Questioner: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (LAB - Life peer)
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals are currently accommodated in Napier Barracks who indicated in their asylum screening interview or ASF1 form that they are (1) a victim of trafficking, (2) torture, or (3) suffering from mental health problems; and what is the total number of people who have been accommodated in Napier Barracks since April.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
All individuals accommodated at Napier meet the suitability criteria. This is assessed via service user’s asylum screening interview, ASF1’s and any supporting evidence submitted by the service user or their representative.
Individuals considered vulnerable under the Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2005 regulation 4(3) and/or those who have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism as potential victims of trafficking are not suitable to be accommodated at Napier. Further suitability criteria can be found at: Allocation of accommodation policy, on gov.uk. Asylum seekers allocated to the accommodation have full access to the advisory services provided by Migrant Help and are able to raise issues about their suitability to be accommodated at the site.
According to local data held by Clearsprings Ready Homes, 1033 service users have been accommodated at Napier Barracks since 9th of April 2021.
Questioner: Claire Hanna (SDLP - Belfast South)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to source additional appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The current global pandemic along with high intake presented us with significant challenges when it comes to the provision of asylum accommodation, including sourcing sufficient suitable accommodation to meet demand.
The use of hotels and wider government facilities is a short-term measure and we are working with our accommodation providers to move people to longer-term dispersal accommodation as soon as it becomes available. The Home Office is working closely with our asylum accommodation provider Mears, Local Authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships to increase the amount of accommodation available for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland so we can eliminate the need for the use of contingency accommodation.
The Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership works with local statutory partners such as the NI Housing Executive to consider procurement referrals within Belfast, taking into consideration any local service pressures, and has additional established a sub group to progress the widening of procurement out with Belfast to support increased, sustainable and supported procurement with the relevant local partners.
Questioner: Jacob Young (CON - Redcar)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many local authorities have signed up to the voluntary dispersal scheme for asylum seekers as of July 2022.
Answered by Kevin Foster
There are currently 168 Local Authorities in the UK with supported asylum seekers residing in dispersal accommodation provided by the Home Office.
A further 24 local authorities have no-one residing in dispersal properties but have supported asylum seekers residing in contingency accommodation
Questioner: Andrew Rosindell (CON - Romford)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of sending illegal migrants from the UK to the Falkland Islands on the local population of that island.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
We have been clear we are committed to working closely with international partners as we work to fix our broken asylum system. The Government will not give a running commentary on the progress of talks or who we are in talks with.
Changes in the Nationality and Borders Bill support our future intention to process asylum claims overseas. This, alongside the suite of measures within the Bill, seeks to disincentivise people from making dangerous journeys across Europe to the UK and encourage people to claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. That is the fastest route to safety.
We will, of course, ensure that all removals are compliant with our international obligations. Every single person who is eligible for removal under this policy will be able to make representations where they are concerned the country in question would not be safe for them.
Questioner: Catherine West (LAB - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Afghan nationals who have been evacuated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (a) are in bridging hotels and (b) have moved into suitable permanent housing.
Answered by Victoria Atkins
Between 15th and 29th August, the UK evacuated over 15,000 people from Afghanistan. Under ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, we are taking a cross-government approach to support Afghans to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate with their local communities.
Over 4,000 individuals have either moved into a settled home or are in the process of being moved or matched to a suitable home.
Data on relocation will be published as part of our quarterly release which can be found at this link: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Questioner: Robert Jenrick (CON - Newark)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals are currently (a) in temporary accommodation of any form, or (b) resettled in permanent accommodation, (i) by local authority; and (ii) Strategic Migration Partnership area have entered the UK since 15 August under the ARAP scheme or associated schemes for the sage passage of individuals from Afghanistan.
Answered by Victoria Atkins
Between 15th and 29th August, the UK evacuated over 15,000 people from Afghanistan. Under ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, we are taking a cross-government approach to supporting Afghans to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate with their local communities. We are working at pace with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation for Afghan families who were evacuated to the UK.
Data on relocation will be published as part of our quarterly release which can be found at this link: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The length of time that a family will remain in bridging hotels is dependent on a number of factors including the availability of appropriate housing. Over 300 Local Authorities have pledged housing, helping to provide the long term support required by these families.
Questioner: Robert Jenrick (CON - Newark)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals have (a) arrived in the UK, (b) are currently in temporary accommodation; (c) are currently in holiday camp accommodation, and (d) been resettled in permanent housing since the fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021; and what estimate she has made of the average number of days individuals wait on the UK before they are resettled.
Answered by Victoria Atkins
Between 15th and 29th August, the UK evacuated over 15,000 people from Afghanistan. Under ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, we are taking a cross-government approach to supporting Afghans to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate with their local communities. We are working at pace with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation for Afghan families who were evacuated to the UK.
Data on relocation will be published as part of our quarterly release which can be found at this link: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The length of time that a family will remain in bridging hotels is dependent on a number of factors including the availability of appropriate housing. Over 300 Local Authorities have pledged housing, helping to provide the long term support required by these families.
Questioner: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many child refugees are currently in looked after care in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The department does not collect data on all child refugees that are currently in care, but does collect data on the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who are looked after by local authorities in England. Of the 80,850 children looked after up to 31 March 2021, there were 4,070 UASC, down 20% from the previous year which was 5,060.
Figures on the number of children looked after who were UASC were published recently in the annual statistical release at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions.
Figures on children who were UASC outside England is a matter for the devolved administrations.
Questioner: Philip Davies (CON - Shipley)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities have (a) offered and (b) refused to provide accommodation for asylum seekers in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 25 November 2021. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in February 2022.
Questioner: Rachael Maskell (LAB - York Central)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees were residing in bridging hotels as at 22 November 2021.
Answered by Victoria Atkins
We are working at pace with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation for Afghan families who were evacuated to the UK.
Data on relocation will be published as part of our quarterly release which can be found at this link: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Questioner: Rachael Maskell (LAB - York Central)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees have been resettled in housing from bridging hotels between 1 August 2021 and 22 November 2021.
Answered by Victoria Atkins
There is a significant cross Government effort underway to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the support they need to rebuild their lives. This includes working at pace with NGOs, local authorities and the commercial sector to secure housing and ensure they have the support they need, while also making sure that local services aren’t put under undue strain.
We are working at pace with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation for Afghan families who were evacuated to the UK. Data on relocation will be published as part of our quarterly release which can be found at this link: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Over 4,000 individuals have either moved into a settled home, or are being matched.
Questioner: Valerie Vaz (LAB - Walsall South)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the number of Afghan citizens in bridging hotels who are waiting to be allocated housing.
Answered by Victoria Atkins
We are working at pace with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation for Afghan families who were evacuated to the UK. Data on relocation will be published as part of our quarterly release which can be found at this link: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Over 4000 individuals have either moved into a settled home, are in the process of doing so or are being matched.
Questioner: Navendu Mishra (LAB - Stockport)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to make additional funding available for (a) schooling and (b) healthcare for local authorities with higher placements of asylum seekers.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office is working with Local Authority Chief Executives to ensure asylum seekers who require support because they would otherwise be destitute are dispersed equitably across the UK.
Any extra costs to local authorities caused by the placement of supported asylum seekers in their areas are being considered as part of this work.
Questioner: Navendu Mishra (LAB - Stockport)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether additional funding will be made available to local authorities with higher placements of asylum seekers.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office is working on an agreed change plan in partnership with Local Authority Chief Executives through the Home Office Local Government Chief Executive Group.
The plan seeks to achieve a more equitable dispersal of asylum seekers across the UK and seeks to overcome barriers to ensure availability of service provision.
We have established working groups with Local Authorities to determine best practice, one of which relates to defining potential additional funding requirements.
Questioner: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they sought planning permission from Shepway District Council for the continued use of Napier Barracks to house people seeking asylum; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
Planning permission was not sought from Shepway District Council as we pursued the Special Development Order process, which meant there was no requirement to seek planning permission from local authorities.
Engagement with both Folkestone and & Hythe District Council (formerly Shepway District Council) and Kent City Council, outlining the background and explaining our plan to continue using the site was undertaken as part of the Special Development order process.