Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Skilled Worker visas were issued to people classified as new entrants eligible for employment at reduced minimum salary thresholds in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office publishes data on sponsored work visas by occupation in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on work visas granted, by occupation, are published in table Occ_D02 of the sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset. Applications classified as ‘new entrants’ form a subset of this dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate to 2023 Q4.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals from (a) Bahrain, (b) Kuwait, (c) Oman, (d) the United Arab Emirates, (e) Saudi Arabia, (f) Jordan and (g) Qatar have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted an Electronic Travel Authorisation since 1 February 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office publishes data on Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in the `How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)?` topic of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. In 2023 quarter 4 (October to December), there were 12,190 applications for ETA and 12,076 grants. All applications were for Qatari nationals. The latest data relates up to the end of December 2023. Statistics for Jan-Mar 2024, including information on the nationalities who require an ETA to enter the UK, will be published in the May edition of the Immigration System Statistics.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have entered the UK with an Electronic Travel Authorisation since 22 February 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office publishes data on Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in the `How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)?` topic of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. In 2023 quarter 4 (October to December), there were 12,190 applications for ETA and 12,076 grants. All applications were for Qatari nationals. The latest data relates up to the end of December 2023. Statistics for Jan-Mar 2024, including information on the nationalities who require an ETA to enter the UK, will be published in the May edition of the Immigration System Statistics.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2024 to Question 7579 on Asylum:Rwanda, if he will publish his plans for future flights between the UK and Rwanda for the purposes of relocating asylum seekers under the UK-Rwanda treaty on provision of an asylum partnership; and whether he has made an estimate of the cost of such flights over the next two years.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
These discussions are commercially sensitive and therefore we will not be providing a running commentary on them.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has prepared contingency plans for relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda if a commercial airline cannot be found to operate flights.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
These discussions are commercially sensitive and therefore we will not be providing a running commentary on them.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its policy on removing asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda on the number of (a) English Channel crossings in small boats by asylum seekers and (b) asylum seekers undertaking small boat crossings in the next two years; and on what evidential basis the policy was introduced.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson
The Home Office is committed to ending people smuggling, and the Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the UK and Rwanda is part of a suite of measures aimed at dismantling the business model of organised crime gangs.
The Ministerial direction letter (April 2022) can be found here:- Letter from Matthew Rycroft to Rt Hon Priti Patel (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2024 to Question 13119 on Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority: Finance, what the total budget for the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority is for the financial year 2024-25.
Answered by Laura Farris
The total budget for the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority for the financial year of 2024/25 has been set and will be formally communicated to the public body via the annual delegation letter. This allocation for 2024/25 has already been provided to the GLAA for planning purposes and totals £6.265m.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guarantees are in place to ensure that workers on the horticultural Seasonal Worker visa are (a) transferred to a different Scheme Operator and (b) supported to access work in the event that the Scheme Operator who sponsored their UK visa has their sponsorship revoked.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Scheme Operators are required to have a clear employer transfer pathway in place as a condition of holding their sponsor licence, including transparent criteria for making a transfer request and a process for considering such requests. The Scheme Operators must not normally refuse requests to change employers and may only do so where there are significant reasons preventing a transfer, for example the imminent expiry of a worker’s visa. This is set out in published Home Office guidance, available at: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
In the event that a Scheme Operator for the Seasonal Worker routes became unlicensed for any reason, the Home Office will consider each case on its own merits and tailor its response accordingly.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to his oral contribution of 23 January 2024 during the debate on Protecting Steel in the UK, Official Report, column 265, whether his Department has undertaken or commissioned an independent assessment of the potential merits of the multi-union plan for steel production at Port Talbot.
Answered by David T C Davies
Tata Steel are now conducting a formal consultation period with staff regarding the company’s proposed £1.25bn project to transition to greener steelmaking at Port Talbot.
Prior to this, Tata Steel have been discussing Union’s alternative proposals with them for several months. Ultimately, this is a commercial decision for Tata Steel and engagement with trade unions has always been a process that must be led by the employer.
We are working with Tata Steel to provide up to £100m funding for a dedicated Transition Board, which I chair and includes members from the Welsh Government, to support both affected employees and the local economy.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberafan Maesteg)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to (a) increase capacity and (b) improve infrastructure in the NHS to help tackle dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
In 2019 we committed to doubling funding for dementia research, to £160 million per year by 2024/25. This will span all areas of research from causes and prevention to treatment and care, delivering evidence to help prevent, diagnose and treat dementia, enabling the best possible care and quality of life for people with dementia.
NHS England are assessing the additional scanning, treating and monitoring capacity which would be required if potential new Alzheimer’s treatments are approved and determined to be both cost and clinically effective. This includes securing additional diagnostic capacity, for instance through magnetic resonance imaging, lumbar puncture, and positron emission tomography and computed tomography.