Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her department is taking to support the welfare of children whose parents are subject to No Recourse to Public Funds.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Temporary migrants are generally required to support themselves and any accompanying family members, including children, in the UK without recourse to public funds. This is a well-established principle which protects taxpayer-funded public services from becoming overburdened.
There are, nonetheless, strong and important safeguards in place to ensure migrants receive support where they are destitute, at risk of destitution, or have community care needs, including issues relating to human rights or the wellbeing of children.
People with leave under the Family, Private life and Human Rights routes that engage Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and those who have been granted leave on the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route can apply, for free, to have their NRPF condition lifted by making a ‘change of condition’ application. An individual can apply if they are destitute or at risk of imminent destitution, if the welfare of their child is at risk due to their low income, or where there are other exceptional financial circumstances.
Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 imposes a general duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of “children in need” in their area. Support provided to a child by local authorities under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 is not dependent on the immigration status of the child or their parent(s).
Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support, regardless of immigration status, if it is established there is a genuine care need which does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where they are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.
Status holders who have made the necessary national insurance contributions can also claim contributory benefits such as contribution-based Jobseekers Allowance, statutory sick pay and state pension.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ukrainian minors seeking asylum in the UK will be allowed to travel to the UK with individuals other than their legal parents or guardians where parental consent has been provided.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Homes for Ukraine scheme is run and maintained by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. More information can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-visa-under-the-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to requests submitted to the Employer Checking Service.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Digital status has been an overwhelming success. Millions of customers have used the Home Office’s digital services which enable customers to prove their immigration status immediately. Data on the usage of our digital services can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
As part of the continuing transformation of the border and immigration system, we will phase out physical and paper-based products and services and replace them with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. These new services, alongside new technologies, will remove certain scenarios where customers have to rely on the Employer Checking Service to prove their permission to work, helping reduce the need for employers to submit queries in future.
The home office is currently recruiting additional staff to reduce the time taken to respond to requests on the Employer Checking Service. Information on the number of requests submitted to the Employer Checking Service and awaiting a response as of 25 May 2022 is not available in a reportable format as it is unassured management information.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests submitted to the Employed Checking Service are awaiting response as of 25 May 2022.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Digital status has been an overwhelming success. Millions of customers have used the Home Office’s digital services which enable customers to prove their immigration status immediately. Data on the usage of our digital services can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
As part of the continuing transformation of the border and immigration system, we will phase out physical and paper-based products and services and replace them with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. These new services, alongside new technologies, will remove certain scenarios where customers have to rely on the Employer Checking Service to prove their permission to work, helping reduce the need for employers to submit queries in future.
The Home Office is currently recruiting additional staff to reduce the time taken to respond to requests on the Employer Checking Service, information on the number of requests submitted to the Employer Checking Service and awaiting a response as of 25 May 2022 is not publicly available.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Ukrainian government regarding the inclusion of unaccompanied Ukrainian minors in Phase 1 of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We recognise the deeply troubling circumstances faced by all Ukrainians who are caught up in this conflict, including unaccompanied minors. Safeguarding and protection of these vulnerable children is paramount.
The routes and visa changes which we have announced so far follow extensive engagement with the Ukrainian Government to ensure they respond directly to their concerns. The Ukrainian Government stated to the UK Government in writing on 7th March 2022 that: “any Ukrainian Child who is currently outside Ukraine may not be adopted or placed in the care of foreigners without the consent of Ukraine”. The current rules in relation to unaccompanied children and the Home for Ukraine Scheme therefore respect this position.
We will continue to work closely with the Ukrainian Government going forward as to how we can work together to support unaccompanied children displaced by the conflict.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2022 to Question 102809, on Afghanistan: Refugees, what her Department's timeframe is for contacting Afghan citizens eligible for the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who are not British Council or GardaWorld contractors or Chevening Alumni.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.
The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited. In Year 1, resettlement through the third pathway will be limited to those British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni who are most at risk. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.
Beyond the first year of the ACRS, we will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans most at risk under the third referral pathway.
Information on how the ACRS will operate including the referral pathways are set in the oral statement of 6 January.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-the-afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to provide information to hon. Members on whether the cases they have referred to her Department will be considered for resettlement under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will prioritise those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups (including ethnic / religious minorities and LGBT+).
There is no application process for the ACRS. Instead, eligible people will be prioritised and referred for resettlement through one of three ways. The statement of 6 January sets this out in detail: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-the-afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme
Representations from Members of Parliament have raised the plight of a great number of people from Afghanistan who would wish to relocate to the UK.
These representations have helped to inform the design of the ACRS as a scheme that will help those in need who are particularly vulnerable, including women and children at risk, and minority groups; as well as those who have supported the UK mission in Afghanistan.
All referrals onto the ACRS will be through the three pathways set out in the statement to Parliament of 6 January, which is a fair and equitable way to identify those most in need.
As an additional verification step, we shall check names of eligible British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni against the names of people referred to us by MPs during the evacuation.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the proportion of online scams resulting in (a) a full investigation and (b) the prosecution of the perpetrator.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to increasing improvements in the response to fraud – including investigations and prosecutions. The government is committed to taking fraudsters off the streets and increasing arrests and prosecutions. We the government is committed to increasing arrests and prosecutions and that is why we have been working with partners from law enforcement, the public and private sectors to explore all options available to give our policing colleagues what they need to keep pace with criminals and encourage innovation within industry.
In February 2021, we set out an ambitious framework for tackling fraud against individuals and businesses, which will be published in detail later in 2022. It will commit key partners in the public and private sectors to do more to tackle fraud, focusing on restricting opportunities to commit fraud increasing public awareness and strengthening victim support.
We are already increasing law enforcement investigative capacity in the National Crime Agency and in Regional Organised Crime Units across England and Wales. As part of the Police Uplift Programme to recruit an additional 20,000 officers by 2023, we have channelled additional officer resource into the Regional Organised Crime Unit network to work on a host of serious and organised crime threats including fraud as well as posts to the City of London Police to fulfil their role as a world-class fraud specialist force. We will also establish a new fraud investigative function in the NCA to target the most complex and serious fraudsters, meeting a manifesto commitment to create a new national cybercrime force focused on fraud. We are also increasing intelligence capabilities in the NCA and the national security community to identify the most harmful criminals and organised criminal gangs.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support provided to local police forces to assist in the investigation of scams conducted (a) through telephone calls and (b) online.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We recognise that there needs to be improvements in the response to fraud – from the reporting process through to investigations. That is why we have been working with partners from law enforcement, the public and private sectors to explore all options available to give our policing colleagues what they need to keep pace with criminals and encourage innovation within industry.
The government is committed to taking fraudsters off the streets and increasing arrests and prosecutions. We are increasing law enforcement investigative capacity in the National Crime Agency and in Regional Organised Crime Units across England and Wales.
As part of the Police Uplift Programme to recruit an additional 20,000 officers by 2023, we have channelled additional officer resource into the Regional Organised Crime Unit network to work on a host of serious and organised crime threats including fraud as well as posts to the City of London Police to fulfil their role as a world-class fraud specialist force.
We will also establish a new fraud investigative function in the NCA to target the most complex and serious fraudsters, meeting a manifesto commitment to create a new national cybercrime force focused on fraud. We are also increasing intelligence capabilities in the NCA and the national security community to identify the most harmful criminals and organised criminal gangs.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to contact vulnerable Afghans to inform them that they are eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.
The first to be resettled under the new ACRS will be some of those already evacuated and in the UK. They include women’s rights activists, journalists, and prosecutors, as well as the Afghan families of British Nationals.
From Spring, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme, based on assessments of protection need.
In Year One we will also resettle individuals who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan, including those British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni who are most at risk. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.
There will not be an application process for the ACRS. More detail on the three referral pathways can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme.