Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in his Department from £13.4m in 2019-20 to £17.1m in 2020-21.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
In reference to your question, the Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA, formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles. The government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent. Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.
The Home Office detected error in 2019/20 was published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and in 2020/21 was published in the Fraud Landscape Report. The reasons for any increase are set out in these documents.
The PSFA assists ministerial departments and public bodies in their delivery of specialist fraud activity. In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any non-executive directors employed in his Department are non-domiciled.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Non-executive’s personal data, including those relating to personal taxation or status, are protected by the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Collection of personal data on non-dom status is not routinely collected and is generally not required for making public appointments. If any such data was held it could only be published if doing so was in compliance with data protection law.
Non executive board members are not employees of the Home Office and act in an advisory capacity.
Data relating to public appointments are covered by the Public Appointments Privacy Statement found here Privacy – Apply for a public appointment – GOV.UK (apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk)
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not report the information sought to the level of granularity required.
To identify spending on recruitment consultants specifically from our management systems would require a manual review of all consultancy related transactions.
This can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to research by Women's Aid on the impact of increases in the cost of living on women who have experienced domestic abuse, published on 1 August 2022, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of providing additional financial support, above what has been provided for energy costs, to help support victims of domestic abuse in winter 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for this Government. As is ensuring all victims and survivors of this heinous crime get the support they need.
I have discussed with ministerial colleagues how best to tackle domestic abuse.
An integral part of this work will be to deliver commitments made in The Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, published in March 2022. The Plan invests over £230 million into tackling domestic abuse, including over £140 million for supporting victims. This funding year, the Home Office has also provided over £190,000 to the Police and Crime Commissioner of Leicestershire to support the delivery of a programme that aims to change perpetrator's behaviour.
As part of the Plan, my department committed to run trials of the ‘flexible funding model’. This is where funds are given to charities who support victims and survivors. Those charities would then have wide-ranging discretion on how these funds can be used. This includes addressing financial obstacles to victims and survivors moving forward with their lives.
We are aware the cost of living may exacerbate risk factors for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. We are listening to feedback from stakeholders, including Women’s Aid, and are taking this into account through our work on flexible funding.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Health and Social Care Information Centre, the Department of Health and Social Care and his Department, published in November 2016, (a) how many immigration offenders were reported to the Home Office by NHS Digital and (b) what sanctions those immigration offenders received after being so reported to the Home Office in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017 and (iii) 2018.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Memorandum of Understanding which came into force on 1 January 2017 has now been withdrawn. A new Memorandum of Understanding is being produced to reflect the commitments made by my Hon Friend, the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 9 May 2018.
NHS Digital information on the number of Home Office requests processed in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding in 2017 can be found at: http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/health-committee/memorandum-of-understanding-on-datasharing-between-nhs-digital-and-the-home-office/written/76672.html
Data on 2018 requests can be accessed at: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/data-access-request-service-dars/register-of-approved-data-releases
The information provided to the Home Office supports the broader intelligence picture regarding a particular individual and their whereabouts. The Home Office does not record the information in such a way as to attribute it to specific outcomes.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to prevent social media companies from enabling illicit drugs to be sold on their platforms.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We are clear that social media companies must go further and faster in reducing the risks their platforms pose and are considering all options to make this happen.
This includes any changes to the law where necessary. It is unacceptable and irresponsible for companies to allow criminals to abuse their sites and companies need to take a proactive approach when tackling this material, including reporting illegal activity to the police.
The National Crime Agency and police employ a number of tactics to keep drugs off the street. Officials continue to work with internet providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences, building on work already underway to tackle the sale and supply of illegal drugs in the UK and overseas and tackle associated organised crime.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2018 to Question 128120, on Doctors: Migrant Workers, how many applications there were for visas for work using sponsorship certificates for Human Health and Social Work Activities; and how many of those applications were (a) successful and (b) refused, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The available published statistics on Certificate of Sponsorship used in tier 2 visa applications by industry sector are published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Sponsorship data tables, table cs_03_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017/list-of-tables#visas.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made whether all medical professionals should be included on the shortage occupation list; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on changes to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The MAC has determined that a number of medical professionals, including all nurses, paramedics and various doctors, including posts in emergency medicine, clinical radiology and old age psychiatry, are in national shortage and they appear on the published SOL in Appendix K of the Immigration Rules.
The SOL sits under Tier 2, our main immigration route for non-EEA workers. Applications for jobs on the SOL receive the highest priority – and the highest number of points – when allocating a Tier 2 (General) place.
The SOL is kept under regular review, with the most recent changes made to it last April.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made whether all medical professionals should be included on the shortage occupation list; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on changes to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The MAC has determined that a number of medical professionals, including all nurses, paramedics and various doctors, including posts in emergency medicine, clinical radiology and old age psychiatry, are in national shortage and they appear on the published SOL in Appendix K of the Immigration Rules.
The SOL sits under Tier 2, our main immigration route for non-EEA workers. Applications for jobs on the SOL receive the highest priority – and the highest number of points – when allocating a Tier 2 (General) place.
The SOL is kept under regular review, with the most recent changes made to it last April.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much revenue the immigration skills charge has raised since its introduction; and if she will publish a list of projects that have received funding as a result of the that charge.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
An assessment of the income generated by the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) after the first year of collecting the charge will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses. Figures for 2017/18 will be available once the Home Office’s Annual Report and Accounts are audited by the National Audit Office, and laid before Parliament. The Department for Education’s 2017/18 end year accounts will provide information on ISC income and expenditure.