Immigration: EU Nationals
(asked on 15th October 2021) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the EU Settlement Scheme Policy Equality Statement (PES) dated 22 May 2019, published on 7 September 2021, and the section on page 27 on Evidence of abuse by non-EEA nationals, detailing the National Risk Assessment approach towards undocumented non-EEA family members, for what reason that section was redacted from the updated version of the statement; on what date that redaction was made; whether her Department has issued internal guidance to caseworkers on decision making on (a) EEA Family Permits or (b) EUSS applications that reflects the substance of that approach; and whether it is her policy to continue to apply the outcomes of a National Risk Assessment to all EUSS applications.
The Home Office released on 7 September 2021 an outdated version of the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) Policy Equality Statement (PES) dated 22 May 2019, with redactions, following a Freedom of Information Act request and in compliance with a 9 August 2021 decision of the First-tier Tribunal on Information Rights.
The redactions implement the Tribunal’s finding the publication of the relevant information would, or would be likely to, prejudice international relations and effective law enforcement and would therefore be detrimental to the public interest.
The May 2019 PES is an outdated version of the comprehensive PES for the EUSS published in November 2020:
Neither the published PES nor the EUSS or family permit guidance for caseworkers places any reliance on the National Risk Assessment, which is not routinely used in connection with all EUSS applications.