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Written Question
Horticulture: Seasonal Workers
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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 - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

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.


Written Question
Horticulture: Seasonal Workers
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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 - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

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.


Written Question
Horticulture: Seasonal Workers
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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 - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

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.


Written Question
Horticulture: Seasonal Workers
Wednesday 21st February 2024

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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 - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

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.


Written Question
Short-term Holding Facilities: Standards
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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

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)


Written Question
Short-term Holding Facilities: Standards
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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

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)


Written Question
Short-term Holding Facilities: Standards
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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

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)


Written Question
Short-term Holding Facilities: Children and Young People
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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

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)


Written Question
Short-term Holding Facilities: Standards
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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, published on 6 June 2023, what steps she is taking to improve governance of adult and child safeguarding at those facilities.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

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)


Written Question
Short-term Holding Facilities: Children
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - 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, published on 6 June 2023, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children are made to feel safe, supported and that their welfare and safeguarding needs are met at those facilities.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

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)