Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people granted refugee status in Newbury constituency were given seven days' notice to leave their asylum accommodation in each of the last three years; and whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the notice period of such changes a person granted refugee status is given.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets), under the document Asylum seekers in receipt of support (second edition). Data sets are published on a quarterly basis, the latest quarterly figures were released on 24 August 2023.
Under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, asylum seekers are provided with housing and basic living expenses whilst the outcome of their claim is determined. This is known as Section 95 support. When an asylum seeker’s claim has been successful, then they will be notified in writing that their Section 95 support will cease in 28 days. If their claim has been unsuccessful, they will be notified in writing that their Section 95 support will cease in 21 days. There is no legislative power to provide such asylum support beyond the 21- or 28-day prescribed periods and there are no plans to change this period.
We encourage individuals to make their onward plans as soon as possible after receiving their decision, whether that is leaving the UK following a refusal, or taking steps to integrate in the UK following a grant.
We also offer support to newly recognised refugees during the 28-day ‘move-on’ period, through Migrant Help or their partner organisations. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), providing advice on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing. This will ensure that people can move on following a decision on their claim.
Furthermore, all individuals are also given 7 days clear notice to quit to align to the end of the 28/21 day period from the accommodation provider.
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to deport foreign national offenders.
Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
We are committed to protecting the public by removing foreign criminals and will do all we can to ensure that they cannot frustrate the removal process. There were several measures in our Nationality and Borders Act and further ones in the Illegal Migration Bill.
We removed more than 13,000 foreign national offenders between January 2019 and September 2022.
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to bring animal breeding for testing within the scope of the Animal Welfare Act 2006; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of compliance with commercial breeding licences for animal testing.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Security)
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides protections for animals bred for the use in scientific procedures. Establishments licenced to breed animals under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for appropriate care and accommodation of animals.
The Animals in Science Regulation Unit conduct audits and inspections to ensure establishments comply with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA.
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 specifically exempts any use of animals for scientific or educational purposes legally conducted and regulated under ASPA.
The Government has no plans to change the current position with respect these pieces of legislation.
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been subject to pension forfeiture over the last five years; and for what reasons.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the current waiting times for people applying for Personal Independence Payments in West Berkshire; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of current wait times on people waiting to receive payments.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner, taking into account the need to review all available evidence. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service, including using a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments, increasing case manager and assessment provider health professional resource, and prioritising new claims, whilst safeguarding the continuity of existing awards to ensure they do not go out of payment.
Average waiting times for PIP new claims made under normal rules (i.e. excluding those processed under special rules for end of life) are calculated as the median number of weeks from registration to DWP decision, and published as the “Average Actual Clearance Time”. For claims cleared in July 2022, the latest data shows that the Average Actual Clearance Time for West Berkshire was 17 weeks.
Notes:
Source: PIP Atomic Data Store (ADS)
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve adult participation in access programmes for careers in the health and care professions.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
High quality careers information, advice and guidance is key to helping people to make informed decisions about their future, including being able to find out about and consider the different options, including those in the health and care professions, available to them. We are investing £100 million in careers provision for young people and adults in the financial year 2021-22. The National Careers Service, a free, government funded careers information, advice and guidance service draws on a range of labour market information to support and guide individuals. The National Careers Service is impartial, and careers guidance is tailored to individual needs, but careers advisers can play a key role in alerting people to the range of health and care profession careers available. The National Careers Service supports this through disseminating regular information to careers advisers.
The National Careers Service website gives customers access to a range of useful digital tools and resources to support them, including ‘Explore Careers’ which includes more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles, covering a range of health and care profession roles, describing what those roles entail, qualifications and entry routes.
The National Careers Service uses a range of techniques, including social media, to alert people to opportunities. For example, the Service has hosted free webinars in the North West about the range of roles available in health and social care. Virtual jobs fairs introducing potential employees to recruiting organisations regularly take place across England, for example the recent Gloucester Care Jobs Fair.
High-quality, employer-designed apprenticeships, from the Level 2 healthcare support worker to the Level 6 registered nurse degree apprenticeship, support people to begin or progress in health and care related careers.
We are also working with employers to develop an occupational traineeship in Adult Care to support those aged 24 and under into apprenticeships and employment in the sector.
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing schools to use unspent budget for period products on other essential items such as emergency underwear.
Answered by Will Quince
The government fully funds access to free period products in schools and colleges across England, for learners that need them. This scheme enables all learners to participate fully in education by making period products available as and when they are needed.
Schools and colleges know their learners best and therefore have the freedom to select the most suitable products for their learners, considering cost and type of product. The scheme provides a wide range of period products for organisations to choose from and the department will keep this range under review. The department knows that many schools use their pupil premium grant for wider strategies to meet their pupils’ basic needs, and schools may wish to use this funding to provide clothing items such as underwear if required. Providers in colleges and other 16-19 provision may wish to use their 16-19 Bursary Fund to provide similar items to their students.
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling young offender institutions to access free period products.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
All women’s prisons provide free sanitary products, however, prisoners can also purchase branded items from the canteen provision. The provision of free sanitary products also extends to any under 18 girls in the Youth Custody Young Offenders Estate. The Early days in custody Prison Service Instruction, 07/2015, also states that prisoners should be given any items required to meet essential personal needs for their first 24 hours in custody.
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to include period pants as women’s sanitary products for VAT purposes.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
A zero rate of VAT has applied to women’s sanitary products since 1 January 2021. This applies to those products which were previously subject to the reduced rate of 5 per cent, such as tampons and pads, and reusable menstrual products, such as keepers.
The relief specifically excludes articles of clothing, such as period pants. Such exclusions are designed to ensure that the relief is properly targeted, since difficulties in policing the scope of the relief create the potential for litigation, erosion of the tax base, and a reduction in revenue. Under existing rules period pants may already qualify for the zero rate, if they have been specifically designed to be worn by a child, meet the sizing criteria, and are held out for sale specifically for use by girls under the age of 14 years old.
Details are provided in VAT Notice 714: zero-rating young children's clothing and footwear: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-714-zero-rating-young-childrens-clothing-and-footwear/vat-notice-714-zero-rating-young-childrens-clothing-and-footwear#items-suitable-only-for-young-children
Asked by: Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) allowing self-isolating individuals to visit family members in care homes who are suffering from isolation and (b) facilitating care home residents to visit covid-secure family homes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
We recognise how important it is to allow care home residents to meet their loved ones safely, and appreciate the particular challenges visiting restrictions pose for people with dementia, learning disabilities and autistic adults, amongst others and their loved ones.
In the face of a new variant of the virus we have acted to protect those most at risk in care homes and ensure visits can go ahead safely in some form. As set out in national lockdown guidance, visits to care homes can continue to take place with arrangements such as outdoor visiting, substantial screens, visiting pods, or behind windows. Close-contact indoor visits are not currently allowed. Visits in exceptional circumstances including end of life should always be supported and enabled.
We have also published guidance on visits out of care homes such as to the family home during this period of this national lockdown. People, including care home residents, must stay at home and must not gather indoors unless one of the specified exemptions apply. This means that a resident will not in general be able to meet another household indoors, for example, visiting their family in the family’s home.
We are keeping all our guidance under regular review, and will seek to provide further opportunities for families to visit and spend time together as it becomes safer to do so.