Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of demand for migrant workers in the (a) farming and agriculture sector and (b) logistics industry.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office works closely with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to monitor the labour needs of the farming and Agricultural sector and will continue to monitor the labour needs of the economy more generally.
We have no plans to improve access for employers to recruit migrant workers into jobs in the farming and agricultural sector beyond those which qualify for our Skilled Worker Visa and the already expanded Seasonal Workers Pilot, which went from 10,000 to 30,000 places for 2021.
The Government wants employers to focus on training and investing in our domestic workforce rather than relying on labour from abroad. Employers should engage with the Department for Work and Pensions in the first instance, as they are best placed to help companies with recruitment issues.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of granting indefinite leave to remain to (a) overseas nationals working as health and social care staff and (b) their spouses and dependents.
Answered by Kevin Foster
NHS workers from overseas have made a huge contribution in tackling the current pandemic. We are extending the leave of key NHS frontline health workers and their dependants by one year, free of immigration fees and health surcharge, if it was due to expire before October 2020. This offer has also been extended to cover those working in key healthcare roles in the independent health and care sector. However, indefinite leave to remain is based on several requirements, including a period of lawful residence in the UK without excess absences, sufficient knowledge of the English language and life in the UK, and any specific requirements of the visa route they are in.
Families and dependants of all health workers who sadly pass away due to contracting the COVID-19 virus will be offered immediate indefinite leave to remain, without a requirement to pay a fee. We hope the number of people who find themselves in this position is very small. Our thoughts go out to the families and friends of all medical professionals who have passed away while working to keep us safe.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to test people entering the UK from overseas for covid-19.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The security of the UK border, the safety of the staff who protect it and the public are our key concerns.
Our approach to tackling coronavirus is and has always been driven by the latest scientific and medical advice, and procedures at the border have been strictly following the latest PHE guidance throughout. To bolster public health measures already in place, passengers at airports are provided with information on symptoms and the social distancing processes.
Since 8 June, all passengers arriving in the UK have been required to complete a locator form as well as self-isolate for 14 days. This applies to all nationalities. Full details of these new measures, including the very limited exemptions to the new rules, can be found at www.gov.uk/uk-border-control.
Border Force continues to work collaboratively with devolved administrations, including Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England, to support the COVID 19 response.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to extend the eligibility to apply for the proposed NHS Visa to social care staff.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government is committed to introducing an NHS visa which will provide eligible doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals, and their families, with fast-track entry, reduced visa fees and dedicated resource. In addition, as announced by the Prime Minister on 21 May, NHS workers and wider health and social care workers, including those coming on the NHS Visa, will be removed from having to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Further details, including regarding eligibility, will be published in due course.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role Ministers have in the appointment of people to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Ministers appoint members to the boards of public bodies that are listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council including the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) via the process laid out in the Governance Code for Public Appointments, and in accordance with the law relating to the particular public body.
The names of candidates are submitted to Ministers following assessment by an independent Advisory Assessment Panel. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and make the final appointment.
The Home Secretary and the ACMD have a joint working protocol which supports the respective roles and responsibilities of the Government and the ACMD. The protocol states that the ACMD continues to need to draw on a diverse range of expertise from within its membership, in order to fulfil its duties under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ministers have vetoed appointments to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Ministers appoint members to the boards of public bodies that are listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council including the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) via the process laid out in the Governance Code for Public Appointments, and in accordance with the law relating to the particular public body.
The names of candidates are submitted to Ministers following assessment by an independent Advisory Assessment Panel. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and make the final appointment.
The Home Secretary and the ACMD have a joint working protocol which supports the respective roles and responsibilities of the Government and the ACMD. The protocol states that the ACMD continues to need to draw on a diverse range of expertise from within its membership, in order to fulfil its duties under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy that an individual's support for drugs policy reform is compatible with membership of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Ministers appoint members to the boards of public bodies that are listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council including the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) via the process laid out in the Governance Code for Public Appointments, and in accordance with the law relating to the particular public body.
The names of candidates are submitted to Ministers following assessment by an independent Advisory Assessment Panel. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and make the final appointment.
The Home Secretary and the ACMD have a joint working protocol which supports the respective roles and responsibilities of the Government and the ACMD. The protocol states that the ACMD continues to need to draw on a diverse range of expertise from within its membership, in order to fulfil its duties under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to introduce a statutory duty on healthcare professionals to report admissions of criminal behaviour by patients; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government would encourage all individuals to report a crime, whether they witness it, or its consequences, in a professional capacity or not. The Government has no plans to introduce a statutory duty on healthcare professionals to report admissions of criminal behaviour by patients.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an estimate of the number of citizens of Caribbean birth currently living in the UK who in each year since 2010 (a) have been told they do not have the right to remain in the UK, (b) are awaiting deportation and (c) have been deported.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The numbers of individuals from Caribbean Commonwealth countries removed or deported from the United Kingdom since 2010 is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to introduce new regulations under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in relation to amendments to that Act brought in under the Policing and Crime Act 2017.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government expects to lay the Regulations provided for in section 81 of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, shortly.