Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that EEA nationals are able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if they (a) lack mental capacity, and (b) are detained in a secure mental health unit.

There is a wide range of support available on the phone, email and in person for people making, or those supporting people to make, applications. This includes funding 57 organisations with up to £9m from the Home Office to help vulnerable EU citizens to apply.

Ensuring that vulnerable EU citizens are supported to obtain status is a core element in the delivery of the scheme. For applicants with additional care and support needs, we are continuing to engage with stakeholders to determine responsibilities in multiple complex scenarios across different care settings to ensure appropriate support is in place.

This includes:

o Those in care homes (nursing and residential), receiving community or at home support;

o Those whose care is funded by local authorities, the NHS or privately, and combinations of care funding; and

o Those who lack mental capacity

We are working collaboratively with key organisations such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Health and Social Care, Ministry of Justice, the Devolved Administrations, the NHS and Office of the Public Guardian, as well as with stakeholders including the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Care Provider Allice and Local Government Association.

This collaborative approach is informing the development of a support model that will set out how local authorities and partners can work together to identify and support adults with care and support needs to apply to the Settlement Scheme.