Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) pending, (b) rejected and (c) approved applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are residing in Afghanistan as of 5 February 2024.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 6 February 2024, our records indicate that approximately 600 principal applicants deemed eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme (ARAP) are recorded as residing in Afghanistan. This figure does not include family members. These figures fluctuate as we continue to identify eligible individuals.
In terms of applications pending, we do not confirm the location of an applicant before an eligibility decision is made. At this stage we focus exclusively on determining the applicant's ARAP eligibility. Once eligibility is determined we confirm the location of the applicant as we prepare to support their onward movement along the relocation journey.
We do not track the location of rejected applicants, having received over 95,000 unique applications to the scheme, and are therefore unable to provide this number.
Furthermore, this number does not yet include any applicants who may be found to be eligible as a consequence of the review into Category 4 decisions I announced to the House on 1 February.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many ARAP applicants awaiting a decision are residing in UK hotels as of 30 January 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Relocation to the UK is only facilitated once ARAP eligibility status has been decided and entry clearance has been issued, therefore there are no ARAP applicants awaiting an immigration decision residing in UK hotels.
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to resettle.
Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. The latest published Immigration system statistics - (www.gov.uk) show that (up to the end of September 2023) we have brought around 24,600 people to safety from Afghanistan and the region.
These statistics also show that:
ARAP arrivals correct as of around December 2023, and accommodation data, will be reflected in the next release of the Immigration Statistics, which is due around 22 February 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter dated 29 August 2023 from Lord Sharpe of Epsom to the Chair of the Animals in Science Committee, what progress they have made in considering the relocation of the portfolio under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
There are no plans to relocate the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 portfolio from the Home Office to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The Home Office is working with DSIT to advance the Government’s ambitions for the life sciences and the protection of animals used in science.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will place sanctions on Israeli (a) ministers and (b) members of parliament who participated in the conference entitled Settlement Brings Security on 28 January 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We were alarmed by the conference in Jerusalem calling for the resettlement of Gaza, and the fact that Israeli ministers participated. The UK's position is clear: Gaza is occupied Palestinian territory and will be part of the future Palestinian state. Settlements are illegal. No Palestinian should be threatened with forcible displacement or relocation.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 24 January (HL1408 and HL1409), how many visas for relocation to the United Kingdom have been issued since 8 November 2023 to Afghans eligible under (1) the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, and (2) the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The data published within the immigration system statistics release (month ending September 2023, published 23 November 2023) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter. The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows: 11,684 individuals under ARAP, 9,699 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 70 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 70 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Afghan operational data is viewable on Gov.UK.
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 22 February 2024.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has sought legal advice on the forcible removal of civilians from Occupied Palestinian Territories by Israel.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK's position is clear: Gaza is occupied Palestinian territory and will be part of the future Palestinian state. Settlements are illegal. No Palestinian should be threatened with forcible displacement or relocation. We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and act in accordance with that advice. We continue to call for IHL to be respected and civilians to be protected.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of ARAP (a) pending, (b) rejected and (c) approved applicants identified as having served in a triples unit are residing in a third country.
Answered by James Heappey
In third countries as of 31 January 2024, there are approximately 635 principal applicants awaiting an eligibility decision, 8,513 principal applicants deemed ineligible for relocation under the ARAP scheme, and 458 eligible principal ARAP applicants awaiting onward travel. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of these figures according to job role.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are committed to support the continued relocation of eligible Afghans and their families out of third countries, and into the UK, as quickly as possible. To date, we have brought approximately 15,300 applicants to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people approved for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are residing in hotels in the UK as of 30 January 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to resettle.
Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. The latest published Immigration system statistics - (www.gov.uk) show that (up to the end of September 2023) we have brought around 24,600 people to safety from Afghanistan and the region.
These statistics also show that:
ACRS and ARAP arrivals correct as of around December 2023, and accommodation data will be reflected in the next release of the Immigration Statistics, which is due around 22 February 2024.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in Pakistan eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are still awaiting relocation.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 30 January 2024, there are approximately 1,100 Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) Eligible Principals and their family members awaiting relocation from Pakistan.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are committed to support the continued relocation of eligible Afghans and their families out of Pakistan, and into the UK, as quickly as possible. To date, we have brought approximately 15,300 applicants to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the threat to (a) wives and (b) children of people eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy in cases where the principal is deceased.
Answered by James Heappey
Wives and children under 18 of a deceased ARAP-eligible principal applicant are themselves eligible to relocate to the UK under ARAP, provided they can demonstrate that the death of the principal has had a direct impact upon the level of risk they face or their level of vulnerability. This policy is published online and is available on the Gov.uk website at the below link on page 14: