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1352153

registered interest
date	13/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to expand eligibility to refugee family reunion for Afghan refugees in the UK to sponsor their (a) adult dependent children, (b) parents and (c) siblings.
tabling member constituency	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
tabling member printed	Ian Blackford
uin	41898
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>The Government’s refugee family reunion policy allows a partner and children under 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. Afghan nationals recognised as refugees or with humanitarian protection in the UK, including those who will be resettled here under the new Afghanistan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, can sponsor qualifying family under this route. In the year ending June 2020, over 200 Afghan nationals came to the UK under the family reunion policy, including 130 children.</p><p>There are separate provisions in the Rules to allow extended family to sponsor children to come here where there are serious and compelling circumstances. Refugees can also sponsor adult dependent relatives living overseas to join them where, due to age, illness or disability, that person requires long-term personal care that can only be provided by relatives in the UK.</p><p>Our policy makes clear that there is discretion to grant visas outside the Immigration Rules, which caters for extended family members in exceptional circumstances.</p><p>There are additional safe and legal routes for people to come to the UK should they wish to join family members here, work or study.  They would need to meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rule under which they were applying to qualify for a visa.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/09/2021 14:36:08 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4390 label Biography information for Ian Blackford

1354511

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish legal advice her Department has received on the compliance of the policy of turning certain boats back in the Channel with international maritime law.
tabling member constituency	Norwich South
tabling member printed	Clive Lewis
uin	47019
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>As a matter of course, the Government does not publish legal advice.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/09/2021 16:11:15 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp previous answer version 22029 answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4500 label Biography information for Clive Lewis

1354538

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) turning back illegal immigrants at sea in the English Channel and (b) picking up illegal migrants and returning them France; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	New Forest East
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Lewis
uin	46920
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>Managing the illegal crossings by migrants using small boats and disrupting the criminal enterprises that facilitate this deadly trade is a top priority for my officials. They have explored the different options open to the UK and their effectiveness in the context of both domestic and international law. Turning back migrant vessels at sea is one of a range of potential possibilities, and the new Borders Bill includes additional powers enabling Border Force to act in international waters and potentially return boats to their country of embarkation, where there are agreements in place to do so.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 15/09/2021 12:23:11 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis

1354541

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has recruited additional staff to assist with the potential increased workload from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
tabling member constituency	Edmonton
tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
uin	47025
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) launched on 1 April 2021. Under the policy, any current or former locally employed staff in Afghanistan who are assessed to be under serious threat to life are offered priority relocation to the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served.</p><p> </p><p>Since 1 April, the MOD and Home Office have relocated around 7,000 former Afghan locally employed staff and their families to the UK, including those relocated as part of HMG’s evacuation from Afghanistan.</p><p> </p><p>The overwhelming majority of those eligible for the ARAP scheme have now been evacuated. The scheme is an enduring commitment and will remain open for anyone who is eligible.</p><p> </p><p>Resourcing has been increased substantially to support implementation of the ARAP scheme and ensure that any impact on existing application processing times is mitigated.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 47026 question first answered 21/09/2021 13:19:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 22326 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1354542

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the administration of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy on her Department's existing application processing times.
tabling member constituency	Edmonton
tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
uin	47026
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) launched on 1 April 2021. Under the policy, any current or former locally employed staff in Afghanistan who are assessed to be under serious threat to life are offered priority relocation to the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served.</p><p> </p><p>Since 1 April, the MOD and Home Office have relocated around 7,000 former Afghan locally employed staff and their families to the UK, including those relocated as part of HMG’s evacuation from Afghanistan.</p><p> </p><p>The overwhelming majority of those eligible for the ARAP scheme have now been evacuated. The scheme is an enduring commitment and will remain open for anyone who is eligible.</p><p> </p><p>Resourcing has been increased substantially to support implementation of the ARAP scheme and ensure that any impact on existing application processing times is mitigated.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 47025 question first answered 21/09/2021 13:19:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 22346 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1354543

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in her Department are working on the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Edmonton
tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
uin	47027
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>As of August 2021, the Home Office (HO) has 63.1 FTE decision-making caseworkers working on the Scheme, which will increase by 56 Caseworkers over the next four months.</p><p>No Windrush Compensation Scheme caseworkers have been reallocated as a result of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel grouped question UIN 47028 question first answered 20/09/2021 14:18:57 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1354544

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Windrush Compensation Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether caseworkers who were previously working on the Windrush Compensation Scheme have been re-allocated as a result of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
tabling member constituency	Edmonton
tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
uin	47028
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>As of August 2021, the Home Office (HO) has 63.1 FTE decision-making caseworkers working on the Scheme, which will increase by 56 Caseworkers over the next four months.</p><p>No Windrush Compensation Scheme caseworkers have been reallocated as a result of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel grouped question UIN 47027 question first answered 20/09/2021 14:18:57 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1354551

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	EU Nationals: Identity Cards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a short transition period from the 1 October 2021 deadline to allow for EU citizens to travel to the UK using a national ID card.
tabling member constituency	Preseli Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Stephen Crabb
uin	46956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p>The UK has left the EU, ended free movement and is aligning the entry of EU and non-EU citizens. Citizens from outside the EU (and other EEA countries and Switzerland) cannot use national identity cards for travel to the UK and EEA national identity cards are, as a rule, less secure documents than national passports, hence they dominate the figures for document abuse detected at the border. Their continued use presents a risk to border security which we are no longer obliged to accept.</p><p>All visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries will be expected to do the same.</p><p> </p><p>We have provided almost a year’s notice for this change to allow people to plan ahead and obtain a passport, if they need to, before they travel. Our assessment is therefore a short transition period from 1 October 2021 is not appropriate and, consequently, there have been no discussions on this point with EU Member States.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 46957 question first answered 16/09/2021 14:52:15 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	1554 label Biography information for Stephen Crabb

1354552

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	EU Nationals: Identity Cards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on the potential merits of a short transition period from 1 October 2021 to allow for EU citizens to travel to the UK using a national ID card.
tabling member constituency	Preseli Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Stephen Crabb
uin	46957
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2021 answer text <p>The UK has left the EU, ended free movement and is aligning the entry of EU and non-EU citizens. Citizens from outside the EU (and other EEA countries and Switzerland) cannot use national identity cards for travel to the UK and EEA national identity cards are, as a rule, less secure documents than national passports, hence they dominate the figures for document abuse detected at the border. Their continued use presents a risk to border security which we are no longer obliged to accept.</p><p>All visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries will be expected to do the same.</p><p> </p><p>We have provided almost a year’s notice for this change to allow people to plan ahead and obtain a passport, if they need to, before they travel. Our assessment is therefore a short transition period from 1 October 2021 is not appropriate and, consequently, there have been no discussions on this point with EU Member States.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 46956 question first answered 16/09/2021 14:52:15 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	1554 label Biography information for Stephen Crabb

1354626

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Deportation: Jamaica and Zimbabwe
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2021 to Question 41845 on Deportation: Jamaica and Zimbabwe, whether any of the people deported on the charter flight to (a) Zimbabwe on 21 July 2021 and (b) Jamaica on 11 August 2021 or any of those who were scheduled for deportation on those two flights but were not placed on the planes on the day were under the age of 12 when they came to the UK.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	46974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>I refer the Honourable Member to my response of 8 September 2021 (UIN: 41845).</p><p>We do not routinely comment on individual cases. As stated in my previous response, a person’s age upon arrival to the UK or their nationality are not automatic exceptions to deportation under the UK Borders Act 2007. These may be relevant factors when determining whether an exception applies and an Article 8 claim pursuant to the Immigration Rules. Those deported will have been provided with the opportunity to raise claims and all claims are fully considered and decided upon before deportation, including, where applicable, via the Courts. I will continue to remove dangerous criminals and those with no rights to be in the UK from the country.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 15/09/2021 16:21:50 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield