Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the High Court ruling of 16 November 2021 that Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk was jointly liable for the killing of WPC Yvonne Fletcher on 17 April 1984, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing release of evidence relevant to a potential criminal prosecution for that killing, previously withheld on grounds of national security, to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
WPC Fletcher’s death remains as shocking and senseless today as the day it occurred, and I understand that the decision not to prosecute remains disappointing and frustrating for all her family, friends and colleagues.
The Government cannot comment on the details of this case. This is one of the most notorious crimes of the last forty years, representing an act of state-sponsored terrorism which resulted in the murder of a serving police officer on the streets of London. I would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment the Metropolitan Police have shown over a prolonged period of time to bring to justice those involved in the murder of PC Fletcher.
In any case referred to the CPS by the police, a decision to prosecute is made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, and a case must meet the evidential and public interest stages of the Full Code Test. Ultimately, the difficult decision was taken that a prosecution could not proceed.
As I am sure that the Honourable Member will understand, I am unable to confirm or deny the existence of national security material.
In accordance with the Code, the CPS will consider any new information that is referred to them by the police in relation to this case and will continue to bring justice to offenders wherever possible.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the prospects of the UK meeting the conditions for exchanging personal data under the EU Prüm framework for automated data exchange by 1 October 2021; and what plans she has for future UK participation in personal data exchange with EU authorities.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Under the terms of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), within nine months of entry into force of the Agreement the UK’s DNA and fingerprint capabilities under the Prüm framework will be evaluated.
The UK continues to exchange biometric data with connected EU Member States and judges it has met the requisite conditions for exchanging personal data. These are set out in Title II of Part 3 of the TCA.
More broadly, the UK continues to exchange personal data with our European partners for the purposes of law enforcement, including under the terms of the TCA, ensuring such data is appropriately protected.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2021 to Question 7767 on Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies, what assessment she has made of whether HGV drivers should be added to the Shortage Occupation List.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Upon advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the Government broadened the eligibility of Skilled Worker visas from graduate jobs only to include jobs skilled to RQF level 3 (roughly equivalent to A-levels) and lowered the salary threshold to £25,600.
The MAC found the job of HGV driver does not meet this threshold, so it is not eligible to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa and cannot be added to the Shortage Occupation List.
Like other sectors the focus should be on training and recruiting from the UK based workforce in the first instance, especially given the impact of the pandemic resulting in more looking for secure new employment. Immigration policy will be considered alongside strategies to do this, not separately or as an alternative to doing so.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to occupation code 3415, Musicians, of the Skilled worker visa shortage occupations list published 6 April 2021, how many musicians she estimates the UK is short of.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on 23 October 2020 setting out the Governments response to their review of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).
The UK labour market is changing as a result of Covid, with many facing uncertainty or a need to find new employment. We are therefore taking time to assess how it has changed before making further changes to the shortage occupation list as our immigration policies should be considered alongside our strategy for the UK Labour Market, not separately or as an alternative to them. A copy of the full letter can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-mac-on-the-shortage-occupation-lists-report.
The Migration Advisory Committee review of the SOL, published on 29 September 2020, sets out the rationale for recommending jobs which should be added to the SOL. This is based on several factors and not just the number of vacancies. A full copy of the report can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-shortage-occupation-list-2020
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to occupation code 3411, Artists, of the Skilled worker visa: shortage occupations list published 6 April 2021, how many artists the UK is short of.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on 23 October 2020 setting out the Governments response to their review of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).
The UK labour market is changing as a result of Covid, with many facing uncertainty or a need to find new employment. We are therefore taking time to assess how it has changed before making further changes to the shortage occupation list as our immigration policies should be considered alongside our strategy for the UK Labour Market, not separately or as an alternative to them. A copy of the full letter can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-mac-on-the-shortage-occupation-lists-report.
The Migration Advisory Committee review of the SOL, published on 29 September 2020, sets out the rationale for recommending jobs which should be added to the SOL. This is based on several factors and not just the number of vacancies. A full copy of the report can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-shortage-occupation-list-2020
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to occupation code 3414, Dancers and choreographers, of the Skilled worker visa shortage occupations list published 6 April 2021, how many dancers and choreographers the UK is short of.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on 23 October 2020 setting out the Governments response to their review of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).
The UK labour market is changing as a result of Covid, with many facing uncertainty or a need to find new employment. We are therefore taking time to assess how it has changed before making further changes to the shortage occupation list as our immigration policies should be considered alongside our strategy for the UK Labour Market, not separately or as an alternative to them. A copy of the full letter can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-mac-on-the-shortage-occupation-lists-report.
The Migration Advisory Committee review of the SOL, published on 29 September 2020, sets out the rationale for recommending jobs which should be added to the SOL. This is based on several factors and not just the number of vacancies. A full copy of the report can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-shortage-occupation-list-2020
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to skills shortages in the food processing sector, for what reason (a) fishmongers, (b) butchers and (c) poultry processors are not included in the Skilled workers visa shortage list.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on 23 October 2020 setting out the Governments response to their review of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).
The UK labour market is changing as a result of Covid, with many facing uncertainty or a need to find new employment. We are therefore taking time to assess how it has changed before making further changes to the shortage occupation list as our immigration policies should be considered alongside our strategy for the UK Labour Market, not separately or as an alternative to them. A copy of the full letter can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-mac-on-the-shortage-occupation-lists-report.
The Migration Advisory Committee review of the SOL, published on 29 September 2020, sets out the rationale for recommending jobs which should be added to the SOL. This is based on several factors and not just the number of vacancies. A full copy of the report can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-shortage-occupation-list-2020
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the seasonal agricultural workers scheme to ensure sufficient workers are available for the 2021 poultry season in the run up to Christmas 2021.
Answered by Kevin Foster
There are currently no plans to expand the scope of the Seasonal Workers Pilot beyond the edible horticulture sector.
UK employers should in the first instance look to the domestic labour market before looking to facilitate recruitment from overseas.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on supporting the use of the EU Settled Status app by Polish workers.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app allows applicants to prove their identity remotely using their biometric identity document and a smartphone device. Millions of applicants have used the app to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme over the last two years, including over 900,000 Polish nationals.
In early 2021 we were made aware the new Polish passport, issued from late 2020 onwards, contained an advanced security protocol, Password Authenticated Connection Establishment (PACE), which was not supported by our app. We have now made the necessary changes to our app to support this new security protocol and are now in the final stages of testing with a view to releasing the upgrade by the end of May.
The vast majority of Polish passports are not affected by this issue and thou-sands of Polish nationals are still using the app every week to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. Any applicant who is unable to use the app to verify their identity can still apply to the scheme by completing an online application and sending their identity document through the post.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Government's policy is on offering British citizenship to Afghan interpreters who have served the armed forces as a part of the UK withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The UK Government recognises the vital role of interpreters in operations in Afghanistan.
There are two dedicated schemes designed to help them relocate to the UK: the ex-gratia scheme and the new Afghan relocations and assistance policy. Over 1,300 former Afghan interpreters, and their family members, have been relocated to the UK under these schemes since 2014.
There is no fee for the initial application and Afghan interpreters who relocate to the UK under these schemes can apply for settlement free of charge after five years’ residence here.
Afghan interpreters who are granted settlement can stay here permanently and can choose to apply to become British citizens after one year of settlement in the UK.