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Fears voter ID card delay might disfranchise many in England
A authorities web site permitting folks to join free voter ID paperwork won’t be prepared in time for a publicity marketing campaign in regards to the electoral modifications, the Guardian has realized, rising fears that giant numbers of individuals may very well be disfranchised. My colleague Peter Walker has the story right here.
Population progress slowing in all 4 UK nations, ONS figures counsel
Population progress slowed in all 4 UK nations within the decade to 2021, PA Media experiences. PA says:
Wales is estimated to have seen the bottom progress at simply 1.4%, down sharply from 5.3% within the earlier decade, whereas Scotland’s inhabitants grew by 3.4%, down from 4.7%.
England noticed the very best degree of progress, with its inhabitants rising by 6.5%, although this was down from 7.4% over the earlier 10 years.
Northern Ireland additionally noticed slower progress of three.4%, down from 4.7%.
Overall, the UK inhabitants is estimated to have grown by 5.9% within the decade to June 2021, up 3.7 million to a complete of 67 million.
This compares with progress of seven.1% within the decade to mid-2011.
The figures have been printed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are based mostly on the 2021 censuses for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, together with separate estimates for Scotland, the place the census was delayed to 2022.
Q: Have you discovered one other airline keen to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda, after the unique agency pulled out?
Braverman says the Home Office is in dialogue with varied airways.
And that’s the top of the session.
Braverman rejects declare there may be public assist for letting asylum seekers work whereas their claims are thought-about
Hamwee tells Braverman she ought to contemplate the “strength of feeling” within the Lords in favour of asylum seekers being allowed to work.
Braverman says she has not seen polling on this. And she says she doesn’t suppose her constituents are in favour.
Lord Blunkett, the Labour former house secretary, goes subsequent.
Q: After the migration figures got here out, there was a briefing saying the federal government would cut back the variety of international college students allowed into the UK – although college students had been to not blame for the figures being so excessive. One report stated international college students wouldn’t be allowed to check at lower-quality universities, and one other stated international college students would possibly face new restrictions on the kin they will convey.
Braverman says all the principles referring to the factors based mostly system are saved beneath overview.
She says she can’t affirm what modifications is likely to be launched. The authorities is all the time contemplating choices.
But she says the federal government has already reached the goal it set for rising the variety of international college students coming to the UK.
It is true to asks if the federal government is placing the fitting stability, she says. Growing numbers of individuals coming to the UK have an effect, she says.
Q: That briefing was not authorised, and was not authorities coverage?
Braverman says she can’t touch upon briefings. She speaks for the Home Office.
Matthew Rycroft says he thinks the briefing that Blunkett is referring to got here from No 10. He says he thinks it was “factually accurate”, in that every one of this stuff are beneath overview. But there is no such thing as a specific plan in thoughts, he says.
Blunkett says he was once schooling secretary. Foreign college students subsidise universities, he says. He says he hopes that is recognised.
Lady Sanderson (Con) asks how the federal government will change trendy slavery laws.
Braverman says she is pleased with the laws launched by Theresa May.
But the generosity and compassion of the British individuals are being abused, she claims. The system is being abused by people who find themselves gaming it.
The system will likely be reformed to make it higher capable of assist victims, she says.
Shami Chakrabarti (Lab) goes subsequent. She raises the case of Charlotte Lynch, the journalist arrested for masking a protest.
Q: Will you contemplate my modification to the general public order invoice saying powers within the invoice ought to by no means be used in opposition to journalists?
Braverman says protesters have gotten extra ingenious. The police want strong powers.
But she says the rights of journalists have to be be protected too.
She says she is going to have a look at Chakrabarti’s amemdment.
Braverman doesn’t deny authorities contemplating housing asylum seekers on cruise ships
Lady Hamwee asks if disused cruise ships is likely to be used to accommodate asylum seekers.
Braverman says her desire is to accommodate asylum seekers by way of native authorities. They at present home 57,000 folks. She desires to get that to 100,000.
The subsequent choice is to go for resorts.
But resort use is an unacceptable price to the taxpayers, she says. That is why the federal government stated they’d use different venues.
She says the federal government is utilizing disused vacation parks and former scholar halls to accommodate migrants.
As for whether or not cruise ships may very well be used, Braverman simply says that the federal government is speaking to a “wide variety of providers and that “everything is still on the table and nothing is excluded”.
Helena Kennedy (Lab) goes subsequent.
Q: Many asylum seekers have psychological well being issues. The firms in command of discovering them lodging are deeply insufficient. People are left with out correct psychological well being assist. There is a helpline, however folks can ring it and be advised they’re sixtieth within the queue. And why don’t you let folks work?
Braverman says 117,000 individuals are being accommodated. Accommodation and assist are costing £3.5bn.
Q: Numerous revenue is being made by these corporations. It is surprising. Why don’t you employ NGOs, or different our bodies?
Braverman says that isn’t life like. She says no charity can present 100,000 beds.
The authorities has to work intently with native authorities, she says.
She says over 40,000 individuals are in resort lodging. The state can’t present that a lot lodging.
Kennedy says Braverman ought to examine the income being made. It is “shocking” how a lot is being made. And that could be a selection by authorities.
Braverman says it’s not a selection, however an obligation.
Kennedy says not utilizing native authorities is an ideological selection.
Braverman says 43% of the Windrush claims have now been concluded.
Lord Dholakia (Lib Dem) asks about progress in the direction of paying compensation to Windrush victims.
Braverman says she is decided to settle this. She is “passionate” about resolving this. Compensation price £59.85m has already been paid. And minimal funds have gone up from £250 to £10,000.
Lord Ricketts, the previous head of the Foreign Office and former UK nationwide safety adviser, goes subsequent.
He says the variety of folks allowed to remain within the UK as an grownup dependent relative fell to zero in 2021. He says this implies this path has successfully been closed off.
Braverman says the standards for utilizing this route is meant to be very excessive. She says aged dependent kin pose a excessive price to to the well being service.
Kennedy asks why the federal government doesn’t arrange an impartial course of to contemplate asylum functions.
Braverman says this is a crucial perform for presidency. Politicians have to be held to account for the way in which the system operates.
Kennedy says having an impartial course of would defend it from targets. She says individuals are beneath strain to achieve choices with out the complete proof.
Matthew Rycroft says there is no such thing as a political interference in how particular person choices are taken.
Helena Kennedy (Lab) goes subsequent. She says she has simply chaired an inquiry into the asylum system in Scotland. Its report was very essential of the Home Office, she says. She urges Braverman to learn it.
Fiona Shackleton, a Tory peer, goes subsequent.
Q: How do you make sure that the very best pursuits of kid migrants are taken care of? Children really feel they need to undergo the immigration system earlier than they’re handled as youngsters. Immigration considerations trump youngsters’s wants.
Braverman says the Home Office is beneath an obligation to hold out its duties in a method the displays the wants of youngsters. She quotes the related laws.
She says there’s a “high number” of people that declare to be youngsters who transform adults.
Primarolo says Braverman advised the house affairs committee within the Commons that caseworkers would wish new coaching. How will that work?
Braverman says the federal government set the plan out final week. She desires caseworkers to triple their productiveness. The variety of caseworkers has doubled, and he or she desires to double it once more.
Q: How will they be educated, and by whom? And what it the timescale?
Braverman passes this query to Matthew Rycroft. He says a lot of the coaching will likely be in-house. Senior folks will practice extra junior ones.
He says fast caseworking has been piloted at a hub in Leeds. They had been aiming to get to 4 choices per week. They managed to realize that.
Q: Is this the mannequin you introduced earlier this yr? Or is it a brand new system?
Rycroft says it is going to be an enhancement of what’s already in place.
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