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1491571

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	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 additional staff she plans to recruit in 2022 to clear the backlog of passport applications.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	42079
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>HM Passport Office staffing numbers have been increased over 1200 since April 2021. This has delivered the operational capacity needed to process applications in record numbers, at approximately one million each month.</p><p>HM Passport Office will continue to recruit to cover attrition, ensuring that it remains fully resourced.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 05/09/2022 09:35:34 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1491569

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	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 steps her Department is taking to find residential accommodation for Afghan refugees who are living in bridging hotels.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	42078
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation in Afghanistan we have had to use hotels as a temporary accommodation measure. We do not want to keep people in temporary accommodation for any longer than is absolutely necessary. We have moved – or are in the process of moving - over 7,000 people into permanent homes since June 2021. There is a huge effort underway to support the families into permanent homes as soon as we can so they can settle and rebuild their lives, and to ensure those still temporarily accommodated in hotels are given the best start to their life in the UK.</p><p>We continue to work with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation as quickly as possible. We have set up a bespoke local engagement team within Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with named points of contact for each region across the country, to make it easier for local authorities to come forward with offers of accommodation – including larger properties to support bigger families - and develop strong local integration initiatives.</p><p>In addition, we are working on a number of alternative accommodation options including MOD properties, using education based accommodation and the private rented sector. This includes providing councils with additional resources for appropriate properties.</p><p>The government is working with councils to find families settled homes as quickly as possible. It is right we take time to ensure families are provided with suitable homes which support their integration alongside access to education and employment.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 06/09/2022 09:50:55 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1491341

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	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, what recent assessment she has made of the potential for the Windrush Compensation Scheme application form to serve as a barrier to people wishing to apply for compensation with particular regard to (a) its complexity and (b) the nature of information it requires.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	41961
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>In response to question UIN: 41960</p><p>Any information provided as part of a compensation claim is solely used for the purpose of assessing that claim. Information provided as part of a compensation claim is held on a separate system, and is not shared outside of the compensation team. Information provided as part of a compensation claim would never be passed on to Immigration Enforcement or used as part of enforcement action.</p><p>Immigration Enforcement have put in place safeguards to ensure members of the Windrush generation are not subjected to enforcement action. Whenever a person is encountered who claims to be a member of the Windrush generation or to be in the UK lawfully, they are referred to the Windrush Help Team to consider their case and, if appropriate, issue documentation under the Windrush (status) Scheme confirming their right to be in the UK. No enforcement action is taken against individuals whose status is under review by the Windrush Help Team, or who have an ongoing Windrush (status) Scheme application.</p><p>Anyone is free to submit a claim to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, irrespective of whether they are actually eligible for compensation. It is possible for a person who is in the UK unlawfully, and who is not a member of the Windrush generation, to submit an unmeritorious compensation claim. They may, rightly, be subject to enforcement action on the basis of information obtained by Immigration Enforcement independently. We do not hold data on how many compensation claimants have later faced enforcement action.</p><p> </p><p>In response to question UIN: 41961</p><p>Since its launch, the Home Office has continued to listen and respond to feedback from affected communities and stakeholders about how the Scheme operates and its accessibility. In response to feedback, we have re-designed the primary claim form to make it easier to complete.</p><p>We have designed the compensation scheme to be as clear and simple as possible, so people do not need legal assistance to make a claim. We have published a redesigned primary claim form which now has a Crystal Mark from the Plain English Campaign, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring the scheme is accessible and as easy to use as possible.</p><p>The new form includes more targeted and closed questions to help people understand and provide the key information we need from them. We believe the new form will improve peoples’ experiences of applying to the scheme and help to speed up the processing of claims by reducing the amount of additional information and evidence we must ask people to provide.</p><p>We have made the evidential threshold as low as possible. Our intent is to ask for the minimum evidence necessary to reduce the burden on individuals, whilst maximising the offers we can make. In doing so we are seeking to strike the right balance between ensuring the scheme is comprehensive and covers the broadest range of circumstances, whilst also making it easy to navigate.</p><p>However, for those who want or need support to make a claim, the Home Office provides free assistance in making applications through our independent claims assistance provider - We Are Digital. The Windrush Compensation Scheme Help Team can also assist individuals should they have questions about the claim form or process.</p><p>We continue to work extensively with communities and stakeholders to raise awareness of the Scheme and encourage affected individuals to apply.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 41960 question first answered 06/09/2022 08:41:28 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1491340

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	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 any applicants to the Windrush Compensation Scheme have been apprehended by immigration enforcement since the launch of that scheme.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Ms Lyn Brown
	uin	41960
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>In response to question UIN: 41960</p><p>Any information provided as part of a compensation claim is solely used for the purpose of assessing that claim. Information provided as part of a compensation claim is held on a separate system, and is not shared outside of the compensation team. Information provided as part of a compensation claim would never be passed on to Immigration Enforcement or used as part of enforcement action.</p><p>Immigration Enforcement have put in place safeguards to ensure members of the Windrush generation are not subjected to enforcement action. Whenever a person is encountered who claims to be a member of the Windrush generation or to be in the UK lawfully, they are referred to the Windrush Help Team to consider their case and, if appropriate, issue documentation under the Windrush (status) Scheme confirming their right to be in the UK. No enforcement action is taken against individuals whose status is under review by the Windrush Help Team, or who have an ongoing Windrush (status) Scheme application.</p><p>Anyone is free to submit a claim to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, irrespective of whether they are actually eligible for compensation. It is possible for a person who is in the UK unlawfully, and who is not a member of the Windrush generation, to submit an unmeritorious compensation claim. They may, rightly, be subject to enforcement action on the basis of information obtained by Immigration Enforcement independently. We do not hold data on how many compensation claimants have later faced enforcement action.</p><p> </p><p>In response to question UIN: 41961</p><p>Since its launch, the Home Office has continued to listen and respond to feedback from affected communities and stakeholders about how the Scheme operates and its accessibility. In response to feedback, we have re-designed the primary claim form to make it easier to complete.</p><p>We have designed the compensation scheme to be as clear and simple as possible, so people do not need legal assistance to make a claim. We have published a redesigned primary claim form which now has a Crystal Mark from the Plain English Campaign, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring the scheme is accessible and as easy to use as possible.</p><p>The new form includes more targeted and closed questions to help people understand and provide the key information we need from them. We believe the new form will improve peoples’ experiences of applying to the scheme and help to speed up the processing of claims by reducing the amount of additional information and evidence we must ask people to provide.</p><p>We have made the evidential threshold as low as possible. Our intent is to ask for the minimum evidence necessary to reduce the burden on individuals, whilst maximising the offers we can make. In doing so we are seeking to strike the right balance between ensuring the scheme is comprehensive and covers the broadest range of circumstances, whilst also making it easy to navigate.</p><p>However, for those who want or need support to make a claim, the Home Office provides free assistance in making applications through our independent claims assistance provider - We Are Digital. The Windrush Compensation Scheme Help Team can also assist individuals should they have questions about the claim form or process.</p><p>We continue to work extensively with communities and stakeholders to raise awareness of the Scheme and encourage affected individuals to apply.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 41961 question first answered 06/09/2022 08:41:28 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1490602

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's decision to extend the standard processing times for family visas to 24 weeks, what consultation her Department undertook prior to making that decision; and what assessment her Department has made of the impact of that decision on people awaiting visa decisions, particularly in respect of their right to family life.
	tabling member constituency	Walthamstow
	tabling member printed	Stella Creasy
	uin	39837
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>The 24-week service standard is based on expected processing times due to the increased number of outstanding family visa applications. This increase was due to the prioritisation of Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.</p><p>Staff from other government departments, including DWP and HMRC, have been surged into the department to help with Ukraine work and enable normal visa routes to return to normal service levels in due course. Applicants were informed of the change to a 24-week service standard on 11 May 2022 and the department is currently operating within this.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is aware of potential impacts of applicants awaiting visa decisions. Requests to expedite spousal visa applications where there are compelling or compassionate circumstances are considered on a case-by-case basis and take a range of factors into consideration.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 05/09/2022 09:36:22 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4088 label Biography information for Stella Creasy

1491141

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Asylum: Rwanda
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated to providing mental health services in the asylum processing system per person in Rwanda.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
	uin	40872
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>As made clear in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) governing the Migration and Economic Development Partnership at paragraphs 8.1 and 10.3.2 individuals transferred will be given the support necessary by the Government of Rwanda to ensure their health and wellbeing. The MoU can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/memorandum-of-understanding-mou-between-the-uk-and-rwanda/memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-government-of-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-and-the-government-of-the-republic-of-r" target="_blank">Memorandum of Understanding between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the government of the Republic of Rwanda for the provision of an asylum partnership arrangement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 05/09/2022 16:34:15 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4573 label Biography information for Dr Rosena Allin-Khan

1504603

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2022
	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 recent estimate she has made of the number of Afghan citizens referred to her Department as eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy who remain in Afghanistan awaiting permission to enter the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	901275
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>An estimated 6,500 people, who are eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, remain in Afghanistan.</p><p>Securing safe passage out of Afghanistan continues to present a barrier to the international community’s efforts to relocate eligible people and their families. There are no direct flights and some will need to consider very carefully what is the best option to travel safely through the country in order to reach a third country.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 05/09/2022 15:38:07 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

1490752

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	India: Visas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) offer E-visa facilities to Indian nationals and (b) agree reciprocal arrangements with New Delhi for British nationals.
	tabling member constituency	Stockport
	tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
	uin	40014
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>We are developing a border and immigration system which is “digital-by-default”, which over time means we will increasingly replace physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services.</p><p>We have been rolling out eVisas since 2018, first with the EU Settlement Scheme and increasingly on other immigration routes, so the number of eVisa holders is continuing to rise. We are making eVisas available primarily by route rather than on the basis of nationality, but increasing numbers of applicants, including Indian nationals, will benefit from the issue of eVisas rather than physical products.</p><p>As set out in the New Plan for Immigration: legal migration and border control strategy, published on 20 July, our ambition is to phase out use of physical documents as evidence of status by the end of 2024.</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-plan-for-immigration-legal-migration-and-border-control-strategy</p><p>We are aware of British nationals' concerns regarding their exclusion from the Government of India’s (GoI) list of countries eligible for e-visas. We regularly raise our concerns with the GoI. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary raised this matter with her Indian counterpart during her last visit to India.</p><p>British nationals can continue to use the GoI’s regular/paper visa application services for all visa categories. We will continue to work closely with the GoI on the e-visa issue and update the India Travel Advice with the latest information on any changes to India's visa rules.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 05/09/2022 16:34:54 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1491474

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: 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 (a) people applied for indefinite leave to remain and (b) applications for indefinite leave to remain were processed in each month between July 2021 and July 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
	tabling member printed	Royston Smith
	uin	42109
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data on the number of applications which were granted and refused for indefinite leave to remain in our Migration Statistics: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics" target="_blank">Migration statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>The Home Office transparency data contains data of our performance against service standard for indefinite leave to remain applications. This can be found in VC_02 of our transparency data: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data" target="_blank">Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p>The Home Office does not publish data on the number of people who have applied for and have been processed under indefinite leave to remain. To obtain this information would require a manual trawl of cases and would incur a disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 42110 question first answered 06/09/2022 08:35:51 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1491469

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: EU Nationals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) people applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and (b) applications for settled status under that Scheme were processed in each month between July 2021 and July 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
	tabling member printed	Royston Smith
	uin	42107
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data on the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) in the ‘<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics" target="_blank">EU Settlement Scheme statistics</a>’.</p><p>The latest published information on EUSS applications and applications concluded by month to 31 March 2022 can be found in table ‘EUSS_MON: EU Settlement Scheme: Monthly applications received and concluded, by outcome, UK country and nationality, 28 August 2018 to 31 March 2022’ available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-quarterly-statistics-march-2022" target="_blank">EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p>Data for April, May and June 2022 will be published on 25 August 2022 in <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/eu-settlement-scheme-quarterly-statistics-june-2022" target="_blank">EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, June 2022</a> while data for July 2022 will be published in <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/eu-settlement-scheme-quarterly-statistics-september-2022" target="_blank">EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, September 2022</a> on 24 November 2022.</p><p>Our aim is to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as quickly as possible. Each individual case is considered on its own facts, which means some cases will inevitably take longer than others to conclude, for example if the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record.</p><p>The following link lists the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications, based upon current performance: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Feu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times%2Feu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications&amp;data=05%7C01%7CPhilip.Danzelman%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C7d81d2fbc49148cc3bd808da6bf8b204%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637941013117945588%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=HfArd056bfm%2Bde1mdhUbR0zDattC1p7NNE4udob%2B%2Bg8%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Our aim is to conclude applications for an EEA family permit or an EUSS family permit as soon as possible, after identity and supporting documents are submitted. More information can be found here;</p><p><a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Fvisa-decision-waiting-times-applications-outside-the-uk%23join-family-in-the-uk&amp;data=05%7C01%7CPhilip.Danzelman%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C7d81d2fbc49148cc3bd808da6bf8b204%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637941013117945588%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=vTDpzOVi%2FbxewM47B4cFln5SKFdBs5VX4kPbKBKZy%2BE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 42108 question first answered 05/09/2022 15:57:20 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
	tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith