Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people whose applications to stay in the UK had been refused were returned to Afghanistan in the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office publishes data on the number of returns from the UK in each quarter in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly release’. The latest data are published in Ret_D02 of the Returns detailed tables. (See attached for information) This includes information on the number of people returned to each country. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate to the year ending December 2020. Data to the end of March 2021 is due to be published on 26 August.
The table below covers the period of Quarter 1 - 2017 to Quarter 1 2021 over the last five years.
| 2017 Q1 | 2017 Q2 | 2017 Q3 | 2017 Q4 | 2018 Q1 | 2018 Q2 | 2018 Q3 | 2018 Q4 | 2019 Q1 | 2019 Q2 | 2019 Q3 | 2019 Q4 | 2020 Q1 | 2020 Q2 | 2020 Q3 | 2020 Q4 | 2021 Q1 |
Grand Total | 13905 | 11912 | 13005 | 12418 | 11656 | 10456 | 11036 | 11445 | 10439 | 9237 | 9004 | 9529 | 7207 | 1495 | 4479 | 5075 | 4565 |
The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:
The published data relate to all returns, regardless of reason for return.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to follow the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner's advice to stop all returns of individuals to Afghanistan after immigration proceedings.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Enforced returns to Afghanistan have been paused.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they sought legal advice in respect of the Zimbabwean nationals due to be deported on 21 July in relation to (1) non-refoulement, and (2) the risk posed to individuals being deported from the UK to Zimbabwe by the Emergency Travel Document process; and if so, what steps they took as a result.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
FNOs selected for deportation have either been convicted of an offence that has caused serious harm, are a persistent offender, or represent a threat to national security.
Deportation of foreign criminals is subject to several exceptions, including where doing so would be a breach of a person’s European Convention on Human Rights or the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention. All those that were deported on the flight were provided with the opportunity to raise claims, including asylum and human rights claims, prior to their deportation and were given a minimum of 5 working days’ notice of their removal directions, in accordance with published policy.
Re-documentation interviews with officials from countries of return are a standard part of Home Office process where an interview is required by the receiving country to enable the confirmation of nationality and identity, in order for a travel document to be produced.
All of those that were returned were free of any legal barriers. Our priority will always be to keep our communities safe, and since January 2019 we have returned 7,985 foreign criminals from the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide funding to agencies and local authorities to support EU citizens facing problems accessing their rights and entitlements in the UK, including issues with the EU Settlement Scheme, given that the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements does not deal with individual cases.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office remains committed to ensuring those who are eligible can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), including those who are vulnerable, need extra support or are harder to reach.
£22 million of funding, through to 30 September 2021, has been awarded to a network of 72 charities and local authorities across the UK, to ensure important information and assistance gets through to those who are hardest to reach, and no one is left behind. This support has continued beyond the 30 June 2021 deadline to ensure continuing support for vulnerable citizens applying late
Guidance on how to apply and details of the support available to applicants is available through the EU Settlement Resolution Centre (SRC), which is open seven days a week to provide assistance over the telephone and by email, and the SRC also provides a direct line for organisations, charities, social workers, and local authorities working with vulnerable groups.
We are working closely with the Grant-funded Network (GFN) and other key stakeholders, collating feedback, to help establish the needs and scale of support beyond September 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that British citizens who are also EU/EEA citizens do not receive communications asking them to apply for settled status; and what estimate they have made of the number of such citizens who have been contacted to apply for settled status.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government is using every possible channel to encourage everyone who may be eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to apply. The Home Office has worked extensively to promote awareness of the EUSS. Since 2019, we have delivered a major EUSS paid advertising campaign, and worked closely with employers, local authorities, stakeholders and charities to raise awareness and support applications.
The Home Office is currently working with HMRC and DWP to send letters to EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who receive benefits, but it appears are yet to apply to the EUSS. These letters seek to encourage recipients to apply to the EUSS to protect their existing rights in the UK before the deadline of 30 June 2021.
In trying to reach as many people as possible, there may be a small number of instances where these letters are sent to recipients who are naturalised as a British citizen. The letter may also be received by a small number of individuals who have already applied to the EUSS, for example because they applied after the initial exercise with DWP or HMRC was completed, but before the letter was sent out. The letter makes clear anyone who is a British citizen or already has EUSS status does not need to take any action.
As of 30 April 2021, 4.9m grants of status had been made. The Home Office urges anyone eligible for the EUSS to apply before the 30 June deadline to ensure their rights are protected following the end of the grace period.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why dual country nationals are required to send their original foreign passport to the Home Office when applying to renew their UK passport; and what consideration they have given to allowing those individuals to instead supply a certified copy.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Where a dual national holds a passport issued by another country, HM Passport Office requires this to be provided in support of a British passport application as part of its range of checks to confirm the applicant’s identity and eligibility. This includes ensuring the British passport is issued in the same identity the holder uses for all official purposes.
We ask customers to send their original document to allow physical checks ensure it is genuine, and we can return it during the application process if requested. In countries where legal restrictions prevent a customer submitting their passport as part of their application, a ‘local service’ is in place to submit the application so officials can check the original document and send a copy to HM Passport Office in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the whether current statutory safeguarding provisions adequately (1) assist young victims of intimate partner violence, and (2) deal with perpetrators of intimate partner violence.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
(i) Young Victims
We recently published an updated version of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’. The guidance specifically references teenage relationship abuse as part of the statutory definition of domestic abuse. It also outlines the ‘assessment of risk outside the home’ which ensures that practitioners are alert to the risk of abuse for young people within their own intimate relationships.
Further to this, the draft guidance that will accompany the Domestic Abuse bill covers abuse in teenage relationships. The guidance has been seen in draft by a wide range of sector representatives, who have provided feedback. The guidance is being finalised ahead of a formal consultation period in the spring.
(ii) Perpetrators
The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (“CJA 2003”) provides for the establishment of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (“MAPPA”) in each of the 42 criminal justice areas in England and Wales. These are designed to protect the public, including previous victims of crime, from serious harm by sexual and violent offenders. They require the local criminal justice agencies and other bodies dealing with offenders to work together in partnership in dealing with these offenders.
MAPPA guidance states that under the Children Act 2004, the Responsible Authority and DTC agencies have a statutory duty to make arrangements for ensuring that ‘their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’ and that ‘children should not be treated by MAPPA as ‘mini-adults’’.
The draft Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance which is due to be published following royal assent of the Bill also includes young people who perpetrate abuse.
Young people perpetrating abuse in their relationships must be supported in an appropriate way that places emphasis on tackling the drivers of their behaviour. Court and responding agencies must take into account youth justice guidelines when responding to cases of teenage relationship abuse, avoid unnecessarily criminalising young people, and identify appropriate interventions to address behaviours that might constitute or lead to abuse. Relevant youth justice guidelines include:
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) EU, and (2) EEA, citizens with settled status have been denied citizenship because they did not have Comprehensive Sickness Insurance during their qualifying period of residence.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We are not aware of any applications for British Citizenship being refused purely based on the requirement for Comprehensive Sickness Insurance under EEA Regulations.
Holding Comprehensive Sickness Insurance is not a mandatory requirement for the award of British citizenship or for being awarded Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide pre-settled status for EU citizens who can demonstrate their intention to settle in the UK before 31 December but were prevented from doing so by restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including (1) those who are currently resident in Australia and New Zealand, and (2) those who can demonstrate a previous tie with the UK including (a) a National Insurance number, and (b) an earlier period of residence.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The end of the transition period at 11 pm on 31 December 2020 remains the point by which EU citizens need to have been resident in the UK to be eligible for pre- settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). There are no plans to extend this deadline for those who wished to travel to the UK for the first time in order to apply to the EUSS, but did not do so.
EU citizens and their family members who were resident in the UK before 31 December and are outside the UK on that date are eligible to apply to the EUSS, including from overseas, by the deadline of 30 June 2021.
Published guidance for EUSS applicants on the impact of COVID-19 is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-eu-settlement-scheme-guidance-for-applicants
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the new Immigration Rules applying from 1 January 2021, including those which make rough sleeping grounds for refusing and cancelling someone’s right to remain in the UK, do not deter people experiencing homelessness from accessing support.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The new Immigration Rule which makes provision for the refusal or cancellation of permission to stay in the UK on the basis of rough sleeping will be used sparingly, and only where individuals have refused support offers such as accommodation and are engaged in persistent anti-social behaviour.
The Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government are working together to encourage local authorities and approved charities to resolve the immigration status of eligible rough sleepers and unlock access to any benefits and entitlements that rough sleepers may be eligible for.