Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities have adequate (a) funding and (b) support to house asylum seekers who are granted leave to remain.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
All individuals who receive a positive decision on their asylum claim are eligible to support and accommodation for at least 28 days from when their decision is served.
We offer move on support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing. Newly recognised refugees are entitled to housing assistance from their local authority and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable. Individuals do not need to wait for their BRP to make a claim for benefits and are encouraged to do so as early as possible, if they require them.
We are ensuring our cross government partners, such as the (DWP) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) are sighted on data to enable them to consider the impacts of increased decision making and effectively plan. We are also working with DLUHC to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the financial impact on local authorities of supporting asylum seekers who are granted leave to remain.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
All individuals who receive a positive decision on their asylum claim are eligible to support and accommodation for at least 28 days from when their decision is served.
We offer move on support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing. Newly recognised refugees are entitled to housing assistance from their local authority and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable. Individuals do not need to wait for their BRP to make a claim for benefits and are encouraged to do so as early as possible, if they require them.
We are ensuring our cross government partners, such as the (DWP) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) are sighted on data to enable them to consider the impacts of increased decision making and effectively plan. We are also working with DLUHC to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that asylum seekers given leave to remain have adequate support to access (a) housing and (b) health services.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
All individuals who receive a positive decision on their asylum claim are eligible to support and accommodation for at least 28 days from when their decision is served.
We offer move on support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing. Newly recognised refugees are entitled to housing assistance from their local authority and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable. Individuals do not need to wait for their BRP to make a claim for benefits and are encouraged to do so as early as possible, if they require them.
We are ensuring our cross government partners, such as the (DWP) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) are sighted on data to enable them to consider the impacts of increased decision making and effectively plan. We are also working with DLUHC to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department’s contract Securing a Diverse Future for the NHS, procurement reference CF-2038900D0O000000rwimUAA, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the diversity in the NHS workforce.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service has a diverse workforce. Latest data published by NHS England shows that as of June 2023, 27% of staff working in NHS trusts and other core organisations reported being from an ethnic minority group, compared with 18.3% of the United Kingdom’s population as shown in the 2021 Census. Over three quarters of staff working in NHS trusts and other core organisations are female.
However, there is always more that can be done, on these and other types of diversity. The contract ‘Securing a Diverse Future for the NHS’, which is being delivered by The Prince’s Trust, aims to bring people from more diverse backgrounds into the NHS, particularly people from areas of higher deprivation.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make a cost-benefit assessment of the Pharmacy Earlier Payment Scheme.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies are paid in arrears for the provision of pharmaceutical services in the National Health Service. The Pharmacy Earlier Payment Scheme was a private scheme that gave community pharmacies early access to their payments for the provision of NHS pharmaceutical services. The scheme ended on 1 October 2021.
In November 2021, the Department enabled early access to payments for all pharmacies. Pharmacies can claim for activity for a given month by the fifth of the next month and will receive payment around five days later.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of how many patients are being treated on virtual wards for (a) respiratory conditions, (b) cardiology, (c) gastroenterology and (d) infectious diseases.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, who (a) the Government invited and (b) attended the Global Investment Summit 2023 dinner on 27 November 2023 at Hampton Court Palace.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Global Investment Summit 2023 was held at Hampton Court Palace on 27th November, the event took place during the day and no dinner was held.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of practical driving tests.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. To increase the number of available test slots, it is conducting tests outside of regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from driving examiners.
Since April 2021, measures put in place by the DVSA to reduce waiting times for its customers, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating on average over 42,900 extra car test slots each month.
The DVSA has deployed all eligible managers and administrative staff back on the front line to do driving tests from the beginning of October until the end of March, which will create around 150,000 additional test slots.
As of 27 November 2023, there were 546,702 car practical driving tests booked, and 96,449 driving tests still available within the 24-week booking window.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people living in asylum accommodation have culturally-appropriate food.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Food options are provided which cater for special dietary, cultural or religious requirements, including additional food or meals as required to meet the nutritional needs of asylum seekers for whom three daily meals may be insufficient.
As our cohort are of mixed religions and faiths, we offer facilities on-site via a dedicated mixed faith prayers and reflection area as well as facilities to pray. If asylum seekers wish to visit a place of worship, we will of course assist them to do this by co-ordinating logistics and helping them to navigate their way through any public transport arrangements or suitable alternatives.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people living in asylum accommodation can access places of worship.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Food options are provided which cater for special dietary, cultural or religious requirements, including additional food or meals as required to meet the nutritional needs of asylum seekers for whom three daily meals may be insufficient.
As our cohort are of mixed religions and faiths, we offer facilities on-site via a dedicated mixed faith prayers and reflection area as well as facilities to pray. If asylum seekers wish to visit a place of worship, we will of course assist them to do this by co-ordinating logistics and helping them to navigate their way through any public transport arrangements or suitable alternatives.