Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that citizens of (a) Belarus and (b) other countries where people who oppose political regimes are at risk of human rights abuses will be offered the opportunity to renew their UK visas or UK immigration status without having to return to their home country to make the necessary application to her Department.
Answered by Kevin Foster
As part of the introduction of the points-based system, we have enabled applicants to switch between immigration routes without having to leave the UK. This applies to all nationals.
Information on those immigration routes, which must be renewed from the home country of the applicant, is available on our website at:
Application to extend stay in the UK: FLR(IR) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
There is also the option to make an asylum claim in person, whilst in the UK, at an application centre. Further information on the asylum process, as well as locations at which an asylum claim can be made, is available here:
Claim asylum in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her target number is for refugees to be resettled in the UK under the global UK Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
Through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) we continue to welcome vulnerable refugees in need of protection to the UK as well as through other safe and legal routes such as Refugee Family Reunion. Since 2015 we have resettled over 25,000 refugees through our resettlement schemes, in addition to granting over 29,000 Refugee Family Reunion visas in the last 5 years. The number of refugees we resettle every year depends on a variety of factors including local authorities’ capacity for supporting refugees and the extent to which Community Sponsorship continues to thrive. This year the recovery from the pandemic will clearly be a significant factor affecting capacity. We have been working closely with our partners to assess the capacity for resettlement in the months ahead and will continue to welcome those in need in the years to come.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of licencing of pill presses.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office has not yet made a formal assessment of the potential benefits of regulating or licensing pill presses. We are engaging with the Scottish Government at ministerial and official level on this issue and with the National Crime Agency as well international partners.
We continue to review the evidence on the scale of the threat posed by organised crime gangs using pill press machinery in the UK and the options for addressing that threat.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the safety of hauliers at the (a) UK's borders and (b) ferry port and tunnel freight terminal at Coquelles.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The safety of hauliers within Border Force controls is a priority. Guidance can be found on the.gov.uk on securing your vehicle when entering the UK at
.gov.uk guidance Securing your vehicle when entering the UK
The Department for Transport is responsible for maintaining high standards of safety and security in transport and supporting the maritime sector by producing the overall strategy and planning policy for ports in England and Wales.
The safety of hauliers on French soil is a matter for the French authorities. The UK has though provided significant investment to improve physical security at the ports and approach roads in northern France.