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Written Question
Refugees: Afghanistan
Thursday 13th July 2023

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan refugees were living in bridging hotels in July 2023.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The UK has made one of the largest commitments of any country to support those impacted by events in Afghanistan.

The latest Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), published on 25 May 2023, shows that since their first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes – the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) - have resettled a total of 21,004 people.

As of 25 May 2023, we were providing temporary accommodation for around 8,799 individuals resettled in the UK under the ARAP or ACRS, whilst they await permanent accommodation. More information on those that we are temporarily accommodating in hotels can be viewed at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

It is not accurate to describe Afghan families as being ‘held’ in bridging accommodation. They are living there temporarily, and we don’t want to see them in bridging accommodation for any longer than is necessary. We continue to work at pace to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so that they can settle into their local communities, feel safe and independent, pursue education, and rebuild their lives in the UK.

The government is providing £285 million of new funding to local authorities supporting the Afghan resettlement schemes. This includes £35 million in new cash for local authorities, which will go towards increasing the level of support available and overcoming key barriers in accessing the housing system and employment and a £250 million expansion of the Local Authority Housing Fund to help councils to source homes to house Afghans currently in bridging accommodation.

This new, generous package of support comes in addition to the existing support available for people on the ACRS and ARAP schemes, including access to welfare and the right to work, as well as access to public services. A dedicated cross-government casework team, made up of Home Office Liaison Officers and DWP staff, are based in hotels and work alongside local authority officials to provide advice to Afghans, including information on how to rent in the private sector, support people find jobs and English language training.

The move from hotels into settled accommodation is in the best interests of families and individuals and will enable them to benefit from the security of housing and long-term consistency of public services. This includes schooling, and the freedoms of independent living that only suitable non-hotel accommodation can provide

Data on the average length of stay in bridging accommodation is not available for publication.

Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next release due for publication in August 2023.


Written Question
Migrants and Refugees: Resettlement
Tuesday 4th July 2023

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate on the Integration of migrants and refugees at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 21 June 2023.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those that need it. Since 2015, over half a million people have been offered safe and legal routes into the UK. This includes those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, as well as family members of refugees.

This Government is committed to ensuring that refugees arriving through safe and legal routes can take positive steps towards integration as they rebuild their lives in the UK.

All refugees and those granted protection in the UK have immediate access to the labour market and to mainstream benefits and services that support their integration. We are already working successfully with local authorities, strategic migration partners and community sponsors to implement measures that assist integration and enable self-sufficiency. The Home Office provides local authorities with funding to cover resettlement and integration costs for those who arrive through the UK Resettlement Scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme or the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

We are further delivering on our commitment to strengthen support for refugees through our Refugee Transitions Outcomes Fund (RTOF) and Refugee Employability Programme (REP) helping them to move into work, learn English, access housing and build links in their local communities.

We monitor and evaluate our programmes of support, to better understand refugee needs and integration outcomes.


Written Question
Asylum: Sudan
Friday 30th June 2023

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of people living in Foyle constituency that have left Sudan due to conflict; and what steps he is taking to provide (a) safe migration routes and (b) asylum to people from Sudan.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants are free to move within the UK, and not all people seeking protection here are escaping conflict and it is not possible to make an accurate estimate.

The UK has a proud history of supporting refugees and providing protection to those in need. Since 2015, we have offered a place to over half a million individuals seeking safety in the UK.

The UK continues to welcome refugees through our existing resettlement schemes which include the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. While our safe and legal routes are some of the most generous anywhere, we cannot accommodate everyone who wants to come to the UK.

The UK has no plans to establish a designated resettlement scheme for Sudanese refugees. We will however continue to provide safe and legal routes to the UK for those that require it.

There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach which is the fastest route to safety.


Written Question
Refugees: Safety
Friday 30th June 2023

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plan to take steps to ensure the safety and well-being of refugees undertaking (a) channel crossings and (b) land journeys; and what steps she is taking to help refugees arriving in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The UK has a proud history of providing sanctuary through our resettlement schemes, with around half a million having used our global and country-specific routes since 2015.

Our safe and legal routes for recognised refugees mean that they are resettled directly from conflict zones as opposed to safe countries like France, avoiding the need to take dangerous journeys. The level of support they are provided with depends on the resettlement route they arrive on, rather than the location into which they are resettled.


Written Question
Refugees: Afghanistan
Wednesday 28th June 2023

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2023 to Question 184558 on Refugees: Afghanistan, whether people from Afghanistan who arrived in the UK through the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme who are due to leave a bridging hotel before 31 August 2023 and make a homelessness application to a local authority will have access to the Find Your Own Accommodation pathway to secure settled accommodation.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Those applying for the ARAP and ACRS will be able to access the Find Your Own accommodation pathway. Local Authorities will be able to use the funding to secure private rented accommodation for an Afghan household.

The government is providing £285 million of new funding to local authorities supporting the Afghan resettlement schemes. This includes £35 million in new cash for local authorities, which will go towards increasing the level of support available and overcoming key barriers in accessing the housing system and employment and a £250 million expansion of the Local Authority Housing Fund to help councils to source homes to house Afghans currently in bridging accommodation.


Written Question
Asylum: Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Thursday 22nd June 2023

Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 187651, how many asylum seekers lived in Newcastle upon Tyne in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority and data on resettlement by local authority can be found in tables Asy_D11 and Res_D01 respectively of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that the data relates to asylum seekers in receipt of support or refugees resettled only and does not represent all asylum seekers.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to March 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

The Home Office does not hold information on the number of people with refugee status who are still living in the UK, or their location within the UK. This is because the Home Office does not track the addresses of those granted refugee status, and refugees are free to move around the UK or leave.


Written Question
Home Office: Grants
Wednesday 21st June 2023

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme & Relocation and Assistance Policy Grant.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) references in the Government grant statistics 2021-2022 relate to the resettlement tariff provided to local authorities. This grant contributes towards the cost of resettlement and integration for those being resettled and relocated under those schemes.

These funding arrangements are kept under regular review, including consideration of the integration outcomes being achieved for refugees using the available funding. We expect to conduct a data collection exercise with local authorities later this year to better understand the early integration outcomes being achieved for the ACRS and ARAP cohorts against a range of indicator of integration, including work, education and English language.


Written Question
Sudan: Refugees
Monday 19th June 2023

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of (a) how many people were trafficked to Libya while fleeing Sudan and (b) how many such people were awaiting a visa decision on resettlement to the UK.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

As of 14 June, over 500,000 people are estimated to have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since fighting broke out, with an estimated 1,318 having fled to Libya. This UN figure relates to the number of people who have crossed neighbouring borders, rather than those who have been trafficked. In total, there were 9,812 UK visa applications from Sudanese Nationals between March 2022/23. The Home Office are monitoring the situation in Sudan closely to ensure that we are able to respond appropriately. The UK's current resettlement schemes allow us to support the most vulnerable refugees direct from regions of conflict and instability.


Written Question
Sudan: Refugees
Tuesday 13th June 2023

Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government provides to people forcibly displaced from Sudan to third countries with time limited visas to remain in the third country.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

On 4 May, the Government announced £5 million of life-saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad who have fled the violence in Sudan. The UK will provide assistance such as safe drinking water, food, medical care and shelter to people in need, as well as supporting Gender Based Violence protective services. It is a longstanding principle of the Government that those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. The Government's current refugee resettlement schemes allow the UK to support the most vulnerable refugees direct from regions of conflict and instability. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence in Sudan, to de-escalate tensions and to secure humanitarian access.


Written Question
Refugees: Afghanistan
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been referred by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The UK has made one of the largest commitments of any country to support those impacted by events in Afghanistan.

Whilst public data on separating principals and dependants is not available, the latest Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2023 - GOV.UK (published on 25 May 2023), show that since their first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes – the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) - have resettled a total of 21,004 people.

A breakdown in these statistics by ACRS pathway, shows that we have now resettled: 9,059 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 40 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 14 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.

There are currently no published statistics on UNHCR referrals, and we do not hold public data on the volume of referrals from UNHCR.

The Home Office does not hold centralised data on the number of individuals who have accessed English language courses for Afghan settlers and their dependents under Operation Warm Welcome.

Councils with bridging hotels in their area have been commissioned by the Home Office to deliver hotel wraparound support to people on the Afghan resettlement schemes. As part of this wraparound support, Local Authorities should provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) support for residents to support integration and enable guests to move on to permanent accommodation and settle into new communities, access jobs and services.

A dedicated cross-government casework team, made up of Home Office Liaison Officers and DWP staff, are based in hotels and work alongside local authority officials to provide advice to Afghans, including information on how to rent in the private sector, support people to find jobs and access English language training.