Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure the accessibility of printed passport renewal forms, with particular regard to the impact of the choice of colour on those with impaired vision.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
His Majesty’s Passport Office provides additional facilities for customers who are blind or have visual impairment to ensure that there are no obstacles to submitting a passport application.
The guidance booklet to help with completing the passport application is available in different formats, including braille, audio tape, and large-print format.
Applying online is the cheapest way to get a passport, and HM Passport Office provides an accessible service which should provide customers with a range of functional support such as the ability to change colours, text size, and use screen readers.
Due to significant technical impacts, it is not currently feasible to change the colour of the paper passport application form. However, blind or visually impaired customers who wish to apply using the paper form and who require additional support can contact the Passport Adviceline. The call agent will complete the form using the information provided by the customer.
Further information about the support available for people who are blind or partially sighted can be found on GOV.UK, at: https://www.gov.uk/passport-services-disabled
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements they will make with the government of Rwanda to ensure that the families of asylum seekers who are deported to that country are kept together.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Everyone considered for relocation to Rwanda will be screened and have access to legal advice. Decisions will be taken on a case-by-case basis and nobody will be removed if it is unsafe or inappropriate for them. Suitable accommodation will be provided for all those relocated to Rwanda.
We will thoroughly consider the circumstances of cases involving families with children according to our policy, statutory and international obligations. A full equality impact assessment has been published on gov.uk.
For those with family links in the UK who want to be considered for entry to the UK, they should seek to do so via legal and safe routes.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they take to ensure that acceptable standards are maintained at the accommodation used for asylum seekers and refugees.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and other support whilst their application for asylum is being considered as set out in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The Act also sets out the need to meet essential living needs. The support package provided usually consists of accommodation and a weekly cash allowance to meet other essential living needs such as food, toiletries, travel and clothing. The support rate for those in contingency accommodation is intended to cover essential living items that are not met by the accommodation provider such as clothing, non-prescription medicine and travel.
The Asylum Accommodation service providers identify suitable accommodation and ensure that it conforms to the accommodation standards and provision set out in Schedule 2 of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC).
The Statement of Requirements, available via the link below, sets out the full details of the contractual obligations of our accommodation providers
http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf
All asylum properties are also inspected by our accommodation providers at least monthly. Additionally, our contract assurance team carries out targeted inspections, for example, targeting for inspection properties about which issues have been raised via Migrant Help. Our inspectors have procedures and tools to focus inspections on all relevant aspects of contract compliance.
If accommodation providers have been found to have fallen short of the required standards then we can take action, including but not limited to the application of financial remedies
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of shelter from rough weather for those awaiting immigration interviews at Lunar House in Croydon.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Attendees are provided with an appointment time for interviews to attend Lunar House and no internal waiting facility currently exists for early arrivals. The facility will be moved in 2024 to 2 Ruskin Square, Croydon where an indoor waiting area will be provided.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum decision takers were employed in (1) 1993, (2) 2003, (3) 2013 and (4) 2022.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions made on asylum applications can be found in table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. The latest data available is from 2001 up the year ending December 2022. Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023.
The number of full time equivalent (FTE) asylum caseworkers employed in each financial year from 2010/11 – 2021/22 is located in the ASY_04 tab of the published Migration transparency data, found online: Immigration and protection data: Q4 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Caseworking staff as referred to in the published immigration data, are defined as those responsible for delivering the interview and decision stages of asylum claims within asylum operations.
The number of (FTE) caseworkers working on asylum decisions from 1993 and 2003 is not published.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum claims were processed in (1) 1993, (2) 2003, (3) 2013 and (4) 2022.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions made on asylum applications can be found in table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. The latest data available is from 2001 up the year ending December 2022. Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023.
The number of full time equivalent (FTE) asylum caseworkers employed in each financial year from 2010/11 – 2021/22 is located in the ASY_04 tab of the published Migration transparency data, found online: Immigration and protection data: Q4 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Caseworking staff as referred to in the published immigration data, are defined as those responsible for delivering the interview and decision stages of asylum claims within asylum operations.
The number of (FTE) caseworkers working on asylum decisions from 1993 and 2003 is not published.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of climate change on the level of future immigration into the UK.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Department considers a wide range of factors and trends, including the effects on climate change, when developing and implementing its migration policies.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the introduction of the Illegal Migration Bill, what plans they have (1) to ban migrants who arrive in the UK via irregular transit routes from re-entering the UK in future, and (2) to prevent them from applying for British citizenship for life; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of any such plans, given that lifetime bans could be reversed by future governments.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Illegal Migration Bill makes it clear to migrants thinking of coming to the UK illegally – be that by a small boat, in the back of a lorry or other unlawful means - that illegal entry has real, long-term and significant impacts on their future.
Migrants who enter the UK illegally will be banned from returning at a future date and will not be able to obtain settlement or citizenship.
The very limited power to waive the re-entry ban is included for use in specific exceptional circumstances. The overall approach is clear: if someone wants to come to the UK, they must do so lawfully.
The re-entry, settlement and citizenship bans will be rooted in primary legislation as part of the Illegal Migration Bill and will be subject to the usual parliamentary processes
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of asylum seekers arriving in the UK by unofficial transit routes were eventually successful in their asylum claims in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Home Office publishes statistics on the asylum outcomes of small boat arrivals in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK statistics’ report on gov.uk. The latest data is in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK, year ending December 2022’ release.
The Home Office does not publish breakdowns for the asylum outcomes of people arriving by other irregular routes.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what dispensations they provide to asylum seekers arriving in the UK who have lost any identifying documentation en route.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The effect on credibility of the failure or inability to provide evidence, such as documentation, will depend on all the circumstances, including on the nature of the evidence requested and whether it is reasonable to expect the claimant to be able to disclose or obtain it.