Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish further guidance on family reunification for Afghan people resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme pathway 1.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. However, the situation is complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under the ACRS.
Individuals resettled under Pathway 2 of the ACRS will be granted refugee status in the UK and will be eligible to sponsor their immediate family under the government’s refugee family reunion scheme.
Individuals resettled under Pathway 1 and 3 will not be eligible for this scheme as they will not be granted refugee status. However, they may be
eligible to apply to sponsor family members under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. These Rules provide for a partner, dependent children and adult dependent relatives to apply to join, or stay with, a settled person in the UK.
For those evacuated from Afghanistan under ACRS P1 without their immediate family members, the Home Secretary has committed to establishing a route for separated families to be reunited. Further details will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applicants are assigned to each caseworker for the ARAP Scheme.
Answered by James Heappey
Caseworkers are tasked according to operational priorities. The number of applicants per caseworker is therefore variable.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the transition to net zero.
Answered by Gareth Davies
Spending Review 2021 confirmed that since March 2021 the government will have committed a total of £30 billion of domestic investment for the green industrial revolution. Since then, the government has made new announcements that provide long-term certainty on our investment plans, including £6 billion for energy efficiency and up to £20 billion for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage. On the 30th March the government also set out further action to deliver net zero through its Powering Up Britain publication.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Pakistani Government on protecting (a) human rights, (b) a free press and (c) peaceful protests in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK regularly engages the Government of Pakistan at a senior level on the need to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law. Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the human rights situation with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on 30 January this year, and with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on 14 December 2022. The British High Commission in Islamabad continues to engage on human rights with the Government of Pakistan, including on freedom of expression and media freedom. On 17 November 2022 the British High Commissioner discussed the issue of media freedom with Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Pakistani government on the political situation in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We have frequent contact with the Government of Pakistan on a wide range of issues. We respect Pakistan's democratic system and do not interfere in its internal political affairs. We will continue to work with Pakistan to advance our shared priorities and interests, including the promotion of freedom of speech and human rights.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart on recent reports of violence in Huwara and Nablus.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK condemned in the strongest terms the retaliatory incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinians, and we have stressed the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. The Foreign Secretary echoed this message of de-escalation in his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen on 21 March. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, set out the UK's position at the scenes of abhorrent violence in Huwarra in his 26 February statement on Twitter.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 July 2022 to Question 37600 on Students: Finance, what progress her Department has made on delivering an Alternative Student Finance product compatible with Islamic finance principles.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government is committed to delivering an Alternative Student Finance (ASF) product compatible with Islamic finance principles as soon as possible. To support the delivery of an ASF product to date, the government has taken new powers in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 to enable the Secretary of State to provide alternative payments, in addition to grants and loans. We have further carried out work with specialist advisers, the Islamic Finance Council UK, on the design of an ASF model.
As set out in the answer of 25 July 2022 to Question 37600, the government is introducing the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE), which will significantly change the ways students can access learning and financial support.
Work is underway to assess how we can ultimately deliver an ASF product alongside the LLE. We are procuring advice from experts in Islamic finance and will be working with the Student Loans Company to better understand timescales for delivery of an ASF product.
In our response to the LLE consultation, published on 7 March 2023, we set out our aim that students will be able to access an ASF as part of the LLE as soon as possible after 2025.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of providing additional financial support for victims of violence against women and girls to help with increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Tackling violence against women and girls is a Government priority. It is unacceptable and preventable, and an issue which blights the lives of millions. The Government is absolutely committed to ensuring victims have the support they need and we are conscious that the cost of living may generate additional challenges for victims and survivors.
Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan invests over £230 million of cross-Government funding into tackling this crime, including over £140 million to support victims and over £81 million to tackle perpetrators. This includes trialling a £300,000 ‘flexible fund’, that could make direct payments to domestic abuse victims.
In addition to the direct impact on victims, the Government also acknowledges the cost of living will have an impact on charitable organisations who work to support them. To help mitigate these challenges, where possible the Home Office has provided multi-year grants to support organisations to make maximum use of their funding, by providing greater stability and predictability on their budgets.
As announced in the Spring Budget, the Government will also be providing over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England. Further detail on this funding, including eligibility criteria, will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
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 impact of increases in the cost of living on victims of domestic abuse.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Tackling violence against women and girls is a Government priority. It is unacceptable and preventable, and an issue which blights the lives of millions. The Government is absolutely committed to ensuring victims have the support they need and we are conscious that the cost of living may generate additional challenges for victims and survivors.
Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan invests over £230 million of cross-Government funding into tackling this crime, including over £140 million to support victims and over £81 million to tackle perpetrators. This includes trialling a £300,000 ‘flexible fund’, that could make direct payments to domestic abuse victims.
In addition to the direct impact on victims, the Government also acknowledges the cost of living will have an impact on charitable organisations who work to support them. To help mitigate these challenges, where possible the Home Office has provided multi-year grants to support organisations to make maximum use of their funding, by providing greater stability and predictability on their budgets.
As announced in the Spring Budget, the Government will also be providing over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England. Further detail on this funding, including eligibility criteria, will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his Department did not impose sanctions on P&O Ferries, DP World or flag states for the dismissal of 786 directly employed UK seafarers on 17 March 2022.
Answered by Richard Holden
Following the 17 March 2022 dismissals by P&O Ferries the Department for Transport conducted a thorough review of ongoing government contracts with P&O Ferries, and one ongoing contract between the Home Office and P&O Ferries was terminated at our request.
The Government also asked the Insolvency Service to review the company’s actions. On 1 April 2022, the Insolvency Service confirmed that following its enquiries it had commenced investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies, which might ultimately result in criminal or civil sanction.
While a criminal prosecution could not be brought, the civil investigation is ongoing. As such it would not be appropriate for the Government to provide any further comment at this time.