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 an assessment of the suitability of the Bibby Stockholm to berth at Portland Port as accommodation for up to 506 adults.
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.
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 conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment on the use of (a) the Bibby Stockholm and (b) other barges to accommodate people seeking asylum.
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.
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 conducted an impact assessment on the use of (a) the Bibby Stockholm and (b) other barges to accommodate people seeking asylum.
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.
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 made an (a) equality impact assessment and (b) policy equality statement on the use of the (i) Bibby Stockholm to accommodate people seeking asylum and (ii) barges and other floating vessels to accommodate people seeking asylum.
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.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who were evacuated from Sudan and granted six-months leave to enter the UK are residing in Coventry.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department's policies on Albanian people in (a) Coventry South constituency and (b) nationally, and what steps she is taking to help ensure they feel safe in their communities
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK continues to welcome those who travel to the UK legally to work and continue to British society.
Since 2015, we have offered a safe and legal route to the UK to almost half a million individuals seeking safety, as well as the family members of refugees. Of course, we will seek to return those migrants who have no legal right to be here.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to announce the outcome of the review into asylum support rates.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office has a legal obligation to provide support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The support package provided usually consists of free, furnished accommodation (with utility bills and council tax paid) and a weekly cash allowance to meet other essential living needs.
From 21 December 2022 the government increased the main rate of asylum support that is provided under sections 4 and 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to £45 per week on an interim basis whilst we complete the current annual review of the asylum support allowance.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Afghans under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who have permanent settled accommodation that meets their family's needs; when her Department expects those people under that scheme will be placed in such accommodation; and whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that such accommodation is available to those being accommodated under that scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The recent update to the published 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data', shows that, at 4th November 2022:
Work is underway to assure information relating to all the individuals resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) on case working systems. Once this work concludes, further statistics on both schemes - including the number of people resettled under each - will be included in the published Immigration Statistics.
The Government continues to work at pace, in collaboration with over 350 local authorities across the UK, to meet the demand for housing. Alongside this, we are reaching out to landlords, developers, and the wider private rented sector to encourage further offers of properties.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum seekers who have been unable to provide identity records due to historic issues with identity registration in their country of origin, including Iraq; and what steps her Department is taking to clarify an asylum seeker's position in those circumstances.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not publish case volume information relating to asylum claims involving an absence of identity documents. Where that absence is attributable to historic issues with identity registration in the claimants’ country of origin.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made in the Independent Office of Police Conduct investigation announced on 4 July 2022 into allegations of excessive use of force by Metropolitan Police Service officers at a protest over the arrest of a man by immigration officers in Peckham on 11 June 2022.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The IOPC carries out its investigations independently of the Government. It provided a published update on the investigation relating to the Peckham protests on its website on 4th July 2022, when it also appealed for witnesses. I have notified the IOPC's Director General of this question so that he can respond directly or provide a further update.