Asked by: Lord Willoughby de Broke (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Home Secretary on 8 March that they have “surged a Home Office team” to help at Calais, why Ukrainian refugees are unable to be processed more rapidly in Calais than at other locations.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Prior to the conflict the Home Office had one Visa Application Centre (VAC) based in France, that being the VAC in Paris.
To support people in Northern France who are eligible for the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Home Office has set up a new temporary Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Arras, replacing the interim site in Lille. The Arras VAC is now open. It will only be used for referrals from Border Force of Ukrainians arriving in Calais without visas. Individuals eligible for the Ukraine Family Scheme should not travel to Arras or Northern France, but instead apply online (if they hold a valid passport), or make an appointment to attend their nearest VAC in person which is an easier way of getting the permissions to travel to the UK needed.
Asked by: Lord Willoughby de Broke (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why UK nationals returning to the UK are still required to complete Passenger Locator Forms following the removal of all other COVID-19 requirements.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
To help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and respond effectively to any variants of concern, U.K. health authorities must have the correct contact and travel information for all passengers arriving into the U.K. Consequently, the completion of an accurate Passenger Locator Form (PLF) remains a mandatory requirement for travel.
The current international travel regulations require different measures to be taken dependant on a passenger’s vaccination status. The PLF enables passengers to verify their vaccine status through the form.
The PLF has recently been updated to simplify the form and extend the completion window. As other measures at the border are lifted, health measures remain under regular review and adjusted in line with the latest public health advice. The necessity of the form and its contents is kept under constant review.
Asked by: Lord Willoughby de Broke (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will apply for the extradition of Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk from Libya, following the High Court ruling on 16 November.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Whether to seek extradition in a case is an operational decision for law enforcement and prosecution agencies. The UK Government, as a matter of longstanding policy and practice, will neither confirm nor deny whether an extradition request has been made or received until such time as an arrest has been made in relation to the request.
Asked by: Lord Willoughby de Broke (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to charge citizens of EU member states for entry into the UK after the UK's departure from the EU.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
In the White Paper ‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’ (Cm9722) the Government has set out its plans for a secure and smooth UK border control.
This includes proposals for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme. It is our intention to require EU Citizens to obtain an ETA, but we intend to discuss this further in negotiations with the EU.
Asked by: Lord Willoughby de Broke (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make criticism of immigration a criminal offence.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
There are no plans to make criticism of immigration a specific criminal offence.