Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to table AS 08 Q of the Quarterly Immigration Stastics, October to December 2016, how many applications for asylum made during quarter 4 of 2016 were made by unaccompanied children who arrived in the UK (a) under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, (b) through the Dublin III Regulation and (c) by their own initiative.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The period October to December saw 1,161 asylum claims registered by unaccompanied asylum seeking children. It is not currently possible to provide a breakdown however I have committed to publishing more detailed figures in future data releases.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 March 2017, Official Report, column 561 on immigration: indefinite detention, on what date her Department plans to publish its plan for the future of the immigration detention estate.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department’s strategy for the future of the immigration detention estate will be communicated in due course.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her Department's plan for the future of the immigration detention estate.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department’s strategy for the future of the immigration detention estate will be communicated in due course.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate of 6 March 2017, Official Report, column 561, when the current system of detention reviews will be replaced by individual removal assessments and reviews.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Following publication of the Government’s response to Stephen Shaw’s Report into the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons on 14 January 2016, work continues on designing and implementing a more effective case management process to replace the existing method of reviewing detention. Case Progression Plans are intended to act as the single caseworking record for all individuals entering immigration detention. These Plans will replace detention reviews and other documentation currently used by the Detention Gatekeeper when assessing suitability for detention, and will ensure that caseworkers focus on progression towards an individuals’ return.
Wider rollout of Case Progression Plans is planned for later this year, subject to the findings from the evaluation of the pilot phase.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities (a) provided and (b) offered places under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016; and how many places were so provided or offered by each such authority.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In accordance with the Immigration Act 2016 the Government conducted a comprehensive consultation with local authorities across the UK in order to assess capacity for the care of unaccompanied children. On the 13 May 2016 the then Immigration Minister wrote to all local authorities to provide an update on the launch of the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) and to encourage local authorities to participate in all schemes designed for children. On 7 June 2016 the then Immigration Minister, the Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families and the then Minister with responsibility for Syrian Refugees attended a national launch event in London which was attended by local authorities from across the UK.
This was followed by regional events in Leicester, Exeter, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Huntingdon, Bedford, Birmingham, Manchester, Llandidrod Wells, Edinburgh and two further events in London. These events outlined how unaccompanied children arriving from Europe would be placed into local authority care through the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) and were attended by representatives from over 400 local authorities.
Following this nationwide programme of events, in September 2016 I wrote again to all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland asking them to confirm how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children they could accommodate under the NTS. Home Office officials also maintained an ongoing dialogue with individual local authorities and regional Strategic Migration Partnerships.
We asked local authorities to consider carefully whether they have the infrastructure and support networks needed to ensure the appropriate care of these unaccompanied children before participating in the NTS
Local authorities told us they had capacity for an additional 400 UASC until the end of the 2016/17 financial year. This is in addition to the unaccompanied children already in local authority care. We estimate that at least 50 of the family reunion cases will require a local authority placement in circumstances where the reunion does not work out
It is for individual local authorities to decide the number of children they are able to accommodate but we continue to work with those not currently participating in the National Transfer Scheme to support them to do so at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take in response to the letter of 10 January 2017 from the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner on identifying, referring and supporting victims of modern slavery in the UK's National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We are reviewing the identification of and support provided to victims of modern slavery and are piloting a new National Referral Mechanism model. The pilot is due to end on 31 March and will be fully evaluated. The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s letter will be considered alongside the full evaluation of the pilot.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many doctors are specially licensed to provide pharmaceutical heroin to addicts in (a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Home Office has, since April 2011, issued 196 licences to enable Doctors to provide treatment for addicts in England and Wales by prescribing one or more of the following three substances - diamorphine (“pharmaceutical heroin”), dipipanone or cocaine. The cost of providing a breakdown by substance for these 196 licences would be disproportionate. The responsibility for issuing such licences to doctors practising in Scotland is devolved to Scottish Ministers, and in Northern Ireland to the Department of Health - Northern Ireland.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans that paragraph 11 of Schedule 10 to the Immigration Act 2016 will come into force.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We are currently working with the Ministry of Justice, Her Majesty’s Court Service and the First-tier Tribunal to implement the Secretary of State’s duty to arrange consideration of bail, as set out in paragraph 11 of Schedule 10 to the Immigration Act 2016.
This is just one part of a large number of changes necessary to implement the wider immigration bail provisions in Schedule 10 and will be commenced alongside those other provisions in due course.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the £10 million package announced on 4 September 2016 for resettled Syrian refugees, how many hours of additional English language teaching per refugee that funding will provide.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The ESOL funding is provided to help refugees learn English and integrate into British society.
Although it is expected that standards of English will improve, there is currently no standard set attainment level, as ability levels will differ. The ESOL courses should be at least 12 hours a week, for a 3 – 6 month period.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the £10 million funding package for English language tuition for resettled Syrian refugees announced on 4 September 2016, how many ESOL levels those eligible to participate will be expected to attain.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The ESOL funding is provided to help refugees learn English and integrate into British society.
Although it is expected that standards of English will improve, there is currently no standard set attainment level, as ability levels will differ. The ESOL courses should be at least 12 hours a week, for a 3 – 6 month period.