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 and what proportion of Afghan child refugees who arrived in the UK since 15 August 2021 are not in full-time education as on 2 September 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Afghans resettling in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be supported in accessing accommodation and the vital health, education, and support into employment they need, to fully integrate into society.
The Department for Education have confirmed that individuals resettling under these schemes who wish to access higher education, are eligible for home fee status and student support from the 2022/23 academic year – putting them on the same footing as refugees. At this time, the Home Office is working to improve the data it holds on those who have accessed higher education among those being temporarily accommodated in hotels.
All children who were evacuated during Op Pitting have been enrolled in school - and school places are offered on a rolling basis, as more children arrive in the UK. .
As stated in the recently published, 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data' factsheet, at 12 Aug 2022, the UK:
Officials are working at pace to assure information relating to the individuals resettling in the UK under our bespoke schemes for Afghans on case working systems. Once this work concludes, the Home Office will include Afghan resettlement statistics in its quarterly Immigration Statistics publications.
Until then the factsheet will be updated every quarter – with the next iteration scheduled for publication on 24 November 2022.
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 and what proportion of Afghan refugees who applied to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme remain in Afghanistan as on 2 September 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Afghans resettling in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be supported in accessing accommodation and the vital health, education, and support into employment they need, to fully integrate into society.
The Department for Education have confirmed that individuals resettling under these schemes who wish to access higher education, are eligible for home fee status and student support from the 2022/23 academic year – putting them on the same footing as refugees. At this time, the Home Office is working to improve the data it holds on those who have accessed higher education among those being temporarily accommodated in hotels.
All children who were evacuated during Op Pitting have been enrolled in school - and school places are offered on a rolling basis, as more children arrive in the UK. .
As stated in the recently published, 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data' factsheet, at 12 Aug 2022, the UK:
Officials are working at pace to assure information relating to the individuals resettling in the UK under our bespoke schemes for Afghans on case working systems. Once this work concludes, the Home Office will include Afghan resettlement statistics in its quarterly Immigration Statistics publications.
Until then the factsheet will be updated every quarter – with the next iteration scheduled for publication on 24 November 2022.
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 average time it takes is between an asylum seeker applying for an initial screening interview and them receiving one.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) became law on 28 April 2022. This new, ground-breaking legislation replaces a decades old system. It will deter illegal entry into the UK, breaking the business model of people-smuggling networks, and speed up the removal of those with no right to be in the UK. This will free up the asylum system so we can better support those in genuine need of asylum through safe and legal routes.
At the same time, we are investing in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.
On the 24 June 2022, 466 had asylum screening appointments scheduled, which was 11.5% of those awaiting an appointment. Since 28 June 2022, the National Asylum Intake Unit will schedule 65% of appointments within 10 days of registering an asylum claim.
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 and what proportion asylum seekers have been been allocated an initial screening appointment as of 24 June 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) became law on 28 April 2022. This new, ground-breaking legislation replaces a decades old system. It will deter illegal entry into the UK, breaking the business model of people-smuggling networks, and speed up the removal of those with no right to be in the UK. This will free up the asylum system so we can better support those in genuine need of asylum through safe and legal routes.
At the same time, we are investing in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.
On the 24 June 2022, 466 had asylum screening appointments scheduled, which was 11.5% of those awaiting an appointment. Since 28 June 2022, the National Asylum Intake Unit will schedule 65% of appointments within 10 days of registering an asylum claim.
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 proportion of asylum seekers awaiting an initial screening interview are in receipt of section 98 support.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers on Asylum Support. These statistics can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support.
The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers awaiting an initial screening interview are in receipt of section 98 support. These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.