Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for an application for indefinite leave to remain in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Data on asylum applications, indefinite leave to remain and citizenship applications is published as part of immigration statistics (at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2023) and migration transparency data (at www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data).
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings (a) they and (b) other Ministers in their Department have had with the Department's Chief Scientific Adviser from (i) 1 December 2021 to 28 February 2022, (ii) 1 March to 31 May 2022 and (iii) 1 June to 31 August 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what groups will be eligible under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme when applications reopen.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will provide up to 20,000 women, children, and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK over the coming years.
Under the first year of Pathway 3 of the ACRS, we will offer resettlement places to up to 1,500 people from the three identified cohorts (British Council and Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni). This includes the principal and their eligible family members in Afghanistan and the region.
The online referral process for this pathway closed on 15 August 2022. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.
Beyond the first year of Pathway 3, the Government will work with our international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk. Further information on future years will be made available in due course.
Further information on ACRS Pathway 3 in the first year can be found here:
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will open for the next round of applications.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will provide up to 20,000 women, children, and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK over the coming years.
Under the first year of Pathway 3 of the ACRS, we will offer resettlement places to up to 1,500 people from the three identified cohorts (British Council and Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni). This includes the principal and their eligible family members in Afghanistan and the region.
The online referral process for this pathway closed on 15 August 2022. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.
Beyond the first year of Pathway 3, the Government will work with our international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk. Further information on future years will be made available in due course.
Further information on ACRS Pathway 3 in the first year can be found here:
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas have been issued under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to date in each parliamentary constituency.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukrainian Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, divided by each local authority can be found in published data on the GOV.UK webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-for-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-numbers-of-visa-applications)
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to sponsor Ukrainian refugees have been made under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to date in each parliamentary constituency.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukrainian Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, divided by each local authority can be found in published data on the GOV.UK webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-for-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-numbers-of-visa-applications)
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings she had with her Department's Chief Scientific Adviser from (a) 1 March to 31 May 2021, (b) 1 June to 31 August 2021 and (c) 1 September to 30 November 2021.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Ministers meet with Professor Jennifer Rubin, the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser, as necessary during the process of policy development and delivery.
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2021 to Question 43418, on Passports: Applications, what measures she has introduced to reduce processing times for applications.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 5 million people have chosen to delay applying for a passport. With the potential demand for passports higher than ever before, since April 2021 passport applicants have been advised to plan to wait up to 10 weeks before they receive their passport.
Her Majesty’s Passport Office has a range of tried and tested contingency arrangements available to help passport applications to be processed as quickly as possible during the periods of very highest demand, including the flexing of resources from across the Home Office and other government departments. However, there are no current plans to change the advice about how long to allow when applying for a passport until the level of potential demand returns closer to normal levels.
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings she had with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser from (a) 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020, (b) 1 June 2020 to 31 August 2020, (c) 1 September 2020 to 30 November 2020 and (d) 1 December 2020 to 28 February 2021.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Ministers meet with the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser as necessary during the process of policy development and delivery.
During the periods in question, the Home Secretary met with Professor John Aston on numerous occasions from 1st March 2020 until he left the department at the end of December 2020.
Following John Aston’s term in post, Professor Jennifer Rubin was appointed as the new Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser from January 2021. Since January 2021 Professor Rubin met the Home Secretary and other Ministers regularly up until 28th February 2021 and continues to do so.
Asked by: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings she had with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser (a) from 1 September to 30 November 2019 and (b) from 1 December 2019 to 29 February 2020.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Ministers meet with Professor John Aston, the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser, as necessary during the process of policy development and delivery. During the periods in question, the Home Secretary met with Professor John Aston on numerous occasions.