Afghanistan Policy

Philippa Whitford Excerpts

Monday 13th September 2021 Commons Chamber

[Victoria Atkins]

My right hon. Friend will be pleased to know that once we have dealt with the immediate emergency of moving 15,000 or so people from quarantine hotels into bridging accommodation—I hope and plan that that will be concluded this week—we can then start really to set in stone some of our plans for integration. There are all sorts of ideas, including equivalence qualifications involving the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that we get people into the jobs market as quickly as possible. Of course, we will also be measuring English language fluency to help those who are a little bit further from the jobs market towards the jobs market so that they can be truly independent and have their own futures here in the UK.

[Dr Philippa Whitford (Central Ayrshire) (SNP)]

Obviously, quite rightly, a lot of the discussion is around ARAP, but what about UK citizens and UK residents who are trapped? My case is of a woman with three tiny daughters who is stranded having cared for a relative and got caught by covid, and now she does not know what to do. How do I get help for her?

[Victoria Atkins]

If I have understood the hon. Lady correctly, the person she is describing is already within the asylum scheme—

[Dr Whitford]

rose—

[Victoria Atkins]

Will the hon. Lady give me the privilege of perhaps speaking to me afterwards, because I have misunderstood her question? I do apologise.