Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, from which countries are workers entering the UK on the 8 week poultry visa being recruited from; what monitoring of the scheme is in place to ensure that workers are not being charged recruitment fees; and what systems are in place to provide redress where fees are being charged.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Seasonal Worker route is an ‘operator led’ immigration route, scheme operators are selected to manage the placement of workers on UK farms and to ensure their welfare in the UK.
These operators are selected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through a fair and open selection process and recommended to the Home Office – who assess the operator’s suitability to become a licensed sponsor.
The Scheme Operators are responsible for managing all aspects of the recruitment and placement of workers on UK farms and ensuring their welfare in the UK. This includes ensuring ethical recruitment practices, in line with Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority regulations, and that workers are fully supported throughout their stay.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice her Department has issued to employers on employing Ukrainians who have entered the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme but have not yet received the Biometric Residence Permit; and what steps she is taking to ensure that Ukrainians are able to undertake employment during that period.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office published updated guidance for employers on 12 April setting out how Ukrainian nationals issued permission to enter under the Ukraine schemes, including the Homes for Ukraine scheme, can evidence their right to work.
Further information is available on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide
Where necessary, employers may contact the Home Office Employer Checking Service to verify right to work.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what service standard has been set for processing biometric residence permit applications; what proportion of applications were processed within that timeframe; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that applications are processed within that timeframe.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We aim to deliver a BRP within 7 working days of the immigration decision.
BRPs are produced at the secure delivery facility (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)) within 48 hours of the decision being made and are collected by our secure delivery partner the same day. Our secure delivery partner (FedEx) aims to attempt to deliver the BRPs within 48 hours of receipt of the BRPs. This equates to a minimum of 5 working days from date of decision to delivery of the BRP.
In May, DVLA produced all BRPs within 48 hours of the production request, with 100% being produced within 24 hours. In May FedEx attempted to deliver 99.75% of BRPs within 48 hours.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on external consultants in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does hold information on consultancy spending and reports this in the Annual Report and Accounts.
Refer to the links and pages below for the available published information that relates to consultancy spending.
Pages 99-101 of the 2020-21 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts
HO annual report and accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Pages 88-89 of the 2019-20 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts
Home Office annual report and accounts 2019 - 2020 (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Pages 79-80 of the 2018-19 Home Office Annual Report.
Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19 (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Pages 71-72 of the 2017-18 Home Office Annual Report.
Home Office Annual Report - 2017-18 (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Pages 59-61 (Pages 61-63 on the PDF reader) of the 2016-17 Home Office Annual Report.
ho_annual_report_and_accounts_2016_2017.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Information relating to financial year 2021-22 will be available once the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts have been laid before Parliament. This is expected to be prior to the summer recess.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to mark the contribution of emergency workers killed in the line of duty.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
It is important that we recognise the vital role emergency service workers play in society. This is never more true than when they make the ultimate sacrifice. That is why the government was pleased to support the national memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum, and why the Home Secretary and Ministers regularly show their support for the police during commemorative events.
All UK honours and medals are in the personal gift of HM The Queen under the Royal prerogative. The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medal (HD Committee) gives advice to The Queen on honours matters, including new forms of official national recognition. The Honours and Appointments Secretariat in the Cabinet Office supports the Committee and will consider the options for recognition.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what process is in place to communicate with applicants under the Homes for Ukraine scheme in the event that their sponsors are required to undertake additional security checks.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Where the decision has been taken that a sponsor is unsuitable, for whatever reason, sponsors will be contacted and told they cannot proceed with sponsoring under the Scheme.
Applicants will be offered the option to be matched, by voluntary and charitable organisations, with a new sponsor, without needing to complete a new application.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish guidance for (a) applicants, (b) sponsors, (c) caseworkers and (d) UKVI staff on the process for when sponsors are referred for additional security checks under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Guidance for the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found at:
UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
This guidance is kept under regular review.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to urgently publish guidance for unaccompanied minors who have applied to travel to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Homes for Ukraine scheme is run and maintained by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. More information can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to communicate with unaccompanied minors on the progress of their applications to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Unaccompanied minors are only eligible under the Homes for Ukraine scheme if they are reuniting with a parent or legal guardian in the UK, this policy is being kept under review.
The current data on unaccompanied minors is contained in the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data
Information requested which is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Such applications received in accordance with the immigration rules for unaccompanied minors will normally be processed in date order from when documents are uploaded or after an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). Some cases will take longer as these are complex cases where safeguarding issues must be a priority before any decision is made.
Applications made under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme are being prioritised by UKVI, and case workers are processing applications as quickly as possible.
Applicants are contacted by email once their application has been received and processed. Where further information is needed on an application, UKVI contact applicants as a priority. Decisions are emailed to the email address provided in the application form.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion applications from unaccompanied minors to the Homes for Ukraine scheme are awaiting (a) processing or (b) a decision.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Unaccompanied minors are only eligible under the Homes for Ukraine scheme if they are reuniting with a parent or legal guardian in the UK, this policy is being kept under review.
The current data on unaccompanied minors is contained in the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data
Information requested which is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Such applications received in accordance with the immigration rules for unaccompanied minors will normally be processed in date order from when documents are uploaded or after an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). Some cases will take longer as these are complex cases where safeguarding issues must be a priority before any decision is made.
Applications made under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme are being prioritised by UKVI, and case workers are processing applications as quickly as possible.
Applicants are contacted by email once their application has been received and processed. Where further information is needed on an application, UKVI contact applicants as a priority. Decisions are emailed to the email address provided in the application form.