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Written Question
Visas: British National (Overseas)
Wednesday 29th March 2023

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people who are granted Leave To Enter under a British National Overseas Visa are entitled to get married in the UK.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Holders of a Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa who are already in the UK can get married in the UK. Information about marriages and immigration status in England and Wales is available here: Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales: If you or your partner are from outside the UK or Ireland - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Marriages in Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations.


Written Question
Development Aid: Asylum
Tuesday 29th November 2022

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have had their accommodation costs paid for through the foreign aid budget for longer than 12 months as of 24 November 2022; and what the total cost of that accommodation was.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and other support whilst their application for asylum is being considered. Our accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information.

Provisional and final UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend data for 2022 will be published as normal in the Spring and Autumn of 2023 respectively. The latest data available is the final data for 2021 UK ODA spend, which was published November 23rd. The stats for international development are published here: Statistics on International Development: final UK aid spend 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office has not used any ODA funds to pay for the accommodation costs of any asylum seekers for longer than 12 months. This is as no costs from after 12 months of an asylum seeker arriving in the UK are deemed ODA eligible.


Written Question
Development Aid: Asylum
Tuesday 29th November 2022

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated from the Foreign Aid Budget for the accommodation of asylum seekers and refugees in each of the last 24 months.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and other support whilst their application for asylum is being considered. Our accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information.

Provisional and final UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend data for 2022 will be published as normal in the Spring and Autumn of 2023 respectively. The latest data available is the final data for 2021 UK ODA spend, which was published November 23rd. The stats for international development are published here: Statistics on International Development: final UK aid spend 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office has not used any ODA funds to pay for the accommodation costs of any asylum seekers for longer than 12 months. This is as no costs from after 12 months of an asylum seeker arriving in the UK are deemed ODA eligible.


Written Question
Asylum: Hotels
Tuesday 29th November 2022

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been spent on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in each of the last 24-months.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and other support whilst their application for asylum is being considered. Our accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information.

Provisional and final UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend data for 2022 will be published as normal in the Spring and Autumn of 2023 respectively. The latest data available is the final data for 2021 UK ODA spend, which was published November 23rd. The stats for international development are published here: Statistics on International Development: final UK aid spend 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office has not used any ODA funds to pay for the accommodation costs of any asylum seekers for longer than 12 months. This is as no costs from after 12 months of an asylum seeker arriving in the UK are deemed ODA eligible.


Written Question
Passports: Fees and Charges
Thursday 22nd September 2022

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2022 to Question 42040 on Passports: Fees and Charges, when she plans to provide a substantive response to this question.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The data requested is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Passports: Fees and Charges
Tuesday 6th September 2022

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many upgrade fees have been paid for British Passport applications in (a) each financial year since 2019 and (b) since 1 April 2022.

Answered by Kevin Foster

Upgrades to urgent services are only required where an applicant needs a passport sooner than ten weeks.

For the small percentage of customers whose applications take longer than ten weeks, there is an expedited service at no additional cost to help ensure they receive their passport ahead of any planned travel.


Written Question
Visas: Coronavirus
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will agree to a further visa extension beyond 31 July 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Answered by Kevin Foster

The latest information in respect of advice for visa holders can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents. This is kept under review.

The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the covid-19 outbreak. We recognise that further adjustments are likely to be required to cater for all scenarios, and we are working through these, to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.


Written Question
Visas: Coronavirus
Wednesday 17th June 2020

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department is offering to visa applicants whose eligibility for a visa has been negatively affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Kevin Foster

The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the covid-19 outbreak, full details of which are published on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents.

These are unprecedented times and we may make further adjustments to requirements where necessary and appropriate, to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.


Written Question
Asylum: Northern Ireland
Tuesday 16th June 2020

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on ensuring that relevant authorities are equipped to deal with a potential increase in the number of asylum seekers after the end of the transition period.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office have not currently suspended asylum case decision making. Following health advice and government guidance we temporarily suspected evictions for asylum seekers who had a decision on their claim and continued to support them.

We have been engaging with the NI Executive on asylum matters through the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to do so.

A comprehensive cessation plan, on how to recommence support cessations and evictions is being worked through with discussions with Local Authorities, Other Government Departments and Stakeholders.

We remain committed to working closely with the accommodation providers and communicating with local authorities to relieve pressure and capacity as much as possible and ensure that health guidance is being followed.


Written Question
Asylum: Northern Ireland
Tuesday 16th June 2020

Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on plans to lift the current suspension on asylum case decision-making to ensure that (a) the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Health Trusts and (b) other stakeholders are equipped to meet additional demand in the next six months.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office have not currently suspended asylum case decision making. Following health advice and government guidance we temporarily suspected evictions for asylum seekers who had a decision on their claim and continued to support them.

We have been engaging with the NI Executive on asylum matters through the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to do so.

A comprehensive cessation plan, on how to recommence support cessations and evictions is being worked through with discussions with Local Authorities, Other Government Departments and Stakeholders.

We remain committed to working closely with the accommodation providers and communicating with local authorities to relieve pressure and capacity as much as possible and ensure that health guidance is being followed.