Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to obtain national passports on the access by refugees to regulated professions; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that refugees with the right to work can access roles for which they are qualified.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Refugees do not automatically hold British nationality. Instead, they are typically granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, which allows them to live and work in the UK but does not confer British citizenship.
Refugees are not required to hold a British passport in order to work in the UK. Identity checks, including those for regulated professions, can be satisfied using alternative documentation such as a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
Where international travel is required for work purposes, refugees may apply for a Refugee Travel Document rather than a national passport.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications submitted under the Super-Priority Visa Service have exceeded the 24-hour decision standard in the last 12 months; and what the longest waiting time has been.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
While the Home Office does not produce stand along statistics to fully answer this question, some of the information requested can be found here: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that applicants whose visa cases take longer than service standards are provided with timely updates.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards. Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa processing times: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK
It may take longer to process an application if:
Customers are informed if their application will take longer to process.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that refugees who cannot return to their home country are not left without a viable long-term immigration route as a result of changes to settlement policy.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission to remain. We will carefully manage the transition into the new system, with the details remaining subject to ongoing policy development.
All settlement applications will continue to be carefully considered on their individual merits and this includes assessing whether there have been significant changes in country conditions or personal circumstances, which means that an individual no longer needs our protection.
We will not remove anyone to their own or any other country where they have a well-founded fear or persecution or are at risk of serious harm.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether transitional arrangements will be introduced for refugees approaching the five-year residency point for Indefinite Leave to Remain, in the context of the Government’s proposed changes to settlement pathways.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees granted limited permission to remain. We will carefully manage the transition into the new system, with the details remaining subject to ongoing policy development.
All settlement applications will continue to be carefully considered on their individual merits and this includes assessing whether there have been significant changes in country conditions or personal circumstances, which means that an individual no longer needs our protection.
We will not remove anyone to their own or any other country where they have a well-founded fear or persecution or are at risk of serious harm.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department operates any concession or discretionary process for partner visa holders whose entry to the UK was delayed due to government-mandated COVID-19 travel restrictions and red-list hotel quarantine.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the department considered the impact on people qualifying for settlement and, as a result, concessions were put in place, including where discretion will be exercised regarding the qualifying period for settlement. These are set out in the Family Life guidance: Family life and exceptional circumstances: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has assessed the impact of COVID-19 border restrictions on the ability of spouse visa holders to meet the five-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the department considered the impact on people qualifying for settlement and, as a result, concessions were put in place, including where discretion will be exercised regarding the qualifying period for settlement. These are set out in the Family Life guidance: Family life and exceptional circumstances: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what independent oversight mechanisms are in place for monitoring policing incidents involving the use of force on (a) elderly and (b) vulnerable people.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is clear that any use of force must be reasonable, proportionate and necessary in all circumstances and officers are accountable through the law for their actions.
Before being deployed all officers must pass comprehensive training in Public and Personal Safety which must be refreshed annually. Training reinforces the importance of legitimacy in police use of force at every level and trains officers to factor in the potential vulnerabilities of a person, including their size and age. Training is aimed at de-escalating the situation wherever possible to prevent harm.
Where de-escalation is not possible, officers use their training and experience in line with the National Decision-Making Model to decide on the most appropriate use of force in the circumstances. The National Decision-Making Model has been adopted by police as a framework for ensuring any decisions can be effectively evaluated and challenged where necessary.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary inspect police forces on their use of force as part of their regular PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) programme of inspections.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigate where serious injury is caused following police contact, and when complaints are made.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure police forces (a) review and (b) improve procedures for responding to (i) people with (A) dementia and (B) physical impairments and (ii) other vulnerable adults in care settings.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing set the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice.
All police forces are operationally independent of the Home Office, and it is for each Chief Constable to decide on levels of training, and to set and enforce standards, giving them the flexibility to address their own local challenges, needs and priorities.
Work is underway nationally to support improvements in mental health provision and to reduce inappropriate demand on police resources through the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) approach. This means that people in need of health or social care can get help from people with the right skills and training.
Where an individual is brought into police custody, custody officers should carry out a vulnerability assessment, taking account of their appearance and behaviour, signs of illness or injury, their style and level of communication, collaborative information from all sources and the circumstances and environment in which they were found.
The police must secure an appropriate adult as soon as is practicable if they suspect that the person is vulnerable. The appropriate adult is a mandatory procedural safeguard to uphold the rights, entitlements and welfare of vulnerable persons.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide frontline police officers with training to (a) recognise and (b) address antisemitism.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime, including antisemitic hate crime.
The College of Policing is responsible for setting the national training standards and operational guidance (known as authorised professional practice) in England and Wales that guide officers and staff in responding to hate crime, promoting a consistent and victim-sensitive approach across forces.
Improving investigative standards, including in relation to hate crime, is a national priority. The College is supporting this work through targeted interventions aimed at increasing knowledge, consistency, improving outcomes, and strengthening public confidence in policing. This includes making specific reference to antisemitism (in line with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition) within hate crime guidance to reflect both religious and racial hostility; incorporating hate crime training within initial entry route into policing learning; and improving supervisory learning to ensure hate crime is prioritised and that the most vulnerable in our communities are safeguarded.
Whilst the police are operationally independent and work in line with the College of Policing’s operational guidance, we expect the police to fully investigate these appalling offences and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure perpetrators face the full force of the law and are brought to justice.
The College of Policing has also launched the Neighbourhood Policing Programme – Career Pathway training, as part of the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This programme has a specific focus on engaging with and supporting communities to build trust and confidence.