Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) notice, and (2) information, is being given to Afghan refugees and their relatives when a family is moved to another address.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, helping over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan. Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we have had to use hotels as a temporary measure.
We do not want to keep people in temporary accommodation for any longer than is absolutely necessary. We have moved – or are in the process of moving - over 6,000 people into homes since June 2021. There is a huge effort underway to support the families into permanent homes as soon as we can so they can settle and rebuild their lives, and to ensure those still temporarily accommodated in hotels are given the best start to their life in the UK.
The length of time that a family will remain in bridging hotels is dependent on a number of factors including the availability of appropriate housing. We are working at pace across government and with over three hundred Local Authority partners to allocate the right families into the right accommodation to ensure that their integration into their new communities in the UK is as smooth as possible.
Families are given seven days’ notice of their move to settled accommodation. During this time, they can prepare for their move and discuss any concerns with their Home Office Liaison Officer. They are provided with the contact details of their new local authority, so that they can talk to the people who will be supporting them with their move and providing them with long term assistance with integration.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when Afghan refugees who have been placed in unsuitable accommodation in hotels will be rehoused and properly settled in the UK.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, helping over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan. Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we have had to use hotels as a temporary measure.
We do not want to keep people in temporary accommodation for any longer than is absolutely necessary. We have moved – or are in the process of moving - over 6,000 people into homes since June 2021. There is a huge effort underway to support the families into permanent homes as soon as we can so they can settle and rebuild their lives, and to ensure those still temporarily accommodated in hotels are given the best start to their life in the UK.
The length of time that a family will remain in bridging hotels is dependent on a number of factors including the availability of appropriate housing. We are working at pace across government and with over three hundred Local Authority partners to allocate the right families into the right accommodation to ensure that their integration into their new communities in the UK is as smooth as possible.
Families are given seven days’ notice of their move to settled accommodation. During this time, they can prepare for their move and discuss any concerns with their Home Office Liaison Officer. They are provided with the contact details of their new local authority, so that they can talk to the people who will be supporting them with their move and providing them with long term assistance with integration.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to process the applications of Afghan refugees currently located in third countries; and what is their timetable for (1) completing the processing of their applications, and (2) bringing successful applicants to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is not time limited, and we are working at pace to consider each application on a case-by-case basis. Timelines for processing applications vary from case to case, due to the complexity and personal circumstances of each applicant.
Efforts to support all eligible Afghans and to help them to come to the UK remain a Government priority. We have received more than 114,000 applications since the scheme opened and to date, we have relocated over 8,800 ARAP principals and their dependants to the UK.
We continue to work alongside international partners to relocate eligible Afghans from and through third countries.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to Afghans to ensure their safety in light of the narrowing of the Afghans Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme; and why that scheme has been restricted at a time when the lives of Afghans are at risk.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is one of the most generous relocation programmes in the world. It is not time-limited and will endure, facilitating the relocation of eligible Afghans and their families. Updates to the ARAP scheme guidance provide much needed clarity on who is eligible for relocation under the scheme. It remains the Government's intention to assist as many eligible Afghans as possible.
In addition, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, operated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is now open and has committed to take around 5,000 refugees in the first year and 20,000 over the coming years.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan children are currently in school in the UK; and how many are waiting for a place in education.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All school aged children who arrived as part of the Operation Pitting airlift from Afghanistan are now in school. Those children who have arrived since then are either in school, or being placed in schools, as quickly as possible. We continue to monitor the position in local authorities with bridging hotels. All are continuing with the process of placing children in schools and none have reported problems with doing so. However, they are at different stages in the process depending on the date of new arrivals.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help pursue a ceasefire in Tigray to support the delivery of humanitarian aid; what assessment they have made of the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia; and how the withdrawal is being monitored.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
On 24 March the Government of Ethiopia announced a humanitarian truce and committed to facilitating overland access to Tigray. This was followed by a similar commitment by the Tigray authorities. On the 1 April a UN humanitarian convoy comprising twenty trucks and one fuel tanker reached Mekelle from Afar region - the first overland delivery of aid to Tigray since mid-December 2021. As the Minister for Africa set out in her statement of 31 March, the UK welcomes this development and the UK acknowledges the important role the Afar authorities have played, alongside the Government of Ethiopia and the authorities in Tigray, in facilitating the convoy and prioritising the welfare of civilians.
The UK is committed to working with the Government of Ethiopia and authorities in Afar and Tigray to expand aid deliveries to areas affected by the conflict and to promote long-term peace and security.
Troops from Eritrea have caused significant suffering in Tigray and they have committed abuses which may constitute war crimes. Eritrean troops should withdraw fully from Ethiopia, to help bring about an end to the conflict.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how may students from universities in Afghanistan have been offered places to study within the UK.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold information on the number of students from overseas coming to study in the UK. However, data from the 2020/21 academic year shows that the number of Afghan domiciled students studying at a UK higher education (HE) provider was 215.
As part of Operation Warm Welcome, it was announced on 1 September 2021 that funding for a single cohort of students for entry into the next academic year (2022/23) will be provided for up to 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghan students at UK universities. Further details will be launched shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to prevent people's (a) lives, and (b) livelihoods, being affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa, and (2) to tackle the underlying causes of (i) conflict, and (ii) climate change, in that region.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa. In January, the Minister for Africa announced a £17 million package of emergency humanitarian assistance to address critical needs in Ethiopia (£5 million), South Sudan (£3 million), Somalia (£8 million) and Kenya (£1 million). In February, a further £5.5 million of support was allocated for Somalia, and in March a further £1.6 million to support the drought response in Ethiopia.
Our response to the drought builds on long-established resilience building programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. In Kenya this includes support to the Hunger Safety Programme. This has provided 600,000 people in drought prone regions with regular financial assistance alongside efforts to promote strengthened national disaster management capacity. In Ethiopia, the UK funded Productive Safety Net Programme benefitted some 8 million people via financial welfare provision and community public works projects, which promote soil and water conservation.
The UK remains committed to promoting peace and security across the Horn of Africa.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) funding, and (2) support, for Ukraine reaches its intended recipients, including (a) local, and (b) women-led, organisations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched its Ukraine Appeal on 2 March which has now reached over £200 million, with the government matching £25 million of the public's donations. This is our largest ever aid-match contribution, which is helping DEC charities provide food, water, shelter and healthcare to refugees and displaced families.
We are working to ensure aid agencies are able to respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The UK has deployed a field team of humanitarian experts to Poland to provide logistics advice and analyse the evolving refugee situation ensuring support provided to refugees, including women and girls, is tailored to the local context, including the threats they face. Our humanitarian support will be implemented by trusted humanitarian partners with expertise in protection and safeguarding.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) funding, and (2) diplomatic support, in respect of the war in Ukraine does not distract from efforts to help vulnerable people affected by crises in the rest of the world.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is one of the leading humanitarian donors to Ukraine, pledging £394 million in Aid, including £220 million of humanitarian assistance. These funds will be used to save lives, protect vulnerable people inside the country and in the wider region. In addition to funding, the UK has deployed field teams of humanitarian experts to Poland, Moldova and Romania to provide logistics advice and analyse the evolving refugee situation.
The UK remains committed to the pledges it has made in response to other humanitarian crises, including Yemen and Afghanistan. In Yemen, the total amount of UK funding since the conflict began is approximately £970 million. In Afghanistan, the UK will have disbursed approximately £286 million in aid, in the last financial year.