Written Question
Wednesday 15th November 2023
Asked by:
Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are awaiting a decision as of 7 November 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 10 November 2023, we have approximately 2,000 ARAP applicants awaiting a decision, including those applications we continue to receive each week.
Overall, we have received over 95,000 unique applications to the scheme. We are diligently combing through our records, searching for every eligible applicant and will leave no stone unturned to find all ARAP eligible Afghans.
Written Question
Tuesday 14th November 2023
Asked by:
Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been accepted under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Since 1 April 2023, a total of 372 Principal applicants have been found eligible for relocation under the ARAP scheme.
I should note that the ARAP scheme is an application-based scheme offering support and assistance to those who worked for or alongside the UK in Afghanistan. It is not intended as a relocation scheme for refugees.
Written Question
Tuesday 14th November 2023
Asked by:
Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims have been rejected under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme since April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Since 1 April 2023, a total of 67,338 ARAP applications have been found ineligible.
ARAP was always intended to be a relocation scheme specifically for those who served in the employ of the British military (in all but a very narrow number of cases), or in support of wider UK national security objectives, as set out in the specific eligibility criteria in the ARAP policy.
A finite number of Afghans are therefore eligible for ARAP and The Ministry of Defence are prioritising finding and relocating those who we know are eligible.
Written Question
Monday 26th June 2023
Asked by:
Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association on the future of Castle Armoury in Bury.
Answered by James Cartlidge
- Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Army has recently received a proposal from the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) which it looks forward to discussing further with the RFCA and partners across Defence. To date, the Army has considered that Castle Armoury will still be required in the future for training.
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 11 Jul 2022
Bearskin Hats: Queen's Guards
"We had a couple of examples of the faux fur bearskins at a reception I hosted a couple of months ago. It is all well and good the MOD asking for details of the data from PETA, but it would be helpful if the MOD provided the exact criteria they …..."Christian Wakeford - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 11 Jul 2022
Bearskin Hats: Queen's Guards
"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Fovargue. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk (Martyn Day) for leading the debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. I am glad that we have this opportunity to discuss the subject of bearskins.
I …..."Christian Wakeford - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 11 Jul 2022
Bearskin Hats: Queen's Guards
"I thank the Minister for that intervention. I speak as a scientist and work from evidence. I sense almost a desire from the Minister and that he is open for dialogue—hopefully I am not putting words into his mouth. If the material is suitable and fits all the MOD’s criteria, …..."Christian Wakeford - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 11 Jul 2022
Bearskin Hats: Queen's Guards
"I thank the Minister for his second intervention. I am sure that we can get a sample of the material for him and the MOD to peruse and run further tests on.
We should all support the fact that there is a virtually identical alternative, and hopefully we can get …..."Christian Wakeford - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 11 Jul 2022
Bearskin Hats: Queen's Guards
"It is reassuring that the MOD is open to more sustainable and ethical products. However, can the Minister explain what steps the Ministry has taken to explore the alternatives to bearskin thus far?..."Christian Wakeford - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 02 Mar 2022
Support for Ukraine and Countering Threats from Russia
"To reiterate the comments of the SNP spokesperson, who is no longer in his place, yesterday a Russian bomb exploded at Babyn Yar, the largest mass grave from the holocaust, where 33,000 Jews were killed one by one in a two-day period and where 100,000 people were ultimately buried. I …..."Christian Wakeford - View Speech
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