Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Home Secretary on 7 December announcing the changes to travel document requirements for school groups visiting the UK from France (HCWS106), whether they will extend those changes to school groups visiting the UK from Spain and Germany.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. The agreement we have is specific to France.
We would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
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.
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.
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.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the scoping review of issues and options for improving community languages translation and interpretation services in the NHS has been completed; and if not, when it is expected to be completed, and when the detailed terms of reference and timetable for this review will be published.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Team in NHS England are completing a scoping and options review of the most effective and appropriate national interventions to facilitate improvements in community language translation, and interpretation services, to meet the needs of communities; and support equitable access, experience, and outcomes for all.
The team are aiming to complete the scoping and options appraisal in November 2023 and to agree recommendations in March 2024. There has not been a decision regarding the publication of the terms of reference.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters who worked with the British armed forces in Afghanistan have to date been relocated to the UK under (1) ARAP, (2) the Intimidation Policy, (3) the Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme, and (4) any other relevant scheme; and in each case how many were relocated (a) directly from Afghanistan, and (b) from a third country.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme we have so far relocated an estimated 12,200 individuals - principal applicants and their family members - to the UK.
We have relocated an estimated 526 principal applicants under the Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) and four principal applicants under the Intimidation Policy (IIU). Due to data constraints, we are currently unable to provide figures for Ex Gratia and Intimidation Policy principals' family members.
We are also unable to break down figures for ARAP, EGS or IIU by job role and due to operational sensitivities, we cannot provide the requested information on locations.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters who worked with the British armed forces in Afghanistan who have applied to be relocated to the UK under (1) ARAP, (2) the Intimidation Policy, (3) the Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme and (4) any other relevant scheme are awaiting security clearance before travelling; and in each case how many have applied (a) directly from Afghanistan and (b) from a third country.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
We estimate that there are approximately 4,300 individuals (principal applicants plus family members) left to relocate to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
In addition, we are supporting four individuals eligible under the Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) who are still actively wishing to take up their EGS offer to relocate to the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the average waiting time between application, being granted security clearance and entering the UK is for Afghan interpreters who worked with the British armed forces in Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Since 2015, just over half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK. This includes those from country-specific schemes from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, in addition to global routes through the UNHCR and family reunion schemes.
There are a number of complex issues that can impact how swiftly individuals can relocate to the UK, and as such, individual timeframes for decisions can differ considerably. Government departments continue to work collaboratively in order to make casework decisions and ensure visas are issued as soon as is practicable, following appropriate checks including security.
More information on the number of grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain issued to Afghans resettling under the ARAP or ACRS can be viewed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters who worked with the British armed forces in Afghanistan that have relocated to the UK have eligible family members remaining in Afghanistan awaiting security clearance; and if any, when they expect the security clearance process to be completed.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Since the launch of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme in April 2021, we have received over 141,000 applications, and have relocated over 12,200 eligible individuals and their family members to safety in the UK. We are unable to breakdown our figures by specific job role.
We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications. We prioritise all applications where the application has been made by an unaccompanied child, under the age of 18. We will also prioritise applications where there is an evidenced urgent or compelling reason.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the independent review of qualifications and experience required of spoken language interpreters in HM Courts and Tribunals Service will be completed; and when it will be published.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The review of qualifications and experience has been completed by an independent expert. We are considering its findings as part of a wider review of service requirements currently being undertaken within the Ministry of Justice, which is helping inform the development of new tender specifications. This is a complex process and covers a wide range of agencies within MoJ. Because this is linked with the ongoing language services procurement and invitation to tender work it is unlikely anything will be published before 2024. We will, of course, publish the outcome of the review once it is complete.