Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research his Department has commissioned on the (a) impact on communities and (b) economic cost of hate crime in the past three years.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
We keep our approach to tackling hate crime under review, taking into account the international evidence base and our internal research. Over the last three years we have undertaken internal research and commissioned external research from IPSOS UK and RAND Europe where necessary.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with refence to the Answer of 21 June 2023 to Question 189060 on Hate Crime: LGBT+ People, when he plans to publish the Government’s response the Law Commission's report entitled Hate crime laws: Final report, published on 7 December 2021.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
We are grateful for the detailed consideration the Law Commission has given to its review of hate crime laws. In April this year, the Government published a response to Recommendation 8 on misogyny as a hate crime and we will respond to the remaining recommendations shortly.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 20 July 2022 to Question 36865 on Refugees: Rwanda, how many refugees from Rwanda have been resettled in the UK under the Migration and Economic Development Partnership; and if he will take steps to publish this data each month.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Migration and Economic Development Partnership has not yet been operationalised.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Westminster Hall debate on Safe Asylum Routes: Afghan Refugees on 17 October 2023, whether unaccompanied children who came to the UK through the Afghan Citizen's Resettlement Scheme 1 will be able to sponsor family members who are still in (a) Afghanistan and (b) a third country, to resettle in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. However, the situation is complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under the ACRS.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Westminster Hall debate on Safe Asylum Routes: Afghan Refugees on 17th October 2023, whether she has made an estimate of the number of additional caseworkers required to ensure all Afghan people who have come to the UK through the Afghan Citizen's Resettlement Scheme 1 can be reunited with family members eligible for family reunion in the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government is committed to ensuring operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand.
We also remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. The situation in the region is complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under the ACRS.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the eligibility criteria for the second stage of the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority for this government. As of June 2023, around 24,600 vulnerable people affected by the events in Afghanistan have been brought to safety. This includes the first individuals to be relocated under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Under the first stage of Pathway 3, the government will consider all eligible at-risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni that expressed an interest during the FCDO’s window of opportunity. This means we will exceed the original cap of 1,500 places for the first stage of ACRS Pathway 3. Our immediate focus is on ensuring their resettlement.
In the second stage of Pathway 3, our commitment to work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans still stands. However, we are not able to open for referrals at this present time for the second stage of Pathway 3, but further information will be published in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent Home Office staff have dealt with complaints about matters that have not been resolved through Migrant Help in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been received as of October 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The data requested cannot be provided as it comes from live operational databases that have not been quality assured.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme advice provided by his Department to Afghan nationals that they should travel to Pakistan for final checks stating that they can arrange their own accommodation in the UK, if she will issue guidance on the criteria required by the Government for those accommodation arrangements; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We continue to issue new visas to eligible individuals under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. This means they immediately have the right to live, work and study in the UK.
Where individuals seek to arrange their own accommodation, the Home Office works with local authorities to ensure that they are content with the arrangements. Where the local authority indicates that they are willing to receive and support the family, arrangements are made to provide a funding package to local authorities, and to facilitate travel to the UK for the individuals themselves.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2023 to Question 192849 on Asylum: Portland Port, on what date her Department's (a) contractors, (b) officials and (c) Ministers were made aware that there was legionella on the Bibby Stockholm barge; when the legionella finding was reported to the UK Health Security Agency; what steps she is taking to improve her Department's processes to ensure that accommodation for refugees is (i) adequate and (ii) meets the required regulatory standards; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
As a precautionary measure, and going above and beyond UK Health Security Agency advice, the Home Office disembarked all asylum seekers on 11 August 2023.
We take the welfare of individuals on the vessel seriously. The asylum seekers had health assessments, and nobody has presented with symptoms.
We are beginning to move people back on the Bibby Stockholm in Portland. All necessary tests including all health, fire and water checks have been completed, and are all satisfactory.
The number of people on board will increase gradually with more arrivals in the coming days and months, as part of a carefully structured phased approach.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 publishing a target timeframe for processing Ukraine Humanitarian Sponsorship Scheme applications; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.