Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to expand safe routes for asylum seekers.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through our existing global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. Safe and legal routes will continue to play a vital role in our overall migration system. However, given the scale of today’s global displacement challenges, it is not possible to offer a pathway into the UK to every person who needs or wants one. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to take steps to increase the number of safe routes available to people fleeing persecution.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The United Kingdom will always take seriously our responsibility alongside others to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.
Safe and legal routes will continue to play a vital role in our overall migration system.
Our priority right now is the relocation of those who have been identified as eligible for resettlement under our resettlement schemes, and fixing the gaps in existing routes. That is why we have affirmed our ongoing commitment to the UK Resettlement Scheme; supported the reunification of Afghan families under the ACRS route; provided sanctuary for Ukrainians under our Ukraine schemes; and provided routes for Hong Kongers under our Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route. We will continue to keep this system under review.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people will be able to continue to prove their immigration status with existing physical documents after 31 December 2024.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Legacy document holders who currently prove their rights using older forms of evidence of immigration status (such as ink stamps in passports) will still be able to prove their rights as they do today, using their legacy documents where these are permitted. However, we encourage those individuals to transition to an eVisa at www.gov.uk/eVisa, which offers a range of benefits to customers and status checkers.
Holders of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) who have a valid immigration status and, for any reason, do not switch to an eVisa before their BRP expires, will be able to create a UKVI account quickly and easily, using their expired BRP if needed. They will also be able to use their expired BRP to generate a share code through the Right to Work and Right to Rent online services for a limited time. However, an expired BRP does not offer the full benefits of an eVisa, and we encourage them to create a UKVI account as soon as possible.
Migrant Help will initially be funded to support people in their transition to an eVisa for up to 12 months. We will monitor customer demand and keep our support offer under review.
We have learnt from the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and are building on the success of the scheme, particularly in relation to our support for vulnerable customers, such as providing grant funding to organisations to support vulnerable people through the transition to eVisas, and through the Assisted Digital service which provides UK-wide support to individuals who require assistance with IT-related aspects of creating a UKVI account. The UKVI Resolution Centre is also available to those creating their UKVI account, and those using the online immigration status services. We also have ‘helper’ and ‘proxy’ functionality in place for those who require assistance switching to, and navigating the online services.
We are currently delivering an extensive communications campaign in support of the transition to eVisas, including through direct communications to impacted individuals, wide-ranging stakeholder engagement, development of a range of communications materials for stakeholders to share and use, and proactive media engagement. From mid-October we will be launching a paid advertising campaign in support of eVisa transition, targeting those who are using physical immigration documents, and encouraging them to take action to switch to an eVisa.
We provide clear guidance and direct support for vulnerable, and less digitally confident customers to help them manage this change, with support available for them online, through the grant funded network, the Assisted Digital service and via the UKVI Resolution Centre.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long her Department plans to fund Migrant Help to support people with the rollout of e-visas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Legacy document holders who currently prove their rights using older forms of evidence of immigration status (such as ink stamps in passports) will still be able to prove their rights as they do today, using their legacy documents where these are permitted. However, we encourage those individuals to transition to an eVisa at www.gov.uk/eVisa, which offers a range of benefits to customers and status checkers.
Holders of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) who have a valid immigration status and, for any reason, do not switch to an eVisa before their BRP expires, will be able to create a UKVI account quickly and easily, using their expired BRP if needed. They will also be able to use their expired BRP to generate a share code through the Right to Work and Right to Rent online services for a limited time. However, an expired BRP does not offer the full benefits of an eVisa, and we encourage them to create a UKVI account as soon as possible.
Migrant Help will initially be funded to support people in their transition to an eVisa for up to 12 months. We will monitor customer demand and keep our support offer under review.
We have learnt from the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and are building on the success of the scheme, particularly in relation to our support for vulnerable customers, such as providing grant funding to organisations to support vulnerable people through the transition to eVisas, and through the Assisted Digital service which provides UK-wide support to individuals who require assistance with IT-related aspects of creating a UKVI account. The UKVI Resolution Centre is also available to those creating their UKVI account, and those using the online immigration status services. We also have ‘helper’ and ‘proxy’ functionality in place for those who require assistance switching to, and navigating the online services.
We are currently delivering an extensive communications campaign in support of the transition to eVisas, including through direct communications to impacted individuals, wide-ranging stakeholder engagement, development of a range of communications materials for stakeholders to share and use, and proactive media engagement. From mid-October we will be launching a paid advertising campaign in support of eVisa transition, targeting those who are using physical immigration documents, and encouraging them to take action to switch to an eVisa.
We provide clear guidance and direct support for vulnerable, and less digitally confident customers to help them manage this change, with support available for them online, through the grant funded network, the Assisted Digital service and via the UKVI Resolution Centre.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is using lessons learned from the rollout of the EU Settlement Scheme in the rollout of eVisas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Legacy document holders who currently prove their rights using older forms of evidence of immigration status (such as ink stamps in passports) will still be able to prove their rights as they do today, using their legacy documents where these are permitted. However, we encourage those individuals to transition to an eVisa at www.gov.uk/eVisa, which offers a range of benefits to customers and status checkers.
Holders of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) who have a valid immigration status and, for any reason, do not switch to an eVisa before their BRP expires, will be able to create a UKVI account quickly and easily, using their expired BRP if needed. They will also be able to use their expired BRP to generate a share code through the Right to Work and Right to Rent online services for a limited time. However, an expired BRP does not offer the full benefits of an eVisa, and we encourage them to create a UKVI account as soon as possible.
Migrant Help will initially be funded to support people in their transition to an eVisa for up to 12 months. We will monitor customer demand and keep our support offer under review.
We have learnt from the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and are building on the success of the scheme, particularly in relation to our support for vulnerable customers, such as providing grant funding to organisations to support vulnerable people through the transition to eVisas, and through the Assisted Digital service which provides UK-wide support to individuals who require assistance with IT-related aspects of creating a UKVI account. The UKVI Resolution Centre is also available to those creating their UKVI account, and those using the online immigration status services. We also have ‘helper’ and ‘proxy’ functionality in place for those who require assistance switching to, and navigating the online services.
We are currently delivering an extensive communications campaign in support of the transition to eVisas, including through direct communications to impacted individuals, wide-ranging stakeholder engagement, development of a range of communications materials for stakeholders to share and use, and proactive media engagement. From mid-October we will be launching a paid advertising campaign in support of eVisa transition, targeting those who are using physical immigration documents, and encouraging them to take action to switch to an eVisa.
We provide clear guidance and direct support for vulnerable, and less digitally confident customers to help them manage this change, with support available for them online, through the grant funded network, the Assisted Digital service and via the UKVI Resolution Centre.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have worked under the poultry Seasonal Worker visa scheme in each year since 2021.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on the number of grants of Seasonal Worker visas is published in table Vis_D02 of the Entry clearance detailed dataset. Data on visa grants by occupation can be found in table Occ_D02, of the Sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
The latest data relates up to the end of December 2023.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applicants have secured a Seasonal Worker visa in each year since 2019.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Data on the number of grants of Seasonal Worker visas is published in table Vis_D02 of the Entry clearance detailed dataset. Data on visa grants by occupation can be found in table Occ_D02, of the Sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
The latest data relates up to the end of December 2023.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on potential insurance claims and damages as a result of wildfires in Surrey.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Home Office are the lead Government Department for Wildfire Response and own the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) wildfire risk. Government departments including Home Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities and key stakeholders work closely to mitigate the risk of wildfire.
The published Wildfire Framework outlines the work being undertaken to improve the UK’s preparedness for wildfires in England. The Home Office maintains regular engagement with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to monitor and review sector led improvements to wildfire response and mitigation.
The Home Office have committed to scoping a wildfire strategy and action plan by mid-2024, with support from Defra and its agencies. This commitment is outlined in the third National Adaptation Plan and includes considering prevention, response and recovery actions.
In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor who will assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.
Surrey County Council has overall responsibility for fire and rescue services in Surrey. The county council will receive an un-ringfenced grant for all of their services including fire, through the Local Government Finance Settlement and they will allocate funding according to their priorities.
All Fire and Rescue Authority’s including Surrey, are required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfires) through their Integrated Risk Management Plan. This will include plans to prevent and respond to incidents.
Individuals should contact their own insurance providers with regard to any potential claims for damage as a result of wildfire.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to mitigate potential wildfires in Surrey.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Home Office are the lead Government Department for Wildfire Response and own the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) wildfire risk. Government departments including Home Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities and key stakeholders work closely to mitigate the risk of wildfire.
The published Wildfire Framework outlines the work being undertaken to improve the UK’s preparedness for wildfires in England. The Home Office maintains regular engagement with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to monitor and review sector led improvements to wildfire response and mitigation.
The Home Office have committed to scoping a wildfire strategy and action plan by mid-2024, with support from Defra and its agencies. This commitment is outlined in the third National Adaptation Plan and includes considering prevention, response and recovery actions.
In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor who will assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.
Surrey County Council has overall responsibility for fire and rescue services in Surrey. The county council will receive an un-ringfenced grant for all of their services including fire, through the Local Government Finance Settlement and they will allocate funding according to their priorities.
All Fire and Rescue Authority’s including Surrey, are required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfires) through their Integrated Risk Management Plan. This will include plans to prevent and respond to incidents.
Individuals should contact their own insurance providers with regard to any potential claims for damage as a result of wildfire.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the risk of potential wildfires in Surrey.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Home Office are the lead Government Department for Wildfire Response and own the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) wildfire risk. Government departments including Home Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities and key stakeholders work closely to mitigate the risk of wildfire.
The published Wildfire Framework outlines the work being undertaken to improve the UK’s preparedness for wildfires in England. The Home Office maintains regular engagement with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to monitor and review sector led improvements to wildfire response and mitigation.
The Home Office have committed to scoping a wildfire strategy and action plan by mid-2024, with support from Defra and its agencies. This commitment is outlined in the third National Adaptation Plan and includes considering prevention, response and recovery actions.
In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor who will assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.
Surrey County Council has overall responsibility for fire and rescue services in Surrey. The county council will receive an un-ringfenced grant for all of their services including fire, through the Local Government Finance Settlement and they will allocate funding according to their priorities.
All Fire and Rescue Authority’s including Surrey, are required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfires) through their Integrated Risk Management Plan. This will include plans to prevent and respond to incidents.
Individuals should contact their own insurance providers with regard to any potential claims for damage as a result of wildfire.