Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many refugees have been admitted under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and what assessment they have made of the year long delay in admitting refugees to the UK under Pathway 2 of that scheme.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The recent update to the published 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data', shows that, at 4th November 2022:
We are pleased to have welcomed the first families under ACRS Pathway 2. On 24th November the latest Immigration Statistics publication included data on Pathway 2 arrivals and this can be found at: Immigration statistics data tables, year ending September 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We are working at pace with Local Authorities and other partners to make sure those we resettle are fully supported in accessing the accommodation, health, education, and employment needed to fully integrate into life in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support Ukrainian refugees and host families over the Christmas period to ensure that any breakdowns in host relationships under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme do not lead to homelessness.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are greatly appreciative of the overwhelming generosity shown by sponsors in accommodating guests under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The Government has been working closely with local councils, voluntary and community organisations to ensure sponsors and their guests can access the support they need from public services.
We have developed advice on hosting and provide training courses to help sponsors welcome and host their guests which can be accessed (attached) here: www.gov.uk/guidance/sources-of-support-for-sponsors-hosting-people-from-ukraine
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to increase the speed and safety of routes (a) parents of children living in the UK and (b) other family reunion.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
These dangerous concealments are facilitated by vile people smugglers, who place profits above the lives of vulnerable people. The Government is determined to prevent further loss of life by breaking the business model.
The Home Office has invested significant amounts since 2014 to secure feeder ports, including increasing the use of body detection dogs and strengthening the vehicle screening regimes with the latest technology. The department is currently in the process of significantly strengthening the clandestine entrant civil penalty regime in order further drive improvements in vehicle security.
Unfortunately, there have been fatalities, including the Purfleet incident in 2019 when 39 Vietnamese nationals sadly lost their lives, and all such incidents are a reminder that attempts to clandestinely cross the border are inherently dangerous.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2022 to Question 61079 on Refugees: Afghanistan, what estimate she has made of the number families making their own accommodation arrangements who have moved into permanent accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have been working as fast as possible to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so that they can settle into their local communities and rebuild their lives in the UK.
A number of evacuated families have taken steps to source their own accommodation, whether it be through the Find Your Own Accommodation scheme or independently.
Until data assurance activity for those evacuated to the UK via Op Pitting has concluded, and the number of people who have sourced accommodation without support from the Home Office is, subsequently, made clear, we will not hold this data in a reportable format.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) uplifting the funds available to host families under the Homes for Ukraine scheme or (b) creating a hardship fund, so families can continue to host refugees.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Details on funding for the scheme are available here. We are continuing to work with local authorities and sponsors to support them with their hosting arrangements.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees have been accommodated in permanent homes through the Afghanistan housing portal as of 21 November 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have been working as fast as possible to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so that they can settle into their local communities and rebuild their lives in the UK.
At 4 November 2022, 9,242 individuals are in bridging accommodation and 7,572 individuals have moved in to settled accommodation, with a further 729 individuals matched to a property and waiting to move in.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees were temporarily accommodated in hotels in the latest period for which data are available; and how many of those refugees were (a) men, (b) women and (c) children.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have been working as fast as possible to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so that they can settle into their local communities and rebuild their lives in the UK.
At 4 November 2022, 9,242 individuals are in bridging accommodation and 7,572 individuals have moved in to settled accommodation, with a further 729 individuals matched to a property and waiting to move in.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to identify long-term solutions for the provision of accommodation for refugees, in the context of increasing use of hotel accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government is working with local authorities across the UK to meet the demand for housing.
We have been working as fast as possible to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so that they can settle into their local communities and independent and rebuild their lives in the UK
Local Authorities who support people through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) or the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) will receive £20,520 per person, over 3 years, for resettlement and integration costs. They have the flexibility to use this funding to contribute towards renting accommodation, including deposit, letting fees and necessary furnishings.
Once an asylum seeker has received refugee status, they are eligible to work, receive mainstream benefits and accommodation which should be provided by the local authority.
For other resettlement schemes the first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs are funded by central government.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 processing time for applications for Refugee Family Reunion on refugees and their families.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The average time it takes to decide or the impact of processing this information is not routinely published and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. The Home Office are unable to report how many applications for Refugee Family Reunion are awaiting a decision.
We are currently working outside the 60 day service standard for refugee family reunion visa applications and processing times are approximately double the expected service standard timeframe. We are working hard to recover our decision-making timescales and are looking to streamline our processes and secure additional resource to support this work. We will prioritise applications where there is a particularly urgent or compelling reason to do so.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the average time it takes to decide Refugee Family Reunion applications.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The average time it takes to decide or the impact of processing this information is not routinely published and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. The Home Office are unable to report how many applications for Refugee Family Reunion are awaiting a decision.
We are currently working outside the 60 day service standard for refugee family reunion visa applications and processing times are approximately double the expected service standard timeframe. We are working hard to recover our decision-making timescales and are looking to streamline our processes and secure additional resource to support this work. We will prioritise applications where there is a particularly urgent or compelling reason to do so.