Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of living conditions inside Pentonville Prison.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
HMP Pentonville was most recently inspected by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in July 2022. The inspectorate’s report was published on 18 October 2022. It can be viewed here: HMP Pentonville (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk).
Following consideration of matters highlighted in the recently published report by the prison’s Independent Monitoring Board, HM Prison and Probation Service has scheduled a Living Conditions Audit to be undertaken at HMP Pentonville and will be able to report its findings in due course.
HM Prison and Probation Service carries out a programme of audits across the prison estate, to ensure adequate operational standards are being maintained within individual establishments. This includes an audit of living conditions, which assesses whether the establishment provides safe, clean and decent living conditions that are in a good state of repair and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health support provision inside Pentonville Prison.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Mental health services at HMP Pentonville are continuously assessed through peer review, quality visits by the healthcare provider Practice Plus Group in conjunction with NHS England (London Region) and internal auditing procedures. Quarterly assurance meetings take place between NHS England and Practice Plus Group.
Mental health services at the prison were revised as part of New Models of Care in 2022, a pan London remodelling of prison healthcare services with the aim of improving patient safety, enhancing responsiveness to patient need and ensuring that services available met the needs of patients in prison. The New Models of Care have been fully embedded into the new healthcare contract at HMP Pentonville, which commenced in May 2023.
In addition, the prison had a full HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Care Quality Commission inspection in July 2022 which made one recommendation in respect of mental health waiting times for initial assessment. A subsequent Independent Review of Progress visit in March 2023 found that reasonable progress had been made against this recommendation.
The healthcare team at HMP Pentonville has a dedicated patient engagement lead who conducts regular patient focus groups to gain an understanding of the views of the patient group, in respect to quality and availability of services. In addition, User Voice were commissioned by NHS England in August 2023, to undertake a patient focus group specifically around mental health services in HMP Pentonville, to enhance the current understanding of the experiences of people using mental health services in the prison and to identify areas where further improvement could be made.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that basic standards of safety are met in accommodation provided to refugees and asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers in our care is of paramount importance to the Home Office. We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:
New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people awaiting an initial decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The Home Office also publishes data on the total number of outstanding cases in the asylum system (‘asylum work in progress’) in table ASY_03 the ‘Immigration and Protection’ part of the Migration Transparency Data collection. The latest data relates to the end of June 2023.
Accommodation costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. Total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts(opens in a new tab).
It would be inappropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers. All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure the best value for tax payers and the Home Office closely monitors its contractors performance, including financial results. Any profits above the agreed contractual margins comes back to the Home Office.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the (a) number of people waiting in the asylum system and (b) levels of profit generated by private providers contracted to run asylum accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers in our care is of paramount importance to the Home Office. We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:
New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people awaiting an initial decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The Home Office also publishes data on the total number of outstanding cases in the asylum system (‘asylum work in progress’) in table ASY_03 the ‘Immigration and Protection’ part of the Migration Transparency Data collection. The latest data relates to the end of June 2023.
Accommodation costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. Total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts(opens in a new tab).
It would be inappropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers. All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure the best value for tax payers and the Home Office closely monitors its contractors performance, including financial results. Any profits above the agreed contractual margins comes back to the Home Office.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of contracting private providers to supply asylum accommodation on (a) standards and (b) value for money of that accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers in our care is of paramount importance to the Home Office. We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:
New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awarded
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people awaiting an initial decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The Home Office also publishes data on the total number of outstanding cases in the asylum system (‘asylum work in progress’) in table ASY_03 the ‘Immigration and Protection’ part of the Migration Transparency Data collection. The latest data relates to the end of June 2023.
Accommodation costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. Total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts(opens in a new tab).
It would be inappropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers. All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure the best value for tax payers and the Home Office closely monitors its contractors performance, including financial results. Any profits above the agreed contractual margins comes back to the Home Office.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development entitled Sowing the Seeds of Poverty: How the World Bank Harms Poor Farmers, published on 26 April 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development report. The World Bank does not have a policy in place that restricts farmers in choosing their seeds. The Bank advocates the use of quality seeds and has helped protect farmers, local production, and food security in developing countries. An efficient national agricultural innovation system and an effective seed certification system is essential to meet the challenges agriculture faces in developing countries. The UK is supporting this longer-term goal to do both, boost food security, incomes, and climate adaptation and resilience. The World Bank has committed to full alignment of all its sovereign lending with the Paris Agreement by 1 July 2023. We are holding the Bank to account through the Board.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of maternity exemption certificates amongst (a) NHS staff and (b) pregnant women.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We promote maternity exemption certificates to professionals and patients to ensure both groups are aware of the entitlement. Healthcare professionals, such as midwives and general practitioners (GPs), apply for maternity exemption certificates on behalf of the patient and ensure that individuals are aware of the entitlement. We are working with NHS Business Services Authority on communications to ensure that midwives, GPs and other Health Care Partitioners are aware of their obligation and information is provided to expectant mothers. The certificates are also promoted through social media, online resources, media releases and through healthcare bulletins.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish his Department's guidance to Ministers in 2021 on issuing special licenses to persons or organisations for activities otherwise prohibited by sanctions.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, part of HM Treasury, has an established framework for the circumstances in which decisions relating to licensing applications can be delegated to Officials. Following the Treasury’s Written Ministerial Statements of 30 March 2023, the Treasury laid the current framework in the Libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords. We will now do the same with the version in operation in 2021.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish his Department's guidance to Ministers on issuing special licenses to persons or organisations for activities otherwise prohibited by sanctions.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, part of HM Treasury, has an established framework for the circumstances in which decisions relating to licensing applications can be delegated to Officials. Following the Treasury’s Written Ministerial Statements of 30 March 2023, the Treasury laid the current framework in the Libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords. We will now do the same with the version in operation in 2021.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many completed Asylum Claim Questionnaires have been processed without the need for an interview in each month since January 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The number of Asylum Claim Questionnaires that have been processed without the need for an interview is not information currently held in a reportable format.