Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many medical professionals working for the NHS moved from a study visa to a work visa in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not publish data that would cover this request.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to support the top 20 nursing students from Afghanistan to continue their studies in the UK through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
As has been the practice under successive Governments, the Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.
We remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far, have brought around 24,600 people impacted by the situation to the UK.
We continue to work with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans. We also continue to welcome individuals to the UK through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to support Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in the UK who have been issued arrest warrants and had bounties placed on them by the National Security Police of Hong Kong.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government continually assesses potential threats in the UK, and takes protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously.
DLUHC, Home Office and FCDO regularly engage with and attends events held by a wide range of British Nationals Overseas (BN(O)) community groups.
While it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on security and intelligence matters, where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate.
We will not tolerate any attempts by China to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK and overseas. The UK will always defend the universal right to freedom of expression and stand up for those who are targeted.
We strongly object to the National Security Law that China has imposed on Hong Kong, including its extraterritorial reach, in breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. We call on Beijing to remove the National Security Law and for the Hong Kong authorities to end their targeting of those who stand up for freedom and democracy.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had recent discussions with Hong Kong pro-democracy activists resident in the UK who have been issued with arrest warrants by the Hong Kong National Security Police.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government continually assesses potential threats in the UK, and takes protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously.
DLUHC, Home Office and FCDO regularly engage with and attends events held by a wide range of British Nationals Overseas (BN(O)) community groups.
While it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on security and intelligence matters, where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate.
We will not tolerate any attempts by China to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK and overseas. The UK will always defend the universal right to freedom of expression and stand up for those who are targeted.
We strongly object to the National Security Law that China has imposed on Hong Kong, including its extraterritorial reach, in breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. We call on Beijing to remove the National Security Law and for the Hong Kong authorities to end their targeting of those who stand up for freedom and democracy.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of staffing levels in the National Crime Agency.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in and against the UK. The National Crime Agency plays a critical role in this mission, and we have made significant progress in strengthening the Agency. The NCA’s budget has increased by at least 21% in the last two years to over £860m, which will help it develop and maintain the critical capabilities and skilled workforce it needs.
The Crime and Courts Act 2013 gives the Director General of the Agency overall responsibility for staffing decisions. The NCA’s Strategic Workforce Plan sets out its staffing needs over the next 3-5 years, to ensure the skills, size and shape workforce are appropriate to protect the public from serious and organised crime.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits to prescribing all private military companies operating on behalf of the Russian Government in Ukraine as terrorist organisations.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.
The Government remains concerned about Russia's use of private military companies such as the Wagner Group. We take the provision of mercenaries and other military support to parties in conflicts such as Libya, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere very seriously. We continue to work closely with our international partners to counter Russian malign activity and respond to actions that undermine the rules based international system.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of designating (a) all private military organisations fighting on behalf of the Russian government in Ukraine and (b) their financial backers as terrorist organisations.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.
The Government remains concerned about Russia's use of private military companies such as the Wagner Group. We take the provision of mercenaries and other military support to parties in conflicts such as Libya, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere very seriously. We continue to work closely with our international partners to counter Russian malign activity and respond to actions that undermine the rules based international system.
Both individuals and entities can be designated under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. Our package of sanctions in support of Ukraine targets those aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the owner and financier of Wagner Group, Wagner Group (as an entity), and several senior members of Wagner Group are subject to UK sanctions, both for their involvement in the Libyan civil war which contravened the United Nations arms embargo established by UNSC Resolution 1970 (2011); and for being engaged in actions or policies that destabilise Ukraine, or threaten its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or independence. Figures released by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in November 2022 reveal that over £18 billion of Russian assets have been frozen since the most recent invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish its customer service operations data for the first quarter of 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Customer service operations data covering MP correspondence, customer complaints, and customer satisfaction was published as part of the quarterly Home Office Migration Transparency data release on 25 May 2023 at www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ukrainian people with visas under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme who are beginning higher education studies in the UK will be able to complete their period of study.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Ukrainians in the UK under our Ukraine Schemes can apply for other types of leave where they are eligible, including leave as a student. If their study is ongoing after their 36 months leave, they are able to apply for a student visa to extend their leave at any time during their Ukraine scheme leave. A student visa is granted for the duration of the course, so can be applied for before the end of the three-year visa to ensure a student has the leave required to complete their course. More information can be found at Ukrainian nationals in the UK: visa support - GOV.UK (Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules: Appendix Student - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).
The UK Government is keeping the broader potential need for an extension of leave, for sanctuary after 36 months, under review, in line with the developments of the situation in Ukraine.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending access to the Ukraine Family Scheme to Ukrainians who have settled in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
As of 21 February 2023, the UK has granted a total of 219,400 visas under its Ukraine schemes. Of these, 66,100 were under the Ukraine Family Scheme and 153,300 were under the Home for Ukraine scheme.
The Ukraine Family Scheme allows a UK based sponsor who is a British citizen, settled in the UK, has protection status or limited leave to remain under the EUSS, to bring close family members, extended family members and close family members of those extended family members, to the UK. Those arriving in the UK must be Ukrainian or the family member of a Ukrainian.
The Homes for Ukraine Scheme provides for those Ukrainians and their family members seeking to enter the UK but who do not have family members to sponsor them under the Ukraine Family Scheme. This scheme allows individuals and organisations in the UK to sponsor applicants to come to the UK and to provide them with accommodation.
Both the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and the Ukraine Family Scheme are temporary and provide applicants with leave to enter or remain in the UK for three years. They also provide access to work, benefits, education, English language tutoring and services, including those provided by Local Authorities.
There are no current plans to extend the list of those eligible to sponsor or apply under these schemes, however we continue to keep all schemes under review.