Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make it her policy to give Ukrainian visa holders (a) humanitarian protection or (b) other long-term status.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This Government is committed to standing with Ukraine, and providing stability for those we have welcomed to the UK and those who still need our sanctuary.
To provide future certainty to those who have been provided with sanctuary in the UK under the existing Ukraine schemes, the government will be introducing a bespoke Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE), due to open in early 2025. This will allow those with sanctuary to apply for further permission to remain in the UK, giving them the same rights and entitlements as they have been given under the existing Ukraine Schemes.
To allow ease of transition, this scheme will open in advance of the first Ukraine scheme visas expiring, with further details on eligibility and application processes being available before the scheme opens.
The Ukrainian government have been clear about their strong desire for the future return of its citizens to help rebuild Ukraine when it is safe to do so. It is important that our approach respects these wishes.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) efficiency of the Border Force fleet.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We always seek to ensure the adequacy and efficiency of the Border Force fleet. Working with key law enforcement partners, Border Force Maritime Command supports border security in the maritime arena. Domain awareness and the effective deployment of maritime assets to a variety of tasks is achieved in conjunction with the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC). The efficacy of these operations is reviewed by senior Border Force staff on a monthly basis.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken for visa applications to be processed for (a) adults and (b) children.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are seeking to ensure visa applications are processes as quickly as possible. Customer service standards exist for all types of visa applications, however the time taken to process a visa application may take longer under certain circumstances such as if the information provided is not accurate or further evidence is required.
If there is a delay, the applicant will be notified of this within the current processing times.
Data relating to the performance against visa service standards for all types of applications are produced as part of the Migration Transparency publication.
These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in her Department was in each of the last three years; and whether she holds similar data for police forces in England and Wales.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office policy is named 'maternity and adoption support leave' in recognition of the fact that the secondary parent or, in the case of adoption, the secondary adopter, is not necessarily a man. The average length of maternity and adoption support for last three financial years is outlined below.
Year | Average length of Maternity and Adoption support |
2021-22 | 14 |
2022-23 | 14 |
2023-24 | 14 |
The Home Office does not collect centrally information on the average length of paternity leave taken by those working within the police service.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) specific needs of British national victims of modern slavery, (b) adequacy of pathways to access support and (c) potential barriers to accessing support.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, prosecuting those responsible and supporting victims in their recovery.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in 2023; the highest annual number since the NRM began in 2009 and a 628% increase since 2014.
This unprecedented increase in the volume of referrals into the NRM has presented significant challenges in resourcing and workflow, and we recognise that wait times for Conclusive Grounds decisions are too long. Operational teams have invested heavily in seeking to address this and as a result numbers of people awaiting a Conclusive Grounds decision have dropped for the first time and timeliness is improving. We continue to strive for faster decisions for victims.
In England and Wales, after referral to the National Referral Mechanism, adult victims can access specialist support from the government funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice. This support is available to all adult victims, including British nationals, based on an ongoing needs-based assessment.
Local authorities are the primary service provider for safeguarding child victims regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Additionally, the Government has rolled out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) in two-thirds of Local Authorities in England and Wales. ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality or immigration status. An ICTG’s advocacy and involvement throughout the decision-making process is intended to ensure the child is protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation, re-trafficking or going missing, and promote the child’s recovery.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. We are currently looking at how we ensure the long-term sustainability of these programmes to continue to meet the needs of both adult and child victims of modern slavery.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enhance the ability of the National Referral Mechanism to ensure quicker and more effective assistance for modern slavery victims.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, prosecuting those responsible and supporting victims in their recovery.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in 2023; the highest annual number since the NRM began in 2009 and a 628% increase since 2014.
This unprecedented increase in the volume of referrals into the NRM has presented significant challenges in resourcing and workflow, and we recognise that wait times for Conclusive Grounds decisions are too long. Operational teams have invested heavily in seeking to address this and as a result numbers of people awaiting a Conclusive Grounds decision have dropped for the first time and timeliness is improving. We continue to strive for faster decisions for victims.
In England and Wales, after referral to the National Referral Mechanism, adult victims can access specialist support from the government funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice. This support is available to all adult victims, including British nationals, based on an ongoing needs-based assessment.
Local authorities are the primary service provider for safeguarding child victims regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Additionally, the Government has rolled out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) in two-thirds of Local Authorities in England and Wales. ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality or immigration status. An ICTG’s advocacy and involvement throughout the decision-making process is intended to ensure the child is protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation, re-trafficking or going missing, and promote the child’s recovery.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. We are currently looking at how we ensure the long-term sustainability of these programmes to continue to meet the needs of both adult and child victims of modern slavery.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of modern slavery.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, prosecuting those responsible and supporting victims in their recovery.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in 2023; the highest annual number since the NRM began in 2009 and a 628% increase since 2014.
This unprecedented increase in the volume of referrals into the NRM has presented significant challenges in resourcing and workflow, and we recognise that wait times for Conclusive Grounds decisions are too long. Operational teams have invested heavily in seeking to address this and as a result numbers of people awaiting a Conclusive Grounds decision have dropped for the first time and timeliness is improving. We continue to strive for faster decisions for victims.
In England and Wales, after referral to the National Referral Mechanism, adult victims can access specialist support from the government funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice. This support is available to all adult victims, including British nationals, based on an ongoing needs-based assessment.
Local authorities are the primary service provider for safeguarding child victims regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Additionally, the Government has rolled out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) in two-thirds of Local Authorities in England and Wales. ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality or immigration status. An ICTG’s advocacy and involvement throughout the decision-making process is intended to ensure the child is protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation, re-trafficking or going missing, and promote the child’s recovery.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. We are currently looking at how we ensure the long-term sustainability of these programmes to continue to meet the needs of both adult and child victims of modern slavery.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure police officers are effectively trained to handle cases of (a) domestic abuse and (b) sexual violence.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and we will treat it as a national emergency. Our mission is to halve levels of these crimes within a decade, using every lever available to us in government and right across society. This means reforming the police response to these crimes, strengthening the criminal justice system, and empowering victims by providing access to specialist support when they need it.
We are committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG and have committed to mandating stronger training on VAWG for policing.
We have also supported the College of Policing to design and launch new, academic-informed training programmes on investigating rape and sexual offending. This includes new training for those likely to make initial contact with victims.
To improve the criminal justice response, the Home Office continues to support collaboration between the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in order to increase the number of cases being charged and prosecuted, and reduce the time taken to reach this point. This involves supporting policing and CPS colleagues to improve case progression by reducing blockages, cutting bureaucracy, streamlining processes, and improving timeliness. This Government has also committed to making it easier for high-performing police forces to charge domestic abuse suspects to speed up the charging process and improve outcomes.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve the charge rates for perpetrators of violence against women and girls.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and we will treat it as a national emergency. Our mission is to halve levels of these crimes within a decade, using every lever available to us in government and right across society. This means reforming the police response to these crimes, strengthening the criminal justice system, and empowering victims by providing access to specialist support when they need it.
We are committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG and have committed to mandating stronger training on VAWG for policing.
We have also supported the College of Policing to design and launch new, academic-informed training programmes on investigating rape and sexual offending. This includes new training for those likely to make initial contact with victims.
To improve the criminal justice response, the Home Office continues to support collaboration between the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in order to increase the number of cases being charged and prosecuted, and reduce the time taken to reach this point. This involves supporting policing and CPS colleagues to improve case progression by reducing blockages, cutting bureaucracy, streamlining processes, and improving timeliness. This Government has also committed to making it easier for high-performing police forces to charge domestic abuse suspects to speed up the charging process and improve outcomes.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence to ensure (a) domestic abuse within the armed forces is tackled, (b) victims are protected and (c) perpetrators are held to account.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade; working across government departments, sectors and wider society to tackle the scourge of violence and abuse wherever it is found.
We will work closely with the Ministry of Defence to ensure we respond robustly to support victims and pursue perpetrators within the armed forces, and their families. This will include identifying any additional challenges this cohort may face.