Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many principal applicants who received Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy eligibility letters from her Department and were refused entry to the UK by her Department on national security grounds have subsequently had that refusal withdrawn or overturned and have been allowed entry to the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office do not hold centralised data on this.
The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, show that since their first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes (ACRS and ARAP) have resettled a total of 21,387 people.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on legal costs for Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy principals refused relocation to the UK by her Department on national security grounds who later had that refusal decision overturned.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not hold centralised data specifically in relation to the categories as tabled in this question.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to issue Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme personnel and their families housed in bridging hotels with notice of their eviction from their hotel accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Bridging hotels are not, and were never designed to be, permanent accommodation. That is why dedicated teams across central and local government have supported over 9,000 Afghans into settled homes.
However, around 8,000 remain in hotel accommodation. Long-term residency in hotels has prevented some Afghans from properly putting down roots, committing to employment and fully integrating into communities. From the end of April 2023, individuals staying in hotels and serviced accommodation began to receive legal notice to leave their temporary accommodation by a certain date.
Dedicated cross-government casework teams, made up of Home Office Liaison Officers and DWP staff, are based in hotels and are working alongside local authority officials to provide advice to Afghans, including information on how to rent in the private sector, find employment and English language training.
The government is providing £285 million of new funding to local authorities supporting the Afghan resettlement schemes. This includes £35 million which will go towards increasing the level of support available as well as a £250 million expansion of the Local Authority Housing Fund to help councils to source homes for Afghans currently in bridging accommodation.
This new, generous package of support comes in addition to the existing support available for people on the ACRS and ARAP schemes, including access to welfare system, the right to work and full access to public services.
The move from hotels into settled accommodation is in the best interests of families and individuals and will enable them to benefit from the freedoms of independent living that only suitable non-hotel accommodation can provide.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 181359 tabled on 18 April 2023 on Refugees: Afghanistan.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
A response will be provided in due course.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration, on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, when she plans that asylum seekers will move into each military base in (a) Essex, (b) Lincolnshire, (c) East Sussex and (d) Catterick.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We continue to work with our providers and partners to develop timescales for all sites as soon as possible. This will include engaging timescales through multi-agency forums, bringing together key stakeholders such as Local Authorities, police, health and other partners.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration, on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) current and (b) former service accommodation with (i) mould and (ii) damp issues is not used to house asylum claimants.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
As will all asylum accommodation, the Home Office will ensure that all accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, how long she plans to use military sites to house asylum claimants.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office are assessing how long asylum seekers will be accommodated at the proposed sites.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Minister holds the responsibilities previously held by the Minister for Afghan Resettlement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
I refer the Rt Hon member to my response to Question 175503 on 18 April 2023: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement to the House on 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration, whether asylum seekers being housed at military bases in the UK will be placed in current or former service accommodation rated (a) grade 1, (b) grade 2, (c) grade 3, (d) grade 4 and (e) below grade 4.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
I provided an update to Parliament on 29 March about the ongoing work across Government to secure alternative, more appropriate, cost-effective accommodation options around the country.
The two discussed military sites in Lincolnshire and Essex will provide basic and functional accommodation for migrants who illegally enter the UK by crossing the Channel, instead of using expensive hotels.
The sites will house asylum seekers in former barracks and modular accommodation in an orderly manner with healthcare provision, catering facilities and 24/7 security all on site.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, what estimate she has made of the number of asylum seekers that will be housed at each military site in (a) Essex, (b) Lincolnshire, (c) East Sussex and (d) Catterick.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Details on the number of asylum seekers we estimate to be accommodated on each site are available on Asylum accommodation factsheets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).