Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the ARAP eligibility standard operating procedure was first changed to give the relevant Other Government Department the power to reject a member of the Afghan (a) CF 333 and (b) ATF 444 unit applying to the scheme.
Answered by James Heappey
There is no ARAP eligibility standard operating procedure that provides a relevant Other Government Department with the power to reject an application.
When considering Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme applications under Category 4, Ministry of Defence (MoD) caseworkers seek input into decision-making from other parts of the MoD, Other Government Departments and governmental bodies, where they are likely to hold useful information relating to an individual's application.
Every individual application is considered on a case-by-case basis in line with our published ARAP criteria, including applications considered under Category 4.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase multi-year funding to support the most food-insecure people in Sudan and Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to provide assistance to people in need in Sudan through our humanitarian aid package of £38 million for 2023-2024, The UK is providing more than £38 million in humanitarian funding in 2023-24, including £12.2 million to UNICEF for lifesaving nutrition activities. We are also helping those fleeing to neighbouring countries, with £7.75 million to support Sudanese refugees in South Sudan, including £3.5 million for food security in the Maban refugee camps and £15 million to Chad. In 2024/2025, the UK bilateral Official Development Assistance to Sudan will double to £89 million.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on the reassessment of ARAP eligibility decisions for former members of the ATF-444 and CF-333.
Answered by James Heappey
We are currently providing a comprehensive package of training and guidance to the team of case workers which will carry out the case-by-case reassessment of Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme applications from applicants with credible links to Afghan specialist units. The individuals in the case work team are independent of those who took the initial eligibility decisions on this tranche of applications.
Systems and processes are now in place, and we are due to start reassessing cases imminently. Once we begin reassessing cases, we estimate it will take approximately 12 weeks to complete the entire review.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the humanitarian situation in Abyei, following any conflict-induced internal displacements; and what support they will provide to enable the safe return of any internally displaced persons to their homes.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The influx of refugees and returnees fleeing the conflict in Sudan, inter-communal violence and recurrent flooding has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation in Abyei. We are working with the UN and the humanitarian community in Sudan and South Sudan to address these immense humanitarian needs. De-escalation of violence and a sustained peace is essential to facilitate the safe return of internally displaced people to their homes. We continue to urge both the Governments of South Sudan and the de facto authorities in Sudan to regularise meetings of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and agree joint security mechanisms to improve stability in Abyei until its final status can be agreed.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) statement entitled, At least one UNRWA staff killed when Israeli Forces hit UNRWA centre used for food and lifesaving supplies, published on 13 March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware of this statement.
The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities.
Israel must limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes. All parties must act within International Humanitarian Law.
The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. Medics and aid agencies must be able to operate freely and reach people in need. We cannot separate this tragedy from the inadequate level of aid supplies. Israel must take action to allow more aid into Gaza, including:
The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities. We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected and civilians to be protected. Too many civilians have been killed. The Foreign Secretary raised the above issues with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz on 6 March.
Asked by: Michael Shanks (Labour - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the contents of the interim report of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services' review of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will be shared with Parliament.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services has released an interim report to the UN Secretary-General.
We are pressing Catherine Colonna to produce a rapid interim report on the investigation into UNRWA's neutrality. The UN has said that her final report will be made public.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people (a) received and (b) repaid a refugee integration loans since 2007.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Refugee Integration Loans were introduced in 2007 following a public consultation and are intended to help people with the costs of integrating into UK society. They are funded by the Home Office, who make the initial decisions on applications. They are then administered and recouped by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Refugee integration loans are interest-free loans with favourable repayment terms for individuals who are over 18 and meet the following eligibility criteria:
Individuals are currently able to borrow between £100 and £500. Between £100 to £780 can be borrowed if submitting a joint application with a partner.
The specific data requested cannot be provided as it comes from live operational databases that have not been quality assured.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to employing refugees who are qualified dentists to help alleviate the backlog in NHS dentistry.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Dental Council (GDC), which is responsible for the regulation and registration of dentists, has advised that it is keen to support refugees with their registration applications wherever possible. Dedicated information for refugees can be found on the GDC’s website, in an online only format.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many refugees from Ukraine have been settled in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
As of 5 March 2024, 201,400 people have arrived in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes, rather than as refugees. 144,400 of them have been sponsored under the Homes for Ukraine scheme with 108,601 being in England, 1,500 in Northern Ireland, 5,847 in Scotland and 4,200 in Wales.
In addition to this, 20,882 Ukrainians have been sponsored by the Scottish Government and another 3,291 by the Welsh Government. Further information including a full breakdown of the data has been published on Gov.UK and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-visa-data-by-country-upper-and-lower-tier-local-authority.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to what date UK funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been transferred to that body; and whether any funding has been provided for the financial year 2024-25.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.
The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year.
Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response.