Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken steps to extend the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract beyond August 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Information on this contract is available at:
AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's news story of 12 September 2023 entitled New Illegal Migration Act measures and age dispute assessment tests, whether the consultations with local authorities and organisations within the sector to look at the UK’s capacity to accommodate and support those arriving through safe and legal routes will seek views on proposed additional safe routes..
Answered by Robert Jenrick
With the passing of the Illegal Migration Act, on 20 July 2023, the government has committed to introducing a cap on the number of people brought to the UK through safe and legal routes each year.
The cap will be determined through consultation with local authorities to understand the UK’s capacity to accommodate and support individuals arriving through safe and legal routes.
The consultation seeks to determine a realistic picture of the capacity that the UK has, to enable the operation of safe and legal routes for protection and ensure these routes form part of a well-managed and sustainable migration system.
As the Prime Minister has stated, as we get a grip on illegal migration, we will be able to bring forward more safe and legal routes.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department held with local authorities before the change in practice of calculating the 28 days prior to asylum support ending for new refugees to when the asylum application decision is made.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All individuals who receive a positive decision on their asylum claim are eligible to support and accommodation for at least 28 days from when their decision is served.
We offer move on support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.Individuals do not need to wait for their BRP to make a claim for benefits and are encouraged to do so as early as possible, if they require them.
We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.
We are working with our partners, including Local Authorities, to provide timely notification of key events that impact them. We are working with our SMP to facilitate regional sessions with councils and to share data.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of starting the move-on period for refugees granted asylum when they receive notice of their asylum decision on (a) refugees and (b) local authorities.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All individuals who receive a positive decision on their asylum claim are eligible to support and accommodation for at least 28 days from when their decision is served.
We offer move on support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.Individuals do not need to wait for their BRP to make a claim for benefits and are encouraged to do so as early as possible, if they require them.
We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.
We are working with our partners, including Local Authorities, to provide timely notification of key events that impact them. We are working with our SMP to facilitate regional sessions with councils and to share data.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims withdrawn between June 2022 and June 2023 have been reinstated.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not publish data on the number of asylum claims withdrawn and reinstated.
The caseworker guidance for withdrawing asylum claims can be found at the following link on gov.uk. This guidance further provides information about the process of requesting a reinstation of an asylum claim: Withdrawing asylum applications: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department have taken to (a) support people who have had their asylum claim withdrawn and (b) ensure that people who have had their asylum claims withdrawn do not become victims of (i) exploitation and (ii) modern slavery.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Asylum claims may be implicitly withdrawn for a variety of reasons, for example because the claimant fails to maintain contact with the Home Office or fails to attend an asylum interview or reporting event.
All withdrawals are administered on a case-by-case basis. Claimants are given the opportunity to explain their reasons for non-compliance before their claim is to be withdrawn implicitly. Where a reasonable explanation is provided, claims will not be withdrawn.
Following withdrawal of an asylum claim, if the claimant does not otherwise have the legal right to remain in the UK, leave to remain on other grounds following a separate application or an outstanding application, they will be liable for removal. For those eligible, The Home Office Voluntary Returns Service can provide support for those required to return to their home country if they do not have permission to remain in the UK.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people whose asylum claims were withdrawn in the year ending June 2023 have (a) left the UK, (b) regularised their immigration status and (c) remained in the UK without any status.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We do not publish the information you have requested. As these figures are not available in a reportable format, providing information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
The Home Office publishes statistics on asylum claims. The latest statistics are available at:
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their asylum claim withdrawn because they did not complete the Streamlined Asylum Process questionnaire.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual trawl of case records to retrieve.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to facilitate school trips between France and the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
At the Leaders’ summit in Paris on 10 March 2023 the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France.
France and the UK further agreed to establish a Mobility Dialogue through a Technical Working Group under joint ministerial oversight to address bilateral mobility issues.
The first of these was held in early June and we are currently working through the details of implementation.
More information will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the UK-France Joint Leaders' Declaration, published on 10 March, what discussions she has had with her French counterpart on facilitating school trips between France and the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
At the Leaders’ summit in Paris on 10 March 2023 the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France.
France and the UK further agreed to establish a Mobility Dialogue through a Technical Working Group under joint ministerial oversight to address bilateral mobility issues.
The first of these was held in early June and we are currently working through the details of implementation.
More information will be provided in due course.