Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are (a) formal and (b) informal arrangements between the UK and Republic of Ireland governments on the (i) provision of biometric and other data on asylum seekers and (ii) removal of asylum seekers from the Republic of Ireland to the UK.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

The Home Office has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Irish Department of Justice for information sharing to preserve and enhance the operation of the Common Travel Area. This enables data sharing about asylum seekers.

We have no legally binding agreement with Ireland on the return of asylum seekers. In 2020, we agreed operational arrangements which allow for the return and readmission of asylum seekers where this is agreed by both participants. Ireland has not returned anyone to the UK under these arrangements, and we have only returned one person.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget allocated to his Department's Illegal Migration Operations Command was for financial year (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

For security reasons, the Home Office does not provide data of staff working within the Illegal Migrations of Operation Command or on its resourcing plans.

The Home Office continues to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained. As with all government departments, we remain committed to accessing the best talent and skills into the Civil Service while adhering to headcount caps, maximising efficiency and delivering for the public whilst retaining maximum value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent members of staff were working in Illegal Migration Operations Command on 1 April 2024.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

For security reasons, the Home Office does not provide data of staff working within the Illegal Migrations of Operation Command or on its resourcing plans.

The Home Office continues to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained. As with all government departments, we remain committed to accessing the best talent and skills into the Civil Service while adhering to headcount caps, maximising efficiency and delivering for the public whilst retaining maximum value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many positions within his Department's Illegal Migration Operations Command were vacant on 1 April 2024.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

For security reasons, the Home Office does not provide data of staff working within the Illegal Migrations of Operation Command or on its resourcing plans.

The Home Office continues to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained. As with all government departments, we remain committed to accessing the best talent and skills into the Civil Service while adhering to headcount caps, maximising efficiency and delivering for the public whilst retaining maximum value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in Aberavon constituency have had personal independence payments overturned as a result of an appeal hearing in each year for which data is available.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

Table 1 shows the number and percentage of initial decision awards for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) that were changed after an appeal tribunal hearing, in the Aberavon constituency by the financial year of the initial decision.

Table 1

Table 2 shows the number and percentage of Award Reviews (AR) and Change of Circumstances (CoC) decisions for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) that were changed after an appeal tribunal hearing, in the Aberavon constituency by the financial year of the AR or CoC decision.

Table 2

Please note:

• Figures in Table 1 and Table 2 are rounded to the nearest 10.
• Percentages in Table 1 and Table 2 are calculated using unrounded figures, then rounded to the nearest percent.
• These figures include initial decisions (New Claims, reassessments from Disability Living Allowance (DLA)), award reviews and change of circumstances to 30^th September 2023, the latest date for which published data is available.
• These figures include appeal outcomes up to 31st December 2023, the latest date for which published data is available. Note that more appeals could be made and completed after December 2023, so numbers may change as it can take some time for an appeal to be lodged and then cleared after the initial decision, award review or change of circumstances.
• The 2023/24 financial year does not contain a full year of data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on Personal Independence Payment tribunals in each year since 2021.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

The full cost of a tribunal cannot be ascertained. This is because appeals are a joint process between DWP and HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). DWP do not handle tribunals for appeals; the cost of handling appeal tribunals sits with HMCTS and we do not hold their cost information. If this information were required, we would suggest that this element of your request be submitted to HMCTS.

The department holds information relating to the initial PIP appeals process and that can be provided for financial years 2021/22 to 2023/24. The costs of processing the appeals would include expenditure relating to DWP Presenting Officers who attend some Tribunals. The DWP PIP Presenting Officers costs are detailed below:

Cost figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1m.

Data Source: ABM

The cost figures quoted are estimated DWP level 1 operating costs, including both direct delivery staff and non-staff costs. Non-staff costs are only those costs incurred in local cost centres, relating to direct delivery staff.

The figures provided are for PIP Presenting Officers only and excludes Admin Support or Decision Making staff dealing with the initial appeals processing work.

Please note that the data supplied is from the Departmental Activity Based Models. This data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards. It should therefore be treated with caution. The Departmental Activity Based staffing models are a snapshot of how many people were identified as undertaking specified activities as assigned by line managers.

The data is frequently revised and changes to definitions / benefits / DWP structure effect comparisons over time. It should therefore be treated with caution and must be seen as an indication of cost, rather than the actual cost.

The 2023/24 model is still in DRAFT and these are not the final approved figures.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to his Department was of a Personal Independence Payment mandatory reconsideration in each year since 2021.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

The information for the financial years covered by the request are detailed in the tables below:

Cost figures are rounded to the nearest pound.

Data Source: ABM

The cost figures quoted are estimated DWP level 1 operating costs, including both direct

delivery staff and non-staff costs. Non-staff costs are only those costs incurred in local cost centres, relating to direct delivery staff. They show the average Unit Cost of processing one PIP Mandatory Reconsideration. The reduction in Unit Cost in the latter years follows an
improvement in productivity.

Please note that the data supplied is from the Departmental Activity Based Models. This data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal

Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official

Statistics publication standards. It should therefore be treated with caution. The Departmental Activity Based staffing models are a snapshot of how many people were identified as undertaking specified activities as assigned by line managers.

The 2023/24 model is still in DRAFT and these are not the final approved figures.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on mandatory reconsiderations of Personal Independence Payment claims in each year since 2021.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

The information for the financial years covered by the request are detailed in the tables below:

Cost figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1m

Data Source: ABM

The cost figures quoted are estimated DWP level 1 operating costs, including both direct delivery staff and non-staff costs. Non-staff costs are only those costs incurred in local cost centres, relating to direct delivery staff.

Please note that the data supplied is from the Departmental Activity Based Models. This data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards. It should therefore be treated with caution. The Departmental Activity Based staffing models are a snapshot of how many people were identified as undertaking specified activities as assigned by line managers.

The 2023/24 model is still in DRAFT and these are not the final approved figures.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to his Department was of a Personal Independence Payment tribunal appeal in each year since 2021.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The department holds information relating to the initial appeals process and that can be provided for financial years 2021/22 to 2023/24 but would only include Direct Operating costs and not any wider DWP overheads. The costs of processing the Appeals would include the costs of DWP Presenting Officer who attend some Tribunals.

The full cost of a tribunal cannot be ascertained. This is because appeals are a joint process between DWP and HM Courts and Tribunals Service. DWP do not handle tribunals for appeals; the cost of handling appeal tribunals sits with HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), and we do not hold their cost information. If this information were required, we would suggest that this element of your request be submitted to HMCTS.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people (a) began and (b) left positions within his Department's Illegal Migration Operations Command in the most recent three-month period for which data is available.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

For security reasons, the Home Office does not provide data of staff working within the Illegal Migrations of Operation Command or on its resourcing plans.

The Home Office continues to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained. As with all government departments, we remain committed to accessing the best talent and skills into the Civil Service while adhering to headcount caps, maximising efficiency and delivering for the public whilst retaining maximum value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vacancies within the Illegal Migration Operations Command were advertised in the most recent three-month period for which data is available.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

For security reasons, the Home Office does not provide data of staff working within the Illegal Migrations of Operation Command or on its resourcing plans.

The Home Office continues to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained. As with all government departments, we remain committed to accessing the best talent and skills into the Civil Service while adhering to headcount caps, maximising efficiency and delivering for the public whilst retaining maximum value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations have been undertaken by his Department's Professional Standards Unit in each year by (a) immigration, borders and citizenship, (b) policing and (c) counter-terrorism since 2015.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Prime Minister announces new funding to stop the boats, published on 20 May 2024, if he will publish the data that supports the statements that the Government has (a) dismantled 82 organised crime groups, (b) seized 352 boats and (c) prevented thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

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