Recommendations & Conclusions
16 items
22
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 IA, social distancing concerns and inconsistent access to healthcare in IA, as well as difficulties accessing phones, Wi-Fi, internet and television.
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Government response AI summary
The government states they have been informing stakeholders and will continue to do so, while providers have made temporary amendments to ensure safety. They will also continue to work with partners to keep translated COVID-19 guidance updated and available to service users.
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Home Office
23
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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.
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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.
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Government response AI summary
The government states that strategic stakeholders are informed of changes in the asylum accommodation system and will continue to be, but does not commit to sending a specific memorandum outlining contractual revisions by the requested deadline.
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Home Office
24
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 of the lockdown restrictions and its fast-changing key messages.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the importance of communication and commits to continuing to work with partners to ensure translated public health COVID-19 guidance is kept up to date and made available to service users.
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Home Office
33
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 broader homeless population.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the financial constraints faced by local authorities and states it is committed to collaborative work through the HOLGCEX group and with Strategic Migration Partnerships to improve dispersal and increase dispersed accommodation.
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Home Office
40
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 on 26 March, is welcome although earlier publication would have provided greater clarity and reassurance. Evidence we received from the IRC providers shortly after this guidance came into effect indicated inconsistencies in their implementation of the AAR policy, specifically as it relates to those highly vulnerable detainees at greater risk of becoming ill from Covid-19. This is deeply concerning, and reflects concerns raised in evidence to us about officials’ attempts to interpret broadly drafted immigration detention policies, and the consequent litigation and uncertainty that can ensue.
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Government response AI summary
The government defends its approach to immigration detention during COVID-19 by referencing a High Court ruling and public health guidance, stating it has not changed Adults at Risk policy and has implemented various measures to protect detainees.
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Home Office
45
Recommendation
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 smooth transition out of lockdown. The Government and providers of both types of institutional accommodation must also be alert to new concerns about protecting people in the event of a second wave of Covid-19.
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Government response AI summary
The government states they have been working closely with Public Health leads and providers throughout the pandemic, monitoring and adjusting procedures. They commit to continuing to listen and work closely with stakeholders during the recovery period to safeguard public health.
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Home Office
50
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 and to take public health advice seriously in respect of asylum accommodation. We will hold the Home Office to account on these commitments. However, we are deeply concerned about the lack of clarity on the Home Office’s plans to end temporary support to those in the asylum support system, following the formal expiry of the provisions on 30 June.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the concern about clarity and explains that cessations of temporary support have resumed in a phased approach since August, prioritising those still awaiting decisions and deferring cessations for refused claimants.
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Home Office
51
Conclusion
Fourth Report: Home Office preparednes…
Acknowledged
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 AI summary
The government welcomes the committee's recognition of support for asylum seekers and provides an update on the resumption of cessations of support in a phased approach since August, following consultation with public health agencies and local authorities.
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Home Office
7
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 the UK Government should have acted more quickly at this time to prevent cases of the virus arriving in the UK and spreading in the community, but also whether the arrangements for monitoring and assessing emerging threats and considering policy options were fit for purpose.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees that any future inquiry into the UK's handling of COVID-19 should consider all aspects of the response, including the specific points raised by the committee.
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Home Office
28
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 to change, all countries are going to need different kinds of border measures to control the spread of the virus for some time to come.
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Government response AI summary
The Government acknowledges the importance of border health measures for protecting public health and controlling imported cases of the virus.
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Home Office
32
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 travellers from the USA or Brazil where infections continue to soar. Given that we will need to be able to manage the changing risk of COVID-19 from different countries for some time to come, setting up a sustainable and agile framework that can be adapted quickly is extremely important.
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Government response AI summary
The government stated it keeps its methodology and border measures under regular review, informed by public health information, and has created a Global Travel Taskforce to enable the safe and sustainable recovery of international travel.
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Home Office
34
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 publish the methodology and findings of its reviews by means of a statement to the House, and on gov.uk when the House is not sitting. Given the likely increase in travel during the summer holidays, public health surveillance is particularly important for those countries where passenger numbers are highest. The Government should therefore make clear in its statements what criteria it is applying to assess possible risks, the relative weighting of those criteria, and on what basis changes to travel corridors are made.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the need for increased transparency in the Travel Corridor process and states it is working with other departments and devolved administrations to consider options for this.
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Home Office
35
Conclusion
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 not introducing quarantine for Spain and then France in February and March were very serious for public health and, as a result, the economy. It is important and welcome that the Government has learned from what happened earlier in the crisis and is responding now to prevent imported cases rising.
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed on the need for swift action due to COVID-19 risk, detailing how it acts quickly to adjust travel corridor exemptions based on Joint Biosecurity Centre assessments of public health risks.
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Home Office
42
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 and the Joint Biosecurity Centre and SAGE. We urge the Department to clarify responsibilities and establish a process for greater transparency from this point on. We urge the Department to clarify responsibilities and establish a process for greater transparency from this point on.
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Government response AI summary
The government explains that lead responsibility for border measures has transferred from the Home Office to the Department for Transport, with public health monitoring primarily handled by DHSC. It emphasizes ongoing intensive cross-government collaboration but does not commit to clarifying overall departmental responsibilities or establishing …
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Home Office
45
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 that its communications are consistent and accurate across all departments. We recommend that one department leads on communications in this matter, and works constructively with other departments and associated bodies, such as public health authorities, to make sure all appropriate guidance and advice is clearly reflected. The Government must review differences between Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice and Department for Transport air corridor countries as an urgent priority, with a view to reconciling discrepancies. Where those departments are not able to agree, the Gov.uk website should clearly explain why this is the case in order to allow would-be travellers to make informed decisions before using travel corridors.
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Government response AI summary
The Government agrees on the importance of clear communication and states that gov.uk serves as the single source for policy and operational changes, with content linked from a central page to ensure clarity and consistency for users.
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Home Office
53
Recommendation
Fifth Report: Home Office preparedness …
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 relatively low level of infection. We have concluded that the UK’s experience of COVID-19 has been far worse as a result of the Government’s decision not to require quarantine and thus reduce the number of imported strains during March.
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Government response AI summary
The government stated that health measures at the border protect public health and control imported cases, describing how it reviews its approach and is establishing a Global Travel Taskforce to consider the safe and sustainable recovery of international travel.
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Home Office