Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been waiting for a decision on eligibility for Section 95 support for longer than (a) three months, (b) six months (c) nine months and (d) 12 months; and how many asylum seekers in each of those categories are accommodated in Ealing Central and Acton constituency.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assistance she is providing for tour operators and other businesses who have been negatively impacted by new travel document requirements for European school parties visiting the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact on the number of European school parties visiting the UK of changes to travel document requirements which mean that a full passport is now required for each student.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 implementing a retrospective appeals process for people who were issued fixed penalty notice fines during periods of covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government believes a robust set of review processes were put in place for Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued and individuals were given the opportunity to contest FPNs at various stages of the process. The police had no power to enforce FPN payment, this power resides with the courts.
Each FPN was subject to at least two reviews prior to being formally administered to ensure that it complied with the regulations and meet the level of evidence required. Once issued, individuals can make representations to the issuing force. It was a matter for the respective force to consider how to deal with any representations received.
If an FPN was not paid within the 28-day statutory payment period, the offence for which the FPN was issued could be prosecuted in court if the prosecuting authority believed they had sufficient evidence for a prosecution.
Challenge to a FPN can also be taken by way of judicial review in High Court, where a judge would be asked to decide whether or not the police acted lawfully in issuing the fine. If the judge decided that the police did not act lawfully, then the fine can be cancelled.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 (a) waiving application fees for Minister for Religion visas and (b) simplifying the process to obtain Minister for Religion visas for Ukrainian priests to travel to the UK.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Rather than creating measures specific to individual immigration routes, the Government has brought forward a bespoke humanitarian support package for the people of Ukraine, having listened carefully to the Ukrainian Government. The Government has introduced two new schemes: the Ukraine Family Scheme, and for those without family links to the UK, the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Up-to-date guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk.
There are no bespoke arrangements for Ukrainian priests who want to come to the UK on the T2 Minister of Religion visa route, but those who wish to do so may still apply in the usual way.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ukrainian citizens fleeing Ukraine have to pay to apply for visa applications; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of waiving visa application fees for Ukrainian refugees.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Both the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine sponsorship are fee-free.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many young people have travelled to the UK on collective passports issued by EU Member States who have ratified the relevant 1961 Council of Europe treaty as of 3 February 2022 since the UK's departure from the EU.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We do not collect data distinguishing the use of collective from individual passports. Therefore, data on the number of persons entering the UK using a collective passport are not available.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help facilitate educational travel to the UK by people who hold national ID cards but not passports.
Answered by Kevin Foster
As with all other nationalities, we no longer accept national identity cards as a valid travel document from EU, EEA and Swiss visitors to the UK.
Almost a year’s notice was provided for this change to allow people and groups to plan ahead and obtain passports where they do not already have them before they travel. Officials also worked with key stakeholders - including carriers and others in the travel industry – to ensure the successful implementation of the change on 1 October 2021.
The experience at the UK border since 1 October 2021 has been positive, with EU, EEA and Swiss nationals recognising the need to switch to using their passports for travel to the UK. By using a biometric passport most EU nationals, aged 12 or over, making a short visit can also use e-gates, where available, for a quicker and easier arrival experience.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of accepting EU group passports or identity cards to increase bookings for school trips to the UK from EU countries.
Answered by Kevin Foster
As part of the changes to the Immigration Rules in September 2021, we no longer accept national identity cards as a valid travel document from EU, EEA and Swiss visitors to the UK.
Almost a year’s notice was provided for this change to allow groups to plan ahead and obtain passports where they do not already have them before they travel.
The experience at the UK Border since the change has been positive, with EU, EEA and Swiss citizens making the switch to using their passport for travel. Using a passport also means most EU nationals making a short visit can also use e-gates where available for a quicker and easier arrival experience.
There are no plans to change our approach.
On group passports, the List of Travellers is an EU scheme and the EU announced in July 2020 the UK would no longer be part of it from 1 January 2021. The UK Government decided to continue accepting travel to the UK on the List of Travellers until 1 October 2021 to allow this change to be made at the same time as the change on the acceptance of EU, EEA and Swiss identity cards.
We continue to allow travel to the UK on collective passports for young people issued by Member States who have ratified the relevant 1961 Council of Europe treaty.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a dedicated immigration route for au pairs from the EU.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Home Office officials have been in correspondence with the British Au Pair Agencies Association on numerous occasions regarding the au pair sector.
Since 2008 successive governments have decided the UK’s immigration system will not offer a dedicated visa route for au pairs. With the ending of free movement, this position now applies to EEA nationals.
Immigration routes which allow general work rights in the UK can be used by those who may wish to take up au pair roles, such as those who arrive under our Youth Mobility Schemes (YMS). We remain open to negotiating YMS arrangements with other countries and territories, including the EU or nations within it. However, as each YMS is subject to a bilateral, reciprocal agreement which also provides benefit to UK Nationals, we will therefore not add nations to the YMS route unilaterally as it is not simply a one-way route for recruiting cheaper labour overseas.