Funding to support vulnerable EU citizens in Scotland

  • Up to £9 million has been made available for voluntary and community sector organisations to support vulnerable EU citizens
  • More than 600,000 people have now applied to the EU Settlement Scheme 

Continue reading Funding to support vulnerable EU citizens in Scotland

Home Office travel tweet causes outrage

A tweet issued by the Home Office s yesterday caused outrage amongst the travelling public yesterday.  https://twitter.com/ukhomeoffice/status/1024591107542401024 

The tweet alerts travellers to bring birth or adoption certificates to the airport or ferry terminal if they children have a different surname to the adults they are travelling with. Continue reading Home Office travel tweet causes outrage

Righting a wrong: justice at last for Windrush generation

Members of the Windrush generation who arrived in the UK before 1973 will be eligible for free citizenship, the Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced yesterday.

The offer, which will be available to people from all Commonwealth countries, not just Caribbean nationals, will extend to individuals who have no current documentation, those who already have leave to remain and want to advance their status, and children of the Windrush generation.

The Home Secretary confirmed that a compensation scheme will be set up for individuals who have suffered loss or damage because of their inability to evidence their right to be in the UK and to access services. The Home Office will be engaging with stakeholders on the scope of the compensation on offer and appointing an independent adviser to oversee the scheme.

A new customer contact centre will be set up to make sure that anyone struggling to navigate the many different immigration routes can speak to a person and get appropriate advice. The centre will be staffed by experienced caseworkers who will offer expert advice and identify a systemic problem much more quickly in the future.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said:

The contribution of the Windrush generation and their right to be in the UK is in no doubt and I deeply regret the situation that has arisen.

It is only right that the significant contribution the Windrush generation have made to the UK is recognised. That is why I want to ensure they can acquire the status they deserve – British citizenship – quickly, at no cost and with proactive assistance through the process. It is also why I want to make sure we set up a compensation scheme that works in the best interests of those affected.

I hope that the measures I announced today will begin to reassure people as to their position and their valued status in this country.

As well as not having to pay the fees associated with a citizenship application, people in these circumstances will not be required to pass the normal Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK test.

People who arrived in the country between 1973 and 1988 will also be supported to access the most suitable route to regularise their status. In order to establish which route is most suitable, people in this group will be able to take advantage of the new dedicated team which has been set up to help people confirm their status and will be given a decision on their application within 2 weeks of the necessary evidence being collected.

The new team has already successfully resolved 9 cases and made 84 appointments to issue documents to individuals who have been in touch with the team through the freephone helpline.

In addition, extra measures will be introduced to help those who arrived before 1973, spent their life in the UK and are now having difficulty returning either for a visit or to reside. The Home Office will help to facilitate their return on the most suitable route and waive any associated fees.

The Home Secretary’s statement to the House of Commons:

From the late 1940s to the early 1970s, many people came to this country from around the Commonwealth to make their lives here and help rebuild Britain after the war.

All members of this House will have seen the recent heartbreaking stories of individuals who have been in this country for decades struggling to navigate an immigration system in a way they never, ever should have been.

These people worked here for decades. In many cases they helped establish the National Health Service. They paid their taxes, enriched our culture. They feel British in all but legal status and this should never have been allowed to happen.

Both the Prime Minister and I have apologised to those affected and I am personally committed to resolving this situation with urgency and purpose.

Of course an apology is just the first step we need to take to put right the wrong these people have suffered, but before I get on to the steps we will be taking I want to explain how this situation has arisen.

The Immigration Act 1971 provided that those here before it came into force should be treated as having been given indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK, as well as retaining a right of abode for certain Commonwealth citizens.

Although HMS Windrush docked in the Port of Tilbury in 1948, it is therefore everyone that arrived in the UK before 1973 who were given settlement rights and not required to get any specific documentation to prove these rights.

Since 1973 many of this Windrush generation would have obtained documentation confirming their status or would have applied for citizenship and then a British passport.

From the 1980s successive governments have introduced measures to combat illegal immigration. The first NHS treatment charges for overseas visitors and illegal migrants were introduced in 1982. Checks by employers on someone’s right to work were first introduced in 1997, measures on access to benefits in 1999, civil penalties for employing illegal migrants in 2008, and the most recent measures in the Immigration Acts of 2014 and 2016 introduced checks by landlords before property is rented and checks by banks on account holders.

The public expects us to enforce the immigration rules approved by Parliament as a matter of fairness for those who abide by the rules.

And I’m personally committed to tackling illegal migration because I have seen in this job the terrible impact has on some of the most vulnerable in our society.

But these steps intended to combat illegal migration have had an unintended, and sometimes devastating, impact on people from the Windrush generation, who are here legally, but have struggled to get the documentation to prove their status. This is a failure by successive governments to ensure these individuals have the documentation they need and this is why we must urgently put it right.

Because it’s abundantly clear that everyone considers people who came in the Windrush generation to be British. But under the current rules this is not the case. Some people will just have indefinite leave to remain, which means they cannot leave the UK for more than 2 years and are not eligible for a British passport.

This is the main reason we’ve seen the distressing stories of people leaving the UK over a decade ago and not being able to re-enter.

So I want to enable the Windrush generation to acquire the status that they deserve – British citizenship – quickly, at no cost and with proactive assistance through the process.

First, I will waive the citizenship fee for anyone in the Windrush generation who wishes to apply for citizenship. This applies to those who have no current documentation, and also to those who have it.

Second, I will waive the requirement to carry out a Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK test.

Third, the children of the Windrush generation who are in the UK will in most cases are British citizens. However, where that is not the case and they need to apply for naturalisation, I shall waive the fee.

Fourth, I will ensure that those who made their lives here but have now retired to their country of origin, are able to come back to the UK. Again, I will waive the cost of any fees associated with this process and will work with our embassies and High Commissions to make sure people can easily access this offer.

In effect this means anyone from the Windrush generation who now wants to become a British citizen will be able to do so.

And this builds on the steps that I have already taken.

On 16 April, I established a taskforce in my Department to make immediate arrangements to help those who needed it. This included setting up a helpline to get in touch with the Home Office. And let me be quite clear, this helpline and the information shared will not be used to remove people from the country. Its purpose is to help and support.

We have successfully resolved 9 cases so far and made 84 appointments to issue documents.

My officials are helping those concerned to prove their residence and they are taking a proactive and generous approach so they can easily establish their rights.

We do not need to see definitive documentary proof of date of entry or of continuous residence. This is why the debate about registration slips and landing cards is misleading. Instead the caseworker will make a judgement based on all the circumstances of the case and on the balance of probabilities.

Previously the burden of proof on some of the Windrush generation to evidence their legal rights was too much on the individual. And now we are working with this group in a much more proactive and personable way in order to help them.

We were too slow to realise there was a group of people that needed to be treated differently. And the system was too bureaucratic when these people were in touch.

The Home Office is a great department of state. It works tirelessly to keep us safe and protect us. It takes millions of decisions each year that profoundly affects peoples’ lives. And for the most part it gets these right.

But recent events have shown that we need to give a human face to how we work and exercise greater discretion where and when it is justified.

That’s why going forward I will be establishing a new customer contact centre, so anyone who is struggling to navigate the many different immigration routes can speak to a person and get the appropriate advice.

This will be staffed by experienced caseworkers who will offer expert advice and identify a systemic problem much more quickly in the future.

I will also be putting in place 50 senior caseworkers across the country to ensure where more junior members of staff are unsure about a decision they can speak to someone with experience to ensure discretion is properly exercised.

There has also been much concern about whether the Home Office has wrongly deported anyone from the Windrush generation.

The 1971 Immigration Act provides protection for this group if they have lived here for more than five years if they arrived in the country before 1973.

And I am now checking all Home Office records going back to 2002 to verify that no one has been deported, in breach of this policy.

This is a complex piece of work that involves manually checking thousands of records.

So far, 4,200 records have been reviewed out of nearly 8000, which date back to 2002, and no cases have been identified which breach the protection granted under the 1971 Act.

This is an ongoing piece of work and I want to be absolutely certain of the facts before I draw any conclusions. I will ensure the House is informed of any updates and I intend to have this data independently audited once my department has completed its work to ensure transparency.

Mr Speaker, it was never the intention that the Windrush generation should be disadvantaged by measures put in place to tackle illegal migration.

I am putting additional safeguards in place to ensure this will no longer happen, regardless of whether they have documentation or not.

As well as ensuring the Home Office does not target action against someone who is part of the Windrush generation, I will also put in place greater protection for landlords, employers and others conducting checks in order to ensure we are not denying work, housing, benefits and services to this group.

These measures will be kept carefully under review and I don’t rule out further changes if they are needed.

Now I will turn to the issue of compensation.

As I said earlier, an apology is just the first step we need to take to put right these wrongs. The next and most important task is to get those affected the documents they need. But we also do need to address the issue of compensation.

Every individual case is painful to hear. But so much more painful, often harrowing for the people involved. These are not numbers but people with families, responsibilities, homes and I appreciate that.

The state has let these people down. Travel documents denied, exclusions from returning to the UK, benefits cut, even threats of removal. This, to a group of people who came to help build this country. People who should be thanked.

This has happened for some time. I will put this right and where people have suffered loss, they will be compensated.

The Home Office will be setting up a new scheme to deliver this which will be run by an independent person.

I will set out further details around its scope and how people will be able to access it in the coming weeks.

Mr Speaker, I am also aware that some of those individual cases that have come to light recently relate not to the Windrush generation, but to people who came to the UK after 1 January 1973.

These people should have documentation to confirm their right to be here.

But I recognise some have spent many years here and will face similar issues in documenting their rights after so many years in this country.

Given people who have been here for more than 20 years will usually go on a 10 year route to settlement, I am ensuring that people who arrived after 1973 but before 1988 can also access the Windrush taskforce so they can access the support and assistance needed to establish their claim to be here legally.

I will consider further, in the light of the cases that come forward, whether any policy changes are needed to deal fairly with these cases.

Mr Speaker I’ve set out urgent measures to help the Windrush generation documents their rights, how this Government intends to offer them greater rights than they currently enjoy, how we will compensate people for the hardship they have endured and the steps I will be taking to ensure that this never happens again. None of this can undo the pain already endured, but I hope it demonstrates this Government’s commitment to put these wrongs right going forward.

Modern Slavery Taskforce agrees new measures to support victims

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has announced new measures to improve identification and support for victims of modern slavery.

Three new measures to improve the way in which victims of modern slavery are identified and supported have been announced, following a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Modern Slavery Taskforce on Monday. Continue reading Modern Slavery Taskforce agrees new measures to support victims

Westminster moves to ban more ‘legal highs’

FTC Fines Diet Pills Makers For False Claims

Two groups of dangerous ‘legal highs’ were banned by the Coalition Government yesterday.

The stimulant compound drug 4,4’-DMAR, which is linked to the deaths of more than 20 people in the UK, mainly Northern Ireland, and the synthetic opioid MT-45, have both been outlawed as Class A substances.

It is part of a concerted range of action taken by the government to respond to the challenges caused by new psychoactive substances (NPS) – known as ‘legal highs’.

Home Office

General ban

This action includes developing proposals for a general ban on NPS following a recommendation by an expert panel commissioned by the Home Office.

The bans come into force on the same day as a letter was sent by the Crime Prevention Minister to summer festival organisers warning them of the risks posed by so-called ‘legal highs’ and new guidance was published for local authorities and the police on tackling NPS.

Crime Prevention Minister Lynne Featherstone said:

The Coalition Government has taken the lead in tackling new psychoactive substances, or so-called ‘legal highs’, both in this country and internationally.

“We created the Forensic Early Warning System to identify substances previously unseen in the UK and we have banned more than 500 new drugs, including those controlled today.

“We are also developing proposals for a general ban on the supply of ‘legal highs’ across the UK. This would give law enforcement greater powers to tackle the NPS trade as a whole, instead of a substance-by-substance approach.

“I will be working right up until the dissolution of Parliament to ensure we have done as much as we possibly can to pave the way for a general ban. This will mean the next government can act quickly to clamp down on this reckless trade.

The Coalition Government has also been taking international action to respond to the threat of ‘legal highs’.

International action

On Friday (13 March), a UK-led proposal to internationally control the drug mephedrone is expected to be passed by the United Nations’ (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna. Mephedrone is already controlled as a Class B substance in the UK.

If it goes ahead, this would be the first time a NPS is controlled by all UN members.

This is in addition to the UK’s continuing work with other countries and overseas agencies to share best practice on tackling NPS and to build closer law enforcement cooperation.

Commander Simon Bray, National Policing Lead for New Psychoactive Substances, said:

The government’s decision to develop proposals for a blanket ban on new psychoactive substances (NPS) is a very positive step forward.

It highlights the government’s commitment to supporting law enforcement, including the police, in their efforts to combat dangerous drugs.

A blanket ban would make it simpler to deal with those drugs, which are unsafe but which may not yet be controlled. It will also make it easier to tackle so-called ‘legal highs’ which may contain mixtures including already illegal drugs.

We are also encouraged by further prevention and education measures which have been proposed, as NPS cannot be addressed by law enforcement alone.”

legal high pills

One of the drugs being banned yesterday – 4,4’-DMAR – which is known by the street name Serotoni, is usually bought in tablet or powder form, and samples have shown it being mixed with other drugs such as mephedrone and synthetic cannabinoids.

MT-45, a morphine-like drug, is not currently available in the UK, but has been linked to deaths elsewhere in Europe and the United States.

Separately, the Home Office has accepted advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to ban new types of manmade cannabis as Class B drugs.

Draft legislation is being prepared to take action against the latest generation of synthetic cannabinoids in the next Parliament.

The Home Office is also taking forward a comprehensive action plan to further enhance our response to prevention, treatment and information sharing. For example, Public Health England has published a new toolkit to help local areas to prevent and respond to the use of NPS.

The toolkit gives a broad overview of the challenges and provides commissioners with resources and advice to inform a suitable local response.

A NPS clinical network is also being established to share intelligence on NPS and drug-related adverse reactions and harms, and develop a more systematic way of sharing information.

Home Office targets modern-day slave traders

Home Office shines light on criminals seeking to exploit homeless people this Christmas

shadowThe Home Office has joined forces with charities across the country to raise awareness of criminals preying on the homeless and vulnerable this Christmas.

Criminals often target vulnerable individuals, particularly at Christmas, with false promises of work and accommodation. There have been numerous occasions where this has led to people being trafficked, forced into labour and a life of servitude.

The Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime Karen Bradley has written to charities and shelters that provide support to homeless people across the country about this horrific crime.

Posters featuring a powerful image from the Home Office’s hard-hitting television advert have been sent to shelters around the UK, alerting homeless people to the risks of modern slavery and directing them to the dedicated helpline number. Advice has also been provided to shelter staff on what to do if they suspect modern slavery.

Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime Karen Bradley said: “Modern slavery is taking place across the UK, often out of sight – in shops, fields, building sites and behind the curtains of houses on ordinary streets.

“But we also know of some horrific cases where victims have been approached when they are at their most vulnerable – looking for work and living on the streets.

“That is why we are taking action on a number of fronts. We have brought forward a Modern Slavery Bill, the first of its kind in Europe, and published a wide-ranging strategy to tackle this crime.

“If we are to abolish it, everyone needs to play a part, at local as well as national level, and to raise awareness of the issues involved.”

The Home Office launched a national campaign this year, the first of its kind in the UK, to encourage the public to identify the signs of modern slavery and report it by calling the new national helpline.

The Modern Slavery Bill will give law enforcement the tools to stamp out modern slavery. It will ensure perpetrators receive suitably severe sentences for these appalling crimes; introduce an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner; enhance support and protection for victims; and encourage businesses to do more to eliminate slavery from their global supply chains.

Legislation is only part of the answer. The new Modern Slavery Strategy sets out a cross-government approach, detailing the actions that we expect from government departments, agencies and partners in the UK and, importantly, internationally.

If you think you work with someone who may be a victim of modern slavery, call 0800 0121 700 or visit modernslavery.co.uk