Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Biometric Residence Permit cards have been wrongly delivered in the last 12 months; and how many people granted asylum have not received such cards in that period.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
BRPs are delivered within 48 hours of being produced to the address provided by the applicant on their application form.
Information on incorrect deliveries is not publicly available, and so we are unable to answer this question.
We are unable to answer the second part of the question, as the information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 8 of the report Fight for 52, published by the Fire Brigades Union on 14 September 2023, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of variations in the level of maternity pay for firefighters.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
Setting fire pay and conditions, including setting a minimum national maternity entitlement, is the responsibility of employers, working through the National Joint Council. The Home Office plays no role in the negotiation or funding of firefighter pay.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been relocated to the UK under Pathway (a) 2 and (b) 3 of the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme as of 19 October 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has made one of the largest commitments of any country to support those impacted by events in Afghanistan.
The latest published Operational data fact sheet on Afghan resettlement schemes shows the following by ACRS pathway, we have now resettled: 9,676 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 66 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 41 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Operational data is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 23rd November 2023.
The data requested on arrival dates of pathway 2 and pathway 3 is not anticipated to be publicly released in future iterations of the quarterly Immigration system statistics. It is collected for internal and operational use only. However, arrivals by quarter can be found within the immigration statistics. Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the first Afghans arrived in the UK under pathway (a) two and (b) three of the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has made one of the largest commitments of any country to support those impacted by events in Afghanistan.
The latest published Operational data fact sheet on Afghan resettlement schemes shows the following by ACRS pathway, we have now resettled: 9,676 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 66 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 41 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Operational data is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 23rd November 2023.
The data requested on arrival dates of pathway 2 and pathway 3 is not anticipated to be publicly released in future iterations of the quarterly Immigration system statistics. It is collected for internal and operational use only. However, arrivals by quarter can be found within the immigration statistics. Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to relocate Afghan people who are (a) eligible for relocation to the UK and (b) in Pakistan before 1 November; and what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of reports that the Government of Pakistan plans to deport Afghans without documentation from November 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Continuing to support the resettlement of eligible Afghans under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) & Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) remains a priority for the Government. To date, we have brought around 24,600 people affected by events in Afghanistan to safety, which includes those evacuated under Op PITTING.
We are aware of recent Government of Pakistan announcements regarding Afghans illegally present in Pakistan. FCDO and the British High Commission are monitoring the situation closely. They are in frequent contact with the Pakistani authorities to try and ensure that no ARAP or ACRS eligible individuals are negatively affected while they await relocation to the UK, and are seeking assurances to this effect.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a comparative assessment of (a) provision and (b) the level of maternity pay in fire and rescue services.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
Setting fire pay and conditions, including setting a minimum national maternity entitlement, is the responsibility of employers, working through the National Joint Council. The Home Office plays no role in the negotiation or funding of firefighter pay.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral contribution of 19 September 2023, Official Report, column 1253, whether new Afghan people arriving in the UK on approved schemes will be placed in bridging accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme which was formally opened on the 1 April 2021 , has already relocated thousands of Afghans who have worked for or alongside the UK government, and their families, and who are deemed eligible.
In addition, the UK formally opened the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) on 6 January 2022. The scheme prioritises those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law.
We take seriously our commitment to resettling Afghans yet to arrive in the UK, including those eligible for our schemes still in Afghanistan. But our efforts to move people out of hotels has shown how vital it is that they are moved into long-term settled accommodation, so, they can put down roots in the community.
Once in the UK eligible Afghans have the right to live, work and study, and can apply for benefits and other local authority support.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to launch her Department's consultation on full cost recovery for firearms licencing.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Home Office is currently reviewing firearms licensing fees, which were last increased in 2015 and are now considerably below the cost of the service provided.
The key aim of the review is to achieve full cost recovery for the police so that they receive the funding and resources they need to provide a more effective service that supports public safety.
The review is being informed by a Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office and including representation from the police, shooting representative bodies and other Government departments. I expect to consult publicly on proposed new fees during the Autumn and to put the new fees before Parliament shortly thereafter.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her timeline is for completing the resettlement and housing of Afghan citizens who are currently housed in hotels in Pakistan under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Responsibility for this area is shared across Departments. Within the Home Office I lead on resettlement as Minister for Immigration.
As of June 2023, we have relocated over c.12,200 people under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy Scheme (ARAP) initiative, while over 11,500 people have been granted settled status, since the scheme launched in April 2021.
It is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they are in the UK. We are developing plans across government to support the remainder of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and ARAP cohorts into settled accommodation in the UK.
We will only facilitate ARAP third country arrivals where suitable accommodation can be secured ahead of arrival, including where individuals can be supported to arrange accommodation themselves.
We continue to work at pace with Local Authorities and other partners to source suitable accommodation, in order to be able to welcome more eligible Afghans.
We know there is still a way to go to bring those eligible to safety in the UK, but we remain committed to continuing to welcome eligible Afghans to the UK through our schemes.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Minister is responsible for the resettlement and housing of Afghan citizens currently living in hotels in Pakistan under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Responsibility for this area is shared across Departments. Within the Home Office I lead on resettlement as Minister for Immigration.
As of June 2023, we have relocated over c.12,200 people under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy Scheme (ARAP) initiative, while over 11,500 people have been granted settled status, since the scheme launched in April 2021.
It is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they are in the UK. We are developing plans across government to support the remainder of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and ARAP cohorts into settled accommodation in the UK.
We will only facilitate ARAP third country arrivals where suitable accommodation can be secured ahead of arrival, including where individuals can be supported to arrange accommodation themselves.
We continue to work at pace with Local Authorities and other partners to source suitable accommodation, in order to be able to welcome more eligible Afghans.
We know there is still a way to go to bring those eligible to safety in the UK, but we remain committed to continuing to welcome eligible Afghans to the UK through our schemes.