Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of Border Force on the potential impact of channel crossings on staff wellbeing.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We recognise the work of Border Force staff in relation to channel crossings and continue to ensure support is in place for them. All Border Force colleagues have access to peer support on a 24/7 basis, allowing them to speak to a volunteer who is trained in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) or Sustaining Resilience at Work (StRaW). All operational colleagues have access to the Police Treatment Centres, which support recovery from a variety of physical and mental ailments on a residential basis.
The Border Force Wellbeing team also manage the Border Force Wellbeing Hub and run a variety of events throughout the year on key wellbeing themes, including stress, anxiety, shift working and health. Border Force line managers are also trained with the information and tools to discuss wellbeing and mental health with their teams, how to spot the warning signs and how to refer a team member for further help.
All Home Office staff also have access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which provides support for a wide variety of issues.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Public and Commercial Services Union and Care4Calais report entitled, Safe and Secure Routes: Refugee Visa-to-Travel Proposal, published on 25 March 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.
The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.
The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32013 on Asylum, whether she has commissioned any reports on expanding (a) safe and (b) legal routes for people seeking asylum within the last twelve months.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.
The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.
The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of third sector organisations on support for refugees outside the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.
The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.
The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on media freedom in that country.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a resolute supporter of democracy, the rule of law and media freedom. This Government has discussed recent events in Turkey with our counterparts at a number of levels. Most recently, on 29 March, the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. Among other issues he raised our expectation that as a key friend and ally, Turkey upholds its international commitments, the rule of law and protects the fundamental rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and media freedom, including the treatment of British and other journalists reporting there.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the remit of legal aid to enable eligible individuals to receive advice on (a) social housing allocations and (b) disputes over the allocation of social housing.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Legal aid is available for possession, evictions, homelessness, and disrepair claims (when there is a serious risk of illness or injury) subject to a financial means test and a merits test. This includes when someone is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, in relation to the allocation of social housing.
Additionally, the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service provides free early legal advice on housing matters, council tax reduction schemes, debt, and welfare benefits problems from the moment someone receives notice of possession or eviction, regardless of their financial situation.
At present there are no plans to expand eligibility in this area.
The Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt legal aid fees, which when implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year. This would increase overall spend in housing & debt legal aid by 24% and improve access to legal advice for people facing unfair housing battles or who are at risk of losing their home. We are currently reviewing consultation responses and will publish the Government’s response in due course.
Applicants for social housing have the right to request information from the local authority about the decision that has been made in respect of their application and to ask for an internal review of any decision taken about the facts of their case. The local authority must notify them of the outcome of the review and the grounds for it.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Tunisian counterpart on the imprisonment of Said Ferjani.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK monitors the situation in Tunisia closely, including the recent sentence and ongoing case against Said Ferjani. During his visit to Tunisia in January, the Foreign Secretary noted the importance of political participation and human rights in discussions with the Tunisian Government. and on On 17 February, our the British Ambassador to Tunisia raised the case of Mr Ferjani with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials are observing ongoing trial proceedings against Mr. Ferjani to signal our support for the importance of a free and fair trial, and met members of his family on 27 February to discuss his case.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory disclosure of commission rates for currency exchange brokers.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Payment Services Regulations 2017 outline requirements on UK payment service providers regarding disclosure of fees and charges to the payer where currency conversion is provided as part of a payment transaction. Provisions under the Cross Border Payments Regulation also contribute to price transparency, with further requirements regarding how foreign exchange costs are communicated before a payment is made.
The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers. These regulations, amongst other things, are intended to enable consumers to make informed decisions when making use of payment services, including where currency conversion is offered as part of a payment transaction.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating regulations on currency exchange brokers.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Payment Services Regulations 2017 outline requirements on UK payment service providers regarding disclosure of fees and charges to the payer where currency conversion is provided as part of a payment transaction. Provisions under the Cross Border Payments Regulation also contribute to price transparency, with further requirements regarding how foreign exchange costs are communicated before a payment is made.
The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers. These regulations, amongst other things, are intended to enable consumers to make informed decisions when making use of payment services, including where currency conversion is offered as part of a payment transaction.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to require currency exchange services for consumers to display the (a) live exchange rates and (b) commission charged to consumers.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Payment Services Regulations 2017 outline requirements on UK payment service providers regarding disclosure of fees and charges to the payer where currency conversion is provided as part of a payment transaction. Provisions under the Cross Border Payments Regulation also contribute to price transparency, with further requirements regarding how foreign exchange costs are communicated before a payment is made.
The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers. These regulations, amongst other things, are intended to enable consumers to make informed decisions when making use of payment services, including where currency conversion is offered as part of a payment transaction.