Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department considers Afghanistan to be a safe country for asylum returns.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Our assessment of the general situation in Afghanistan is set out in the relevant country policy and information notes, which are available on the GOV.UK website.
All asylum and human rights claims from Afghan nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims from Afghans were refused in 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum claims by nationality is published in table Asy_D02 the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.
The latest data relates to the year ending September 2024. Data for October to December 2024 will be published on 27 February 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislation to make all hate crime an aggravated offence.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime. We have committed to changing hate crime legislation to bring parity of protection for LGBT+ and disabled people under the aggravated offences and we are currently considering how best to implement this.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of Palestinians in Gaza seeking to make a UK visa application enrolling their biometrics in a Visa Application Centre in (a) Ramallah and (b) Jerusalem.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Biometrics underpin the UK immigration system to support identity assurance and suitability checks on foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control.
In most circumstances, foreign nationals who are required to apply for entry clearance to come to the UK are required to enrol their biometrics in the form of a facial image and fingerprints as part of the application process at a visa application centre.
We will accept applications from those in Gaza, at any of the UK’s Visa Application Centres. Customers can visit Welcome to VFS Global | vfsglobal for an up to date list of Visa Application Centres in the region.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that legitimate knife manufacturers are not adversely affected by online restrictions intended to reduce knife crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are committed to strengthening the law around online sales which is why we are conducting a rapid review of the online sale and delivery of knives and how controls can be strengthened. The review is being taken forward by Commander Stephen Clayman, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime. The review will take in to account the position of legitimate businesses alongside the demands of public safety.
We are also progressing a manifesto commitment to hold senior executives personally liable for flouting the law on the online sale of knives.
We are currently consulting the public on proposals to introduce personal liability measures on senior executives of online platforms and marketplaces who fail to take action to remove illegal content relating to knives and offensive weapons. The consultation will run for 4 weeks until 11 December 2024.
Sale of knives: executive sanctions www.gov.uk/government/consultations/sale-of-knives-executive-sanctions
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had discussions with (a) people that have experienced immigration detention and (b) charities and NGOs on the review of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
We will be engaging with NGOs as part of the review at the appropriate time, to ensure that they have the opportunity to share their views and experiences of working with those who have been in immigration detention.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the 14th Report of Session 2017-19 of the Home Affairs Committee entitled Immigration Detention, HC 913, published on 12 March 2019, in the context of her Department's review of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Adults at Risk review is a wholesale review of the policy, including Rule 34 and Rule 35 of the detention centre rules. Accordingly, the review will engage broadly with some of the themes in the Report, since the focus of the review centres on vulnerability in detention.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many entry clearance applications from Palestinians in Gaza have been approved since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Since 7 October 2023, the Home Office have granted 143 predetermination requests, and 5 biometric excusal requests to Palestinians located in Gaza.
The Home Office is aware from legal representatives that two Palestinian nationals located in Gaza died before their applications for predetermination/bio excusal had been concluded.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to enable Palestinians from Gaza to be reunited with their family members in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Palestinian nationals who wish to come to the UK and do not have a current UK visa can apply under one of the existing visa routes available.
The routes available for families to reunite will depend on the status of the sponsor. Options available may include appendix family reunion, appendix family migration - where the sponsor is a British national or has indefinite leave, and can also include dependents of those with most work or certain postgraduate study visas.
Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
It is the decision of the Israeli authorities as to who can leave Gaza.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Palestinians in Gaza seeking to reunite with family members in the UK have died while waiting for her Department to decide requests for (a) predetermination and (b) biometric excusal since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Since 7 October 2023, the Home Office have granted 143 predetermination requests, and 5 biometric excusal requests to Palestinians located in Gaza.
The Home Office is aware from legal representatives that two Palestinian nationals located in Gaza died before their applications for predetermination/bio excusal had been concluded.