Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many residents of Leicester East constituency have been deported since January 2020.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This Government is clear that foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. Since January 2019 we have returned 9,286 foreign national offenders (FNOs) and since January 2020, we have utilised over 110 charter flights to deport FNOs and other immigration offenders to countries across Europe and around the rest of the world.
Information on deportations and detentions by constituency or county level are not held centrally by the Home Office. Published information on returns including deportation and detention is available from Immigration statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and the factsheet on Returns, Deportation and Charter Flights Factsheet - Home Office in the media (blog.gov.uk)
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the length of time Afghan nationals will have to wait to be housed in the UK from the opening of the Afghanistan citizens’ resettlement scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
All those brought to the UK under Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme will be provided with essential living items whilst accommodated in bridging hotels.
They will also receive comprehensive integration support as they start their new lives in the UK. A package of support to acclimatise to the UK, learn English, and find work, will enable rapid self-sufficiency and social integration in UK communities.
The Government is working closely with local authorities to secure permanent accommodation for families and ensure families are moved into these homes as soon as they become available.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure that Afghan refugees arriving in the UK have access to toothpaste, nappies, medicines and other basic necessities.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
All those brought to the UK under Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme will be provided with essential living items whilst accommodated in bridging hotels.
They will also receive comprehensive integration support as they start their new lives in the UK. A package of support to acclimatise to the UK, learn English, and find work, will enable rapid self-sufficiency and social integration in UK communities.
The Government is working closely with local authorities to secure permanent accommodation for families and ensure families are moved into these homes as soon as they become available.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Afghan nationals who have already been evacuated from Kabul airport but are in third countries will be counted in the 20,000 quota for the Afghanistan citizen’s resettlement scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government has worked at pace to develop a new and bespoke resettlement scheme, announced on 18 August, which will relocate 5,000 vulnerable people in its first year. The ACRS is one of the most generous schemes in our country’s history, which will give up to 20,000 people at risk a new life in the UK over coming years.
We must ensure people can be properly supported when they get to the UK. A huge programme of work spanning different government departments, charities, NGOs, local authorities and communities is already underway to resettle people safely and provide support including with healthcare, education, jobs and housing. It is right that we support local authorities, and that we do not take more people than we can accommodate.
Some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk – will be the first to be resettled under the ACRS.
The Government will work with international partners and NGOs in the region to implement a referral process for those inside Afghanistan, (where safe passage can be arranged) and for those who have recently fled to other countries in the region. We will need some time to work through the details of this process, which depends in part on the situation in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Afghan nationals who have already been evacuated from Kabul airport will be counted in the 20,000 quota for the Afghanistan citizens’ resettlement scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government has worked at pace to develop a new and bespoke resettlement scheme, announced on 18 August, which will relocate 5,000 vulnerable people in its first year. The ACRS is one of the most generous schemes in our country’s history, which will give up to 20,000 people at risk a new life in the UK over coming years.
We must ensure people can be properly supported when they get to the UK. A huge programme of work spanning different government departments, charities, NGOs, local authorities and communities is already underway to resettle people safely and provide support including with healthcare, education, jobs and housing. It is right that we support local authorities, and that we do not take more people than we can accommodate.
Some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk – will be the first to be resettled under the ACRS.
The Government will work with international partners and NGOs in the region to implement a referral process for those inside Afghanistan, (where safe passage can be arranged) and for those who have recently fled to other countries in the region. We will need some time to work through the details of this process, which depends in part on the situation in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to welcome a larger number of vulnerable Afghans eligible for the Afghanistan citizens’ resettlement scheme in the event that the 20,000 quota is reached by the second year.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government has worked at pace to develop a new and bespoke resettlement scheme, announced on 18 August, which will relocate 5,000 vulnerable people in its first year. The ACRS is one of the most generous schemes in our country’s history, which will give up to 20,000 people at risk a new life in the UK over coming years.
We must ensure people can be properly supported when they get to the UK. A huge programme of work spanning different government departments, charities, NGOs, local authorities and communities is already underway to resettle people safely and provide support including with healthcare, education, jobs and housing. It is right that we support local authorities, and that we do not take more people than we can accommodate.
Some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk – will be the first to be resettled under the ACRS.
The Government will work with international partners and NGOs in the region to implement a referral process for those inside Afghanistan, (where safe passage can be arranged) and for those who have recently fled to other countries in the region. We will need some time to work through the details of this process, which depends in part on the situation in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to welcome a larger number of vulnerable Afghans eligible for the Afghanistan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme in the event that the 5,000 quota is reached within the first six months of the first year.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government has worked at pace to develop a new and bespoke resettlement scheme, announced on 18 August, which will relocate 5,000 vulnerable people in its first year. The ACRS is one of the most generous schemes in our country’s history, which will give up to 20,000 people at risk a new life in the UK over coming years.
We must ensure people can be properly supported when they get to the UK. A huge programme of work spanning different government departments, charities, NGOs, local authorities and communities is already underway to resettle people safely and provide support including with healthcare, education, jobs and housing. It is right that we support local authorities, and that we do not take more people than we can accommodate.
Some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk – will be the first to be resettled under the ACRS.
The Government will work with international partners and NGOs in the region to implement a referral process for those inside Afghanistan, (where safe passage can be arranged) and for those who have recently fled to other countries in the region. We will need some time to work through the details of this process, which depends in part on the situation in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Afghan nationals who will be granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Since April 2021, we have relocated around 7,000 under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, and 1,400 former staff and families were relocated between 2013 and March 2021 under the previous scheme for Afghan interpreters. The ARAP scheme will remain open to those eligible, and in addition we are committed to resettling up to 20,000 under the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme in the coming years.
Those arriving under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy or Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme will receive fee-free indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Those who have already relocated to the UK under Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy or the previous scheme for Afghan Locally Employed Staff and were granted limited leave are able to apply free of charge and at any point within the period of their temporary leave to convert it to indefinite leave to remain.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan nationals are in asylum detention centres; and what plans her Department has to remove those nationals from detention centres.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office publishes data on people in immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people in detention on the last day of each quarter are published in table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets. The data include those detained under immigration powers in HM prisons from July 2017 and can be broken down by nationality of detainee and place of detention.
The latest data relates to the number of people in detention at the end of June 2021.
The Government is committed to a fair and humane immigration policy that welcomes those here legally, but tackles abuse and protects the public. There is a presumption in favour of liberty for all individuals and decisions to detain are taken on a case by case basis. Published Home Office detention policy is clear that detention must only ever be used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary.
Once a person is in detention, regular reviews are undertaken to ensure that their detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate. We do not detain people indefinitely. In order to protect the public, it is important that suitable accommodation is sourced prior to their release due to the risks associated with managing offenders in the community and the often-specific accommodation requirements.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long families of British nationals who have been evacuated to (a) Italy and (b) other third countries will have to wait for their visas to be processed to join their families in the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The UK’s evacuation operation helped over 15,000 people to safety including British nationals, Afghan interpreters, and other vulnerable people. Whilst the success of that operation exceeded our assumptions, we know that there are many left in difficult circumstances. Colleagues in the UK and overseas continue to work urgently with international partners, including those in neighbouring countries, to secure safe routes as soon as they become available.