Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help support (a) older applicants, (b) non-English speakers and (c) digitally excluded people to apply for e-visas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Home Office is committed to ensuring everyone, including the elderly, people with low English language ability and the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system.
People can nominate a ‘helper’ and give them limited access to their account, so that they can assist with creating a UKVI account, completing details to access an eVisa, and with any immigration application.
Where a person is unable to manage their own affairs due to, for example, age or disability, a ‘proxy’, who is authorised, can create and manage the account on behalf of the person. People can also contact the UK Visas and Immigration Resolution Centre (https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk for support via email and webchat, and telephone. They can also support people through the online journey by helping them to access or recover their account, update their personal details and assisting them with technical issues with their online immigration status, and where necessary, verify the person’s status through alternative means.
For those inside the UK our Assisted Digital service is available to provide support by phone and email to those who need help with IT-related aspects of creating a UKVI account. Access needs can include any disability that requires support to use online services, a lack of device or a lack of internet access. More information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/assisted-digital-help-online-application
We are also taking further steps to reduce the number of circumstances where people need to provide evidence of their immigration status, by developing services to make the relevant immigration status information available automatically through system to system checks with other government departments and the NHS.
We have ensured that the wording used to explain how to create a UVKI account and get access to an eVisa is simple and can be easily translated using various free online services. In consultation with stakeholders, we are also considering providing some information about the transition to eVisas in other languages.
We are also working closely with our partner agencies in delivering engagement activity with community groups, as they will be producing guidance materials translated into key languages.
On 18 September 2024, we announced that the Government is providing up to £4m in dedicated grant funding to a UK wide network of voluntary and community sector organisations to deliver valuable support to those who need it, during the transition from physical immigration documents to eVisas. The list of organisations is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evisa-community-support-for-vulnerable-people.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2024 to Written Question 14388 on Horticulture, Seasonal Workers, if he will publish the guidance that sets out the requirement for workers to receive a minimum of 32 hours pay for each week of their stay in the UK, regardless of whether work is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The requirement for Seasonal Workers to receive a minimum of 32 hours pay for each week of their stay in the UK is already set out in paragraph SAW4.1(g)(i) of Appendix Temporary Work of the Immigration Rules.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 14388 on Horticulture: Seasonal Workers, whether the requirement for seasonal workers to receive a minimum of 32 hours pay for each week of their stay in the UK regardless of whether work is available was included in any (a) rules and (b) guidance published by his Department.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Scheme Operators are responsible for monitoring pay, conditions, and worker’s general welfare whilst they are in the UK.
The Home Office works closely with DEFRA to monitor the scheme to ensure Scheme Operators adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. This includes ongoing monitoring of the route’s performance, regular communication with Scheme Operators and ongoing compliance monitoring which is underpinned by compliance visits to both Scheme Operators and growers which are carried out by UKVI. Action is taken if concerns are identified during sponsor visits, with sponsor licences being suspended while UKVI investigate further.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 14388 on Horticulture: Seasonal Workers, who is responsible for payments to seasonal workers in line with the requirement that they must receive a minimum of 32 hours pay for each week of their stay in the UK, regardless of whether work is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Scheme Operators are responsible for monitoring pay, conditions, and worker’s general welfare whilst they are in the UK.
The Home Office works closely with DEFRA to monitor the scheme to ensure Scheme Operators adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. This includes ongoing monitoring of the route’s performance, regular communication with Scheme Operators and ongoing compliance monitoring which is underpinned by compliance visits to both Scheme Operators and growers which are carried out by UKVI. Action is taken if concerns are identified during sponsor visits, with sponsor licences being suspended while UKVI investigate further.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 14388 on Horticulture: Seasonal Workers, whether his Department (a) monitors and (b) enforces payments to seasonal workers to ensure they receive a minimum of 32 hours pay for each week of their stay in the UK regardless of whether work is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Scheme Operators are responsible for monitoring pay, conditions, and worker’s general welfare whilst they are in the UK.
The Home Office works closely with DEFRA to monitor the scheme to ensure Scheme Operators adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. This includes ongoing monitoring of the route’s performance, regular communication with Scheme Operators and ongoing compliance monitoring which is underpinned by compliance visits to both Scheme Operators and growers which are carried out by UKVI. Action is taken if concerns are identified during sponsor visits, with sponsor licences being suspended while UKVI investigate further.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has taken steps with Cabinet colleagues to issue guidance to people with horticultural seasonal worker visas on how to register with a GP; and what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of people with horticultural seasonal worker visas who registered with a GP in 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office has no plans to issue guidance to people with Seasonal Worker visas as to how to register with a GP. Orientation information is a matter for their licenced scheme operator.
The Home Office holds no records on the numbers of Seasonal Workers who have registered with a GP, as this is not an immigration related metric.
In the event that a scheme operator for the Seasonal Worker route became unlicensed for any reason, the Home Office will consider each case on its own merits and tailor our response accordingly.
The Home Office does not hold data on the average number of weeks of work provided to workers on the horticultural seasonal worker visa scheme during (a) 2022 and (b) 2023. Since 12 April 2023, Seasonal Workers must receive a minimum of 32 hour’s pay for each week of their stay in the UK, regardless of whether work is available.
The Home Office does not hold data on how many workers on the horticultural seasonal worker visa scheme were injured at work during (a) 2022 and (b) 2023. Seasonal Workers enjoy the same workplace protections as resident workers, and as such workplace safety is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' Report on an unannounced inspection of short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit, what steps she has taken in response to the concern that care planning for vulnerable detainees, children and those with disabilities was poor and did not demonstrate individual planning, risk assessment or meaningful welfare checks.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office’s responses to the Priority and Key Concerns set out in the HMIP report are covered in the Service Improvement Plan which is published on the HMIP website at Short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' Report on an unannounced inspection of short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit, what steps she has taken in response to the concern that during busy periods detainees had often been held for considerably longer in marquees in unacceptable conditions.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office’s responses to the Priority and Key Concerns set out in the HMIP report are covered in the Service Improvement Plan which is published on the HMIP website at Short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' Report on an unannounced inspection of short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit, what steps she has taken in response to the concern that there was limited evidence of engagement by staff with detainees to monitor their welfare or resolve concerns.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office’s responses to the Priority and Key Concerns set out in the HMIP report are covered in the Service Improvement Plan which is published on the HMIP website at Short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in reference to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Report on an unannounced inspection of short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit, published on 6 June 2023, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the facilities for children and young people at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office’s responses to the Priority and Key Concerns set out in the HMIP report are covered in the Service Improvement Plan which is published on the HMIP website at Short-term holding facilities at Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)