Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to process the applications of Afghan refugees currently located in third countries; and what is their timetable for (1) completing the processing of their applications, and (2) bringing successful applicants to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is not time limited, and we are working at pace to consider each application on a case-by-case basis. Timelines for processing applications vary from case to case, due to the complexity and personal circumstances of each applicant.
Efforts to support all eligible Afghans and to help them to come to the UK remain a Government priority. We have received more than 114,000 applications since the scheme opened and to date, we have relocated over 8,800 ARAP principals and their dependants to the UK.
We continue to work alongside international partners to relocate eligible Afghans from and through third countries.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to Afghans to ensure their safety in light of the narrowing of the Afghans Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme; and why that scheme has been restricted at a time when the lives of Afghans are at risk.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is one of the most generous relocation programmes in the world. It is not time-limited and will endure, facilitating the relocation of eligible Afghans and their families. Updates to the ARAP scheme guidance provide much needed clarity on who is eligible for relocation under the scheme. It remains the Government's intention to assist as many eligible Afghans as possible.
In addition, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, operated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is now open and has committed to take around 5,000 refugees in the first year and 20,000 over the coming years.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan children are currently in school in the UK; and how many are waiting for a place in education.
Answered by Baroness Barran
All school aged children who arrived as part of the Operation Pitting airlift from Afghanistan are now in school. Those children who have arrived since then are either in school, or being placed in schools, as quickly as possible. We continue to monitor the position in local authorities with bridging hotels. All are continuing with the process of placing children in schools and none have reported problems with doing so. However, they are at different stages in the process depending on the date of new arrivals.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help pursue a ceasefire in Tigray to support the delivery of humanitarian aid; what assessment they have made of the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia; and how the withdrawal is being monitored.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
On 24 March the Government of Ethiopia announced a humanitarian truce and committed to facilitating overland access to Tigray. This was followed by a similar commitment by the Tigray authorities. On the 1 April a UN humanitarian convoy comprising twenty trucks and one fuel tanker reached Mekelle from Afar region - the first overland delivery of aid to Tigray since mid-December 2021. As the Minister for Africa set out in her statement of 31 March, the UK welcomes this development and the UK acknowledges the important role the Afar authorities have played, alongside the Government of Ethiopia and the authorities in Tigray, in facilitating the convoy and prioritising the welfare of civilians.
The UK is committed to working with the Government of Ethiopia and authorities in Afar and Tigray to expand aid deliveries to areas affected by the conflict and to promote long-term peace and security.
Troops from Eritrea have caused significant suffering in Tigray and they have committed abuses which may constitute war crimes. Eritrean troops should withdraw fully from Ethiopia, to help bring about an end to the conflict.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how may students from universities in Afghanistan have been offered places to study within the UK.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The department does not hold information on the number of students from overseas coming to study in the UK. However, data from the 2020/21 academic year shows that the number of Afghan domiciled students studying at a UK higher education (HE) provider was 215.
As part of Operation Warm Welcome, it was announced on 1 September 2021 that funding for a single cohort of students for entry into the next academic year (2022/23) will be provided for up to 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghan students at UK universities. Further details will be launched shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to prevent people's (a) lives, and (b) livelihoods, being affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa, and (2) to tackle the underlying causes of (i) conflict, and (ii) climate change, in that region.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa. In January, the Minister for Africa announced a £17 million package of emergency humanitarian assistance to address critical needs in Ethiopia (£5 million), South Sudan (£3 million), Somalia (£8 million) and Kenya (£1 million). In February, a further £5.5 million of support was allocated for Somalia, and in March a further £1.6 million to support the drought response in Ethiopia.
Our response to the drought builds on long-established resilience building programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. In Kenya this includes support to the Hunger Safety Programme. This has provided 600,000 people in drought prone regions with regular financial assistance alongside efforts to promote strengthened national disaster management capacity. In Ethiopia, the UK funded Productive Safety Net Programme benefitted some 8 million people via financial welfare provision and community public works projects, which promote soil and water conservation.
The UK remains committed to promoting peace and security across the Horn of Africa.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) funding, and (2) support, for Ukraine reaches its intended recipients, including (a) local, and (b) women-led, organisations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched its Ukraine Appeal on 2 March which has now reached over £200 million, with the government matching £25 million of the public's donations. This is our largest ever aid-match contribution, which is helping DEC charities provide food, water, shelter and healthcare to refugees and displaced families.
We are working to ensure aid agencies are able to respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The UK has deployed a field team of humanitarian experts to Poland to provide logistics advice and analyse the evolving refugee situation ensuring support provided to refugees, including women and girls, is tailored to the local context, including the threats they face. Our humanitarian support will be implemented by trusted humanitarian partners with expertise in protection and safeguarding.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) funding, and (2) diplomatic support, in respect of the war in Ukraine does not distract from efforts to help vulnerable people affected by crises in the rest of the world.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is one of the leading humanitarian donors to Ukraine, pledging £394 million in Aid, including £220 million of humanitarian assistance. These funds will be used to save lives, protect vulnerable people inside the country and in the wider region. In addition to funding, the UK has deployed field teams of humanitarian experts to Poland, Moldova and Romania to provide logistics advice and analyse the evolving refugee situation.
The UK remains committed to the pledges it has made in response to other humanitarian crises, including Yemen and Afghanistan. In Yemen, the total amount of UK funding since the conflict began is approximately £970 million. In Afghanistan, the UK will have disbursed approximately £286 million in aid, in the last financial year.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the UK aid budget will return 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income; and whether they consider the funding for Ukraine (1) to be part of the temporary 0.5 per cent target, or (2) to be additional expenditure.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7% of GNI on official development assistance (ODA) when the fiscal situation allows.
The response to Ukraine is a priority for the FCDO and the international community. The UK has committed £394 million in aid to the current crisis in Ukraine the breakdown of which is in the Foreign Secretary's letter to the IDC [https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/9404/documents/161135/default]. This will come from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget. The Department is currently finalising allocations based on the Spending Review outcome and these will be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees from Afghanistan have been registered with the NHS; and how many have been provided with access to (1) a GP, and (2) maternal, (3) dental, and (4) mental health, services, within the past year.
Answered by Lord Kamall
We do not hold the data in the format requested. Clinical systems do not record whether individuals have been resettled through an Afghan resettlement scheme.