Recommendations & Conclusions
108 items
2
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We are deeply concerned that there was so little early access to testing for Covid-19 for asylum seekers housed in shared facilities, whether IA or dispersal, given the higher risk of spreading infection in accommodation where it is often difficult to self-isolate, and where there are other residents who are …
Government response. 2 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation:
Home Office
3
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
At this point in the response, testing is widely available: any symptomatic person can apply for a test, including a home test kit, and live translation services are now available in more than 200 languages including British Sign Language to support those wishing to access test and trace services. These …
Government response. 2 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation:
Home Office
4
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The Government must urgently publish a clear policy on residential testing if there are outbreaks. This must be put in place immediately to ensure that accommodation providers are prepared for all potential scenarios in the next phase of the pandemic.
Government response. 2 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation:
Home Office
5
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Any service user who wants and needs a test must have easy access to that test. This also means that asylum seekers should be informed of the opportunity to request a test and of the associated translation support available to them through that process; they should be provided with any …
Government response. The Government takes the health of those in asylum accommodation and immigration removal centres (IRC) as being of the utmost importance and our accommodation providers have worked closely with Public Health leads to ensure their guidance is applied consistently and …
Home Office
6
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Vulnerable people such as pregnant women, victims of abuse and people with PTSD should never be placed in accommodation in which they have to share a room with an unrelated adult, nor should they be required to use shared bathroom/toilet facilities which may have a detrimental impact on their mental …
Government response. Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: 3
Home Office
7
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We recognise that once the lockdown started in March it was more difficult to move people into alternative accommodation, both because of public health requirements and because of the increased demand overall for accommodation. However, that only makes resolution of this issue more pressing as scientists warn of the possibility …
Government response. Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: 3
Home Office
8
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Our predecessor Committee recommended that shared accommodation should be phased out across the estate as a whole. While we welcome the progress towards ending this practice, we are extremely disappointed that the Home Office did not take the opportunity of contract replacement in 2019 to make this change in full. …
Government response. Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: 3
Home Office
9
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The risks posed to vulnerable individuals by Covid-19 make more urgent the necessity of a complete end to room sharing by unrelated adults. While the first peak of infection has passed in some parts of the UK, there continues to be a real and substantial threat of further outbreaks. Providers …
Government response. The Home Office and its accommodation providers take the welfare of service users seriously and agree that accommodation should be provided that is appropriate to individual needs. There are strict criteria set out in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts …
Home Office
10
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The Home Office must take appropriate action, including contract variation if necessary, to ensure room sharing across the whole estate is phased out. The Department must also ensure that additional accommodation obtained to meet this requirement is of a high quality and fit for purpose. Fulfilment of this recommendation will …
Government response. The Home Office and its accommodation providers take the welfare of service users seriously and agree that accommodation should be provided that is appropriate to individual needs. There are strict criteria set out in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts …
Home Office
11
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Accommodation providers must urgently put in place measures to enable greater social distancing and effective hygiene practices. We are appalled at reports that service users have not been universally provided either with laundry facilities, a generous supply of cleaning products, soap and sanitiser, or with financial support to enable them …
Government response. The Government expects the highest standards from our contractors and accommodation providers are monitored closely to ensure they continue to meet these standards. This includes following appropriate Public Health guidelines to ensure the safety of their staff and those they …
Home Office
12
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
All Home Office contracted housing providers must ensure that any vulnerable adults are accommodated appropriately. Where the Home Office has explicitly authorised an individual to have a single room, this must be implemented without question or delay. To ensure that this is enforced in practice, the Home Office must write …
Government response. The Government expects the highest standards from our contractors and accommodation providers are monitored closely to ensure they continue to meet these standards. This includes following appropriate Public Health guidelines to ensure the safety of their staff and those they …
Home Office
13
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We welcome the additional support that providers have told us that they are giving to their service users, specifically those who need to self-isolate, during this time. Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (Coronavirus): institutional accommodation 55 Nonetheless we have heard evidence that not all service users are receiving the support …
Government response. The Government expects the highest standards from our contractors and accommodation providers are monitored closely to ensure they continue to meet these standards. This includes following appropriate Public Health guidelines to ensure the safety of their staff and those they …
Home Office
14
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We are appalled that the Home Office response to the communication support requirements of service users who are not accommodated in hotels or large IA facilities was simply to gather information about where free Wi-Fi might be provided locally—thus encouraging vulnerable people to go to public places—especially at a time …
Government response. We recognise the importance of access to information and the disruption that COVID-19 has brought to normal communication methods for supported asylum seekers. In response, we have ensured that those in Initial Accommodation and hotels have access to Wi-Fi, either …
Home Office
15
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Users of asylum accommodation are often very vulnerable people, including torture survivors, individuals suffering PTSD, pregnant women and mothers with small children. Smart phones, access to the internet and television can be a lifeline to a range of external information and support services. Prior to the lockdown many asylum seekers …
Government response. We recognise the importance of access to information and the disruption that COVID-19 has brought to normal communication methods for supported asylum seekers. In response, we have ensured that those in Initial Accommodation and hotels have access to Wi-Fi, either …
Home Office
16
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The Home Office’s recent provision of SIM cards to asylum seekers in larger IA facilities is welcome. However, we are concerned that the denial of provision to individuals who do not have personal phones, or who are currently being asked to leave their accommodation in order to access free Wi-Fi …
Government response. We recognise the importance of access to information and the disruption that COVID-19 has brought to normal communication methods for supported asylum seekers. In response, we have ensured that those in Initial Accommodation and hotels have access to Wi-Fi, either …
Home Office
17
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
While asylum support payments were provisionally increased in June 2020 from £37.75 to £39.60 per week, people with ongoing asylum claims may still struggle to meet their essential needs on this weekly amount, particularly during the pandemic. It is imperative that all asylum seekers have access to essential support services …
Government response. We recognise the importance of access to information and the disruption that COVID-19 has brought to normal communication methods for supported asylum seekers. In response, we have ensured that those in Initial Accommodation and hotels have access to Wi-Fi, either …
Home Office
18
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Following the National Audit Office’s report that asylum seekers are now expected to remain in initial accommodation for up to five weeks, with many staying for nearly three months, the Home Office must urgently reconsider the provision of medical services, subsistence payments and children’s educational support in initial accommodation. We …
Government response. We are clear that the extended use of Initial Accommodation and hotels is not a long- term solution and our providers are working to move people into more suitable Dispersed Accommodation as quickly as it is available. The Home Office …
Home Office
19
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Urgent Government action is needed to ensure that access to primary and secondary health services is in place for all service users, and that healthy, fresh food that is appropriate to individuals’ dietary needs is available.
Government response. The Asylum Accommodation and Support contracts are clear as to how accommodation providers ensure service users are facilitated and signposted to health services appropriate to individual needs. The contractual requirements include providing facilities within initial accommodation for the relevant health …
Home Office
20
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We know that asylum seekers with an active application or appeal are entitled to access NHS primary and secondary healthcare free of charge but there is no obligation on accommodation providers to register asylum seekers in IA with a GP. The Home Office Minister of State recently gave assurances that …
Government response. The Asylum Accommodation and Support contracts are clear as to how accommodation providers ensure service users are facilitated and signposted to health services appropriate to individual needs. The contractual requirements include providing facilities within initial accommodation for the relevant health …
Home Office
21
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
While service users remain in IA for more than three weeks, accommodation providers should ensure that all of their residents are linked up to primary and secondary health provision. We call on the Home Office to ensure that this change is made, if necessary by a variation to the Asylum …
Government response. The Asylum Accommodation and Support contracts are clear as to how accommodation providers ensure service users are facilitated and signposted to health services appropriate to individual needs. The contractual requirements include providing facilities within initial accommodation for the relevant health …
Home Office
22
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We are concerned to learn that key stakeholders have reported a lack of information from the Home Office and its providers about revisions in contractual expectations of accommodation providers during the pandemic. The pandemic has impacted hugely on asylum seekers housed in asylum accommodation who have experienced lengthy stays in …
Government response. throughout the pandemic to ensure accommodation, transportation and support services to eligible asylum seekers are delivered. In accordance with relevant local and national public health requirements providers have made appropriate temporary amendments to their operational practices to ensure the safety …
Home Office
23
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We urge the Home Office and its providers to send a memorandum to key stakeholders outlining any revisions to providers’ contractual obligations since 1 March. This memorandum should be issued to the Home Office’s single point of contact, all strategic migration partnerships and dispersal authorities by 15 September.
Government response. throughout the pandemic to ensure accommodation, transportation and support services to eligible asylum seekers are delivered. In accordance with relevant local and national public health requirements providers have made appropriate temporary amendments to their operational practices to ensure the safety …
Home Office
24
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
While we welcome the communication of Covid-19 guidance by providers to their service users, we urge all providers to check regularly with their service users, and with wider stakeholders, to ensure that they are receiving up to date and timely Covid-19 guidance. This is essential given the Government’s gradual easing …
Government response. throughout the pandemic to ensure accommodation, transportation and support services to eligible asylum seekers are delivered. In accordance with relevant local and national public health requirements providers have made appropriate temporary amendments to their operational practices to ensure the safety …
Home Office
25
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We recommend that the Government continues to work with trusted partners such as Doctors of the World UK to translate all updated Covid-19 guidance for the general public into the languages most commonly spoken by those individuals in the asylum system. This guidance should be sent out in digital and …
Government response. throughout the pandemic to ensure accommodation, transportation and support services to eligible asylum seekers are delivered. In accordance with relevant local and national public health requirements providers have made appropriate temporary amendments to their operational practices to ensure the safety …
Home Office
26
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Asylum seekers should not have been moved to new accommodation during the pandemic without justified and urgent reasons for doing so or without a vulnerability assessment demonstrating that the move could be made safely. This must happen Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (Coronavirus): institutional accommodation 57 in future. If, following …
Government response. appropriate to do so, and suitable alternative accommodation has been secured. Providers are required to give advance notice to service users and under normal operations this is at least seven days. In accordance with Public Health advice, throughout the pandemic …
Home Office
27
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We welcome the fact that the Home Office is investigating these issues seriously. This investigation should engage with those raising these concerns, assessing whether the moves during lockdown were consistent with public health guidance and seeking detail on precisely how any vulnerability assessments were undertaken and by who. The Home …
Government response. appropriate to do so, and suitable alternative accommodation has been secured. Providers are required to give advance notice to service users and under normal operations this is at least seven days. In accordance with Public Health advice, throughout the pandemic …
Home Office
28
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The Department should ensure that lessons learned from the handling of asylum moves during the lockdown are referred to the safeguarding board and incorporated into the safeguarding and assurance frameworks. The Department should consider how local authorities and third sector partners in asylum support can be engaged in the work …
Government response. appropriate to do so, and suitable alternative accommodation has been secured. Providers are required to give advance notice to service users and under normal operations this is at least seven days. In accordance with Public Health advice, throughout the pandemic …
Home Office
29
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We welcome the Minister’s willingness to consider the case for reinstating the weekly allowance for individuals who have previously had this allowance withdrawn, following forced changes of accommodation during the pandemic. Individuals who were moved into hotels at the start of the lockdown will now have been there for three …
Government response. Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: 11 A standard cash allowance of £39.60 per week is provided to those living in “dispersal accommodation” (flats and houses) who are expected to meet all of their essential living by buying …
Home Office
30
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The subsistence allowance should be provided to any individual whose entitlement to section 95 support has been accepted from the time that entitlement is determined, whether or not they are then immediately able to move into dispersal accommodation. This allowance should be provided via the cashless ASPEN card system. We …
Government response. Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: 11 A standard cash allowance of £39.60 per week is provided to those living in “dispersal accommodation” (flats and houses) who are expected to meet all of their essential living by buying …
Home Office
31
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We support the NAO’s recommendation that the Government should consider whether its performance framework effectively incentivises providers to move service users into dispersal accommodation within agreed timescales; the Government should also reassess the value for money provided by contingency accommodation in hotels and the contractual requirement for initial accommodation provision …
Government response. From the autumn of 2016, the Home Office engaged extensively with strategic stakeholders, including Strategic Migration Partnerships, Local Authorities and Non-Government new AASC & AIRE contracts. user experience and deliver value for money. This includes a requirement for providers to …
Home Office
32
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Our predecessors highlighted the shortcomings of the Home Office’s dispersal policy and its failure to make dispersal arrangements equitable across the UK. Three years on from the Committee’s 2017 report, we have noted with concern the pressures on the system since the introduction of the AASC contracts in September
Government response. The Home Office is committed to working collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to ensure that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure and suitable accommodation. We have established the Local Government Chief Executive Group (HOLGCEX) group to bring together …
Home Office
33
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
In order to achieve an equitable and sustainable UK-wide dispersal system, the Home Office and its providers must give due regard to the acute financial and capacity constraints currently placed on dispersal authorities, many of which are grappling with even greater community pressures arising from the pandemic, including housing the …
Government response. The Home Office is committed to working collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to ensure that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure and suitable accommodation. We have established the Local Government Chief Executive Group (HOLGCEX) group to bring together …
Home Office
34
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
In 2018 our predecessors recommended that the Government “must provide dispersal authorities with dedicated funding to better manage dispersal and the related impact on services” and to give currently non-participating authorities confidence that they would be fully supported were they to take an equitable share of this population. We are …
Government response. The Home Office is committed to working collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to ensure that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure and suitable accommodation. We have established the Local Government Chief Executive Group (HOLGCEX) group to bring together …
Home Office
35
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
During the pandemic the Government has asked providers to source additional accommodation in areas which had not previously participated in dispersal, which we understand and welcome. However, at the same time the Government has temporarily sanctioned providers to secure such accommodation without the prior approval of the relevant local authority. …
Government response. The Home Office is committed to working collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to ensure that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure and suitable accommodation. We have established the Local Government Chief Executive Group (HOLGCEX) group to bring together …
Home Office
36
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We call once again on the Home Office and its providers to work closely with housing providers, local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships to increase the availability of asylum accommodation both during the period of lockdown, and afterwards. (Paragraph 143) Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (Coronavirus): institutional accommodation 59
Government response. The Home Office is committed to working collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to ensure that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure and suitable accommodation. We have established the Local Government Chief Executive Group (HOLGCEX) group to bring together …
Home Office
37
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The Government said that it would review its policy of temporarily pausing all evictions from asylum accommodation and continuing the provision of asylum support before the end of June. In a Parliamentary debate on 17 June, a number of MPs expressed concern about the Home Office’s intention to end the …
Government response. Replied together with 50. The experience of the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of implementing this Committee’s previous recommendations both in respect of asylum accommodation and immigration detention. We welcome the Home Office’s commitment to proceed carefully “back to a …
Home Office
38
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Before taking any final decision to remove temporary support for asylum seekers, the Home Office and its accommodation providers must engage and consult closely with Public Health England, devolved governments, Strategic Migration Partnerships, asylum dispersal councils and local public health units to ensure that any changes do not place individuals …
Government response. Replied together with 50. The experience of the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of implementing this Committee’s previous recommendations both in respect of asylum accommodation and immigration detention. We welcome the Home Office’s commitment to proceed carefully “back to a …
Home Office
39
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We welcome the substantial reduction in the number of individuals detained in IRCs since the beginning of the lockdown. This was a sensible response to Covid-19 and will have helped prevent infections.
Government response. Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: 15
Home Office
40
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Government guidance which came into force on 5 May 2020, although it was not published until 5 June, confirmed that individuals at high risk of contracting Covid-19 should be treated as AAR Level 3 cases. This clarification, which confirms the commitment made by the Home Office to the High Court …
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s recognition of immigration detention’s response to this unprecedented health crisis, and of our commitment to return to business as usual in a careful and considered way. On 26 March the High Court ruled that the Home …
Home Office
41
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
It is troubling that nearly 40% of those remaining in immigration detention should have been categorised as meeting Levels 2 or 3 of the Adults at Risk policy indicating significant vulnerability and, potentially, that they are at high risk from Covid-19. Government guidance on the operation of the adults at …
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s recognition of immigration detention’s response to this unprecedented health crisis, and of our commitment to return to business as usual in a careful and considered way. On 26 March the High Court ruled that the Home …
Home Office
42
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Guidance should be provided for custodial and detention staff on the approach to be taken where an individual is considered to be at high risk of having contracted Covid-19, but is not symptomatic at the point of reception.
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s recognition of immigration detention’s response to this unprecedented health crisis, and of our commitment to return to business as usual in a careful and considered way. On 26 March the High Court ruled that the Home …
Home Office
43
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The Home Office and its providers must communicate timely and accurate information to NGOs as well as to service providers working to support people in immigration detention.
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s recognition of immigration detention’s response to this unprecedented health crisis, and of our commitment to return to business as usual in a careful and considered way. On 26 March the High Court ruled that the Home …
Home Office
44
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Some of the temporary measures introduced by the Government in response to Covid-19 hold open the prospect of future improvements in the operation of both the asylum and immigration removal processes. Among these, the decision to extend asylum support for refugees until their first welfare benefit payment is received was …
Government response. COVID-19 global pandemic, the Home Office has been working closely with Public Health leads to put in place a range of measures to support people in the asylum accommodation and immigration removal centre estates. This has included working closely with …
Home Office
45
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
As government lockdown restrictions are eased, it is imperative that the Home Office and its providers communicate in a clear and timely manner to key national and local actors. The Government needs now to work closely with stakeholders across both the asylum accommodation and immigration detention sectors to ensure a …
Government response. COVID-19 global pandemic, the Home Office has been working closely with Public Health leads to put in place a range of measures to support people in the asylum accommodation and immigration removal centre estates. This has included working closely with …
Home Office
46
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We are extremely concerned at this failure of communication by Mears Group with the receiving local authorities, and at the lack of arrangements for testing individuals who were being moved across the country out of an accommodation centre where other residents had Covid-19, and which had previously been treated as …
Government response. 18 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: The Government expects the highest standards from all of our contractors and we work closely with asylum accommodation providers to monitor and ensure they continue to meet these standards. Throughout the …
Home Office
47
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
While Mears affirms that the dispersal of individuals from Urban House on 10 July without testing, even after cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the facility, was in line with the national system, we are deeply concerned that the company acted in this manner apparently without thought for the consequences …
Government response. 18 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: The Government expects the highest standards from all of our contractors and we work closely with asylum accommodation providers to monitor and ensure they continue to meet these standards. Throughout the …
Home Office
48
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We urge the Home Office urgently to review the way Mears has been operating during the pandemic, to consider its poor management of service users’ welfare, and the wider public health consequences of its approach.
Government response. 18 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: The Government expects the highest standards from all of our contractors and we work closely with asylum accommodation providers to monitor and ensure they continue to meet these standards. Throughout the …
Home Office
49
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
It is essential that lessons are learned from the dispersal from Urban House, and that clear policies are put in place to ensure effective communication between providers and local authorities in the event of further outbreaks in asylum accommodation, and in respect of the dispersal of service users from one …
Government response. 18 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: The Government expects the highest standards from all of our contractors and we work closely with asylum accommodation providers to monitor and ensure they continue to meet these standards. Throughout the …
Home Office
50
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The experience of the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of implementing this Committee’s previous recommendations both in respect of asylum accommodation and immigration detention. We welcome the Home Office’s commitment to proceed carefully “back to a more normal state of affairs”. We also welcome its commitment to talk to local …
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s recognition of the additional and extended support that the Home Office has provided to asylum seekers whose claims have been fully determined. otherwise no longer be eligible was undertaken in consultation with Public Health Agencies across …
Home Office
51
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
On 5 June, the Housing Secretary announced a two month extension, until the end of August, of the suspension of evictions from social or private rented housing to protect tenants and landlords during the pandemic.
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s recognition of the additional and extended support that the Home Office has provided to asylum seekers whose claims have been fully determined. otherwise no longer be eligible was undertaken in consultation with Public Health Agencies across …
Home Office
52
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We urge the Home Office to follow MHCLG’s lead and to agree jointly with local authorities, devolved nations and third sector partners a sensible and fair extension to the current measures in place for asylum seekers that reduces the public health risk for them and for the local community. Any …
Government response. We welcome the Committee’s recognition of the additional and extended support that the Home Office has provided to asylum seekers whose claims have been fully determined. otherwise no longer be eligible was undertaken in consultation with Public Health Agencies across …
Home Office
53
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
We urge the Home Office to set out a full, public, Covid-19 strategy which addresses the key concerns outlined in this chapter in relation to asylum accommodation and immigration detention. The strategy should cover further periods of local or national lockdowns and the period afterwards and should be published on …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report and we remain committed to supporting those in our accommodation and those detained in our care, appropriately throughout this changing period. However, we do not believe that it is helpful to compare …
Home Office
54
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
As part of this Covid-19 strategy, the Home Office should publish the Public Health England guidance that it has taken to inform its decisions about ending the current 62 Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (Coronavirus): institutional accommodation measures to support asylum seekers. The Home Office should also confirm how it …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report and we remain committed to supporting those in our accommodation and those detained in our care, appropriately throughout this changing period. However, we do not believe that it is helpful to compare …
Home Office
55
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
The Home Office should conduct a full review of its management of Covid-19 impacts on asylum accommodation and immigration detention in conjunction with its providers and other government departments. It should evaluate the impact of the temporary measures put in place and incorporate this learning into the development of future …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report and we remain committed to supporting those in our accommodation and those detained in our care, appropriately throughout this changing period. However, we do not believe that it is helpful to compare …
Home Office
1
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
In conducting this inquiry, we recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges and that the Government had to respond swiftly in circumstances of great uncertainty. We also recognise and are grateful for the hard work of all those responding to the crisis to ensure safety at the border at …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
2
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
While it is not possible to determine the precise impact that borders policy has on the trajectory of the pandemic, almost every country in the world including the UK has used border measures at some point to try to control or manage the spread of the virus. As well as …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
3
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Government and its scientific advisers faced a huge challenge in early 2020 from a fast-moving virus in circumstances where information was changing constantly and decisions about borders had to be made at pace. Inevitably those decisions were difficult, and some will look different in hindsight. However, scrutiny is important …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
4
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The incremental introduction of international travel measures during the period from late January to early March corresponded to the practice in other countries during this time and reflects the great uncertainty with which governments were grappling. It was right to adjust and extend self-isolation provisions as the virus became established, …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
5
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It is also clear that, overall, the border measures in the UK and many other European countries in early March were not sufficient to contain the cross-border spread of the virus. Had stronger early measures been taken—such as requiring legally-enforceable quarantine for arrivals—it is likely that the spread of the …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
6
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
However, the failure to advise people travelling or returning from Spain in particular to self-isolate for 14 days (in line with category 1) or, at the very least, to monitor symptoms and call NHS 111 (in line with category 2) was a mistake. With border measures in mind, there should …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
7
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We are also concerned at the lack of clarity over who was responsible for the continued monitoring and assessment of emerging infection threats from different countries, and for drawing up policy options for Ministers to respond. Any future inquiry into the UK’s handling of COVID-19 should consider not only whether …
Home Office
8
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We recognise the difficulties faced by the Government in considering temperature checks, screening or testing at the border, and we also recognise the limited UK testing capacity at that time. However, given the success of targeted COVID-19 testing on arrivals demonstrated by South Korea during early March, more should have …
Government response. The Government has not yet endorsed the use of testing for passengers arriving in the UK as a means to avoid the 14-day self-isolation period. This is due to the long incubation period of the virus, which means there is …
Home Office
9
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Overall, in the epidemic phase of COVID-19, insufficient emphasis was placed on the importance of controlling importation from overseas as a method for containing the virus or delaying its spread. The decision by SAGE only to consider measures that could deliver a full month’s delay to the spread of the …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
10
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Dismissing strict border measures as “draconian” on 3 February was erroneous, as it was their strength that could have made a significant contribution and potentially mitigated the scale of domestic restrictions that were later needed. SAGE papers suggest that prioritising delay of spread rather than suppression of cases was influenced …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
11
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We are concerned that the UK’s approach to border measures in the period from 13 March to 8 June was very different from countries in similar circumstances. This should have raised serious questions within the Government about whether it was taking the correct decisions. We have not seen any evidence …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
12
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It is now apparent that many more COVID-19 cases were imported to the UK from Europe in mid-March than was estimated at the time, when, with the exception of Italy, the focus remained largely on potential importations of the virus from Asia. As evidenced by genomic studies and referenced by …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
13
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Not having any special border measures applicable to people arriving from Spain and France during March, and only having time-limited self-isolation measures for arrivals from Italy, therefore had a material effect on the number of cases circulating within the UK. Border measures in the UK were lifted rather than extended …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
14
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Although the full scale of the epidemic in Spain and later in France was not properly known in mid-March, that is not a justification for the lifting of border measures. Evidence of the epidemic escalating, especially in Spain, was already available. Other countries with the same information as the UK …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
15
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The failure of the Home Office and other Government Departments to provide us with the scientific advice behind the decision to withdraw special measures for international arrivals on 13 March despite their repeated promises to do so is completely unacceptable. Despite many appeals for this information, the Government has only …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
16
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Government has still has not given any indication that it will provide the evidence behind the withdrawal of guidance on 13 March. These appeals have been made to three members of the Cabinet, to one further Minister, and to three of the Home Office’s most senior officials. It is …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
17
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Home Office—and other departments of Government if necessary—must either publish or provide to the Committee immediately a full account of the scientific evidence and advice leading to its decision to withdraw guidance for international arrivals on 13 March. If this does not exist in written form, the Committee should …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
18
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The decision to lift all COVID-19-related guidance for international arrivals on 13 March, just as other countries were expanding their border measures, is inexplicable. The Committee does not accept the argument that the introduction of voluntary ‘stay at home’ guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection on 13 March was …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
19
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Nor do we accept that falling numbers of arrivals justified the lifting of border measures in mid-March. Although passenger numbers started to fall, a further one million people were to arrive between 13 March and lockdown on 23 March, and possibly hundreds of thousands more by mid-April. That is likely …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
20
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We also do not accept the Home Office’s suggestion that no measures were needed after 13 March because imported cases made up only 0.5% of total UK infections. That figure was not calculated until 22 March by which time a million more people had arrived and the epidemic had rapidly …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
21
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Government does not seem to have examined the full range of possible measures affecting international travel and considered their additive effect. It is understandable that the Government did not consider it practical or effective to simply restrict flights, not least because of large numbers of British residents seeking to …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
22
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Firm border measures introduced in June were considerably stronger than both the ‘stay at home’ guidance and lockdown restrictions imposed in mid-March. Indeed, they were exactly the “draconian” measures initially rejected by SAGE, enforceable in law. Justifying the decision to lift measures on 13 March on the basis that, at …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
23
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It is not clear who was responsible for making the decision to withdraw self-isolation guidance on 13 March, or on what basis. It is hard to reconcile Professor Aston’s suggestion that advice was provided at the time the decision was made with either his own indication that he was not …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
24
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It is deeply concerning that the Government is not able to provide any estimates that were produced at any point of the cardinal number of imported cases during March. The Home Office should have requested advice on the estimated number of importations, and the rough proportion of overall arrivals which …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
25
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
In a public health crisis transparency is crucial, both to ensure that analysis is tested and to build trust and confidence. We welcome the decision to publish SAGE papers. However, transparency cannot be selective without clear explanation, particularly when the advice relates to policy decisions as important as those concerning …
Government response. The minutes and papers from SAGE meetings are now published on www.gov.uk.
Home Office
26
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Committee shares the concern of the Science and Technology Committee that bodies advising Government, including Public Health England, are also insufficiently transparent about the nature and content of the advice they are providing.
Government response. The minutes and papers from SAGE meetings are now published on www.gov.uk.
Home Office
27
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Home Office has stated repeatedly that it followed scientific advice from SAGE and from its own Scientific Adviser ahead of the Government’s decision to withdraw guidance for international arrivals on 13 March. By the same measure, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser has been clear that advice from SAGE includes …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
28
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We welcome the Government’ decision to re-introduce border measures. We discuss later what the most appropriate border measures should be. But at a time when Home Office preparedness for COOVDD19 (coronavirus): management of the borders 79 COVID-19 infections continue to increase across the world and when hotspots of infection continue …
Government response. It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad.
Home Office
29
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It was inevitable that the Government’s reintroduction of border measures was greeted with some scepticism in June. Having removed country-specific guidance in March when other countries were imposing compulsory quarantine arrangements for arrivals, the Government then found itself increasing restrictions just as other countries were loosening them in June—something which …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
30
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Government faces a difficult task: how to ensure control of the virus at the same time as getting the economy moving, including international travel, in the safest possible way. It will build more support for the difficult balancing judgements it has to take if it is open about the …
Government response. It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad.
Home Office
31
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It is very disappointing that Border Force officers did not receive guidance on the implementation of new regulations until less than one working day before they came into force. Without enough time to raise questions and properly to digest the guidance, it is likely that avoidable mistakes were made during …
Government response. Border Force, working across Government, provided a comprehensive readiness programme supported by public health officials, in advance of implementation, including delivery of training and guidance to staff. This programme began on 4 June 2020 prior to 4 Home Office preparedness …
Home Office
32
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We welcome the Government’s attempt to develop an approach to travel corridors which recognises the different prevalence of the virus in different countries and regions. It is clearly sensible to be able to treat travellers from New Zealand, where there have been 52 new cases since 8 June, differently from …
Government response. It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad. The Health …
Home Office
33
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
However, we also note the warnings from public health experts in countries like New Zealand and Singapore that are continuing to take a much more restrictive approach to international travel, and who advised against mass-market travel in Europe this summer. We consider in the next section the reintroduction of quarantine …
Government response. Replied together with 37. The Government should publish these prevalence rates now and explain why Spain was included on the travel corridors list. (Paragraph 194) And with 48. Effective quarantine arrangements require high levels of voluntary compliance, even more so …
Home Office
34
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We welcome the Government’s commitment regularly to review its border quarantine regulations. The move to weekly and daily reviews of travel corridors is welcome as three-weekly reviews were not sufficiently frequent. Far more frequent review appropriately reflects the agility required to prevent a rise in importations. We recommend that the …
Government response. The Government recognise the Committee’s recommendation to increase transparency of the Travel Corridor process. We are working across Government departments, and with the Devolved Administrations, to consider options to increase transparency.
Home Office
35
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Given the surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland Spain and the clear and rising risk of increasing numbers of people returning to the UK with COVID-19, a precautionary approach including quarantine for returning travellers is the right one. As we have set out in Chapter 1, the consequences of …
Government response. Replied together with 37. The Government should publish these prevalence rates now and explain why Spain was included on the travel corridors list. (Paragraph 194) And with 48. Effective quarantine arrangements require high levels of voluntary compliance, even more so …
Home Office
36
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
However, this has undoubtedly been extremely difficult for many travellers who paid for holidays in Spain following the FCO and DfT guidance in the expectation that they would be able to return to work, caring responsibilities, medical appointments and family events on their return, which will now be impossible. Many …
Government response. Replied together with 37. The Government should publish these prevalence rates now and explain why Spain was included on the travel corridors list. (Paragraph 194) And with 48. Effective quarantine arrangements require high levels of voluntary compliance, even more so …
Home Office
37
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Government has rightly warned now that “no travel is risk free”. However, stronger warnings should have been given at the time the travel corridors were first introduced in early July. The Government’s mixed messages at that time were regrettable. In the case of Spain, it appears from the First …
Government response. Replied together with 37. The Government should publish these prevalence rates now and explain why Spain was included on the travel corridors list. (Paragraph 194) And with 48. Effective quarantine arrangements require high levels of voluntary compliance, even more so …
Home Office
38
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The disruption to travel plans and surprise caused by removing Spain from the travel corridor list demonstrates how essential it is that surveillance data is shared with the public openly and frequently. Potential travellers must be presented with the risks of travelling, even to countries on the travel corridor list, …
Government response. that is currently infectious in each country, virus incidence rates, trends (including rates of change) in incidence and deaths, transmission status and international epidemic intelligence as well as information on a country’s testing capacity and an assessment of the quality …
Home Office
39
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Greater clarity would also be helpful on the Government’s overall objectives for its border measures and travel corridors as part of their wider strategy against COVID-19, including how it is balancing public health and economic considerations. We heard significant warnings from public health experts in Singapore and Hong Kong that …
Government response. It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad. Home Office …
Home Office
40
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The creation of a Joint Biosecurity Centre ought to represent a step forward in the management of the pandemic, establishing clear responsibility for regular surveillance of travel risks from different countries and publishing clear and transparent analysis, including of international prevalence rates. It should also be responsible for assessing the …
Government response. Replied together with 37. The Government should publish these prevalence rates now and explain why Spain was included on the travel corridors list. (Paragraph 194) And with 48. Effective quarantine arrangements require high levels of voluntary compliance, even more so …
Home Office
41
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Government’s historic inability to convince the Committee of the credibility of its calculations of the numbers of people who have come into the UK carrying COVID-19 does not inspire us with confidence about its ability to assess the scale of the risk from likely infectious people coming into the …
Government response. The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been …
Home Office
42
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We are concerned that Ministers do not seem to have access to information about prevalence rates internationally, and there is confusion about what information is held by the Department for Health and Social Care, as well as the interaction between different agencies including Public Health England, NHS Test and Trace …
Government response. Replied together with 44. We note that the COVID-19 Operations committee appears to be taking the decisions on border policy and we welcome a cross-Government process to coordinate different departments and ensure that decisions are consistent, and evidence based. However, …
Home Office
43
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
As we set out in the first chapter, transparency and trust are crucial in public health crises. That is why the Government must now ensure that the analysis behind the introduction of quarantine rules and the introduction of travel corridors is all 82 Home Office preparedness for COOVDD19 (coronavirus): management …
Government response. Replied together with 37. The Government should publish these prevalence rates now and explain why Spain was included on the travel corridors list. (Paragraph 194) And with 48. Effective quarantine arrangements require high levels of voluntary compliance, even more so …
Home Office
44
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It is not clear exactly which Government department or agency is ultimately responsible for coordinating border policy. Evidence from the Home Secretary suggested important roles for the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England and the Department for Transport as well as the Home Office and Border Force. …
Government response. The regulations were first signed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care are part of a coherent effort across the whole of the UK to tackle COVID-19 and protect the lives and health of people living in …
Home Office
45
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
It is concerning that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Transport have issued contrasting advice to the public on more than one occasion, at a time when providing clarity about the new travel corridors and nurturing confidence in them is of great importance. The Government must ensure …
Government response. We agree with the Committee that communication of guidance and clarity of advice is important. Throughout the COVID-19 response, we have ensured that gov.uk is the single source for policy and operational changes. We have created new gov.uk content for …
Home Office
46
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
We are concerned that there is not total agreement between all four nations of the UK over which travel corridors should be implemented. While we respect that matters of public health are devolved, we encourage the UK and devolved governments to work more closely together to ensure there is a …
Government response. We agree with the Committee that communication of guidance and clarity of advice is important. Throughout the COVID-19 response, we have ensured that gov.uk is the single source for policy and operational changes. We have created new gov.uk content for …
Home Office
47
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
The Government’s estimate of compliance with its enforcement regime for border quarantine is unconvincing. That the estimate is so high should be grounds for healthy cynicism and interrogation. A better method for estimating the true compliance rate is required, based on routine publication of the following figures: • the number …
Government response. Compliance with the Regulations has generally been very high. The Government is continually working to improve compliance rates through sustained industry engagement to emphasise the importance of industry’s role at helping ensure compliance with the Regulations and through this, the …
Home Office
48
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Effective quarantine arrangements require high levels of voluntary compliance, even more so when enforcement is limited. The suddenness and lack of transparency behind the decisions about Spain may have consequences for enforcement if travellers remain sceptical about the policy or face financial pressures as a result of not being able …
Government response. The Government agrees with the Committee that due to the continued risk from COVID-19, swift action needs to be taken. The Government has been clear since it introduced international travel corridors on 10 July that it will act quickly to …
Home Office
49
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Border quarantine restrictions are likely to remain in place for some time, particularly if there is now emerging agreement that cases of COVID-19 could increase in the winter months. The UK’s approach to its borders will have to become more flexible in order to respond rapidly to the contours of …
Government response. The Government has not yet endorsed the use of testing for passengers arriving in the UK as a means to avoid the 14-day self-isolation period. This is due to the long incubation period of the virus, which means there is …
Home Office
50
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
As passenger numbers rise and interactions between Border Force officers and arrivals increase, it is crucial that there are no lapses in PPE availability for officers on the frontline who have worked admirably in difficult conditions for several months. The Government owes it to hard-working officers to ensure that they …
Government response. With regard to PPE provision, the Home Office including Border Force has worked hard, successfully, to ensure that there has been a sufficient supply of PPE for front line Border to service these requirements. We have also worked closely with …
Home Office
51
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Concerns about provision of PPE to key workers have been a recurring theme during the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that Border Force’s provision of PPE to its staff has been based on PHE and WHO advice. However, Border Force officials must be able to feel safe while carrying out their …
Government response. With regard to PPE provision, the Home Office including Border Force has worked hard, successfully, to ensure that there has been a sufficient supply of PPE for front line Border Force officers in accordance with safe systems of work and …
Home Office
52
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Given the widespread concern about the potential for a second wave, and for a rising number of infections toward and during winter, it is likely that some form of border quarantine mechanism will be required for the foreseeable future to avoid the possibility that imported cases and strains could compound …
Government response. It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad.
Home Office
53
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Implementing border quarantine measures over any time frame is indeed disruptive. However if applied swiftly, relaxed appropriately, and justified properly using the full range of scientific evidence available, evidence from other countries demonstrates that they are an effective tool to assist in keeping COVID-19 from spreading into countries with a …
Government response. It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad. The Health …
Home Office
54
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Keeping measures in place while closely monitoring travel corridors and other exceptions will be important to ensure that the UK does not reimport unmanageable levels of COVID-19. This is particularly important when there is doubt about the affordability—both economically, and in terms of goodwill—of a second national lockdown, and when …
Government response. It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad. The Health …
Home Office