Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2022 to Question 47636 on Dublin Regulations, how many and what proportion of asylum claims have (a) been declared inadmissible and (b) resulted in the return of the applicant on the ground of inadmissibility in each of the last three years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on cases considered under inadmissibility rules can be found in table Asy_09a of the ‘asylum and resettlement summary tables’. The latest data covers 1 January 2021 to 30 September 2022.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many bilateral agreements she has negotiated and concluded with member states to replace former arrangements that existed under the Dublin III Regulation; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The UK is in discussions regarding the returns of asylum seekers to European Member States. It would not be appropriate to provide a commentary on these negotiations.
Work is underway to secure appropriate return agreements with safe countries. Returns may also be agreed with partner countries on a case-by-case basis without formal agreements. This happened historically, outside of the former Dublin arrangements, and will continue to be part of the approach we apply.
Our inadmissibility provisions in the Immigration Rules give us the legal basis to declare an asylum claim as inadmissible where a person has a connection to, or has passed through, a safe country. The first returns on inadmissible grounds have been successfully carried out.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is holding discussions with the EU Commission on a replacement agreement for the Dublin Regulation.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The UK is in discussions regarding the returns of asylum seekers to European Member States; it would not be appropriate to provide a running commentary on these negotiations.
We can confirm that work is underway to secure appropriate return agreements with safe countries. Returns may also be agreed with partner countries on a case-by-case basis without formal agreements. This happened historically, outside of the former Dublin arrangements, and will continue to be part of the approach we apply.
Our inadmissibility provisions in the Immigration Rules give us the legal basis to declare an asylum claim as inadmissible where a person has a connection to or has passed through a safe country. The first returns on inadmissible grounds have been successfully carried out.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average duration of the Dublin III regulation procedure is, from the moment another Member State accepts responsibility until the effective transfer from the UK.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office did not centrally record the duration of the various processes whilst bound by the Dublin regulations and this information could now only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average duration of the Dublin III regulation procedure is, from the moment an outgoing request is issued to the UK until the effective transfer to the Member State responsible.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office did not centrally record the duration of the various processes whilst bound by the Dublin regulations and this information could now only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will take to relocate more asylum seekers and refugees from the Aegean Islands to the UK.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The responsibility for asylum seekers and refugees in EU Member States lies with the authorities of the safe EU country in which they are present in accordance with their international obligations. We regularly engage with Greek ministers and senior officials on the challenges presented by the migration situation in Greece.
The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it. In 2019 the UK received more asylum claims from unaccompanied children than any country in the EU and accounted for approximately 20% of all claims from unaccompanied children made in the EU and UK.
Our existing Immigration Rules enable those with close family members in the UK to apply to join eligible sponsors such as those with refugee or humanitarian protection leave, or with British or settled status. Under the Immigration, Nationality and Asylum (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 we have committed to processing Dublin family reunion request made before the end of the Transition Period at 11pm on 31 December. Some of these requests have been received from Greece.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken to ensure the smooth transfer of accepted Dublin III family reunion cases to the UK in addition to the guidance issued now that the Dublin Regulation will no longer govern the way in which transfers happen between sending states and the UK.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The ’savings’ provisions, as set out in Schedule 2, Part 3 of the Immigration, Nationality and Asylum (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, allow a Dublin Regulation family reunion request made before the end of the Transition Period at 11pm 31 December 2020 to continue to be processed after that time.
We continue to cooperate collaboratively with sending States for the transfer of individuals under the Dublin Regulation we accepted under these provisions.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Prime Minister, whether (a) he, (b) officials in his office and (c) political advisors in his office have briefed members of the press with the name of the (i) law firm and (ii) lawyer that represents individuals the Home Office is attempting to remove under the Dublin III regulations in the last six months.
Answered by Boris Johnson
I refer the Hon Member to the answer my Hon Friend the Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts gave him on the 29 October 2020, UIN 102849.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) she, (b) officials in her Department and (c) political advisors in her Department have briefed members of the press with the name of the (i) law firm and (ii) lawyer that represents individuals the Home Office is attempting to remove under the Dublin III regulations in the last six months.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Secretary, Home Office officials and political advisors have not briefed members of the press with either the name of the law firm or lawyer that represent individuals the Home Office is attempting to remove under the Dublin III regulations in the last six months.
The names of law firms and lawyers involved in legal cases are publicly available.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to enable the Trader Support Service to support businesses moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland via the Holyhead to Dublin route.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Further to the statement by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 19 October, the approach outlined in the Command Paper in May, and the guidance published on 7 August regarding the operation of the Northern Ireland protocol, the UK Government has been unequivocal in its commitment to delivering unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods to the rest of the UK market. This is a clear commitment of the Withdrawal Agreement, and the UK will guarantee it in legislation before the end of the year.
The Definition of Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 sets out the goods that will benefit from unfettered access in the first instance. This initial approach will be replaced by a longer-lasting regime during 2021 that will be developed alongside Northern Ireland businesses, and the Northern Ireland Executive. Further details will be set out in due course but our approach will ensure that, at all stages, Northern Ireland businesses will continue to enjoy unfettered access to the whole of the UK market from 1 January 2021.
The Protocol applies whether or not the UK and EU reach agreement on a free trade agreement.
The Government has no plans to publish a Border Operating Model for goods' movement between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the simple reason that - as the Withdrawal Agreement makes clear - there is no border within the UK, and the UK as a whole will be leaving the EU's customs territory at the end of the transition period. The Government has however committed to publishing further detailed information and guidance as soon as possible when relevant details are resolved, including where matters depend on discussions in the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee. This is the case on the question of goods 'at risk', as well as further detail on labelling requirements for agrifood goods.
Further to Article 15 (2) of the Protocol and my answer to PQ 99785, the membership of the Joint Consultative Working Group will be composed of representatives of the UK, including the Northern Ireland Executive, and the EU. The Group will meet shortly.
Regarding the supply of medicines, discussions in the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee are ongoing.