled State of Hate 2023; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism.
The important role of the Commission for Countering Extremism continues. The Home Secretary appointed Robin Simcox as Commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism in July 2022 for a three-year term to ensure vital continuity in the work of the Commission.
We continue to work with law enforcement agencies to deliver against the national intelligence picture and increase understanding of new and emerging radicalising threats to society.
The Government’s assessment of the threat from terrorism is under continual review. This includes the national threat level, which is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service. The current level is substantial, which means an attack is likely. It covers all forms of terrorism, including extreme right-wing terrorism, and is based on a wide range of information. This also includes our threat agnostic counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. In October 2022, we announced that CONTEST being updated to protect the public from new and emerging threats to our way of life.
Hope Not Hate’s State of Hate 2023 report is welcome, and will be considered alongside other evidence as part of the Government’s ongoing review process. We do not believe a Ministerial Statement is required at this time.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of IT issues in her Department on (a) the production of Biometric Resident Permits since 1 March 2022, (b) the number of individuals who have had a permit printed and (c) individuals waiting for permits.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Due to disproportionate costs UKVI does not hold the recourse to determine how many technical faults have affected (a) the production of Biometric Resident Permits since 1 March 2022, (b) the number of individuals who have had a permit printed and (c) individuals waiting for permits.
However, where an application may require technical intervention or support, our processes and procedures have been strengthened to proactively address technical issues as they are identified.
If you require further information regarding Visa processing times, this can be found on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). UKVI are currently processing applications on all its main visa routes within customer service standards.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of IT failures in her Department on the processing times of UKVI applications since 1 August 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). UKVI are currently processing applications on all its main visa routes within customer service standards.
Where an application may require technical intervention, and to ensure these are given the appropriate support, we have strengthened our processes and procedures in this area to proactively address technical issues as they are identified.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum claims made by children were decided without an interview in the last (a) six, (b) 12, (c) 18 and (d) 24 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
e Home Office takes our duty of care towards children and young people extremely seriously, and we prioritise applications from children and young people.
The Home Office does not publish the data requested. However we are able to provide data on the number of initial decisions on asylum applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), which can be found in the latest Immigration statistics, year ending September 2022: List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
UASC generally enter the care system to be accommodated and supported by a local authority as looked after children. The Home Office budget provides significant support to local authorities in this area in addition to existing local Government funding. The latest published statistics from the Department for Education, for the year ending 31 March 2022, show there were 5,540 UASC being cared for in England alone, an increase of 34% from the previous reporting year. This does not include the high intake seen this summer.
The Home Office has a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework in place for all asylum decision makers. Decision makers who specifically deal with children’s claims complete an additional training on Keeping Children Safe and have an additional period of mentoring.
Our aim is for Asylum Casework to have 2,500 caseworkers by August 2023, with around 10% dedicated to children's casework and we have recruitment plans in place to ensure we reach those numbers.
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NABA) came into force on 28 June 2022. In accordance with NABA, all new asylum claims made on or after 28 June 2022 will be considered and processed under the new legislation, whilst existing claims will be worked through under previous legislation and asylum policies.
The Asylum Casework team are working to reintroduce service standards and are aligning with changes being introduced through the NABA. Our intention to reintroduce service standards aligns with the recommendation from the recent Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s (ICIBI) published report - An inspection of asylum casework (November 2021). The re-induction will also include children’s asylum claims.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department uses criteria to prioritise outstanding children's asylum cases.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
e Home Office takes our duty of care towards children and young people extremely seriously, and we prioritise applications from children and young people.
The Home Office does not publish the data requested. However we are able to provide data on the number of initial decisions on asylum applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), which can be found in the latest Immigration statistics, year ending September 2022: List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
UASC generally enter the care system to be accommodated and supported by a local authority as looked after children. The Home Office budget provides significant support to local authorities in this area in addition to existing local Government funding. The latest published statistics from the Department for Education, for the year ending 31 March 2022, show there were 5,540 UASC being cared for in England alone, an increase of 34% from the previous reporting year. This does not include the high intake seen this summer.
The Home Office has a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework in place for all asylum decision makers. Decision makers who specifically deal with children’s claims complete an additional training on Keeping Children Safe and have an additional period of mentoring.
Our aim is for Asylum Casework to have 2,500 caseworkers by August 2023, with around 10% dedicated to children's casework and we have recruitment plans in place to ensure we reach those numbers.
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NABA) came into force on 28 June 2022. In accordance with NABA, all new asylum claims made on or after 28 June 2022 will be considered and processed under the new legislation, whilst existing claims will be worked through under previous legislation and asylum policies.
The Asylum Casework team are working to reintroduce service standards and are aligning with changes being introduced through the NABA. Our intention to reintroduce service standards aligns with the recommendation from the recent Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s (ICIBI) published report - An inspection of asylum casework (November 2021). The re-induction will also include children’s asylum claims.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by made by the Prime Minister on 13 December 2022, Official Report, columns 885-88 on Illegal Immigration, whether it is her Department's intention to have 2,400 asylum decision makers; and how many of the new decisions makers her Department plans to train will make decisions on children's asylum applications.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
e Home Office takes our duty of care towards children and young people extremely seriously, and we prioritise applications from children and young people.
The Home Office does not publish the data requested. However we are able to provide data on the number of initial decisions on asylum applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), which can be found in the latest Immigration statistics, year ending September 2022: List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
UASC generally enter the care system to be accommodated and supported by a local authority as looked after children. The Home Office budget provides significant support to local authorities in this area in addition to existing local Government funding. The latest published statistics from the Department for Education, for the year ending 31 March 2022, show there were 5,540 UASC being cared for in England alone, an increase of 34% from the previous reporting year. This does not include the high intake seen this summer.
The Home Office has a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework in place for all asylum decision makers. Decision makers who specifically deal with children’s claims complete an additional training on Keeping Children Safe and have an additional period of mentoring.
Our aim is for Asylum Casework to have 2,500 caseworkers by August 2023, with around 10% dedicated to children's casework and we have recruitment plans in place to ensure we reach those numbers.
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NABA) came into force on 28 June 2022. In accordance with NABA, all new asylum claims made on or after 28 June 2022 will be considered and processed under the new legislation, whilst existing claims will be worked through under previous legislation and asylum policies.
The Asylum Casework team are working to reintroduce service standards and are aligning with changes being introduced through the NABA. Our intention to reintroduce service standards aligns with the recommendation from the recent Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s (ICIBI) published report - An inspection of asylum casework (November 2021). The re-induction will also include children’s asylum claims.