Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students suspected by ETS of cheating in its TOEIC English language test were (a) offered (i) the opportunity to retake the test or (ii) a credibility interview and (b) granted leave on the basis of subsequently passing a test or credibility interview in each of the last three years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not publish ETS data for any of the last three years as part of the Immigration Systems statistics.
All cases affected by ETS must follow the current guidance published on 18 November 2020: Educational Testing Service (ETS): casework instructions (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's factsheet on offers of settled accommodation for Afghan refugees in bridging hotels, published on 24 April 2023, what recent guidance she has issued to local authorities to assist with helping Afghan refugees to secure private rented accommodation through the Find Your Own Accommodation scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All eligible Afghan citizens who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have valid immigration status, which means that they have the right to work, the right to rent, access to education and healthcare and can apply for public funds.
The Find Your Own (FYO) accommodation pathway has been established and empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation, rather than the Home Office. Council support staff in hotels will work closely with households to help them navigate the pathway.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) own the FYO accommodation policy. Guidance has been made available to local authorities on the FYO accommodation pathway and how to support those on Afghan Resettlement Schemes looking to move into the private rented sector. Local authorities have also been provided with resources which can be distributed to Afghan households on the FYO accommodation pathway. This includes information on the support available, the process, advice on guarantors and how to search for a home. Local authorities can access all available resources on Knowledge Hub.
Whilst the Home Office are unable to provide the requested breakdown of the numbers participating in the FYO accommodation scheme, Home Office officials continue to work at pace, alongside c.350 local authorities across the UK, to meet the demand for housing.
The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, published on 23 February, show that over 9,000 people have now been supported into settled accommodation (This breaks down as c.8,500 moved into homes with an additional c.500 matched but not yet moved).
In December, DLUHC announced the £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those fleeing conflicts (including Ukrainians and Afghans). It is expected to deliver up to 500 homes for Afghan households including larger, complex families. As announced on 28 March this fund is being expanded by £250m with the majority of the additional funding used to provide further housing for Afghans currently in bridging accommodation, and the rest used to ease existing homelessness pressures.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding his Department has allocated in total for local authorities to support Afghan refugees into private rented accommodation through the Local Authority Tariff and Housing Costs Fund; and how much funding has been allocated to each local authority which has agreed to assist refugees through the Find Your Own Accommodation scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All eligible Afghan citizens who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have valid immigration status, which means that they have the right to work, the right to rent, access to education and healthcare and can apply for public funds.
The Find Your Own (FYO) accommodation pathway has been established and empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation, rather than the Home Office. Council support staff in hotels will work closely with households to help them navigate the pathway.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) own the FYO accommodation policy. Guidance has been made available to local authorities on the FYO accommodation pathway and how to support those on Afghan Resettlement Schemes looking to move into the private rented sector. Local authorities have also been provided with resources which can be distributed to Afghan households on the FYO accommodation pathway. This includes information on the support available, the process, advice on guarantors and how to search for a home. Local authorities can access all available resources on Knowledge Hub.
Whilst the Home Office are unable to provide the requested breakdown of the numbers participating in the FYO accommodation scheme, Home Office officials continue to work at pace, alongside c.350 local authorities across the UK, to meet the demand for housing.
The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, published on 23 February, show that over 9,000 people have now been supported into settled accommodation (This breaks down as c.8,500 moved into homes with an additional c.500 matched but not yet moved).
In December, DLUHC announced the £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those fleeing conflicts (including Ukrainians and Afghans). It is expected to deliver up to 500 homes for Afghan households including larger, complex families. As announced on 28 March this fund is being expanded by £250m with the majority of the additional funding used to provide further housing for Afghans currently in bridging accommodation, and the rest used to ease existing homelessness pressures.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's factsheet on Afghan refugee resettlement moves from bridging hotel accommodation, published on 24 April 2023, how her Department decides which households will receive a direct offer of settled accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All eligible Afghan citizens who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have valid immigration status, which means that they have the right to work, the right to rent, access to education and healthcare and can apply for public funds.
The Find Your Own (FYO) accommodation pathway has been established and empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation, rather than the Home Office. Council support staff in hotels will work closely with households to help them navigate the pathway.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) own the FYO accommodation policy. Guidance has been made available to local authorities on the FYO accommodation pathway and how to support those on Afghan Resettlement Schemes looking to move into the private rented sector. Local authorities have also been provided with resources which can be distributed to Afghan households on the FYO accommodation pathway. This includes information on the support available, the process, advice on guarantors and how to search for a home. Local authorities can access all available resources on Knowledge Hub.
Whilst the Home Office are unable to provide the requested breakdown of the numbers participating in the FYO accommodation scheme, Home Office officials continue to work at pace, alongside c.350 local authorities across the UK, to meet the demand for housing.
The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, published on 23 February, show that over 9,000 people have now been supported into settled accommodation (This breaks down as c.8,500 moved into homes with an additional c.500 matched but not yet moved).
In December, DLUHC announced the £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those fleeing conflicts (including Ukrainians and Afghans). It is expected to deliver up to 500 homes for Afghan households including larger, complex families. As announced on 28 March this fund is being expanded by £250m with the majority of the additional funding used to provide further housing for Afghans currently in bridging accommodation, and the rest used to ease existing homelessness pressures.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) local authorities participating in the Afghan resettlement scheme and (b) households accepted for resettlement support through the Find Your Own Accommodation scheme, broken down by local authority.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All eligible Afghan citizens who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have valid immigration status, which means that they have the right to work, the right to rent, access to education and healthcare and can apply for public funds.
The Find Your Own (FYO) accommodation pathway has been established and empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation, rather than the Home Office. Council support staff in hotels will work closely with households to help them navigate the pathway.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) own the FYO accommodation policy. Guidance has been made available to local authorities on the FYO accommodation pathway and how to support those on Afghan Resettlement Schemes looking to move into the private rented sector. Local authorities have also been provided with resources which can be distributed to Afghan households on the FYO accommodation pathway. This includes information on the support available, the process, advice on guarantors and how to search for a home. Local authorities can access all available resources on Knowledge Hub.
Whilst the Home Office are unable to provide the requested breakdown of the numbers participating in the FYO accommodation scheme, Home Office officials continue to work at pace, alongside c.350 local authorities across the UK, to meet the demand for housing.
The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, published on 23 February, show that over 9,000 people have now been supported into settled accommodation (This breaks down as c.8,500 moved into homes with an additional c.500 matched but not yet moved).
In December, DLUHC announced the £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those fleeing conflicts (including Ukrainians and Afghans). It is expected to deliver up to 500 homes for Afghan households including larger, complex families. As announced on 28 March this fund is being expanded by £250m with the majority of the additional funding used to provide further housing for Afghans currently in bridging accommodation, and the rest used to ease existing homelessness pressures.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to help Afghan refugees who have not secured settled accommodation through (a) a direct offer and (b) the Find Your Own Accommodation scheme by the time the bridging hotel accommodation ends.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All eligible Afghan citizens who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have valid immigration status, which means that they have the right to work, the right to rent, access to education and healthcare and can apply for public funds.
The Find Your Own (FYO) accommodation pathway has been established and empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation, rather than the Home Office. Council support staff in hotels will work closely with households to help them navigate the pathway.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) own the FYO accommodation policy. Guidance has been made available to local authorities on the FYO accommodation pathway and how to support those on Afghan Resettlement Schemes looking to move into the private rented sector. Local authorities have also been provided with resources which can be distributed to Afghan households on the FYO accommodation pathway. This includes information on the support available, the process, advice on guarantors and how to search for a home. Local authorities can access all available resources on Knowledge Hub.
Whilst the Home Office are unable to provide the requested breakdown of the numbers participating in the FYO accommodation scheme, Home Office officials continue to work at pace, alongside c.350 local authorities across the UK, to meet the demand for housing.
The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, published on 23 February, show that over 9,000 people have now been supported into settled accommodation (This breaks down as c.8,500 moved into homes with an additional c.500 matched but not yet moved).
In December, DLUHC announced the £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those fleeing conflicts (including Ukrainians and Afghans). It is expected to deliver up to 500 homes for Afghan households including larger, complex families. As announced on 28 March this fund is being expanded by £250m with the majority of the additional funding used to provide further housing for Afghans currently in bridging accommodation, and the rest used to ease existing homelessness pressures.
Across the UK, we will provide over £7,000 per person of flexible funding to enable LAs to support move-on from hotels, consisting of a much more flexible allocation of the existing Housing Costs Fund and £4.1k per person of new funding. This new funding recognises the additional burdens being place on councils to support Afghans into settled homes as quickly as possible and in a way that makes sense locally. The flexibility of this funding looks to provide councils with the ability to address the key supply and affordability challenges this cohort face in accessing their own accommodation.
Alongside this new, flexible funding, we will also increase the flexibility of the wraparound support payment to enable it to be used more widely for housing costs, including capital spend where necessary to support moves out of hotels.
The Home Office is unable to provide the amount allocated to each local authority participating in the FYO accommodation scheme.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which individuals have provided external legal advice to the Government on the Illegal Migration Bill.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Any legal advice received by the Home Office is subject to legal professional privilege and, as such, we do not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to allow businesses to share data for the purpose of tackling fraud.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government is working with industry to close the vulnerabilities in systems, processes and businesses that are exploited by fraudsters and ensure they have the necessary tools to protect themselves from fraudsters. This is why the Home Office will shortly be publishing a new strategy to address the threat of fraud.
Reforms in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill will also enable businesses to share information more easily for the purposes of preventing, investigating or detecting economic crime by disapplying civil liability for breaches of confidentiality for firms who share information to combat economic crime. This includes for the prevention of fraud. In parallel, reforms to GDPR via provisions in the Data Protection and Digital Identity Bill will provide a clearer legal basis for businesses sharing information for crime prevention purposes.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people who make a protection or human rights claim for asylum and who meet the four conditions set out in clause 2 of the Illegal Migration Bill would undergo an asylum screening interview.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In respect of screening interviews for those in scope of clause 2 of the Illegal Migration Bill, the processes for implementing the measures will be set out in due course.
Section 17 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 provided that where an asylum claim is declared inadmissible under sections 80A or 80B of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, that individual may be supported under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Clause 9 of the Illegal Migration Bill provides that where an asylum claim is declared inadmissible under clause 4 of the Bill, that individual may be supported under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 is available where an individual appears to be destitute and satisfies one or more conditions in regulation 3(2) Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) Regulations 2005.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she intends to amend the Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum Seekers) Regulations 2005 to ensure people whose asylum claims are declared inadmissible are eligible for support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In respect of screening interviews for those in scope of clause 2 of the Illegal Migration Bill, the processes for implementing the measures will be set out in due course.
Section 17 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 provided that where an asylum claim is declared inadmissible under sections 80A or 80B of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, that individual may be supported under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Clause 9 of the Illegal Migration Bill provides that where an asylum claim is declared inadmissible under clause 4 of the Bill, that individual may be supported under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 is available where an individual appears to be destitute and satisfies one or more conditions in regulation 3(2) Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) Regulations 2005.