A new pilot scheme to manage vulnerable women in the community, when they would otherwise be liable for immigration detention, has been announced by the Immigration Minister today (Monday 3 December).

Working in partnership with Action Foundation, a charity which provides support to asylum seekers, migrants and refugees, the first phase began today and will see up to 21 women supported in the community who would otherwise be detained at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre.

The pilot, called Action Access, will last 2 years and will support up to 50 women during that time.

Developing alternatives to detention for those who are vulnerable is part of the government’s response to Stephen Shaw’s second review into the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons.

Immigration Minister, Caroline Nokes, said:

Immigration detention plays a necessary role in our immigration system, but it must be used only when absolutely necessary. We are committed to ensuring that detention is fair and humane and that it protects those who are vulnerable.

I’m pleased to see the launch of our first pilot scheme, which will provide valuable community support and personal stability to a number of women at risk of detention while their case is resolved, and delivers on our commitment to deliver Stephen Shaw’s recommendations.

Julian Prior, CEO of Action Foundation, said:

For many years we have successfully supported some of the most vulnerable people at the end of their asylum claim to avoid destitution, and provide the stability and help they need to make some informed choices about their future.

We are very pleased to use this opportunity to increase our work in this area by supporting women who would otherwise be detained through this new pilot called Action Access.

The Home Office has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to work with charities, faith groups and local communities to develop a number of pilot schemes that will provide support to a wide range of migrants in the community, including both men and women.

These further pilot schemes will begin in the New Year and will run for 2 years.

The Home Office will use these pilots to understand how it can best support different groups of migrants at risk of immigration detention to resolve their cases within the community, whether that is confirming their status in the UK or returning to their home country.

If these pilot schemes are successful, the Home Office will explore how it can implement this approach on a larger scale.

Matthew Saltmarsh, Acting Representative for UNHCR UK, said:

We welcome the recent decline in the use of immigration detention in the UK and encourage the government to continue this positive trend. This pilot – to manage vulnerable women in the community, when they might otherwise be detained – is an important first step.

UNHCR will continue to bring international best practice experience to the development of alternatives to immigration detention in the UK, and we are fully committed to advising the government on rolling out future pilots in the hope that further reductions in immigration detention will follow.

Parole Board Open Management Committee Meeting

What is the event?

The Parole Board is holding its annual open Management Committee meeting on 12 December 2018 at 10 South Colonnade in Canary Wharf.

All welcome to attend

This is an open invite to attend a Parole Board management committee meeting, where you will have the opportunity to see the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure the effective running of the parole system.

This meeting will look at the organisation’s strategic objectives for the next year and any current issues facing the Parole Board.

Agenda

• Minutes of previous Management Committee meetings
• Update from Caroline Corby, Chair of the Parole Board
• Update from Martin Jones, CEO of the Parole Board
• Key Performance Indicators and performance update
• Future landscape – Ministry of Justice reviews
• Diversity and member recruitment
• Victim engagement

Question and Answer Session

There will be a Question and Answer session at the end of the meeting. Please send in any questions you have when you signing up to attend.

How to Attend

If you would like to attend, please follow this link to provide your details .

There are a limited amount of seats and places will be given on a first come, first served basis.

Published 3 December 2018

The schedule seeks to replicate the UK’s existing commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services and gives overseas businesses the same level of guaranteed access to the UK service sector as they currently have.

This will give businesses around the world confidence that they can continue investing in and trading with the UK on the same guaranteed terms after we leave the European Union.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox has now submitted schedules on both goods and services, marking the two major milestones involved in finalising an independent seat at the WTO.

Members of the WTO now have 45 days to raise objections to our services schedules and there will be an additional consultation period of 45-days in which the UK can discuss and respond to any concerns.

International Development Secretary Dr Liam Fox said:

Today I sent to the secretariat of the WTO the UK schedule for services. This is a necessary part of our leaving the EU and it marks a major milestone in regaining the full authority that comes with an independent seat.

This schedule replicates our current obligations as far as possible. We see this as a technical exercise that will provide continuity for business and, in future, we will work with other members on an ambitious agenda to liberalise international trade in services even further.

In the long run, the biggest benefits of our independent trade policy will come from updating and improving the rules-based international system that governs global trade. The UK will play a pivotal role at the WTO and we will do so as a powerful and unabashed defender of free trade.

The UK’s goods schedule was submitted on 19 July and the 90-day certification period has now finished. Whilst some members still have reservations about some of our proposals, this will not affect businesses’ ability to trade and it will not stop the UK from striking new trade agreements.

In addition, the UK’s independent membership of the Government Procurement Agreement was approved by a committee at the WTO last week and is expected to be finalised at a meeting in December. This will allow British businesses to continue bidding for overseas public sector contracts worth £1.3 trillion each year.

British companies will play a major role in ensuring a successful 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and are expected to be involved in many aspects of the tournament from building new stadiums to cutting the grass and providing pitch-side security guards.

The Department for International Trade has already helped British companies to secure £940m in Qatar World Cup-related exports and aims for at least a further £500m before the competition kicks-off in 2022.

The UK’s Trade Policy Minister George Hollingbery is in Qatar today (2 December) for the second meeting of the Joint Ministerial Economic Commercial and Technical Committee (JETCO).

Talks will explore partnership opportunities for British business at the 2022 World Cup as well as celebrating the continued rise of trade between the two countries, which totalled £3.39bn in 2017, an increase of 70% over the last five years.

Minister for International Trade George Hollingbery, said:

With our football teams enjoying success this summer and fantastic support coming from all four nations, it’s great to see British business winning contracts and making these fantastic events the spectacle they are.

Our world class construction companies have some of the best safety records in the world and they will play an important role in delivering a safe and successful World Cup.

If our nations have as much success in Qatar 2022 as UK businesses are having supporting it, we are in for another great tournament.

In July, the Emir of Qatar visited London to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May. They discussed how the UK could continue to support Qatar to deliver a safe and successful World Cup in 2022, and the Prime Minister highlighted the expertise of British companies in delivering major sporting events.

So far, the UK has stepped up, capitalising on its expertise in project management, design, architecture and supply chains to secure world cup contracts.

UK business has a long track record of delivering the world’s biggest sporting events. The Department for International Trade helped UK companies win export business worth around £150m supporting Brazil to deliver the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Summer Games.

At Brazil’s 2014 World Cup, the seats in which fans cheered on their teams were provided by UK firm Blue Cube. At the Rio Games, British company ES Global provided the decks on which triathletes changed disciplines (from swimming to cycling, and cycling to running), whilst PKL provided temporary kitchens to feed the athletes, staff and fans.

More recently at this Summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia, Staffordshire firm Allet Lawnmowers won a contract to provide £1 million worth of mowers for the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi during the competition.

DIT is now focused on helping other British companies to win contracts at the 2019 Pan American and Para-Pan Games, the Rugby World Cup 2019 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, as well as at Qatar 2022 and a host of other major events.

UK-Qatar cooperation is not just about the 2022 World Cup but the beginning of a number of opportunities for the UK to support Qatar’s National Vision2030, its ambitious multi-billion dollar national reform plan. The World Cup will help build on the wider bilateral relationship between the UK and Qatar as well as helping to strengthen the country’s infrastructure and operations.

Gavin Williamson was a panellist at the Reagan National Defense Forum, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, where he discussed the importance of allies working collectively in the modern world.

Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

The UK has been with the US through thick and thin – we share values and stand together in global leadership. The UK is not slipping back to our shores but is in fact stepping out.

Our budget is rising year-on-year, boosted by more than a billion dollars to invest in Armed Forces, and in 2019 we are poised to take our great relationship to even greater heights.

During the conference, Mr Williamson also held a one-to-one bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, to discuss how to combat emerging threats, both state-based and from extremist organisations.

He also visited Edwards Air Force Base, home to the US’ Air Force Test Pilot School and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

The UK is the US’ only tier one partner on the F-35 programme, the biggest defence project in history. That partnership led to a historic moment in September, when the first batch of F-35 jets landed on the UK’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, off the east coast of the US.

Unmanned Air Systems and a Common Missile Compartment for UK-US Ballistic Missile Submarines are other recent examples of collaboration.

Both nations play leading roles in NATO, which is vital to our transatlantic partnership. Both countries have been calling for other nations to invest more in security and to increase the readiness of their forces. By the end of 2018, eight members are meeting the commitment of spending 2% of their GDP on defence, compared with just three in 2014.

An even closer bond is expected after Brexit, as the UK establishes new relationships and trade deals outside of Europe.