Update from Andrea Vukovic at Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives

via Andrea Vukovic – these briefings are excellent if you want to stay abreast of national policy around Asylum. Email Andrea and ask to be added to the mailing list

1. Home Affairs Committee on Asylum Accommodation
2. Investigative Documentary ‘the Asylum Market’ 
3. Letter on NHS Confidentiality
4. Public Accounts Committee on NHS Treatment for Overseas Patients
5. EHRiC Inquiry on Destitution and Asylum in Scotland
6. Local Campaign Win: Kirklees Council to End Room-Sharing for Unrelated Adults
7. Webinars on Asylum Support – Introduction to Asylum Support for Beginners by ASAP

1. Home Affairs Committee on Asylum Accommodation

The Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday published its report on asylum accommodation in the UK which states that the current contract system for asylum accommodation isn’t working and major reforms are needed. The Committee brands the state of some asylum accommodation provided by Government contractors a “disgrace” and says it is “shameful” that very vulnerable people have been placed in these conditions.

The Committee called for a major overhaul of the current system including giving local authorities greater powers and encouraging more to take asylum-seekers in order to ensure responsibility-sharing. It also calls on the Government to increase its capacity to process applications and ensure initial decisions are correct, noting poor accommodation is a consequence of a system under strain with a growing backlog. The report can be found here.

2. Investigative Documentary ‘the Asylum Market’

A short investigative documentary titled ‘the Asylum Market’ has been released independently to highlight crucial elements of the asylum accommodation issue overlooked by the mainstream media and parliamentary inquiries. The documentary can be viewed here.

3. Letter on NHS Confidentiality

In response to the recently published report revealing NHS Digital’s legal obligation to share non-clinical patient details with the Home Office, a group of organisations came together to express their dismay both with the process of the review that did not include an appropriate consultation, and with the outcome itself. They called on NHS Digital to suspend this service to the Home Office until a transparent and public review of its merits has taken place. The letter and signatories can be found here. 

4. Public Accounts Committee on NHS Treatment for Overseas Patients

MPs from the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said they were “not confident” the Department of Health is taking effective action to recover money from people who leave the NHS with unpaid bills after treatment. It said the NHS was failing to identify patients who should be charged, while the Government was also failing to get money back from European countries where reciprocal agreements are in place. But the report warned that forcing all patients to show their passports, as introduced by some trusts, could penalise some people who do not have the documents but are eligible for free NHS care. The report says the Department of Health must draw up an action plan by June to set out specific action for recovering more money. The report can be found here.

5. EHRiC Inquiry on Destitution and Asylum in Scotland

The Equalities and Human Rights Committee [EHRiC] is seeking views on the issue of destitution amongst asylum seekers in Scotland. The EHRiC has published a call for evidence (25 January) seeking the views of those seeking asylum, and other relevant stakeholders. You can view the call for evidence on the questions the Committee is seeking a response to and how to make a submission to the Committee here. The closing date for submissions is 6pm on Wednesday 8 March 2017.

6. Local Campaign Win: Kirklees Council to End Room-Sharing for Unrelated Adults

On the 17th February, Kirklees Council Cabinet agreed on an housing assistance policy which includes new regulations on House of Multiple Occupancy. Section 4.4. states that Kirklees Council will “Monitor HMO occupancy levels, ensuring that room sizes and amenity standards are adequate for the number of occupiers, and that no more than one person shall occupy any bedroom unless they are a member of the same household.” 

This means that room-sharing of unrelated adults is no longer allowed by the Council so no new properties will be procured for room-sharing of non-related adults and where this currently occurs, the Council will work to address this in the near future. 

This is an important local policy win which comes after numerous interventions by Regional Asylum Activism (RAA), Migration Yorkshire, Kirklees MultiAgency Group, and Kirklees Council themselves. RAA will be working with partners to monitor compliance in Kirklees and replicate this positive change across the region. If room-sharing is an issue in your local area and you would like to hear more about this case, please get in touch with Lorna Gledhill: [email protected].

7. Webinars on Asylum Support – Introduction to Asylum Support for Beginners by ASAP

Wed 22 Feb from 10:30am-12. This introductory-level webinar, for delegates with no or limited experience working with asylum seekers, will provide an overview of the asylum support system, and equip delegates with the confidence to identify what type of asylum support a person might be entitled to. Registration details can be found on our website here. If you have any queries about registering to attend our webinars, please contact ASAP at [email protected].