It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

The minimum income requirement is set at the level which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration. We have kept the family Immigration Rules under review and made adjustments in light of feedback, including from the courts, on their operation and impact.

The overall assessment is that the minimum income requirement strikes a fair balance between an individual’s right to family life, the economic wellbeing of the UK and the community in general.

In last year’s immigration white paper, ‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’, the Government agreed to the principle that minimum salary thresholds should be retained for the new skilled worker route. These thresholds should help control migration, ensuring that it is reduced to sustainable levels, whilst ensuring that the UK can attract the talented people needed for the country to continue to prosper. Salary thresholds should also see skilled migrants continue to make a positive contribution to public finances.

In June 2019, the Migration Advisory Committee were commissioned to advise on a number of issues concerning potential future thresholds and the range at which they could be set. These include the mechanism for calculating future salary thresholds, salary threshold levels, whether there should be regional salary thresholds and the impact of exemptions from minimum salary thresholds. The MAC has been asked to report by January 2020. Further details of the commission can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829234/Home_Secretary_Professor_Manning_-_Points-based_system.pdf

The trafficking of children is an appalling crime. Where children are found to be victims of modern slavery or trafficking the Government is committed to protecting their safety and welfare.

Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area including child victims of modern slavery. Local children's services will work in close co-operation with the police and other statutory agencies to offer potentially trafficked children the support they require.

Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs), recently renamed from Independent Child Trafficking Advocates, are additional to this statutory support and are an independent source of advice for trafficked children and somebody who can speak up on their behalf.

This year, the Government has successfully rolled out ICTGs to one third of all local authorities in England and Wales. Where the service is available, all children that are potential victims of trafficking are eligible for support.

Government has welcomed the findings of the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which included a specific set of recommendations relating the wider roll out of ICTGs. In-line with the Government’s response, published in July 2019, we are currently considering the Review’s recommendations on ICTGs and will provide a further update to Parliament ahead of national roll out.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

A dedicated Departmental Operations Centre (DOC) will manage and lead preparations in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The DOC has been designed to operate on a two shift system if required and we anticipate this mode of operation would be sufficient to effectively manage a no deal exit in the majority of circumstances. In the event a no-deal exit occurs and has a highly disruptive impact we would introduce three shift working to effectively manage a reasonable worst case scenario. The current estimates are that two shift working arrangement in our DOC would require 389 people and a three shift working arrangement would require 621 people. The DOC would be resourced through a combination of MHCLG staff and staff provided by other government departments.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

The Department’s Operations Centre (DOC) which will manage and lead the preparations and response to a no deal exit was formally activated in the period 21-28 October 2019 and two shift working was in operation during that period.

We consider this shift pattern will be sufficient to effectively manage a no deal exit in the majority of circumstances. In the event a no deal exit occurs with multiple event occurring at the same time, we would introduce three shift working to effectively manage a reasonable worst case scenario.

The total additional estimated staffing costs for MHCLG staff involved in a two shift pattern over three months is £402,000. If a three shift system was required over the same period the total additional staffing cost is estimated to be £696,000.

No specific or additional risk assessment has been conducted in relation to staff undertaking normal hours working in our Departmental Operations Centre (DOC). Our existing health and safety policies ensure that we will continue to exercise our duty of care and appropriately safeguard the health and well-being of our staff. We have conducted a specific risk assessment of night working and have put in place the necessary measures to advise and support staff in these circumstances. We have also provided specific advice and support on the complete range of issues associated with shift working e.g. travelling late at night and have also provided additional well-being training for staff working in our DOC.

As we stepped up work on our no deal preparations we had to pause some of our other work. In doing this we ensured that we had protected our most vital work on: promoting home ownership, levelling up opportunities across the country, putting local government finance on a sustainable footing, tackling rough sleeping, promoting integration and improving the provision of English Language and addressing the issues exposed by the Grenfell Tower tragedy, in particular on Building Safety.

This Government has announced its plan to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has convened a special cross-government taskforce alongside local stakeholders to support employees, local stakeholders and supply chains. The taskforce is considering support schemes available and will also monitor local business impacts.

Additionally, the Rapid Response Service is helping people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support, which may include:

• Help with job searches, including CV writing and interview skills.
• Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps, linked to the local labour market.
• Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability.
• Help to overcome barriers to attending training, securing a job or self-employment, such as childcare costs, tools, work clothes and travel costs.

Local partners are able to advise on support available locally to former employees and businesses wishing to recruit them.

Three thousand of the 9,000 staff employed by Thomas Cook were retained after the commencement of the liquidation to assist repatriation work and the liquidation process. This included many at the HQ in Peterborough responsible for areas such as payroll.

As a result, a number of the Peterborough claims are from employees made redundant in the last week following the end of the repatriation exercise and are therefore currently still being assessed and processed for payment. Administering redundancy payments is an ongoing process as claims are verified and further payroll information is received. The Redundancy Payments Service will process outstanding payments as quickly as possible.

As of 29 October 2019, of the 7,627 former Thomas Cook employees who have submitted claims to the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service, 7,483 have received one or more payment. Of the 587 former Thomas Cook employees who specifically state in their claim that Peterborough was their place of work, 555 have received one or more payment.

All eligible voters should be able to cast their vote in secret and the Government through the Cabinet Office chaired Accessibility of Elections Working Group is working to make elections more accessible. This has included working in partnership with the RNIB and Electoral Commission to make improvements to training materials for polling station staff to provide better support to voters with sight loss.

The proposals announced as part of the package around the Queen’s Speech, will bring forward legislative measures that respond to issues raised in the Government’s response to the 2018 Call for Evidence on Access to Elections. This will include increasing the range of support available to voters with sight loss in polling stations, with a dedicated sub-group of the Accessibility of Elections Group Working researching potential solutions. Disabled people including those who are blind and partially sighted will also benefit from an increased range of support that can be provided at the polling station (such as carers).

The National Taskforce for Thomas Cook will look to ensure existing mechanisms to offer support and associated governance are working effectively.

Additionally, the Rapid Response Service is helping people find a new job as soon as possible by offering tailored support, which includes:

• Help with job searches, including CV writing and interview skills.
• Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps, linked to the local labour market.
• Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability.
• Help to overcome barriers to attending training, securing a job or self-employment, such as childcare costs, tools, work clothes and travel costs.

Government is supporting businesses in Peterborough by continuing to invest in the Signpost 2 Grow Growth Hub run by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

The Growth Hub is available to help support business growth through signposting and referring to existing business support provision and to identify gaps in provision and source suitable alternatives whether free, subsidised or commercially available.

Signpost 2 Grow is a part of the network of 38 Growth Hubs that are local public/private sector partnerships led by the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). They join up national and local business support, so it is easy for businesses to find the help they need.

The current estimates are that a two shift working arrangement in our Departmental Operations Centre would require 389 people and a three shift working arrangement would require 621 people in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

HMRC’s office in Peterborough (Churchgate) is scheduled to close in December 2020 with staff moving where possible to the Stratford Regional Centre, or to Croydon or Nottingham if these are more suitable options. One-to-one meetings between staff and managers to discuss personal circumstances and support packages tailored to individual needs are scheduled to start in November 2019. The precise impact of the office closure will not be known until these meetings have been completed.

HMRC will support people who are unable to move to work through all possible options, including helping them to find another role and offering advice and training on applying for jobs. HMRC have a close working relationship with the other government departments in Peterborough and will continue to scope opportunities for their staff as they arise.

HMRC are committed to supporting their people and in July 2019 HMRC published a People and Equality Impact Assessment, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/817787/People_and_Equality_Impact_Assessment_-_Locations_Programme__2019_.pdf. The document sets out the actions HMRC are taking across the UK to minimise the impacts on their people.

​The UK has taken bilateral and multilateral action to end the Turkish military incursion into north-east Syria. The Prime Minister spoke to President Erdogan on 12 and 20 October and the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary have also spoken to their Turkish counterparts. We and our European Union partners have issued statements condemning the Turkish military operation and we have also, with European partners, raised this issue at the UN Security Council.