Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the “best interests of the children test” pursuant to section 55 of the Borders, Citizens and Immigration Act 2009 was applied in the cases where those having their citizenship revoked had British children in their care.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The duty in Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 to have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are in the United Kingdom, applies to all immigration and nationality decisions.
This includes decisions taken to deprive an individual of British citizenship where it is conducive to the public good. Where a child is outside of the UK, the Home Secretary applies the spirit of the Act and therefore still takes into account the best interests of the child when making decisions which affect them.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British children have been repatriated from Syria or from territory that was formerly part of the sovereign states of Syria or Iraq in the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We can confirm that in the last 12 months there have been a small number of British children who have left Syria and returned to the UK via third countries.
The Government does not have a consular presence within Syria from which to provide consular assistance. FCO Travel Advice advises against all travel to Syria, and that British Nationals should leave by any practical means. We will not put British officials’ lives at risk to assist those who have left the UK to join a proscribed terrorist organisation.
If a British child who has been in Syria is able to seek consular assistance outside of Syria, then we would work with local and UK authorities to facilitate their return if requested.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK visas have been issued to persons living in Myanmar in each visa category since January 2016; and how many they estimate were to (1) Christians, and (2) Muslims.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office.