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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 18 Dec 2023
Victims and Prisoners Bill

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View all Baroness Coussins (XB - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Victims and Prisoners Bill

Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 12 Dec 2023
Former Afghan Special Forces: Deportation

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View all Baroness Coussins (XB - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Former Afghan Special Forces: Deportation

Written Question
Afghanistan: Refugees
Monday 11th December 2023

Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will reassess unsuccessful applications for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy from individual members of the Afghan Territorial Force 444 and Commando Force 333 in the light of continued evidence of vulnerability to violent reprisals from the Taliban against them and their families.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

All unsuccessful ARAP applicants, including those made by former members of the Afghan Armed Forces such as Afghan Territorial Force 444 and Commando Force 333, have the right to request a review within 90 days of receipt of their outcome letter.

We continue to prioritise finding remaining eligible applicants and relocating them as quickly as we can. As of 28 November 2023, we have relocated 13,300 individuals and family members since the scheme began.


Written Question
Afghanistan: Refugees
Monday 11th December 2023

Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of the Afghan Territorial Force 444 and Commando Force 333 have (1) qualified for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, and (2) been told they are ineligible under that policy.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As of 28 November, we have relocated 13,300 ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme and have approximately 6,000 eligible persons and family members remaining to relocate to the UK. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of these figures by job role or specific unit.

Not all former members of the Afghan Armed Forces, including specific units such as Afghan Territorial Force 444 and Commando Force 333, will automatically be eligible for ARAP. Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis on its own merits and in line with published policy. We are prioritising finding remaining eligible applicants and relocating them as quickly as we can.


Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 07 Dec 2023
Latin America

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View all Baroness Coussins (XB - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Latin America

Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 05 Dec 2023
Taliban Relations and Afghan Refugees

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View all Baroness Coussins (XB - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Taliban Relations and Afghan Refugees

Written Question
Languages: Teachers
Monday 4th December 2023

Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many teachers of modern foreign languages (MFL) have been recruited by maintained (1) secondary schools, and (2) primary schools, as a result of the inclusion of MFL teachers on the Shortage Occupation List announced on 4 March 2021.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not hold data on the number of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) secondary level teachers recruited as a result of the inclusion of MFL on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Primary level MFL teachers are not included on the SOL.


Speech in Grand Committee - Wed 29 Nov 2023
Living in a COVID World: A Long-term Approach to Resilience and Wellbeing (COVID-19 Committee Report)

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View all Baroness Coussins (XB - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Living in a COVID World: A Long-term Approach to Resilience and Wellbeing (COVID-19 Committee Report)

Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 09 Nov 2023
Pakistan: Evacuation of Afghans

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View all Baroness Coussins (XB - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Pakistan: Evacuation of Afghans

Division Vote (Lords)
23 Oct 2023 - Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill - View Vote Context
Baroness Coussins (XB) voted Aye and against the House
One of 23 Crossbench Aye votes vs 19 Crossbench No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 183 Noes - 198