Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many overseas doctors with a job offer from the NHS in Blackburn had their application for a work visa rejected due to the cap on Tier 2 visas in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The available information on applications and outcomes (i.e. grants, refusals, withdrawn and lapsed cases) of entry clearance visas in the ‘Tier 2 & pre-PBS equivalent’ category are published quarterly in ‘Immigration Statistics’, Visas data tables volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018/list-of-tables#visas.
Neither a breakdown by profession, or applications and outcomes by region of employment, is available in the published entry clearance visas data.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children were detained while awaiting the outcome of an application for asylum in 2017-18.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Those under the age of 18 are not detained for consideration of their asylum claim.
Detention is used as an appropriate measure of immigration control and the numbers of applicants detained, who are recorded as having claimed asylum at some stage, regardless of the outcome of the claim, is available in table dt_01_q of the detention tables in the latest release of the ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2018, available from the Home Office website at:
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are in indefinite detention as a result of their (a) asylum status and (b) status as a refugee being in dispute.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Although there is no statutory time limit on detention under Immigration Act powers, the law does not allow indefinite detention. For detention to be lawful there must be a realistic prospect of removal in a reasonable timescale. Individuals are detained for no longer than is necessary. Detention in all cases is kept under regular review to ensure that it is both necessary and appropriate.
The number of people held in detention as a result of the revocation or dispute of their refugee status is not held in a format which is reportable. However, the number of people who have been detained and have raised an asylum claim can be found on table dt_05 of Immigration Statistics; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018/how-many-people-are-detained-or-returned#immigration-detention
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will review the visa system for social care workers.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Employers who are unable to find suitable resident workers to fill vacancies in the UK for highly skilled social care workers can be recruited under Tier 2, our main immigration work route.
Social care workers working in children’s and family services are recognised as being in national shortage and continue to receive first priority within the monthly Tier 2 allocation process
On Friday 15 June, the Government announced changes to the allocation of places within the Tier 2 (General) cap of 20,700. The change, which will ensure that all doctors and all nurses needed in the UK will be able to be recruited to work here without being counted against the cap, will create extra space within the cap for other sectors of the economy, including social care workers who meet the minimum skills equirement.
We have asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the full composition of the Shortage Occupation List and continue to keep all immigration routes under review.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will review the visa system for social care workers.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Employers who are unable to find suitable resident workers to fill vacancies in the UK for highly skilled social care workers can be recruited under Tier 2, our main immigration work route.
Social care workers working in children’s and family services are recognised as being in national shortage and continue to receive first priority within the monthly Tier 2 allocation process
On Friday 15 June, the Government announced changes to the allocation of places within the Tier 2 (General) cap of 20,700. The change, which will ensure that all doctors and all nurses needed in the UK will be able to be recruited to work here without being counted against the cap, will create extra space within the cap for other sectors of the economy, including social care workers who meet the minimum skills equirement.
We have asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the full composition of the Shortage Occupation List and continue to keep all immigration routes under review.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a hardship fund to help the Windrush generation migrants with legal costs and other bills as a result of his Department's immigration policy.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The first priority for any Windrush migrants that may have experienced problems in obtaining documents confirming their immigration status is to help them secure that status. That is why the Government quickly established the Windrush Taskforce, which has a dedicated team for vulnerable people.
The Taskforce has established a fast-track service for the payment of benefits, working closely in a co-ordinated manner with DWP.
The Government continues to urge any affected people to come forward to the Taskforce so that we can help them. Where people are identified as being homeless, wherever possible the Home Office has worked with Local Authorities to secure temporary accommodation.
A compensation scheme for those of the Windrush generation that might have been affected is in the process of being established. The call for evidence for that scheme ended on 8 June and the Home Office are now preparing to launch the next stage of consultation, working with affected communities. The scheme will be set up as soon as possible after we have consulted.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to make changes to the Tier 2 visa system; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing specific visa system for the NHS.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
On Friday 15 June, the Government announced changes to the allocation of places within the Tier 2 (General) cap of 20,700. The change – which will be implemented through amended Immigration Rules coming into effect on 6 July – will ensure that all doctors and all nurses needed in the UK will be able to be recruited to work here without being counted against the cap. This is intended to be a temporary change which recognises the importance of alleviating pressure on the NHS and which creates extra space within the cap for other sectors of the economy.
As part of this announcement, we will be asking the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the full composition of the Shortage Occupation List.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to protect forensic evidence following the collapse of Key Forensic Services; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reopening the Forensic Science Service to ensure forensic work is not lost in the event of a contractor's closure.
Answered by Nick Hurd
I welcome the swift action taken by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ to manage the administration of Key Forensic Services (KFS), minimising the impact on the criminal justice system and protecting the evidence for live cases. With Home Office support, they reached an agreement with the Administrators to ensure that the business continues to operate so that evidence KFS holds continues to be properly and professionally managed in accordance with the standards set by the Forensic Science Regulator. There are no plans to reopen the Forensic Science Service.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the police on the police grant settlement.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Home Secretary has regular meetings with policing partners on a range of issues, including police funding. The Government published the Final Police Grant Report for 2016/17 on 4 February following the usual public consultation. The Final Police Grant Report was approved by the House on 10 February. This represents a good settlement for policing. |