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1439243

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Ukraine
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prioritise the return of passports to people who had previously made an application at the former visa application centre in Kyiv.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	137388
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2022 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">The Visa Application Centre in Kyiv temporarily closed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and we are currently unable to return their passport to customers . The Home Office will be in contact with customers to discuss how and when their passport can be returned, although the presence of Russian Military forces around Kyiv needs to considered as part of this.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">If a customer does not have their passport, UKVI staff are working with customers and Border Force to facilitate their entry to the UK where we are unable to attach a vignette in their passport.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Visa Application Centre in Kyiv temporarily closed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and we are currently unable to return a customer their passport. The Home Office will be in contact with customers to discuss how and when their passport can be returned, but the presence of the Russian Military near Kyiv will inevitably affect our ability to do so.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">If a customer does not have their passport, UKVI staff are working with customers and Border Force to facilitate their entry to the UK where we are unable to attach a vignette in their passport. </ins></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 22/03/2022 17:50:39 question first ministerially corrected 28/03/2022 09:03:49 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 59475 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1504230

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: Personal Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what means of redress are available to undocumented people who arrive in the UK by small boats whose personal items are not returned to them after being taken into the custody of Home Office agents on arrival.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	45943
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>Dry clothing is provided after arrival at Dover, with the consequence people are parted from their wet clothing and possessions. These are bagged and logged, and go with the person during their journey through the reception process.</p><p>During the reception phase, people are searched for anything which might injure themselves or others as well as for documentation related to their journey to the UK. These items are retained during the reception process but, if not contraband, are returned to the individual upon release into accommodation and our aim is to reunite people with their possessions as quickly as possible. Identity documentation is retained until such time as an individual is either granted leave to enter or is removed from the UK. It should be noted no cash belonging to people arriving by small boat is retained by either HO staff or contractors, but is instead returned immediately unless the sum is of such a magnitude that an investigation into potential proceeds of crime is warranted.</p><p>Inevitably, with such large volumes of persons being processed and the challenging conditions in which journeys are made, items can be mislaid. Every effort is made to reduce the risk of this happening, and there is a lost property process to enable people to raise any concerns about missing possessions. The lost property cases which do occur represent a small percentage of overall arrival numbers, but there are no plans to publish this data at present.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 06/09/2022 15:01:28 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1490254

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Migrant Workers: General Practitioners
	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 make it her policy to change visa rules to make it easier for international GP trainees to stay and work in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	38735
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office have already delivered a range of measures to support the health and care sector. The Home Office launched the Health &amp; Care visa in 2020, which makes it easier, cheaper, and quicker for health workers, including GPs, o be recruited.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will therefore not be amending its policy on international medical graduates (IMGs) who have completed their GP training. IMGs may use the time between the end of their training and the end of their visa to apply for work, and are eligible for the skilled worker route, which includes the Health and Care Visa.</p><p>We strongly encourage more GP surgeries to become Home Office approved sponsors, as this is the best way for the sector to retain international medical graduates as GPs, providing them with the ability to continue to renew their visa while living in the UK. Sponsorship is straightforward and business-friendly, the majority of sponsors on our register are SMEs, much like GP surgeries are likely to be. The Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care are working together to increase the number of GP Practices registered as Home Office sponsors.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 21/07/2022 13:17:03 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1469000

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Passports: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the Answer of 24 May to Question 1238, in what format the passport office gathers data to measure if service standard times for processing passports are being met, and how they compare performance over time.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	15311
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>While average processing times before 6 April 2021 are held, prior to this date the published processing time for standard applications from the UK differed by application type. The data is not held in a reportable format to demonstrate performance by application type against these differing processing times.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2022 16:12:06 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1462625

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	HM Passport Office: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average telephone waiting time is for people phoning HM Passport Office.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	1236
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2022 answer text <p>In May 2022, the average waiting time for calls answered by the Passport Adviceline, which is run by Teleperformance, was 13 minutes.</p><p>However, only 50.8 % of calls to the Passport Adviceline were answered. Teleperformance are required to improve this performance as soon as possible and, as part of their rectification plan, are in the process of adding 500 call agents compared to their position in mid-April.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 21/06/2022 08:52:19 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1462629

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Passports: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of call-backs take place within the specified 48 hour period for those who apply to upgrade their passport applications.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	1237
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>Teleperformance currently capture a wide range of data, however they do not currently capture a break down on calls made specifically regarding upgrade requests.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 24/05/2022 13:33:41 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 1735 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1462655

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Passports: Applications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of passport applications have been processed within HM Passport Office's own service standard times in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	1238
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2022 answer text <p>The data is not held in a reportable format and could therefore only be obtained at a disproportionate cost</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 24/05/2022 09:15:37 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 1724 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1462658

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	HM Passport Office: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost has been of using Teleperformance to provide HM Passport Office's Passport Adviceline services.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	1239
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2022 answer text <p>HM Passport Office’s expenditure is published annually in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.</p><p> </p><p>For 2021/22, this is planned for publication prior to the summer recess, and will be laid in the House.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/06/2022 07:48:18 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1455389

	registered interest
	date	29/03/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	UK Visas and Immigration: Telephone Services
	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 make the UKVI Ukraine helpline free for callers.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	149308
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2022 answer text <p>Phone calls made to the advertised (+44) 0808 number are free of charge already.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the majority of callers are able to access the freephone number, a small number of network providers do not allow access to 0808 numbers. For customers unable to dial 0808 numbers there is an alternative number available (+44) 0175 which may come at a network rate charge depending on the phone provider used to make the call.</p><p> </p><p>Each country is responsible for access to 0808 via their network providers.</p><p> </p><p>Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fcall-charges&amp;data=04%7C01%7CAmy.Gibbons%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C66b4e42f2a264dda264a08da122e66c1%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637842287733250428%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=Rpfj7bs4SmocaBqg2MLg30OVBL%2FFc2aTvq8HpvhViXM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/call-charges</a></p><p>When setting up the phone line our focus was to ensure it was easy to access both from the UK and abroad.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 19/04/2022 15:11:02 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1455391

	registered interest
	date	29/03/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Ukraine
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukrainian nationals who have applied for a UK visa have arrived in the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
	uin	149309
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2022 answer text <p><em>Information on the number of Ukrainian arrivals in the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found here: </em></p><p><em><a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fukraine-family-scheme-application-data%2Fukraine-family-scheme-and-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-homes-for-ukraine-visa-data--2&amp;data=04%7C01%7CKeith.Edwards42%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C155b886eff12408893b808da1947bd1a%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637850093138844646%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=rrTGd2XRkqD9CupfYU7%2BY5lYNa%2BgCn3eO906QSRW0Ok%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></em></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 19/04/2022 15:14:50 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson