Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when Homes England’s next strategic plan will be published.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Announcements will be made in the usual way.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to publish the names of developers who sign the developer remediation contract by the deadline of 13 March 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government has made it clear that it expects major developers to sign the developer remediation contract by 13 March and that if they do not sign the contract, they can expect this fact to become publicly known.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish research commissioned by his Department from the University of Liverpool on the implications of the new infrastructure levy as provided for by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Department is intending to publish a consultation on the detailed operation of the Infrastructure Levy shortly. This will be accompanied by the University of Liverpool research report.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many developers who signed the building safety repairs pledge have signed the developer remediation contract as of 27 February 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
On 30 January 2023, the Government published the developer remediation contract and wrote to developers asking them to sign the contract by 13 March.
The Government is now working with developers to get execution copies prepared and signed by 13 March which developers have signed the contract and which have failed to do so after 13 March.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish new police guidance on locating missing asylum-seeking children.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police guidance is a matter for the College of Policing, which is operationally independent of the Home Office. The Authorised Professional Practice (APP) for missing persons is publicly available on the College’s website and sets out best practice guidance for all missing person investigations, including missing migrant children, for police forces in England and Wales.
In addition to the APP, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Missing Persons is developing advice for forces on the police response to missing migrant children. Other safeguarding agencies and third sector organisations are involved in drafting this advice which should be published this Spring, subject to consultation with relevant partners
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the letter of 20 January 2023 from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
A reply from the Minister for Safeguarding will be provided as soon as possible.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum-seeking children who had recently arrived in the UK without parents or carers were missing from Home Office accommodation in (a) Sussex, (b) London and (c) England as of 13 February 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no plans to routinely release data pertaining to missing unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) at this time.
As of the 22nd February, 196 UASC were missing.
When a young person goes missing the 'missing persons protocol' is followed and led by our directly engaged social workers.
The MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed for any looked after child who goes missing from a care setting, including the UASC hotels. When used correctly, similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police informed her Department that asylum-seeking children who had recently arrived in the UK without parents or carers and who were staying in Home Office accommodation could be targeted by human traffickers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All asylum seekers, including children, have an interview on arrival in the UK which includes a series of questions designed to understand whether there are any potential indicators of trafficking and to identify any vulnerabilities.
If there are any indicators that a child is potentially at risk of modern slavery a referral is made to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The Single Competent Authority (SCA) will make a decision on this referral. Children who are identified to be at risk are placed on a safety plan by the safeguarding team.
We have no power to detain unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) in temporary hotel accommodation. Many of those who have gone missing are subsequently traced and located. There are many reasons why children go missing from care and this is also true of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
The safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern. Robust safeguarding and welfare procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. This includes support workers being onsite in the hotels 24 hours a day, including nurses and social workers. All contingency sites have security staff on site and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its ninety-third session, reference A/HRC/WGAD/2022/19, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Ryan Cornelius is arbitrarily detained in the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO takes the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention seriously. FCDO Ministers and officials regularly raise Mr Cornelius' case with the UAE authorities, most recently on 7 February 2023 during a visit to the UAE by the FCDO's Consular Director. Mr Cornelius' case was also raised on 6 July 2022 by the then Minister for Asia and the Middle East, Amanda Milling, with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Gargash. Consular staff are in regular contact with Mr Cornelius and his family and are providing him with ongoing support.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Housing and Planning of 20 February 2023, Official Report, column 15, how his Department defines a rural local authority in England.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The department uses the DEFRA rural-urban classification, updated since the publication of this classification for local authority mergers.