Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to review the rule preventing those who have acquired British nationality by descent under Section 2(1)(a) of the British Nationality Act 1981 from passing on citizenship to their children by descent in circumstances where their parents were on short-term secondment abroad at the time of their birth other than on Crown Service.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Children who are born overseas to British citizens by descent and do not acquire British citizenship automatically are able to apply for registration as a citizen where the family can demonstrate a close connection with the UK.
The child of a British citizen is also able to enter the UK under the Immigration Rules as the child of a settled parent.
There are no plans to change the law in this respect at the current time.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress has been made on reaching an agreement on receiving children to the UK from the Calais camps.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
On 10 October, the Home Secretary met with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to discuss a range of issues, including the proposed clearance of the camp in Calais.
The UK Government has made clear its commitment to transfer from Europe to the UK unaccompanied refugee children under the 2016 Immigration Act, and ensure those with close links to the UK are brought here using the Dublin Regulation, where it is in their best interests. Home Office teams are being deployed to France over the coming weeks to work with the French authorities to speed up the identification and transfer of eligible cases. These children originate from a number of countries including Syria.
We are consulting with local authorities in the UK to establish their capacity to host more unaccompanied children, ensuring we have the right accommodation and support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. The National Transfer Scheme has been established to promote a fairer distribution of caring responsibilities across the country in a way that protects the best interests of all children.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what integrated processes between services in the UK have been organised to receive Syrian child refugees from Calais.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
On 10 October, the Home Secretary met with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to discuss a range of issues, including the proposed clearance of the camp in Calais.
The UK Government has made clear its commitment to transfer from Europe to the UK unaccompanied refugee children under the 2016 Immigration Act, and ensure those with close links to the UK are brought here using the Dublin Regulation, where it is in their best interests. Home Office teams are being deployed to France over the coming weeks to work with the French authorities to speed up the identification and transfer of eligible cases. These children originate from a number of countries including Syria.
We are consulting with local authorities in the UK to establish their capacity to host more unaccompanied children, ensuring we have the right accommodation and support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. The National Transfer Scheme has been established to promote a fairer distribution of caring responsibilities across the country in a way that protects the best interests of all children.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what integrated processes between the UK and other countries have been organised to receive Syrian child refugees.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme we are working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration to resettle Syrian refugee families from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. We continue to work with UK local authorities to ensure reception arrangements, accommodation and appropriate care arrangements are in place.