Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support people leaving Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the first year after the Taliban takeover, the UK provided £17 million to support partners in Afghanistan's neighbouring countries. This support assisted Afghan migrants and asylum seekers moving across borders, and refugee and host communities in those countries. We are also planning £161 million of funding to Afghanistan this financial year (2024-5), which includes both humanitarian aid and support for essential services in Afghanistan. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for (a) his policies and (b) the forthcoming UK National Screening Committee review on prostate cancer guidelines of the findings of the report by Prostate Cancer UK entitled Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with, or dying from, prostate cancer by major ethnic group in England 2008–2010, published in July 2015, on the risk of prostate cancer for Black men.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is carrying out an evidence review for prostate cancer screening, and this includes different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening programmes aimed at groups of men identified as being at higher than average risk, such as those with a family history, carriers of the BRCA2 gene mutation, and based on ethnicity.
The UK NSC is aware of Prostate Cancer UK’s report, and this will be considered as part of its evidence review process, with further information available at the following link:
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum claims her Department has (a) granted and (b) refused to non-religious people fleeing Afghanistan from fear of persecution in the latest period for which data is available; and whether her Department has issued guidance on handling asylum claims for (a) religious and (b) non-religious persecution.
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 can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. The Home Office does not publish initial decisions on asylum claims by religion.
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 June 2024. Data for the year ending September 2024 will be published on 28 November 2024.
All asylum and human rights claims, including those based on religious persecution, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. This is based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national, and international organisations, such as human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country, is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken for applications for indefinite leave to remain to be processed following a successful asylum claim on the mental health of applicants.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
We have a proud record of providing protection to those who need it, for as long as it is needed, in accordance with our international obligations. Those who qualify for protection are normally granted five years’ limited leave and have access to the labour market and welfare support. Refugees, like the vast majority of migrants, are expected to complete a qualifying period of leave before being eligible to apply for settlement.
Settlement provides permission to stay in the UK permanently and freedom from immigration control for those who still require protection. As the need for protection may be temporary, a safe return review is carried out on every application for settlement on a protection route to determine and confirm the need is continuing. If there are, for example, significant improvements in country conditions or changes in personal circumstances that mean someone no longer needs protection, they may be expected to return to their country of origin or to apply to stay in the UK under other provisions of the Immigration Rules. Those who are still at risk of serious harm in their country are not expected to return there.
Our service standards for these Indefinite Leave to Remain applications is six months, and in cases where this is not possible, we contact our customers within that time to explain the reasons for this. Safeguarding, including where there are mental health issues, is an issue that we take extremely seriously and we will expedite applications if there are compelling and compassionate reasons to do so.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the average time taken to investigate alleged fraudulent research and development tax relief claims on small businesses.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is committed to tackling error and fraud whilst also ensuring the R&D tax relief claims process is straightforward for genuine claimants.
At Autumn Budget, HMRC published the Approach to Research and Development tax Reliefs for 2023 to 2024, which shows that the average time to complete a compliance check for 2023-24 is 246 days. The length of a compliance check will depend on a range of factors, including the complexity of the claim. The additional information required upfront to support claims is being used to inform HMRC’s risking of claims and compliance approach.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to investigate alleged fraudulent research and development tax relief claims.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is committed to tackling error and fraud whilst also ensuring the R&D tax relief claims process is straightforward for genuine claimants.
At Autumn Budget, HMRC published the Approach to Research and Development tax Reliefs for 2023 to 2024, which shows that the average time to complete a compliance check for 2023-24 is 246 days. The length of a compliance check will depend on a range of factors, including the complexity of the claim. The additional information required upfront to support claims is being used to inform HMRC’s risking of claims and compliance approach.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of naming parties involved in employment tribunal cases on those people; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits granting anonymity to parties involved in employment tribunal cases by default.
Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Employment Tribunals Act 1996 and the Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure 2013 (“the Rules”) govern how cases are handled in employment tribunals. Orders for anonymity are primarily governed by rule 50 of the Rules. This provides the employment tribunals the power to make an order restricting or preventing the disclosure of any aspect of proceedings, this may include an order that a party’s identity should not be disclosed to the public. Employment tribunals may only make such an order, where it is ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ and having regard to the principle of open justice and to the Convention right to freedom of expression. As such, the question of whether such an order should be granted is a judicial decision balancing the interests of justice with the need for transparency, and is taken on a case-by case basis.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his department has plans to increase funding for (a) NGOs and (b) human rights defenders operating in Afghanistan who are promoting the human rights of (i) women, (ii) girls, (iii) LGBTQ+ people and (iv) religious and (v)non-religious minorities.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers are reviewing the FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to ensure it delivers on our priorities. We are committed to transparency and will publish ODA allocations for 2024-25. We are planning £161 million in aid this financial year (2024-25), with 50 per cent targeted for women and girls. UK funding supports several NGOs who promote human rights in Afghanistan, including those of women and minorities. We also contribute to an Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund project that supports civil society, particularly women-led organisations.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the treaty on the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will guarantee Chagossians (a) the right to return to the outer islands, (b) restitution of the islands and (ci) an independent award of compensation after consultation with the Chagossian people.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise the importance of the Chagos Archipelago to Chagossians and have worked to ensure the agreement with Mauritius reflects their interests. Under the terms of the agreement, Mauritius will be free to implement a programme of resettlement on the islands, other than Diego Garcia, and we will finance a new trust fund for Mauritius in support of Chagossians. Separate to the agreement, we will increase our support to Chagossians in the UK and will work with Mauritius to restart visits to the islands at the earliest opportunity, including Diego Garcia, for Chagossians.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that Chagossians (a) in the UK and (b) globally are consulted before conclusion of a treaty on the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials will continue to regularly engage with members of the Chagossian community on a range of issues, including on the implementation of the agreement reached between the United Kingdom and Mauritius. We recognise the huge importance of the islands to Chagossians and have worked to ensure this agreement reflects their interests.