Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Rwanda have (a) applied for and (b) been granted asylum in the UK in each of the last five years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications raised, by nationality, are published in table Asy_D01, and data on the outcomes of asylum applications at initial decision, by nationality, are published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the end of December 2021.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has she made of the impact of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit on the number of in-person inspections at establishments which conduct animal testing.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Regulator’s audit programme for compliance assurance purposes will be delivered in accordance with the requirements defined in the legislation. This includes unannounced visits to licensed establishments.
The Regulator has strengthened its regulatory oversight and published its process of full system audits at: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice#process-and-standards-for-establishment-full-system-audits.
The UK legal framework requires each Establishment that uses animals in science to have strong governance systems that are published in the Standard Conditions of licences found on the Regulator’s website at:
www.gov.uk/guidance/research-and-testing-using-animals.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any of Department’s spending in response to the Ukraine crisis will be accounted for as Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The UK has now pledged around £400m of ODA grant aid (counted as part of the 0.5% Gross National Income) for economic and humanitarian support in response to the crisis, to help ensure the continued running of vital services for Ukrainians and contribute to the international humanitarian response.
The Home Office have launched the Ukraine Family Scheme which allows applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK. The Home Office is working closely with departments across government on the design and funding of these new routes, this includes ODA eligibility.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support people from Ukraine wishing to apply to come to the UK who face a language barrier and require assistance with (a) translation and (b) interpreting.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office and its commercial partners have translated and published local guidance into Ukrainian for those requiring it. In addition, we have deployed several Ukrainian speaking staff to our operation in Poland.
Furthermore, the webpage for the Ukrainian Family scheme and the factsheet for Ukrainians looking to apply for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme are available in English, Russian and Ukrainian.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has put measures in place to receive potential refugees fleeing conflict in Ukraine.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government has taken significant steps to support Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.
First, we have introduced a fee-free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme. The route allows both the immediate family members (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended family members (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) to join their relatives in the UK. The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK (including those with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme), a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection or an EEA or Swiss national in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU (pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). This route was launched on 4 March.
We have also launched the Homes for Ukraine scheme on 18 March. The scheme is fee-free and allows Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come to the UK. Ukrainians arriving in the UK under this scheme will be granted leave to remain for three years, and can work, and access benefits and public services, giving them certainty and securing their future in the country.
This bespoke sponsor route will help Ukrainians who have sadly been forced to flee their homes. It will allow sponsors, such as communities, private sponsors or local authorities, to bring people to the UK. They will be able to work and the sponsor would provide housing and integration support.
We are working closely with devolved governments and local authorities to ensure individuals and organisations who want to sponsor an individual or family can volunteer to do so, who will then be matched with Ukrainians in need.
We will keep our support under constant review.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Homes for Ukraine scheme to provide the same (a) support and (b) rights to people feeling violence in Afghanistan.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since 2015, we have resettled more than 27,000 refugees through safe and legal routes directly from regions of conflict and instability - more than any other European country. Every conflict and threat situation is unique and requires a unique and tailored response.
In response to the Afghanistan crisis, this Government helped over 15,000 people to safety in the largest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, W have also continued to bring people to the UK, with around 1,500 people helped to enter since the evacuation. This UK Government has two schemes to facilitate resettlement in the United Kingdom of Afghan nationals at risk: the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6 January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. Those resettled through the ARAP and ACRS receive fee-free indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK.
The Government maintains a constant review of all resettlement schemes to enable a flexible response.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of suspending the deportation flight to Zimbabwe scheduled for 2 March 2022 in the context of violence against political opposition supporters in that country in recent days.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We make no apology for seeking to remove those with no right to remain in the UK and foreign criminals. That is why we regularly operate charter flights to different countries - to remove foreign criminals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes here, and those who have no right to be in a country, but refuse to leave voluntarily.
Individuals are only returned to their country of origin where claims have been unsuccessful, and the Home Office and, where applicable, the Courts deem it is safe to do so, with a safe route of return. By definition, those persons do not need protection and are not at risk on return.
We are monitoring the situation there, working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Our general assessment of risk for political opponents to the government remains set out in our published country policy and information note of September 2021.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the deadline for Surinder Singh applications to the EU Settlement Scheme beyond 29 March 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
In April 2019 the Government announced transitional arrangements for the family members of qualifying British citizens living in the EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 to enable them to return to the UK under EU law terms. This means they have had nearly three years in which to decide whether to return to the UK on this basis.
Family members who apply by 29 March 2022 for an EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit to return to the UK in order to apply to the EUSS will be considered to have reasonable grounds for applying to the EUSS in the UK after the deadline, provided they do so without delay. An application to the EUSS can also be made from outside the UK where the family member has previously returned here with the British citizen and is currently outside the UK within the absence periods permitted under the Scheme.
In the interests of fairness, it remains the Government’s approach to align under the family Immigration Rules the family reunion requirements for all British citizens, wherever they and their families reside.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for EU Settlement Scheme family permit are pending a decision.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The published statistics for EU Settlement Scheme family permits can be found at Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on EEA Family Permit and EU Settlement Scheme family permit applications and outcomes are published in table Vis_D01 and Vis_D02 of the entry clearance visa detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made with the Windrush Compensation Scheme; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We publish information on the total number of claims submitted, claims paid, and the overall amount paid out by the Windrush Compensation Scheme on a monthly basis. The latest set of data can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-october-2021
We are processing claims as quickly as possible, but all claims are different, and the time taken will depend on many factors, including the complexity of the case. Wherever possible, we will make a preliminary payment as soon as someone applying on their own behalf, or on behalf of someone who has sadly passed away, can show any impact on their life under the terms of the Scheme. Individuals do not have to wait for their whole application to be assessed in order to receive a preliminary payment.
We have taken steps to encourage more people to submit a claim and to help those who already have. We have removed the end date of the Scheme to ensure no one is prevented from making a claim if they are eligible. We have also launched a package of support to help those making, or who have already made, claims on behalf of a relative who has passed away to obtain the legal documentation required to process their claims. In addition, we have published a redesigned primary claim form which is easier for people to complete, and refreshed casework guidance which sets out clearly how caseworkers should apply the balance of probabilities and go about gathering evidence, with the aim of reducing the time taken to process claims and improving peoples’ experiences of applying to the Scheme.
We are also continuing to work extensively with communities and stakeholders to raise awareness of the Scheme and encourage affected individuals to apply. Since the launch of the Scheme we have attended or hosted approximately 200 outreach and engagement events, and in 2020 we carried out a national communications campaign to make sure those most affected around the UK are aware of the support available to them and how to apply. In addition, the £500,000 Windrush Schemes Community Fund provides for grassroots organisations and community groups to run their own outreach, promotional and support activity.