Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average delay in processing Ukraine visa applications in (1) April, and (2) May; and what steps they have taken to reduce visa processing delays.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Information on the number of visas granted under these schemes can be on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Finalised data on Ukraine visa applications will be included in the quarterly Immigration Statistics.
UK Visas and Immigration have received thousands of applications for the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme. UKVI are processing these as quickly as possible, and additional caseworkers have been brought in to manage this demand.
Applications are normally processed in date order from when documents were uploaded, or after an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). We are working seven days a week to process applications.
From 11 May, customers can use the UK Immigration: ID check app to prove their identity if they have a valid Ukrainian international passport. This application process is more convenient meaning that they do not need to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to enrol biometric information.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's performance in hosting (1) refugees, and (2) migrants, compared to other Council of Europe member states, particularly with reference to (a) education, (b) apprenticeships, (c) employment, and (d) levels of integration.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The UK has a long history of supporting refugees in need of protection. Our resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.
The UK is a global leader in resettlement. Since 2015, we have resettled more than 200,000 people through safe and legal routes direct from regions of conflict and instability.
Additionally, data collected from UNHCR from 2017-2021 shows the UK has resettled the 4th largest number of refugees worldwide. And when compared to the EU, has resettled the second highest number of refugees (c.20,000 people over that period, behind Sweden which resettled c.22,000).
The Home Office publishes data on refugees and other migrants in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’, including international asylum comparisons in the chapter ‘How many people do we grant asylum or protection to?’. The ‘List of tables’ shows all the latest data tables available from the release. The latest data relates to March 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
The Home Office published an ‘Indicators of Integration framework’ in 2019, which provides a framework to support local and national practitioners in developing strategies and in measuring progress in the integration of refugees and other groups.
The Indicators of Integration framework has underpinned our approach to evaluating the VPRS and VCRS refugee resettlement schemes, which involved quantitative and qualitative research, and we are now working with the Office of National Statistics to explore longer-term integration outcomes for refugees via administrative data collected by other government departments.
With the closure of VPRS and VCRS to new arrivals in February 2021, and the subsequent launch of new schemes (UKRS, ACRS and ARAP), we are building on our previous evaluation to develop an approach to evaluating ongoing refugee resettlement, which we expect to publish later this year.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are seeking to co-operate with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on assisted voluntary return and reintegration of irregular migrants; and, if so, what form such co-operation would take.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office works with a wide range of stakeholders on a co-operative basis, ensuring that they are aware of the Voluntary Returns Service (VRS) and its offer, and how to ensure interested members of the community can apply. IOM is one of many such organisations which we engage with on a regular basis.
Separate to the VRS, the Facilitated Return Scheme (FRS) offers all foreign national offenders with a determinate prison sentence the opportunity to volunteer to return to their country of origin. Under separate arrangements set out in policy, the Home Office also provides financial assistance to certain groups of migrants to assist with reintegration in their country of origin after departure from the UK. IOM assist in the capacity of some post-arrival reception services linked to and outside of the FRS scheme.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what incentives they will provide to (1) local government, and (2) private operators, to improve the quality of provision for refugees and migrants.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government provides funding to enable local authorities, schools, health partners and Strategic Migration Partnerships to provide vulnerable refugees with a safe environment in which to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into society. The support that we provide includes language training, skills development and work placements to help integration into UK society.
We expect the highest standards from our asylum accommodation providers, our Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts (AASC) have a robust performance management system, against which providers are expected to deliver.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the transfer of asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda could undermine efforts to establish bilateral return and readmission agreements with Council of Europe member states.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
We remain fully committed to the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda. Any person who has arrived in the UK illegally, or by dangerous or unnecessary methods from safe countries since 1 January 2022, will be considered for relocation to Rwanda.
The Joint Political Declaration between the EU and UK agreed in December 2020 noted the UK’s intention to engage in bilateral discussions with the most concerned Member States to discuss suitable practical arrangements, including on asylum and illegal migration. These discussions are continuing and the partnership with Rwanda does not change this.
We are determined to send a clear signal that it is unacceptable for individuals to travel through multiple safe countries to claim asylum in the UK. Those who fear persecution should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – this is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether distinguishing between overseas students and other migrants in published statistics would help to promote the United Kingdom as a destination for international students.
Answered by Lord Bates
International students are included in net migration statistics that are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants. Other countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia also include students in their net migration figures. Like other migrants, students who stay for longer than 12 months have an impact on communities, infrastructure and services while they are here, so it is right that they are included in the net migration count. The ONS estimates that in the year ending March 2015 there was a difference of 96,000 in the number of non-EU students coming to and leaving the UK. Therefore student emigration, or the lack of it, is a key driver of overall net migration.
We have an excellent offer for international students, and as a result we remain the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students. The latest figures show that visa applications sponsored by universities were now 17% higher than they were in 2010, and the corresponding figure for Russell Group universities was 33%.
The Home Office publishes statistics on entry clearance visa grants broken down by category in table vi_04 (Entry clearance visas tables volume 4) within the ‘Immigration Statistics’ release, and in the Visas topic. Data for numbers of entry clearance visas granted for study (Tier 4 & pre-PBS equivalent) are separately identified. An example summary table from the Visas topic, identifying data for students, is provided below.
Entry clearance visas granted by reason (excluding visitor and transit visas) | ||||||||
Year | Total issued (1) | Work | Study | Student visitors (2) | Family | Dependant joining or accompanying | Other | |
YE June 2010 | 616,650 | 154,615 | 320,183 | 41,859 | 50,240 | 15,407 | 34,346 | |
YE June 2011 | 616,413 | 158,261 | 304,568 | 55,082 | 49,263 | 15,001 | 34,238 | |
YE June 2012 | 520,073 | 147,377 | 214,219 | 68,990 | 44,424 | 12,782 | 32,281 | |
YE June 2013 | 501,608 | 144,503 | 204,410 | 72,473 | 33,710 | 11,649 | 34,863 | |
YE June 2014 | 538,504 | 159,231 | 218,239 | 78,075 | 35,664 | 11,362 | 35,933 | |
YE June 2015 | 538,663 | 168,544 | 216,769 | 64,181 | 35,245 | 10,930 | 42,994 | |
Change: latest year | +159 | +9,313 | -1,470 | -13,894 | -419 | -432 | +7,061 | |
Percentage change | +0% | +6% | -1% | -18% | -1% | -4% | +20% | |
[h4] Table notes | ||||||||
(1) Excluding visitor and transit visas | ||||||||
(2) Student visitors are allowed to come to the UK for 6 months (or 11 months if they will be studying an English Language course) and cannot extend their stay. For consistency and comparability over time student visitor visas have been excluded from study-related totals. | ||||||||
A copy of the latest release, “Immigration Statistics April to June 2015”, is available from the Library of the House and the Home Office website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Similarly the Office for National Statistics figures on international migration to the UK (those changing their usual residence for 12 months or more) separately identify those whose main reason for migration is to study. The ONS figures are published as part of the Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, latest edition available at the following website and is attached to this answer: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/august-2015/stb-msqr-august-2015.html.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to distinguish between the number of overseas students with Tier 4 visas and the number of migrants in all other categories in immigration statistics.
Answered by Lord Bates
International students are included in net migration statistics that are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants. Other countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia also include students in their net migration figures. Like other migrants, students who stay for longer than 12 months have an impact on communities, infrastructure and services while they are here, so it is right that they are included in the net migration count. The ONS estimates that in the year ending March 2015 there was a difference of 96,000 in the number of non-EU students coming to and leaving the UK. Therefore student emigration, or the lack of it, is a key driver of overall net migration.
We have an excellent offer for international students, and as a result we remain the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students. The latest figures show that visa applications sponsored by universities were now 17% higher than they were in 2010, and the corresponding figure for Russell Group universities was 33%.
The Home Office publishes statistics on entry clearance visa grants broken down by category in table vi_04 (Entry clearance visas tables volume 4) within the ‘Immigration Statistics’ release, and in the Visas topic. Data for numbers of entry clearance visas granted for study (Tier 4 & pre-PBS equivalent) are separately identified. An example summary table from the Visas topic, identifying data for students, is provided below.
Entry clearance visas granted by reason (excluding visitor and transit visas) | ||||||||
Year | Total issued (1) | Work | Study | Student visitors (2) | Family | Dependant joining or accompanying | Other | |
YE June 2010 | 616,650 | 154,615 | 320,183 | 41,859 | 50,240 | 15,407 | 34,346 | |
YE June 2011 | 616,413 | 158,261 | 304,568 | 55,082 | 49,263 | 15,001 | 34,238 | |
YE June 2012 | 520,073 | 147,377 | 214,219 | 68,990 | 44,424 | 12,782 | 32,281 | |
YE June 2013 | 501,608 | 144,503 | 204,410 | 72,473 | 33,710 | 11,649 | 34,863 | |
YE June 2014 | 538,504 | 159,231 | 218,239 | 78,075 | 35,664 | 11,362 | 35,933 | |
YE June 2015 | 538,663 | 168,544 | 216,769 | 64,181 | 35,245 | 10,930 | 42,994 | |
Change: latest year | +159 | +9,313 | -1,470 | -13,894 | -419 | -432 | +7,061 | |
Percentage change | +0% | +6% | -1% | -18% | -1% | -4% | +20% | |
[h4] Table notes | ||||||||
(1) Excluding visitor and transit visas | ||||||||
(2) Student visitors are allowed to come to the UK for 6 months (or 11 months if they will be studying an English Language course) and cannot extend their stay. For consistency and comparability over time student visitor visas have been excluded from study-related totals. | ||||||||
A copy of the latest release, “Immigration Statistics April to June 2015”, is available from the Library of the House and the Home Office website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Similarly the Office for National Statistics figures on international migration to the UK (those changing their usual residence for 12 months or more) separately identify those whose main reason for migration is to study. The ONS figures are published as part of the Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, and are available from the Library of the House. The latest edition is available at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/august-2015/stb-msqr-august-2015.html
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent alcohol and drug abuse in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
The Coalition Government's approach to preventing drug and alcohol abuse in the UK is captured in the 2010 Drug Strategy and the 2012 Alcohol Strategy.
The Drug Strategy 'Reducing demand, restricting supply, building recovery: supporting people to live a drug-free life' balances three key themes: reducing the demand for drugs, restricting the supply of drugs, and supporting individuals to recover from dependence. We continue to do all we can to prevent people from using drugs in the first place and intervene early with those who start to develop problems. For example, we are taking action to break intergenerational paths to drug misuse by supporting the UK's most troubled families and supporting practitioners working with young people through the production of an on-line Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service.
We are confident that our strategic approach is producing good results. Drug use has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1996, and people going into treatment today are more likely to free themselves from dependency than ever before.
The Alcohol Strategy proposed a range of measures to radically reshape the approach to alcohol and reduce excessive drinking and tackle the crime and health harms associated with it. We have provided more powers for local areas to restrict opening and closing times, control the density of licensed premises, and charge a late night levy to support policing. In May we introduced a ban on the worst cases of very cheap and harmful alcohol sales and are taking forward a wide range of action to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder. This includes working with 20 Local Alcohol Action Areas to cut alcohol-related crime and disorder, and reduce the damage caused to people's health. Underpinning this work is the goal of promoting diverse and vibrant night-time economies that do not centre on drinking alcohol.
Through the Responsibility Deal, the alcohol industry has adopted a core commitment to ‘foster a culture of responsible drinking which will help people to drink within guidelines'. This includes a pledge to give consumers a wider choice of lower strength products and take one billion units out of the market by 2015. From April 2013, the NHS Healthcheck included an alcohol risk assessment for adults aged 40-75 year olds, with an assessment every five years. The Chief Medical Officer (Dame Sally Davies) is also reviewing the alcohol guidelines for adults.