Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with her international counterparts to put in place extra levels of protection for minority groups fleeing Ukraine.

The Home Secretary is continuing to speak to her international counterparts to ensure we are taking appropriate action to support the Ukrainian Government and people.

We have announced new measures to simplify and speed up the process for people applying to the Ukraine Family Scheme. From Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with valid passports who are eligible for this route can do their application online and will not need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.

For non-passport holders we have expanded our Visa Application Capacity to 13,000 a week, deployed additional staff across the EU, with a 24/7 helpline in place to ensure those who need appointments can get them to come here. This allows us to balance security risks while welcoming those in need.

The Government has also commenced the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come to the UK. We will keep our support under constant review.