Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to implement the use of questionnaires in place of face-to-face interviews to assess asylum applications.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
On 13 December 2022, the Prime Minister pledged to clear the backlog of the 92,601 initial asylum ‘legacy’ claims. These relate to historical asylum claims made before 28 June 2022.
Policy guidance on this was published on 23 February 2023 (Streamlined asylum processing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). Asylum claim questionnaires were sent to legacy claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen. These countries have been included in the streamlined asylum process on the basis of their high-grant rate of 95% or higher and over 100 grants in the year-ending September 2022 of protection status (refugee status or humanitarian protection). All asylum seekers will have already undergone a screening interview on arrival, as well as face-to-face security checks in which they will provide biometric information and their identity. Where there is insufficient information or any doubt about the information provided in the questionnaire or a caseworker has further questions including about someone’s nationality, a caseworker should arrange a follow-up asylum interview.
The policy is compliant with our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty and an Equality Impact Assessment was drafted as part of the policy development process. We are committed to continue working with stakeholders going forward to improve the asylum system for all.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an equality impact assessment on the proposal to introduce questionnaires in place of face-to-face interviews to assess asylum applications.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
On 13 December 2022, the Prime Minister pledged to clear the backlog of the 92,601 initial asylum ‘legacy’ claims. These relate to historical asylum claims made before 28 June 2022.
Policy guidance on this was published on 23 February 2023 (Streamlined asylum processing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). Asylum claim questionnaires were sent to legacy claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen. These countries have been included in the streamlined asylum process on the basis of their high-grant rate of 95% or higher and over 100 grants in the year-ending September 2022 of protection status (refugee status or humanitarian protection). All asylum seekers will have already undergone a screening interview on arrival, as well as face-to-face security checks in which they will provide biometric information and their identity. Where there is insufficient information or any doubt about the information provided in the questionnaire or a caseworker has further questions including about someone’s nationality, a caseworker should arrange a follow-up asylum interview.
The policy is compliant with our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty and an Equality Impact Assessment was drafted as part of the policy development process. We are committed to continue working with stakeholders going forward to improve the asylum system for all.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the use of questionnaires in place of face to face interviews to assess asylum applications on applicants.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
On 13 December 2022, the Prime Minister pledged to clear the backlog of the 92,601 initial asylum ‘legacy’ claims. These relate to historical asylum claims made before 28 June 2022.
Policy guidance on this was published on 23 February 2023 (Streamlined asylum processing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). Asylum claim questionnaires were sent to legacy claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen. These countries have been included in the streamlined asylum process on the basis of their high-grant rate of 95% or higher and over 100 grants in the year-ending September 2022 of protection status (refugee status or humanitarian protection). All asylum seekers will have already undergone a screening interview on arrival, as well as face-to-face security checks in which they will provide biometric information and their identity. Where there is insufficient information or any doubt about the information provided in the questionnaire or a caseworker has further questions including about someone’s nationality, a caseworker should arrange a follow-up asylum interview.
The policy is compliant with our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty and an Equality Impact Assessment was drafted as part of the policy development process. We are committed to continue working with stakeholders going forward to improve the asylum system for all.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with stakeholder groups on proposals to use asylum questionnaires in place of face-to-face interviews.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
On 13 December 2022, the Prime Minister pledged to clear the backlog of the 92,601 initial asylum ‘legacy’ claims. These relate to historical asylum claims made before 28 June 2022.
Policy guidance on this was published on 23 February 2023 (Streamlined asylum processing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). Asylum claim questionnaires were sent to legacy claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen. These countries have been included in the streamlined asylum process on the basis of their high-grant rate of 95% or higher and over 100 grants in the year-ending September 2022 of protection status (refugee status or humanitarian protection). All asylum seekers will have already undergone a screening interview on arrival, as well as face-to-face security checks in which they will provide biometric information and their identity. Where there is insufficient information or any doubt about the information provided in the questionnaire or a caseworker has further questions including about someone’s nationality, a caseworker should arrange a follow-up asylum interview.
The policy is compliant with our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty and an Equality Impact Assessment was drafted as part of the policy development process. We are committed to continue working with stakeholders going forward to improve the asylum system for all.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Home Office:
To the Secretary of State for the Home Office, if she will publish a copy of her Department's questionnaire to be completed by refugees from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Eritrea, (c) Libya, (d) Syria and (e) Yemen as an alternative to being interviewed.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There are no plans to publish the questionnaire at this time; instead, it will be sent to eligible claimants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya Syria and Yemen
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of asylum-seekers from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Eritrea, (c) Libya, (d) Syria and (e) Yemen who are able to write English to an A2 standard in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
If necessary, claimants can utilise legal representatives, Non-Government Organisations and other support networks to help them respond to the questionnaire.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of UK direct imports and exports to Eritrea.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the noble Lord Bishop’s Parliamentary Question of 30 January is attached.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
The Lord Bishop of St Albans
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
1 February 2023
Dear Lord Bishop,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking the value of UK direct imports and exports to Ethiopia; the value of UK direct imports and exports to Sudan; and the value of UK direct imports and exports to Eritrea (HL5226; HL5227; HL5228).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish UK trade data at country level in our UK total trade, all countries release[1] .
Data on UK trade with Ethiopia, Sudan and Eritrea for 2016-2021 can be found in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3 respectively.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/uktotaltradeallcountri esseasonallyadjusted
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of UK direct imports and exports to Sudan.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the noble Lord Bishop’s Parliamentary Question of 30 January is attached.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
The Lord Bishop of St Albans
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
1 February 2023
Dear Lord Bishop,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking the value of UK direct imports and exports to Ethiopia; the value of UK direct imports and exports to Sudan; and the value of UK direct imports and exports to Eritrea (HL5226; HL5227; HL5228).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish UK trade data at country level in our UK total trade, all countries release[1] .
Data on UK trade with Ethiopia, Sudan and Eritrea for 2016-2021 can be found in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3 respectively.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/uktotaltradeallcountri esseasonallyadjusted
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of UK direct imports and exports to Ethiopia.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the noble Lord Bishop’s Parliamentary Question of 30 January is attached.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
The Lord Bishop of St Albans
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
1 February 2023
Dear Lord Bishop,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking the value of UK direct imports and exports to Ethiopia; the value of UK direct imports and exports to Sudan; and the value of UK direct imports and exports to Eritrea (HL5226; HL5227; HL5228).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish UK trade data at country level in our UK total trade, all countries release[1] .
Data on UK trade with Ethiopia, Sudan and Eritrea for 2016-2021 can be found in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3 respectively.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/uktotaltradeallcountri esseasonallyadjusted
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims on the basis of modern slavery were made by migrants (a) from Albania, (b) from Eritrea and (c) in total who crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The next quarterly statistics release on irregular migration to the UK, published on 23 February, will include data on modern slavery claims from small boats arrivals.
New measures to strengthen our National Referral Mechanism against misuse came into force last week. New legislation will ensure we only support genuine victims; not those who seek to abuse our laws to stop their removal.
In the first three quarters of 2022 (Jan to Sept) the number of NRM referrals for potential victims of modern slavery for certain nationalities were:
3,432 Albanian
897 Eritrean
In the first two quarters of 2022 (Jan to June) based on FOI data obtained by Migration Watch UK, there were 1,156 individuals who crossed the channel who made NRM referrals.