Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Data on health measures at the UK border, published on 10 September 2020, when she plans to publish further statistics on the performance of the Isolation Assurance Service.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government continues to identify whether it is possible to publish a further data set which will provide more detail in support of the measures at the UK border.
No date is yet set for publication.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support will be made available to migrants with insecure immigration status during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has put in place a?range of measures?to ensure people can stay safe and many of these are available for those with a No recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition. We have also published advice and information about the support available to migrants living here,?including where they are subject to NRPF
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk
Testing and treatment for Covid-19 is free of charge to all regardless of immigration status and NHS Trusts have been advised that no immigration checks are required for these patients.
Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support, regardless of immigration status, if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.
The Government has allocated more than £3.2 billion to local authorities in England to help them respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including services helping the most vulnerable.? The funding will mean councils can continue to provide vital services, including adult social care and children’s services.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken with the Loneliness Action Group to share learning on loneliness and ensure effective implementation of the loneliness strategy.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Government has engaged closely with the Loneliness Action Group in the development and now implementation of its Loneliness Strategy. The Home Office has worked in tandem with other departments in this and Home Office officials have spoken with the Loneliness Action Group about our progress in delivering our commitments in the Strategy.
Government officials have regularly attended the quarterly Loneliness Action Group meetings, to share updates and hear the group's views. The Minister for Sport and Civil Society, who leads Government's work on loneliness, spoke at the Loneliness Action Group conference in May 2019.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of its non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The gender breakdown of senior appointments to the Home Office’s non-Departmental Public Bodies for the last five years is given below:.
Year | Total appointments made | Female | Male |
2013-14 | 68 | 36 (53%) | 32 (47%) |
2014-15 | 35 | 13 (37%) | 22 (63%) |
2015-16 | 40 | 25 (63%) | 15 (37%) |
2016-17 | 32 | 13 (41%) | 19 (59%) |
2017-18 | 32 | 17 (53%) | 15 (47%) |
Total | 207 | 104 (50.2%) | 103 (49.8%) |
These figures reflect those provided each year to the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been made against G4S in the last year on its service to asylum seekers.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office and our accommodation providers take complaints extremely seriously and have robust procedures in place to inspect, investigate and resolve when specific information is received. In the first instance, issues with Asylum Accommodation should be reported to the relevant Provider, for them to resolve. Where a Provider does not resolve a complaint satisfactorily, or the response is considered inadequate, then the complaint can be brought directly to UKVI, including via Migrant Help or another representative. Our records show that between October 2016 and October 2017 UKVI have received 68 complaints concerning G4S service to asylum seekers. These figures are based on local management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, is subject to change and should be treated as provisional.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with trade unions on the effectiveness of the board of the Gamgmasters and Labour Abuse Authority; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Board of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) is constituted under The Gangmasters (Licensing Authority) Regulations 2015. Recruitment to the Board follows a fair and open process in line with the Government’s code of practice on public appointments.
Anyone with relevant experience and ability to contribute to the GLAA Board, including those with trade union experience, is able to apply to recruitment rounds.
The Department has not discussed the effectiveness of the GLAA Board with trade union representatives.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the Board of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority does not include any members with recent trade union experience.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Board of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) is constituted under The Gangmasters (Licensing Authority) Regulations 2015. Recruitment to the Board follows a fair and open process in line with the Government’s code of practice on public appointments.
Anyone with relevant experience and ability to contribute to the GLAA Board, including those with trade union experience, is able to apply to recruitment rounds.
The Department has not discussed the effectiveness of the GLAA Board with trade union representatives.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to ensure that the recruitment policies of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority board will include trade union experience as a desirable competence for future board members; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Board of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) is constituted under The Gangmasters (Licensing Authority) Regulations 2015. Recruitment to the Board follows a fair and open process in line with the Government’s code of practice on public appointments.
Anyone with relevant experience and ability to contribute to the GLAA Board, including those with trade union experience, is able to apply to recruitment rounds.
The Department has not discussed the effectiveness of the GLAA Board with trade union representatives.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what undertakings has G4S made to improve service in relation to accommodation for asylum seekers.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government demands the highest standards and integrity from our contractors at all times and the Home Office monitor them closely to ensure their accommodation and service meets the requirements set out in the contracts. The Home Office has worked closely with all our Providers, to improve property standards over the lifetime of the contracts.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many of the last 12 months G4S has met its KPIs for providing accommodation for asylum seekers.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Property standards under COMPASS are monitored by three key performance indicators to ensure it is safe, habitable and fit for purpose. Non-conformance occurs when the defects are not rectified within the agreed contractual timescales. Where there is any instance of non-conformance the performance indicators are applied which may lead to a financial deduction.