Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies on deciding asylum applications of the conflict in Gaza.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Asylum claims made by claimants from Gaza, as is the case with all asylum claims lodged in the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, have an individual assessment made against the background of relevant case law, policy guidance and the latest available country of origin information.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to expedite applications for resettlement to the UK by Afghan nationals in Pakistan who are at risk of being removed to Afghanistan.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We will continue to honour our commitment to bring eligible Afghans to the UK and plans are underway to relocate families as soon as possible.
Afghans in third countries including in Pakistan who are eligible for resettlement to the UK continue to be supported by the UK Government, and flights from Pakistan to the UK continue to take place. However, we are unable to provide further operational details on this.
The UK Government is aware of recent announcements made by the Government of Pakistan regarding Afghans being illegally present in Pakistan. We have engaged intensively with the Government of Pakistan to secure assurances that none of those eligible under Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be subject to deportation while they await relocation to the UK.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure the safety of Eritrean refugees.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights state that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. This Government fully supports these rights, including the right of individuals to protest peacefully.
There is a long tradition in this country of people being free to assemble and demonstrate their views, however uncomfortable they may make others, provided they do so within the law.
Of course, there is a balance to be struck. The right to peaceful protest does not extend to violent behaviour. The police have powers to deal with such behaviour and we expect them to use them where appropriate.
The management of protests is an operational matter for the police. The police have a duty to ensure the protection and safety of all individuals, regardless of their background, origin or views and will take appropriate steps to do so.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to help ensure that the rights of Eritrean refugees in the UK to protest against acts of the Eritrean Government are protected.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights state that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. This Government fully supports these rights, including the right of individuals to protest peacefully.
There is a long tradition in this country of people being free to assemble and demonstrate their views, provided they do so within the law.
Therefore, should Eritrean refugees in the UK wish to protest against the Eritrean government they are well within their right to do so, as long as such protests are conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.
The management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police. In certain circumstances, the police have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect those wishing to exercise their rights peacefully and to consider any potential risk to public safety.
Similarly, the management of community events, including decisions on their approval, is a matter for the relevant local authority.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish an (a) equality and (b) economic impact assessment of the Illegal Migration Bill.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We will publish an equality impact assessment and economic impact assessment in respect of the Illegal Migration Bill in due course.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the five most common nationalities of asylum applicants making new claims to the UK were in 2022; and how many of those applications were received from nationals of each of those five countries in that year.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on asylum applications by nationality is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Data on the number of people entering, in and leaving detention with an asylum claim is published in table Det_01 of the ‘detention summary tables’.
Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to December 2022.
The Home Office does not publish information on applications from individuals previously refused asylum.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new asylum applications were submitted in 2022 by people who had previously been refused asylum.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on asylum applications by nationality is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Data on the number of people entering, in and leaving detention with an asylum claim is published in table Det_01 of the ‘detention summary tables’.
Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to December 2022.
The Home Office does not publish information on applications from individuals previously refused asylum.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for asylum in 2022 from detention in the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on asylum applications by nationality is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Data on the number of people entering, in and leaving detention with an asylum claim is published in table Det_01 of the ‘detention summary tables’.
Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to December 2022.
The Home Office does not publish information on applications from individuals previously refused asylum.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the letter of 2 February 2023 from the hon. Member for Glasgow North East.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
This response was issued on 21 February 2023.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to his Department was of the additional administration necessitated by the change of the Home Secretary on 19 October 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are associated IT costs, but as devices are returned to the department upon exit, cost is mitigated. The Home Office does not hold records of other administrative costs.