Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have arrived at Scottish airports from international destinations since 8 June 2020 to date.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Border Force does not release location specific statistics on the arrival of passengers to an individual airport.
However on 28 May 2020, the Home Office published additional statistics relating to Covid-19 and the immigration system here. This contains information on the impact of COVID-19 on passenger arrivals and includes data on the number of passengers arriving in the UK by air routes only.
The Home Office is due to publish the next quarterly Immigration Statistics on 27 August 2020.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to reintroduce a seasonal agricultural workers scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our world-leading food and farming industry. We have asked the Migration Advisory Committee for advice on the UK’s reliance on EU labour and they will help us shape immigration policy going forward.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to (a) review the operation of the Syrian Vulnerable person relocation scheme and (b) ensure best practice in resettlement is shared and implemented as widely as possible.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office continuously reviews the operation of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and uses feedback from delivery partners and stakeholders to drive improvements.
The Department has mechanisms in place to identify and share best practice and will continue to do this. For example, as part of the consultation on the Integrated Communities Strategy, the Department has consulted with NGOs and other stakeholders on best practice for refugee integration, including refugees already resettled.
Additionally, Ipsos Mori have been commissioned to produce a qualitative evaluation and the emerging findings will help shape ongoing improvements on the delivery of the scheme and facilitate the sharing of learning across areas about what is and isn’t working well to inform local discussions.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 2 visas have been granted in (a) England (b) Wales (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland since the beginning of 2018.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Information on Tier 2 entry clearance visa applications broken down by outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018.
Neither a breakdown by Region or the company an applicant is employed by are available in the published entry clearance data.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 2 visas were granted in (a) England (b) Wales (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in 2017.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Information on Tier 2 entry clearance visa applications broken down by outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018.
Neither a breakdown by Region or the company an applicant is employed by are available in the published entry clearance data.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of Tier 2 visas which were granted to SMEs in (a) 2017 (b) 2016 (c) 2015 and (d) 2014.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Information on Tier 2 entry clearance visa applications broken down by outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018.
Neither a breakdown by Region or the company an applicant is employed by are available in the published entry clearance data.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to create a refugee integration strategy.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office does not collect the information required to calculate the total number of people granted refugee status who are in employment in the UK for any point in time.
We recognise the difficulties refugees can face when looking for work. We have funded a pilot project to provide additional employment support to refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and we will share the learning from this pilot with the Department for Work and Pensions and others. We continue to work closely with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that refugees are aware of, and receive, the support they are entitled to.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the Refugee Rights Data Project report Twelve Months On about the situation for displaced people in northern France; and what steps she is taking to fulfil her obligation to protect vulnerable child refugees.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government has noted the recent report by the Refugee Rights Data Project. However, the primary responsibility for children in France lies with the French authorities. France has many of the same international obligations towards those on its territory as the UK, and the French Government has made clear its commitment to provide unaccompanied children with appropriate accommodation and support. It is vital that children who are in Calais claim asylum or otherwise seek support from the French authorities rather than risking their lives by attempting to enter the UK illegally.
We welcome the opening of four new ‘Welcome Centres’ in France, which were opened over three months ago, in Haut de France (the region covering Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk ports). Those assessed or declared to be a child, can be transferred to the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking children centres in Northern France: St Omer and Boulogne. However, the asylum application needs to be physically lodged in Lille. There is regular transportation to UASC centre in Boulogne.
We are fully committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children from Europe under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. A number of children have arrived from France under section 67 in recent weeks and transfers are ongoing. More eligible children will be transferred from Europe under the scheme in due course.
This is in addition to our commitments under the Dublin III Regulation which allows unaccompanied children who have claimed asylum in another Member State to be transferred here to have their asylum claim assessed if they have a qualifying family member legally present in the UK and transfer would be in their best interests. We continue to work closely with France, other EU Member States and partners to ensure the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin III Regulation, including through regular dialogue and meetings.