The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has always been clear that he will continue to uphold the letter and the spirit of his obligations under the Northern Ireland (Executive Function etc) Act 2019 in full. That includes the obligation to report on welfare support measures in Northern Ireland. A report will therefore be published by 1 December 2019 if no Executive has been formed.

The Civil Service Professional Development Framework for Policy Professionals describes the skills and knowledge required by policy professionals in bringing together the evidence base to advise decision makers.

There are three broad themes: 'Analysis and the Use of Evidence', “Politics and Democracy” and “Policy Delivery”. Section 3.5 (Page 18) highlights the importance of ‘User Centred Design’ in policy, “developing policy with the impact of end users at the forefront of thinking.”

We continue to build the capability of the policy professionals advising decision makers across government – through teams such as Policy Lab, who support many projects across government on user centred design in policy development.

The Hate Crime Action Plan 2016 included a number of commitments to

address disability hate crime. These commitments were:

• To look at current best practice examples in tackling disability hate crime and work with partner organisations and the police to promote safety for disabled people.
• To continue to work with community groups to raise awareness of hate crime among disabled people and increasing the availability of third party reporting venues, in particular at locations and through services that are used by disabled people.
• The police will lead work with partners and disabled people’s groups to develop resources targeted to raise awareness of hate crime among carers and families of disabled people to encourage reporting.
• The National Policing Lead to assess proactive recording pilots to see if there is anything to be learned that will increase the recording of disability hate crime.

In October 2018, the Government published a refresh of the Action Plan, which included the following further commitments on disability hate crime:

• Department for Transport committed, in the July 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy, to run a public awareness raising campaign to increase disability awareness amongst all transport passengers.
• Continue to help the charity representing people with disfigurement, Changing Faces, in its work with social media companies.
• The Department of Health and Social Care is leading a long-term study of the impact of integrated support for people with learning disabilities, including on the occurrence of disability hate crime.
• Work with community groups to raise awareness of disability hate crime, and consider the best options for third party reporting centres for disabled people. We will work with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, and others, to understand where these services already exist, and how best we can promote their availability.
• Increase and broaden our engagement with stakeholders representing disabled people.
• Draw from ongoing doctoral research into police responses to learning disability hate crime underway at the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth.

The 2018 Hate Crime Action Plan refresh also includes a number of broader actions addressing all forms of hate crime, including disability hate crime. These include:

• Publication of the Online Harms White Paper, which sets out plans hold social media companies to greater account;
• A review by the Law Commission into the coverage and approach of current hate crime legislation; and
• A wide-ranging national hate crime communications campaign to publicly address hate crime and make clear that it is unacceptable to target people on the basis of their identity.

We are carefully considering the European Court of Human Rights Judgment in the case of A.

We welcome the decision in the case of JD which confirmed in this case that the application of the RSRS policy was not discriminatory.

Neither the 1961 UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness or the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons prohibit fees from being chargeable in respect of citizenship applications. The Home Office does, however, waive fees for stateless individuals up to the point of settlement (indefinite leave to remain) in line with our obligations.

The Home Office has no current plans to specifically review the policy applicable to stateless persons applying to register as a British citizen, however the Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under review.

The Home Office has no current plans to specifically review the fees policy applicable to stateless persons applying to register as a British citizen, however the Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under review.

The Home Office has no current plans to produce a specific impact assessment in respect of the fee for a child or young person born stateless to register as a British citizen. An assessment of the impact of all border, immigration and citizenship (BIC) fees was published as an associated document to the Immigration and Nationality Fees (Regulation) 2018. In response to a recommendation from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration the Department will consider publication of fee-related Policy Equality Statements on a case by case basis going forward.

Statistics on the UK’s resident population and on births by nationality of parent are a matter for the Office for National Statistics.

The Home Office stateless leave policy is designed to assist those who are unable to return to their country of former habitual residence because they are stateless and no longer have a right of residence there. This also reflects our obligations under the UN Stateless Conventions by providing a means for stateless persons in the UK to access their basic human rights and is part of our efforts to address wider global issues facing stateless persons. Leave to remain applications to stay in the UK as a stateless person are free of charge.

There are citizenship routes for children who are born in the UK: if their parent becomes British or settled, or if they live in the UK for the first ten years of their life. In addition there are provisions for stateless children which allow us to meet our obligations under the 1961 Convention.

The Home Office has no current plans to specifically review the fees policy applicable to stateless persons applying to register as a British citizen, however the Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under review.

The Home Office has no current plans to produce a specific impact assessment in respect of the fee for a child or young person born stateless to register as a British citizen. An assessment of the impact of all border, immigration and citizenship (BIC) fees was published as an associated document to the Immigration and Nationality Fees (Regulation) 2018. In response to a recommendation from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration the Department will consider publication of fee-related Policy Equality Statements on a case by case basis going forward.

Statistics on the UK’s resident population and on births by nationality of parent are a matter for the Office for National Statistics.

The Home Office stateless leave policy is designed to assist those who are unable to return to their country of former habitual residence because they are stateless and no longer have a right of residence there. This also reflects our obligations under the UN Stateless Conventions by providing a means for stateless persons in the UK to access their basic human rights and is part of our efforts to address wider global issues facing stateless persons. Leave to remain applications to stay in the UK as a stateless person are free of charge.

There are citizenship routes for children who are born in the UK: if their parent becomes British or settled, or if they live in the UK for the first ten years of their life. In addition there are provisions for stateless children which allow us to meet our obligations under the 1961 Convention.

The Home Office has no current plans to specifically review the fees policy applicable to stateless persons applying to register as a British citizen, however the Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under review.

The Home Office has no current plans to produce a specific impact assessment in respect of the fee for a child or young person born stateless to register as a British citizen. An assessment of the impact of all border, immigration and citizenship (BIC) fees was published as an associated document to the Immigration and Nationality Fees (Regulation) 2018. In response to a recommendation from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration the Department will consider publication of fee-related Policy Equality Statements on a case by case basis going forward.

Statistics on the UK’s resident population and on births by nationality of parent are a matter for the Office for National Statistics.

The Home Office stateless leave policy is designed to assist those who are unable to return to their country of former habitual residence because they are stateless and no longer have a right of residence there. This also reflects our obligations under the UN Stateless Conventions by providing a means for stateless persons in the UK to access their basic human rights and is part of our efforts to address wider global issues facing stateless persons. Leave to remain applications to stay in the UK as a stateless person are free of charge.

There are citizenship routes for children who are born in the UK: if their parent becomes British or settled, or if they live in the UK for the first ten years of their life. In addition there are provisions for stateless children which allow us to meet our obligations under the 1961 Convention.

The good character requirement for children was subject to parliamentary scrutiny when it was introduced by Section 58 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. It has also been the subject of inspection by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI). In response to recommendations in his 2017 report a number of adjustments were made to the policy clarifying that a child’s best interests must be taken into account when considering an application for registration as a British citizen. Updated guidance to reflect these changes was published in January 2019.

In addition, the good character requirement was the subject of a Policy Equality Statement, demonstrating compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty, when the British Nationality Act 1981 (Remedial) Order 2019 was laid.

The Home Office has no current plans to specifically review the fees policy applicable to stateless persons applying to register as a British citizen, however the Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under review.

The Home Office has no current plans to produce a specific impact assessment in respect of the fee for a child or young person born stateless to register as a British citizen. An assessment of the impact of all border, immigration and citizenship (BIC) fees was published as an associated document to the Immigration and Nationality Fees (Regulation) 2018. In response to a recommendation from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration the Department will consider publication of fee-related Policy Equality Statements on a case by case basis going forward.

Statistics on the UK’s resident population and on births by nationality of parent are a matter for the Office for National Statistics.

The Home Office stateless leave policy is designed to assist those who are unable to return to their country of former habitual residence because they are stateless and no longer have a right of residence there. This also reflects our obligations under the UN Stateless Conventions by providing a means for stateless persons in the UK to access their basic human rights and is part of our efforts to address wider global issues facing stateless persons. Leave to remain applications to stay in the UK as a stateless person are free of charge.

There are citizenship routes for children who are born in the UK: if their parent becomes British or settled, or if they live in the UK for the first ten years of their life. In addition there are provisions for stateless children which allow us to meet our obligations under the 1961 Convention.

The bespoke mitigation arrangements for Northern Ireland were agreed by the Executive following the “A Fresh Start, the Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan”.

I understand that the present uncertainty over the future of these schemes has been a cause of considerable concern, especially for those in receipt of the top up payments.

Neither the Northern Ireland Office nor its Ministers can instruct the Northern Ireland Civil Service in the devolved welfare space or direct spending from the NI block grant.

We have however, following the Executive Formation Act, provided departments with additional guidance on the exercise their functions in the public interest in the absence of a restored NI Executive. And of course, we continue to work tirelessly to facilitate the restoration of locally accountable political leadership. I am grateful to the Noble Baroness for raising this matter.

To register a child under paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 of the British Nationality Act 1981 the Home Office needs to be satisfied that the statutory requirements are met, and will make relevant enquiries to establish the facts in each case.

The Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2005 define a vulnerable person as:

• A minor
• A disabled person
• An elderly person
• A pregnant woman
• A person who has been subjected to torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence;
• A person who has had an individual evaluation of his situation that confirms he/she has special needs.

Accommodation providers are also contractually required to take account of any particular circumstances and vulnerability of those that they accommodate. The definition of vulnerability in the contracts is the same as the one set out in the 2005 Regulations.

The particular circumstances of other supported asylum seekers and their dependants who may have other particular vulnerabilities are also carefully considered, for example because they have care needs or health problems that require a need for a specific type of accommodation or accommodation in a particular location. Further details regarding these policies can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-requests-policy

We aim to decide most of these applications within 5 working days, or 2 days of the Home Office reviewing the application if the person is vulnerable, but some take longer because of the need to make further enquiries to establish that the person is eligible to receive the support.

The Home Office monitors closely the performance of asylum support application decision making and has a range of targets for processing support applications depending on the nature of the application being made. However information on processing times is not recorded in a format suitable for publication. We are currently in the process of embedding a new system and reporting tools and once this has been implemented we will review our reporting processes,.

The family Immigration Rules set out the requirements to be met to allow any adult dependant relative of a British citizen to come to the UK. The applicant must be outside the UK and in most cases, the sponsor will be in the UK.

The adult dependent relative rules, together with the policy on exceptional circumstances, ensure that leave can be granted for those who demonstrate that, as a result of age, illness or disability, there is a level of long-term personal care required that can only be provided in the UK by their British relative who is here, or who is intending to return here with their dependant relative.

The family Immigration Rules set out the requirements to be met to allow any adult dependant relative of a British citizen to come to the UK. The applicant must be outside the UK and in most cases, the sponsor will be in the UK.

The adult dependent relative rules, together with the policy on exceptional circumstances, ensure that leave can be granted for those who demonstrate that, as a result of age, illness or disability, there is a level of long-term personal care required that can only be provided in the UK by their British relative who is here, or who is intending to return here with their dependant relative.