Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of removing the right of appeal for applicants seeking entry to the UK as a family visitor in June 2013 on the families affected; and whether her Department has made a recent estimate of the number and proportion of family visit visa applications that were successful on re-application since June 2013.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There is no recent assessment of the impact of the removal in 2013 of this right of appeal. Where the application includes a human rights claim, applicants retain the right of appeal against the refusal of the claim. This is in line with the changes made to the appeals system by the Immigration Act 2014.
There is no recent estimate of the number and proportion of successful reapplications.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allow asylum seekers housed in the Bibby Stockholm barge to enter and leave during the day and night.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Those accommodated aboard the vessel are not detained and are free to come and go.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's factsheet: asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port, updated on 25 August 2023, what fire safety standards she has applied to the Bibby Stockholm; and to which industry standards the factsheet refers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a legal obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, the authorities have delivered accommodation for asylum seekers on vessels in a safe and secure manner.
The Bibby Stockholm vessel has been used for decades to provide safe and decent accommodation to oil rig workers and was used between 1995 to 1998 to accommodate refugees in Germany.
Corporate Travel Management (CTM) are responsible for managing the services on the barge. CTM managed two Scottish vessels housing refugees and have a strong track record of providing this kind of accommodation. We are confident that it will continue to manage the vessel and its supporting services. CTM has worked closely and successfully with local authorities and other public and voluntary organisations in Scotland.
The Bibby Stockholm adheres to the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 and has an appropriate fire risk assessment that complies to those regulations including safety features such as fire doors, fire detection systems and firefighting equipment at strategic locations.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a functioning sprinkler system on the Bibby Stockholm.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a legal obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, the authorities have delivered accommodation for asylum seekers on vessels in a safe and secure manner.
The Bibby Stockholm vessel has been used for decades to provide safe and decent accommodation to oil rig workers and was used between 1995 to 1998 to accommodate refugees in Germany.
Corporate Travel Management (CTM) are responsible for managing the services on the barge. CTM, who managed two Scottish vessels housing refugees in Edinburgh, has a strong track record of providing this kind of accommodation, and we are confident that it can manage the vessel and its supporting services. CTM has worked closely and successfully with local authorities and other public and voluntary organisations in Scotland.
The Bibby Stockholm adheres to the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 and has an appropriate fire risk assessment that complies to those regulations including safety features such as fire doors, fire detection systems and firefighting equipment at strategic locations.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to allow people seeking asylum housed in the Bibby Stockholm barge to enter and leave the barge (a) during the day and (b) at night.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The statutory inspection was carried out prior to the Home Office taking control of the barge.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2023 to Question 191863 on Asylum: Falmouth, if her Department will publish the results of the statutory inspection.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The statutory inspection was carried out prior to the Home Office taking control of the barge.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194955 on Asylum: Boats, if her Department will publish the Equality Impact Assessment completed for the Bibby Stockholm.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Equality Impact Assessment (EqiA) documentation is for internal use and therefore is not routinely published.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to conduct a review of the funding formula for Police Forces.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government recognises that the current police funding formula is out of date and no longer accurately reflects demand on policing. A review of the funding formula was launched in Autumn 2021 to ensure that it fairly and transparently distributes the circa £8.6bn of annual core grant funding across the 43 police forces in England and Wales.
We are working towards completing the first phase of the review and are considering the demands facing each police force and the relative impact of local factors on forces. We have engaged closely with the policing sector throughout the review, and this work continues.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide indefinite leave to remain to Sudanese families in Coventry who were recently granted six-months leave to enter the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Where a person has leave in the UK but is unable to return home they should apply for Leave Outside the Rules using the FLR(HRO) form Application to extend stay in the UK: FLR(HRO) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Each case will be assessed on its merits.
If they are unable to afford the fee then a fee waiver application can be made here: fee waiver application form
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department undertook a consultation before deciding (a) to use barges and other floating vessels to accommodate people seeking asylum and (b) locating the Bibby Stockholm in Portland Port.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been completed and routinely monitored to ensure that the accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements, for single adult male asylum seekers.
We will assess individual’s suitability to reside at each location and will only accommodate individuals who are considered suitable to reside there. Each person’s suitability will be assessed at regular intervals.
The sites are be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols, on-site catering and healthcare and transport provisions for asylum seekers.
We also conducted relevant assessments in line with the Home Office’s role as competent authority under the Conservation and Habitats Regulations 2017. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening was not required as planning permission was not required.