Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the independent report entitled Windrush Lessons Learned Review by Wendy Williams, updated 31 March 2020, what steps she has taken to ensure that the eVisas process provides adequate (a) safeguards, (b) fairness and (c) accountability for applicants.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are conscious of the lessons learnt from Windrush and are committed to ensuring that all people, including the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system.
People who need support can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre to request that an account is created for them so they can access their eVisa. They can also get help to access their eVisa from Grant Funded Organisations or Local Authorities, or through the Assisted Digital Service if they are digitally excluded.
We are continuing to listen to the views and concerns of stakeholders and users of our digital systems and aim to continually enhance the user experience wherever possible. We have also increased the number of support services available to vulnerable people and have delivered £4m of grant funding to 72 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK.
Listening to feedback from users, we have provided information and guidance videos on GOV.UK which show all users how to access and use their UKVI account.
We are continually improving the functionality and ease of use of the UKVI account to access an eVisa. For example, we recently added the facility for a person without an identity document to create an account and we will add the ability to link a Home Office issued travel document to a UKVI account later in 2025.
Monitoring of the system since the end of December 2024 suggests that for most people the transition to eVisa has gone smoothly. By the end of April 2025 over 4.3 million people had created an online (UKVI) account to access their eVisa, with the latest statistics published on GOV.UK on 22 May 2025. Further statistics will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to issue physical proof of status alongside eVisas to enhance accessibility.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are conscious of the lessons learnt from Windrush and are committed to ensuring that all people, including the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system.
People who need support can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre to request that an account is created for them so they can access their eVisa. They can also get help to access their eVisa from Grant Funded Organisations or Local Authorities, or through the Assisted Digital Service if they are digitally excluded.
We are continuing to listen to the views and concerns of stakeholders and users of our digital systems and aim to continually enhance the user experience wherever possible. We have also increased the number of support services available to vulnerable people and have delivered £4m of grant funding to 72 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK.
Listening to feedback from users, we have provided information and guidance videos on GOV.UK which show all users how to access and use their UKVI account.
We are continually improving the functionality and ease of use of the UKVI account to access an eVisa. For example, we recently added the facility for a person without an identity document to create an account and we will add the ability to link a Home Office issued travel document to a UKVI account later in 2025.
Monitoring of the system since the end of December 2024 suggests that for most people the transition to eVisa has gone smoothly. By the end of April 2025 over 4.3 million people had created an online (UKVI) account to access their eVisa, with the latest statistics published on GOV.UK on 22 May 2025. Further statistics will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people having problems with E-visas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are conscious of the lessons learnt from Windrush and are committed to ensuring that all people, including the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system.
People who need support can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre to request that an account is created for them so they can access their eVisa. They can also get help to access their eVisa from Grant Funded Organisations or Local Authorities, or through the Assisted Digital Service if they are digitally excluded.
We are continuing to listen to the views and concerns of stakeholders and users of our digital systems and aim to continually enhance the user experience wherever possible. We have also increased the number of support services available to vulnerable people and have delivered £4m of grant funding to 72 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK.
Listening to feedback from users, we have provided information and guidance videos on GOV.UK which show all users how to access and use their UKVI account.
We are continually improving the functionality and ease of use of the UKVI account to access an eVisa. For example, we recently added the facility for a person without an identity document to create an account and we will add the ability to link a Home Office issued travel document to a UKVI account later in 2025.
Monitoring of the system since the end of December 2024 suggests that for most people the transition to eVisa has gone smoothly. By the end of April 2025 over 4.3 million people had created an online (UKVI) account to access their eVisa, with the latest statistics published on GOV.UK on 22 May 2025. Further statistics will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the e-visa process is (a) inclusive and (b) accessible.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are conscious of the lessons learnt from Windrush and are committed to ensuring that all people, including the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system.
People who need support can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre to request that an account is created for them so they can access their eVisa. They can also get help to access their eVisa from Grant Funded Organisations or Local Authorities, or through the Assisted Digital Service if they are digitally excluded.
We are continuing to listen to the views and concerns of stakeholders and users of our digital systems and aim to continually enhance the user experience wherever possible. We have also increased the number of support services available to vulnerable people and have delivered £4m of grant funding to 72 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK.
Listening to feedback from users, we have provided information and guidance videos on GOV.UK which show all users how to access and use their UKVI account.
We are continually improving the functionality and ease of use of the UKVI account to access an eVisa. For example, we recently added the facility for a person without an identity document to create an account and we will add the ability to link a Home Office issued travel document to a UKVI account later in 2025.
Monitoring of the system since the end of December 2024 suggests that for most people the transition to eVisa has gone smoothly. By the end of April 2025 over 4.3 million people had created an online (UKVI) account to access their eVisa, with the latest statistics published on GOV.UK on 22 May 2025. Further statistics will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the risk of insolvency among key providers of community equipment services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers regularly engage with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. However, My rt Hon. friends, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, have had no meetings regarding the risk of insolvency among key providers of community equipment services.
Local authorities have a statutory duty under various pieces of legislation, including the Care Act 2014, to make arrangements for the provision of disability aids and community equipment, to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area. In terms of the management of the market for these services, the commissioning and oversight of their delivery rests with local authorities.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department will take to help support people who have developed neurodivergent conditions due to heading the ball in football.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and they and player associations play a valuable role in supporting players’ welfare.
The DCMS Secretary of State and I recently met with a small group of affected ex-footballers and family members, including individuals associated with Football Families for Justice, to discuss player safety and welfare for those suffering from dementia. We are committed to looking further at the issues raised and supporting the families and football authorities to come together to address the lifelong consequences from concussion, as well as post-career mental health and financial crises. We will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims have been submitted by Ukrainian nationals in each of the last three years; and what proportion of those were successful by oblast of origin.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum claims and initial decisions by nationality is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2025.
Please note that data on asylum claims by sub-national regions of origin is not published.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to the Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985 to strengthen legal protections for (a) children and (b) parents fleeing domestic abuse under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is aware of concerns around the operation of the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention in situations where there are allegations of domestic abuse.
Published judgments demonstrate that courts in the UK take into account domestic abuse when assessing the grave risk of harm exception under Article 13(b) of the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention.
The International Child Abduction and Contact Unit, as the operational Central Authority for England and Wales under the 1980 Hague Convention on behalf of the Lord Chancellor, carries out the administrative work required under the Convention; the Central Authority has no role in the assessment of grave risk of harm.
The UK has been leading efforts to consider these issues internationally, including via a Forum held in South Africa last year, part-funded by the Government, and will be taking an active role in the organisation of a second Forum in Brazil later this year.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that cases involving domestic abuse are assessed under the grave risk exception of Article 13(b) of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction; and what guidance she has provided to (a) central authorities and (b) courts for such assessments.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is aware of concerns around the operation of the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention in situations where there are allegations of domestic abuse.
Published judgments demonstrate that courts in the UK take into account domestic abuse when assessing the grave risk of harm exception under Article 13(b) of the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention.
The International Child Abduction and Contact Unit, as the operational Central Authority for England and Wales under the 1980 Hague Convention on behalf of the Lord Chancellor, carries out the administrative work required under the Convention; the Central Authority has no role in the assessment of grave risk of harm.
The UK has been leading efforts to consider these issues internationally, including via a Forum held in South Africa last year, part-funded by the Government, and will be taking an active role in the organisation of a second Forum in Brazil later this year.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had any discussions with National Highways on banning HGV through traffic from Newbury town centre when the A34 is closed.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Diversion routes which include those through Newbury town centre are not part of the Strategic Road Network therefore are managed by the Local Authority.
National Highways diversion routes are longstanding and agreed with the local authorities. Annual reviews are conducted to ensure that they remain fit for purpose and able to accommodate the type and volume of traffic using a given route, for example Heavy Goods Vehicles.