Thread by @cldesira

Thread:

The @CommonsHomeAffs is now hearing from Prity Patel who is giving evidence on Home Office prepares for Covid-19 (borders, immigration, law enforcement, domestic abuse and other issues).

Also giving evidence is the Permanent and Second Permanent Secretaries.

https://twitter.com/CommonsHomeAffs/status/1255406468041490433

I’ll tweet the relevant borders and immigration highlights that come up before my next Zoom session of the day:

Air and maritime passengers into the UK are down significantly. Based on SAGE advice Covid-19 testing does not occur at the border, nor are there restrictions.

Prity Patel could not confirm the SAGE data that led to the Home Office border decisions. Patel struggles under Cooper’s forensic questioning on the data, science, and modelling by other countries. Clear she’s underprepared and, worryingly for a Home Sec, does not know the data.

I’ve not stopped tweeting, Patel is saying a lot but simultaneously nothing at all.

Patel says Home Office decisions are not made in isolation, they’re done with the Cabinet Office and other Government Departments. She also says, thankfully, that decisions are not made based on individual personal opinions.

Important question about screening at the borders to avoid further infection curves.

Patel has been giving a very detailed response, which does not include an answer. Did she seem to suggest that returning British citizens are virus free without any kind of testing to confirm?

Permanent Secretary better, accepting they don’t have some data at hand and also that they will be monitoring measures at the border, responding with other measures when necessary.

The Committee continues to be ‘confused’ and asked Patel again why entries into the UK was not being screened.

I’m really struggling to find answers from Patel. What I gather some screening was done from Wuhan travellers but not from anywhere else.

The Home Secretary has no estimate of the number of incoming travellers who has Covid-19. No screening is happening at the border, and it’s not clear who decided not to have border screenings.

The frustration of the Committee is palpable.

Now talking about trafficking and asylum, here Patel gets more animated. Reaffirming their work, for stronger borders. She asks for the Committee to investigate “vexatious" asylum claims.

The Home Sec’s opinion on safe asylum routes and asylum claims is extremely worrying.

Wow.

The animosity between Cooper (who is excellent) and Patel is palpable. Cooper finally gets Patel to agree to “several” private briefings.

The Home Office are working with NHS Trusts to identify who is working across the NHS and whose visas are set to expire before the end of this year.

Patel does not specifically say that these visa extensions will go beyond Tier 2 other than to say they’re working with NHS Trusts to find out who else works in the NHS and what are their visa circumstances. As @carternichola points out, this issue remains completely vague.

@carternichola She mentions other help for NHS workers, such as the EU Settlement Scheme, but that’s a completely different scheme and does not answer the question about health workers who’s visas are expiring.

@carternichola The Perm Sec says they’re working on cases who’s visas are expiring imminently, who has compassionate circumstances, those who require urgent travel, and are working to keep services running for priority schemes such as the Windrush Compensation and the EUSS.

@carternichola On those who are financially impacted by Covid-19 will not be disadvantaged by that. For those individuals who cannot meet financial requirements for their visas, the Home Office “will work flexibly with their circumstances”.

@carternichola On the question about an extension to the EUSS.

Patel’s answer = No.

@carternichola Back on the automatic visa extensions and whether it goes beyond Tier 2 visa holders, the Committee asks who it will cover and can they have a list.

Patel says the Home Office don’t know(?!) the visa statuses of individuals and needs that data from the healthcare providers.

@carternichola Excellent.

@YvetteCooperMP refers Patel back to her own letter to help her answer automatic visas for healthcare workers.

Patel still can’t answer this question with clarity.

So no clear answers on the legal basis for extending visas, no clarity for individuals on how they can secure their lawful residence during a time of crisis.

We’re not yet clear on the parameters of the automatic visa extensions for healthcare workers. We don’t know how those who no longer meet visa financial requirements will be treated, if they will remain on a 5 year route to settlement or be pushed into a 10 year route.

Let alone all the other questions we have due to Covid-19:

How can new borns obtain birth certificates, required in order to evidence ID for applications?

How will breaks in continuous residence in the UK be treated in all categories including the EUSS?

Patel’s appearance at the Committee should have provided clarity at a time of crisis but these vague assurances, and promising to “work with people”, doesn’t calm my nerves. I’m even more worried about the state of the Home Office’s Covid-19 response that I already was.