Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the validity requirements for the Ukraine Extension Scheme set out in the Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme, if he will amend the date by which applicants must have received permission to enter or stay in the UK from 16 November 2023 to May 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Ukraine Extension Scheme was established in March 2022 to enable Ukrainian nationals and their close family members already in the UK, with permission (or where that permission has recently expired), to remain in the UK. To qualify for permission under the UES a customer must either hold permission to be in the UK on or between 18 March 2022 and 16 November 2023 or have previously held permission to be in the UK which expired on or after 1 January 2022. Those who have been granted permission by 16 November 2023 will have until 16 May 2024 to submit an application under the UES.
We are keeping the need for a possible extension of permission to remain for those here on our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with the ongoing conflict.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Oral Statement of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 41, what his Department's policy is on the additional household income threshold requirements per child in that household.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The revised minimum income requirement will be implemented in spring 2024.
The Government will set out any transitional provisions associated with this increase in January.
Any applications already submitted will be considered in line with the existing policy.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the deadlines for (a) eligibility for back payments and (b) all applications to the Victim Payments Board.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Victims Payments Regulations (2020) requires the Secretary of State to conduct a review and report on the operation of the scheme between August 2023 and August 2024. These issues - the possibility of extending the periods for backdating payments and for the submission of new applications - will be considered as part of this review. If the Hon Gentleman would like to make his case in correspondence, I will ensure his views are duly considered.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will have discussions with international partners on the potential creation of (a) an international monitoring arrangement and (b) a peacekeeping presence through (i) the United Nations and (ii) an ad hoc arrangement to help support a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We maintain regular contact with the United Nations on a full range of issues relating to conflict in Gaza. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support British nationals who wish to leave. The UK is supportive of limited and temporary cessations of hostilities as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is crucial that we capitalise on the hostage deal to allow as much food, water, medical supplies and fuel as possible to reach vulnerable civilians in Gaza. This pause should act as a confidence-building mechanism for future pauses, including those solely on humanitarian grounds. We will continue to use all the tools of British diplomacy and development to enhance the prospects of peace and stability in the region, working closely with our partners.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett consequentials are for Northern Ireland following the announcements for additional funding for (a) housing associations through the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme and (b) the third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund in the Autumn Statement 2023.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As a result of announcements made at Autumn Statement 2023, the Northern Ireland Executive will receive £185 million through the Barnett formula over 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The Barnett formula determines changes to overall devolved administration block grants and Barnett-based funding is not ringfenced in line with specific programmes.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who had been transferred from Larne House in Northern Ireland to a longer-term holding facility in Britain were released into a hotel in England in the last six months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We do not publish the information requested. This is because the information is not available in a reportable format and providing this information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of trialling community-based alternatives to detention for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Recent independent evaluations of two Home Office funded pilot projects in the UK found no definitive evidence that community-based case management focused alternatives to immigration detention led to the quicker resolution of individual cases nor represented better value for money. We therefore have no plans to progress any further community-based case management focused alternatives to immigration detention.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers in Northern Ireland were (a) taken into Larne House short-term holding facility and (b) transferred to a longer-term detention centre in Britain in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We do not publish the information requested. This is because the information is not available in a reportable format and providing this information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much of the Fresh Start Agreement funding package for shared and integrated education (a) has been allocated as of 21 November 2023 and (b) is remaining.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Fresh Start Agreement in 2015 set out a commitment by the UK Government to release up to £500m over ten years of new capital funding to support shared and integrated education and housing. This funding is subject to individual projects being agreed between the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government.
HM Treasury’s Block Grant Transparency confirms that over £196 million in Fresh Start Agreement (shared education and housing) funding has been transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive up to Mains 2023-24, with around £304 million remaining. The Block Grant Transparency is published online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/block-grant-transparency-july-2023.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether funding from the £500 million Fresh Start agreement package has been allocated to the Strule Shared Education Campus.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Fresh Start Agreement in 2015 set out a commitment by the UK Government to release up to £500m over ten years of new capital funding to support shared and integrated education and housing. This funding is subject to individual projects, including Strule, being agreed between the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government.
The Government continues to work with Northern Ireland Departments on funding arrangements and projects under the Agreement and funding allocations continue to be subject to HM Treasury approval.
As the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set out in his Written Ministerial Statement on the Northern Ireland Budget 2023-24 in April, the acute state of Northern Ireland’s public finances means that it may be necessary to reallocate funding from previously announced funding packages. This process is ongoing.