• Question by: Onkar Sahota
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Dr Onkar Sahota AM (Deputy Chair in the Chair): Thank you. I am now going to ask a question in my own right. It is to Hannah. Failure to access to healthcare is not only detrimental for the individual but it also has public health challenges for Londoners. We have heard access to healthcare come up a number of times in the proceedings this morning. Has the GLA been doing any work on helping refugees and asylum seekers access the NHS system? If yes, what has that work been?

• Question by: Marina Ahmad
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, panel. Enver, you spoke earlier about ESOL provision. As you know, ESOL provision was cut through Government austerity by almost 60% before the devolution of the AEB. What impact has this had and should the Government dedicate additional funding to the AEB to rectify the shortfall?

• Question by: Emma Best
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Emma Best AM: I think so. Thanks, Chair. Yes, I was just trying to work out Deputy Mayor [Tom] Copley’s political neutrality, which seemed a lot stronger when he was talking to Assembly Member [Tony] Devenish than Assembly Member [Unmesh] Desai.

• Question by: Unmesh Desai
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Unmesh Desai AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning to the panel. My main question is to Tunde [Olayinka] and Hannah [Boylan] and it is about modern slavery. Modern slavery was described by the Archbishop of Westminster, I think in 2016 or 2017, as “the dark underbelly of London’s society”. That still remains the case, although there is a growing and welcome recognition of the issue. In the context of modern slavery, how is it impacting today on refugee communities and what is the LSMP doing to address it? If you want to start off, Tunde [Olayinka], and then if I...

• Question by: Elly Baker
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Elly Baker AM: Thank you, Chair. My first question is to Tunde [Olayinka] and Hannah [Boylan]. We have heard several times already today about the absolute necessity of appropriate support and advice for refugees, so I would like to specifically ask, how is the GLA supporting the development of a co-ordinated and wellresourced immigration advice sector.

• Question by: Nick Rogers
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Nick Rogers AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, panel. I have some questions around English language skills, so I imagine they will probably sit best with Tunde Olayinka. Through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the GLA funds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision for around 40,000 people in London at a cost of approximately £40 million. Do you know how many refugees are amongst that 40,000?

• Question by: Anne Clarke
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Anne Clarke AM: Thank you Chair, and good morning to everyone. My question is to Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor. The Government has changed the rules so that Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) no longer need a licence if they are used to house asylum seekers. Is this putting lives at risk?

• Question by: Siân Berry
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Siân Berry AM: Thank you very much, Chair. My first question is to Hannah Boylan from the GLA Migration Team. Like my colleague, Caroline [Russell AM], I also met with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, who raised a separate issue about asylum seekers living in Home Office asylum accommodation. The guidance from the Home Office says that category 2 health hazards should be made safe within 24 hours and fixed within five days, but I have heard countless examples of Migrant Help - which Caroline [Russell AM] discussed earlier - failing to respond to complaints and help...

• Question by: Tony Devenish
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Tony Devenish AM: Thank you. I will start with the Deputy Mayor. Apart from one or two bits of emotional language, I agree with virtually everything that has been said this morning. We clearly have a major issue and we need to do more to resolve it. of course, there could be a change of Government, I hope not, but there could be a change of Government in only 12 or 13 months. We can all set out the problem, it is easy to set out the problems and there has been great work done by people. I would like...

• Question by: Sakina Sheikh
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Sakina Sheikh AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning to the panel. It has been a sort of informing but somewhat depressing conversation so far this morning. I wanted to just drill down into this conversation that has been had around the use of hotel accommodations to house asylum seekers. Enver, I am going to come to you specifically. I had a roundtable meeting organised by Migrant Voice with a lot of asylum seekers recently. Then they also released a report called No Rest No Security. Some of the details around the conditions in the hotels are shocking. We have heard...