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 \u2013 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>
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 \u2013 including larger properties to support bigger families - and develop strong local integration initiatives.<\/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>
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>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4451", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Foster"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Torbay"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kevin Foster"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-09-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-09-06T09:50:55.573Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-07-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Refugees: Afghanistan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4471", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachael Maskell"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "York Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Rachael Maskell"} ], "uin" : "42078"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1352418", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Transport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1352418/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government recognises the importance of transport for rural areas and is committed to improving access to services that provide vital connectivity.<\/p>
<\/p>
To support local bus services in England outside London,\u202f£200\u202fmillion\u202fof Bus Services Operator\u2019s Grant (BSOG)\u202fhas\u202fbeen\u202fpaid\u202fby the Department directly to\u202foperators\u202fso\u202ffar\u202fduring\u202fthe pandemic. £43\u202fmillion of BSOG\u202fis\u202fcommitted\u202fdirectly\u202fto local transport authorities (LTAs) so that they can subsidise socially necessary bus services, of which Hertfordshire\u202fCounty Council\u202freceived\u202f£1,211,630\u202fin the 2020-21 funding period.<\/p>
<\/p>
On top of this, to improve current bus services, or restore lost services where needed, the Government has paid an extra £30 million to LTAs in 2020/21. Hertfordshire\u202fCounty Council met the funding requirements and\u202freceived an allocation\u202fof\u202f£401,174.<\/p>
<\/p>
Additionally, in March 2021 we awarded funding to 17 pilot projects through the £20 million Rural Mobility Fund scheme to trial innovative, demand-responsive solutions to transport challenges that rural and suburban areas often face.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4668", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachel Maclean"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Redditch"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rachel Maclean"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-09-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-09-13T14:07:07.55Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-09-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bus Services: Rural Areas"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support is being provided to local authorities to help with the funding and provision of rural bus services.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4639", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bim Afolami"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hitchin and Harpenden"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bim Afolami"} ], "uin" : "42078"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1192403", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1192403/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government is committed to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse wherever and however it occurs. There can be no safe space for paedophiles to operate either here or abroad and we will do all we can to keep children safe. We continue to work closely with law enforcement in the UK and international partners to close down online networks and bring offenders to justice. We announced in the 2019 Spending Round an investment of an £30 million to support UK law enforcement to bear down on child sexual exploitation and abuse.<\/p>
The Government is working closely with the Netherlands to tackle online child sexual abuse material that is held in, and distributed from, the Netherlands and available in the UK. The Dutch approach to addressing the threat of online child sexual exploitation and abuse was outlined in a letter from their Ministry of Justice and Security to the European Union. This provided a useful platform for our engagement on how we can work together on this issue, identify areas of common interest, best practice and ways to coordinate our efforts to tackle the threat.<\/p>
The Dutch hotline, EOKM, will also be working with the UK\u2019s Internet Watch Foundation to combat the issue of child sexual abuse material. In 1996 when the Internet Watch Foundation was founded, the UK hosted 18% of the global total of online child sexual abuse content; in 2019 this figure was just 0.1%.<\/p>
UK police have existing powers under section 72 and Schedule 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 which provides for extra-territorial jurisdiction in relation to certain offences under the 2003 Act where the victim is under the age of 18 years old. We continue to look at what more we can do with our international partners giving due consideration to the findings of the \u201cChildren Outside the UK report\u2019 published by the Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse in January 2020.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4399", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Victoria Atkins"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Louth and Horncastle"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Victoria Atkins"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-05-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-05-11T14:43:28.187Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-05-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Offences against Children: Netherlands"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her Dutch counterpart on reducing the volume of child sexual abuse images and videos that are hosted in that country.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4382", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Daniel Zeichner"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cambridge"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Daniel Zeichner"} ], "uin" : "42078"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 3, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }