Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much the Government has spent on housing Afghans in hotel accommodation in Pakistan since August 2021.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Between August 2021 and September 2023, the UK spent approximately £26.7 million accommodating Afghan nationals eligible for resettlement in the UK under the ARAP and ACRS schemes in hotels in Pakistan.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Afghans are being housed in UK-funded hotel accommodation in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
As of 18 October 2023, there are approximately 3,250 Afghans eligible for resettlement in the UK under the ARAP or ACRS schemes in UK funded hotel accommodation in Pakistan.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2023 to Question 192253 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) eligible principals his Department has placed on commercial flights from Pakistan to the UK for relocation under the ARAP scheme.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Since 1 December 2022, the number of Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) - eligible persons placed on commercial flights from Pakistan to the UK is 35 (this includes 4 principals and 31 dependents).
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) priorities and (b) objectives are of MI6 for its chairship of NATO’s intelligence committee.
Answered by Leo Docherty
It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April to Question 175506 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many of the 200 individuals informed by his Department to be eligible in principle for resettlement to the UK under Pathway 3 were (a) British Council workers, (b) GardaWorld contractors, (c) Chevening alumni and (d) other.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The FCDO has informed over 250 British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni that they are eligible in principle for resettlement under ACRS Pathway 3, subject to passing security checks. Including their family members, this accounts for over 1,200 of the 1,500 available places in the first year under Pathway 3. The FCDO has been in contact with all individuals who submitted expressions of interest (EOIs) under ACRS Pathway 3 and has communicated an outcome on over 11,200 (98 per cent) of the over 11,400 EOIs received. We are continuing to work at pace to allocate the remaining places. We will not be commenting on individual cohort numbers while EOIs are still being processed and security checks are outstanding. We will update Parliament once we have completed the allocation process, notified all those who submitted EOIs of the outcome and have assured data to share.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April to Question 175506 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many of the 11,200 people who submitted an expression of interest and were not deemed eligible in principle for relocation to the UK under Pathway 3, have been informed of their ineligibility.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The FCDO has informed over 250 British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni that they are eligible in principle for resettlement under ACRS Pathway 3, subject to passing security checks. Including their family members, this accounts for over 1,200 of the 1,500 available places in the first year under Pathway 3. The FCDO has been in contact with all individuals who submitted expressions of interest (EOIs) under ACRS Pathway 3 and has communicated an outcome on over 11,200 (98 per cent) of the over 11,400 EOIs received. We are continuing to work at pace to allocate the remaining places. We will not be commenting on individual cohort numbers while EOIs are still being processed and security checks are outstanding. We will update Parliament once we have completed the allocation process, notified all those who submitted EOIs of the outcome and have assured data to share.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) principles and (b) dependents with confirmed eligibility for relocation to the UK from the (i) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (ii) Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme are currently housed in hotel accommodation in (A) Pakistan and (B) other third countries.
Answered by Leo Docherty
As of 17 April there were approximately 218 principals and 968 dependents in UK-funded accommodation in Pakistan and other third countries assessed eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy Scheme, and 74 principals and 230 dependents assessed eligible under the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme. The Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration process cases to confirm eligibility to relocate to the UK.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Minister is responsible for arrangements for the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London in June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The United Kingdom is proud to co-host the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC23) with Ukraine. As a co-hosted event, arrangements for URC23 are in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine. The HMG Minister responsible is the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the aims and objectives are for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC23) will focus on the role of the private sector in supporting recovery and reconstruction. It will provide a platform for the Government of Ukraine to set out its priority reforms, particularly in the business environment and for international partners to signal their support and their offer to Ukraine. The Conference will look at how to unblock obstacles to investment and how governments, the private sector and civil society can work together to support recovery and reconstruction efforts in the longer-term.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people (a) expressed interest in Pathway 3 and (b) were approved for relocation to the UK via that pathway under the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK Government received over 11,400 expressions of interest (EOI) under ACRS Pathway 3. To date, the FCDO has informed over 200 individuals that they are eligible in principle for resettlement to the UK under Pathway 3, subject to passing security checks. Including their dependents, this accounts for over 1000 of the 1500 available places in the first year of Pathway 3.