Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of authorised work hours for student visas.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Student route is for international students who wish to study in the UK and is not designed as a means to live and work in the UK.
Student visa holders who are studying a full-time course of study, at degree level or above, at a higher education provider with a track record of compliance are already able to work up to 20 hours per week during term-time and full-time during vacation periods.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of supporting documents the Passport Office received by mail in 2022; how many and what proportion of those documents were (a) lost and (b) damaged; and what the average length of time was for the reimbursement of lost and damaged documents.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In 2022, His Majesty’s Passport Office has received over 7 million items by post in 2022. 74 documents, or approximately 0.001% of the items received, have been reported as lost and not recovered. 1,114 documents, or approximately 0.016% of the items received, have been reported as damaged on route to, or within, an HM Passport Office site.
The length of time for reimbursement due to loss and damage of documents is not held in a reportable format.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) ethical and (b) scientific considerations of the use of x-rays of verify the age of child refugees.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In December 2021, the Home Office set up an independent Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee to provide the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser with independent advice – including scientific and associated ethical advice and guidance on existing and emerging scientific approaches that could be utilised for the purpose of age assessment. We are considering advice from this Committee and other sources. No official decisions have been made about if and how to implement scientific methods.
The use of X-rays specifically is regulated by the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004, which requires that any practices involving the use of ionising radiation be justified on the basis that the individual or societal benefit of that practice outweighs the health detriment it may cause. Any use of X-rays for age assessment purposes will therefore be contingent on the appropriate approvals being met under these regulations.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 9 June, reference MY30876 and (b) 3 August, reference MY31701 from the hon. Member for Bedford constituency.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded on 11 October 2022.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fast-track passport appointments have been released by HMPO in (a) May 2022 and (b) since 1 June 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Appointments for urgent services are released three weeks in advance. While this means new appointments are released daily, in busy periods these will be booked quickly.
Her Majesty’s Passport Office therefore continues to explore options to further increase appointment capacity to support its customers with urgent travel needs.
This work has led to the recent opening of an eighth public counter offering urgent service appointments, and further increasing appointment availability to help support those people who need their passport more quickly.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the nationalities are of asylum seekers identified for deportation to Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Everyone who arrives illegally will be considered for relocation on a case by case basis.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time between a visa application centre making a decision in respect of a Ukrainian visa application and issuing a permission to travel letter.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.