Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contracts her Department currently holds with (i) ClearVoice and (ii) other interpretation providers for asylum and migration services.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold any contract with ClearVoice.
The Home Office has a contract above threshold with ‘thebigword’ Group Limited.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of hospitality apprenticeship schemes in tackling labour shortages in the pub sector.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Apprenticeships are one of the ways in which employers in the hospitality sector can fill skills gaps and address labour shortages. Employers in the sector have developed a number of apprenticeships including the Level 2 Food and Beverage Team Member, Level 3 Hospitality Supervisor, and Level 4 Hospitality Manager. Published data on apprenticeships, including within the hospitality sector, can be found at: Apprenticeships, Academic year 2024/25 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK.
To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people undertaking apprenticeships and foundation apprenticeships, we will expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors where young people are traditionally recruited, exploring occupations such as hospitality and retail. Additionally, to support SMEs to access apprenticeships, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the next academic year. Smaller employers in all sectors will benefit from this change.
The department and Skills England engage regularly with the hospitality sector, including industry bodies such as UK Hospitality, regarding training for the sector and the government’s plans for skills.
The government has also supported other sector-based initiatives such as the development of a Hospitality Skills Passport and hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs).
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The Scotland Office can confirm that the cost over the last five years of conducting feasibility studies is nil.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential need for further legislative or operational measures to prevent, disrupt, and dismantle extremist networks that pose a threat to public safety.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The police have a range of tools and powers to counter the activities of extremist networks including Counter-Terrorism, hate crime, public order and wider public safety legislation. Where extremists breach criminal thresholds we will take action.Since the start of 2020, MI5 and the police have disrupted 19 late-stage attack plots and have intervened in many hundreds of developing threats.
The Prevent programme plays a fundamental role in protecting the public from the threat of terrorism and remains a vital tool for early intervention. Prevent is continuously improving to ensure it has the capabilities it needs to reduce terrorism risk.Since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015, just under 6,000 people have been supported to move away from violent ideologies that could have resulted in harm to themselves, or others, or taken them down a pathway to terrorist offending.
The Home Office has also commissioned an independent evaluation of Channel, Prevent’s multi-agency early intervention programme, to assess whether it is effective at reducing individuals’ susceptibility to radicalisation. The evaluation is expected to report findings in 2026.We are progressing activity to challenge extremist narratives including working to ensure dangerous overseas hate preachers and extremists are unable to enter the UK to spread their divisive rhetoric.
Finally, the Desistance and Disengagement Programme, which helps to manage the risk of individuals who have already been involved in terrorism or terrorism related activity, has been independently evaluated. The majority of recommendations from that evaluation have already been implemented.
We constantly review the evolving landscape and we are committed to ensuring we have the required tools and powers needed to address this issue.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a list of all companies that are contracted by the Department to provide asylum related services.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office holds one contract with Migrant Help for the provision of asylum services. The overall value for the 10-year contract (2019-2029) is £235,000,000. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The AIRE – Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract held with Migrant Help includes 24-hour service provisions. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The Home Office holds contracts with the following companies for asylum related services. This information is publicly available:
Serco Ltd- AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mears Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited - CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder Contract start date 26 February 2023
Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder Contract start date 23 April 2025
Prepaid Financial Services Limited - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 27 February 2021
Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 16 September 2022
British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 9 February 2022
thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 29 February 2024
VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 6 August 2024
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the total value of contracts her Department holds with Migrant Help, broken down by financial year since 2020.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office holds one contract with Migrant Help for the provision of asylum services. The overall value for the 10-year contract (2019-2029) is £235,000,000. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The AIRE – Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract held with Migrant Help includes 24-hour service provisions. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The Home Office holds contracts with the following companies for asylum related services. This information is publicly available:
Serco Ltd- AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mears Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited - CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder Contract start date 26 February 2023
Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder Contract start date 23 April 2025
Prepaid Financial Services Limited - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 27 February 2021
Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 16 September 2022
British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 9 February 2022
thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 29 February 2024
VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 6 August 2024
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any contracts her Department holds with Migrant Help include 24-hour service provisions.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office holds one contract with Migrant Help for the provision of asylum services. The overall value for the 10-year contract (2019-2029) is £235,000,000. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The AIRE – Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract held with Migrant Help includes 24-hour service provisions. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The Home Office holds contracts with the following companies for asylum related services. This information is publicly available:
Serco Ltd- AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mears Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited - CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder Contract start date 26 February 2023
Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder Contract start date 23 April 2025
Prepaid Financial Services Limited - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 27 February 2021
Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 16 September 2022
British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 9 February 2022
thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 29 February 2024
VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 6 August 2024
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contracts her Department has with Migrant Help for the provision of services to asylum seekers.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office holds one contract with Migrant Help for the provision of asylum services. The overall value for the 10-year contract (2019-2029) is £235,000,000. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The AIRE – Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract held with Migrant Help includes 24-hour service provisions. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The Home Office holds contracts with the following companies for asylum related services. This information is publicly available:
Serco Ltd- AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mears Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited - CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder Contract start date 26 February 2023
Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder Contract start date 23 April 2025
Prepaid Financial Services Limited - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 27 February 2021
Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 16 September 2022
British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 9 February 2022
thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 29 February 2024
VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 6 August 2024