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e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Richard Drax, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Richard Drax has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Roadworks (Regulation) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Mark Francois (Con)
House of Commons (Precedence of Government Business) (European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018)
Sponsor - William Cash (Con)
Armed Forces (Statute of Limitations) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Lord Benyon (Con)
All asylum and human rights claims, including those based on religion or belief, and regardless of where or how a person might be accommodated while in the UK, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.
Detailed Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims, including those based on religious conversion, and all caseworkers receive extensive training before making such decisions.
Those found not to need protection are refused, and the decision can be subject to legal challenge, where appropriate, either via appeal to the independent courts, or through a judicial review, depending on the decision in question. Once appeal rights are exhausted, they are liable for removal and enforcement action is pursued where necessary.
Those resident on the barge are not detained. Through our contracted service provider, the Home Office provides a bus service to take asylum seekers from the port to destinations agreed with local agencies. This is designed to ensure the movement of asylum seekers on and off the vessel is orderly and controlled, with the impact on the surrounding community as small as possible.
Financial assessments are carried out and reviewed regularly on the overall cost of each large site and vessel to test the value for money to the taxpayer.
The accommodation have been contracted for 18 months. We are assessing how long asylum seekers will be accommodated before being moved further through the accommodation system.
The Home Office has committed to providing funding to help minimise the impact on the local community and local services. Discussions regarding the specific funding arrangements for statutory bodies are ongoing.
The Home Office expect to provide medical services on site, with detailed planning ongoing. All asylum seekers in the UK may contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year if they need help, advice, or guidance, that includes raising issues relating to safeguarding.
Security forms an integral part of the proposed site. A specialist security provider will be working on site 24/7 and we are working closely with Dorset Police to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place. Any matters relating to suspected criminal activity are reported to the police as a matter of routine.
The safety and security of the local communities, those asylum seekers on the sites and the staff are of the utmost importance.
Asylum seekers accommodated on the vessel whose claims are refused and have no further appeal rights will be removed from the UK. If people are granted asylum, we will work with local authorities across the UK to provide the support and appropriate accommodation.
The vessel will be managed by an experienced accommodation provider, under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year. Through the Multi Agency Forum health subgroup, we are working closely with local health colleagues to ensure appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place.
The vessel will be managed by an experienced accomodation supplier, under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year. Through the Multi Agency Forum health sub group, we are working closely with local health colleagues to ensure appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place.
The intention is to accommodate single adult male asylum seekers.
Those being accommodated are likely to be of different nationalities. They will already be in the asylum system, having been through robust security checks and health checks.
Through the Multi Agency Forum health sub group, we are working closely with local health colleagues to ensure appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place. This includes on-site healthcare to limit pressures on local NHS services.
We take both the welfare of those in our care and our wider public health responsibilities extremely seriously. At Manston, all asylum seekers are offered diphtheria vaccines and antibiotics upon arrival. The Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities at Manston, including trained medical staff and a doctor for all those on site. All asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival and, if needed people are taken to hospital for further care.
The vessel will be managed by a specialist and experienced provider, which has a strong track record of providing this kind of accommodation, having managed the two vessels in Scottish ports for the past year.
Through the Multi Agency Forum health sub group, we are working closely with local health colleagues to ensure appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place.
We are working closely with local police forces and other stakeholders to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place.
We are discussing with the local voluntary and community sector about appropriate provisions.
I refer the Hon. member to my response to Question 182570: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
All asylum seekers who arrive in United Kingdom are subject to robust security checks at Manston. Additionally, the Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities at Manston, including trained medical staff and a doctor for all those on site and people are taken to hospital for further care if needed and all asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival.
The Home Office will assess an individual's suitability to reside at Portland prior to placement there and will continue to assess each person's suitability at regular intervals whilst on the vessel.
For all asylum accommodation sites we consider the impact on the local service, and this includes the NHS. We will provide basic healthcare on site to limit pressure on local services. These plans are being actively discussed and considered with key stakeholders and local partners through the Multi-Agency-Forum.
The vessel to be berthed in Portland Port will undergo statutory inspection along with any necessary refurbishment and general maintenance, in a UK port, ahead of its berthing in Portland.
It will be managed by a specialist and experienced provider, which has a strong track record of providing this kind of accommodation, having managed the two vessels in Scottish ports for the past year, and successfully with local authorities and other public organisations in Scotland.
Using Portland Port’s existing infrastructure to service vessels, appropriate utilities will be provided to support the accommodation barge, including water, power, and WiFi connectivity.
Portland Port has a Waste Management Plan that ensures that all ships using the Harbour dispose of all waste in an efficient and environmentally correct manner.
We will continue to work closely with the councils, communities, and key local partners to manage any impact in Dorset.
As with all asylum accommodation sites will be non-detained. There will be no curfew. As a matter of routine, if someone is late returning from a visit off the site, they will be contacted for to ascertain their whereabouts.
The vessel will be managed by an experienced accommodation provider under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year.
It is being designed to minimise the impact on local communities and services.
A specialist and experienced security provider will be working to ensure the site is run in an orderly manner with limited impact on the local community.
We are also working closely with local police forces to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place.
Upon arrival, all asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.
The safety and security of the local communities, asylum seekers on site and staff are of the utmost importance to the Home Office.
Every resident at Manston undergoes security checks and screening for health issues. Treatment is given where appropriate. We will assess an individual’s suitability to reside at Portland prior to placement there and continue to assess each person’s suitability at regular intervals whilst on the vessel.
The cohort will be single adult males who have undergone health and security checks at Manston. The cohort will be mixed nationalities that reflect the nationalities arriving in the UK and claiming asylum. They will all have entered the asylum process.
Asylum seekers accommodated in large accommodation sites will be non-detained. The site is self-contained with essential living needs provided on site, although those living at the site would be free to come and go. If an asylum seeker were not back on site by 11pm a call would be made to the individual to establish their whereabouts.
The vessel will be managed an experienced accommodation provider, under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year.
A specialist and experienced security provider will be working on site 24/7. We are also working closely with the local police force to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place. The safety and security of the local communities, asylum seekers on site and staff are of the utmost importance to the Home Office.
The provision of an accommodation barge at Portland Port will provide capacity for a maximum of 506 asylum seekers. There will be a phased programme of embarkation to ensure the site is run effectively, with as minimal impact on the local community as possible.
The vessel will be managed by an experienced accommodation supplier, under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year.
Whilst we do not comment on exact staffing ratios, the Home Office will ensure sufficient staffing is on site for the orderly running of the vessel as asylum accommodation.
Sufficient staffing is on site so the vessel is run as asylum accommodation in an orderly way with minimal impact on the local community.
We are working closely with key local stakeholders, including local authorities, Dorset Police and NHS to develop bespoke plans that minimise the impact on local services. We have made clear that additional funding will be made available as appropriate to support these plans.
The safety and security of the local communities, those asylum seekers on the sites and the staff are of the utmost importance.
To ensure security forms an integral part of the proposed site, a specialist security provider will be working on site 24/7. We are also working closely with the local police force to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place.
The vessel will be managed by our supplier, under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year.
The Home Office met with the Dorset council and other key stakeholders before signing the contract. We continue to work closely with the NHS, police, fire service and other statutory agencies to develop bespoke plans that take account of local environmental issues, heritage and any risks associated with the site in order to address local concerns and to ensure that we minimise any potential impact on the local area.
As with all asylum accommodation, asylum seekers accommodated on vessels will be non-detained. If someone is late returning from a visit off the site, they will be contacted to ascertain their whereabouts. Those accommodated will be required to sign in and out of the site. Individuals will be subjected to security checks when they re-enter the vessel.
The provision of an accommodation barge at Portland Port will provide the capacity for a maximum of 506 asylum seekers. The vessel will contain multiple occupancy rooms that are an appropriate size for the number of occupants in the appropriate space standard. The vessel will always remain in line with marine industry safety regulations and meet all statutory requirements.
Every resident at Manston undergoes security checks and screening for health issues. Treatment is given where appropriate. We will assess an individual’s suitability to reside at Portland prior to placement there and continue to assess each person’s suitability at regular intervals whilst on the vessel. We will only accommodate single adult males who are considered suitable to reside there. There are plans for basic medical services to be provided onsite at Portland. All asylum seekers in the UK may contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day 365 days a year if they need help, advice, or guidance raising issues relating to safeguarding.
The Secretary of State has ordered a review of all equality, diversity and inclusivity policies across the Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence to ensure that all those who are willing and able to serve our nation are able to freely do so in an environment which is welcoming to all, but that no policy distracts from the priority of defending our nation and being able to fight our enemies in a more dangerous age.
We will only meet current and future security challenges and threats if all our people, regardless of background, are confident that their efforts, skills and experience are properly recognised, and they are able to achieve their full potential.