The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of (1) the effect of immigration, and (2) the effect of immigration from the EU, on the UK’s GDP per head in the last 10 years.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
No such estimate has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many illegal entrants were detected (1) on arrival at a UK ferry port, and (2) subsequent to having entered in a vehicle that had arrived at a UK ferry port, in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Our records currently indicate that the number of clandestine entrants detected at UK ferry ports was:
2013 756
2014 1,480
2015 1,305
As part of recent changes to the way data is recorded, management information from April 2011 has been refreshed and may differ from the data released in earlier responses.
Previous figures provided for PQ 21106 showed that, at that time, our records indicated that 678 detections had been made at seaports in 2013. Under the new improved recording and reporting system, this figure has been updated to 756.
Clandestine entrants detected in-country with a declared port of departure that is a ferry port:
2013 676
2014 1,343
2015 1,630
This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics. Because the source of this data is a live operational system, operational reports taking data from the system at different times will continue to reflect slightly different numbers.
As part of recent changes to the way data is recorded, management information from April 2011 has been refreshed and may differ from the data released in earlier responses.
Immigration controls operate at Calais, and as such detections at Dover are normally counted as in country. For the purposes of this question, detections at Dover are counted as "at a UK ferry port".
For part (2), data on the ferry port of departure has been used as a proxy for port of arrival, as the latter is not recorded.
Regarding part (2), it must be noted that data for port of departure is incomplete: over the three year period there are more than 15,000 clandestines detected in country with no port of departure recorded. The data for part (2) excludes clandestine entrants whose declared port of departure is Coquelles, as this is a rail port.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hamwee on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the outcome of their review of their policy of returning to Afghanistan Afghan military interpreters who have sought asylum in the UK.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The policy on considering asylum claims is not under review. We carefully consider all asylum claims made in the UK, including those made by former interpreters with our armed forces in Afghanistan, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention. Those who demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution are normally granted protection and are not expected to return to their country.
Those who are found not to be in need of international protection are refused but have a right of appeal to the independent courts. Once all appeal rights are exhausted, they are required to leave the UK, failing which their removal will be enforced.
Separate schemes have existed since 2013 to assist interpreters previously employed by the UK Armed Forces. These apply only to those who have remained in Afghanistan and, in recognition of their unique and exceptional service or the danger interpreters may face because of their work, can lead to relocation to the UK if certain criteria are met.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times payment providers have (1) been asked to block payments to online gambling websites not licensed in the UK, and (2) blocked such payments, since the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 came into force.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Since the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 came into force there have been 11 occasions where the Gambling Commission has asked payment providers to prevent payments to online gambling website operators not licensed in the UK but believed to be transacting with consumers in Great Britain. On all 11 occasions the payment provider either terminated their relationship with the unlicensed operator or took steps to ensure that the unlicensed gambling website was no longer available to consumers in Great Britain.
In addition, the Gambling Commission are aware of additional instances where payment providers have, of their own initiative, terminated agreements with unlicensed gambling websites transacting with consumers in Great Britain. The Commission are unable to quantify these instances because payment providers are not obliged to report these cases unless the action is instigated by the Commission.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of foreign online gambling websites not licensed in the UK that are being accessed from the UK.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Gambling Commission monitors this through the complaints received from customers and licensed operators, and other sources of intelligence. It is not possible to state precisely how many individual unlicensed websites there are, however, where websites are identified that are offering facilities for gambling to customers in Britain without the appropriate licence the Commission will take action to ensure they cease these activities. Since November 2014 the Commission has written to approximately 60 foreign online gambling websites, to remind them of the legal position and require them to immediately cease their activities in Great Britain.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the size of the prison population in Tunisia, in particular about alleged over-crowding in Mornaguai Prison near Tunis; and whether they will assist the government of Tunisia in processing cases and in providing defence counsel.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
In January 2016 the Tunisian authorities said that their prisons and detention centres were holding around 170 per cent of their capacity. The UN reported in March 2014 that Mornaguia prison was 25 per cent over its capacity. We have raised with the Tunisian authorities the importance of introducing reforms to the Penal Code. These would help address prison overcrowding.
We have no current plans to assist the Government of Tunisia in processing cases or providing defence counsel: the focus of our minimum £8 million support in this financial year is on Tunisia’s transition, security capacity building, governance and the economy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimates they have made of the impact on levels of both homelessness and destitution of the enactment of the Immigration Bill.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We expect migrants with no lawful basis to remain to leave the UK. The Immigration Bill will provide the means by which accommodation and other support can be made available in appropriate circumstances prior to their departure.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they agree with the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) call for Europe to resettle 108,000 refugees each year for the next five years; and whether they accept the arguments in the IRC’s situation briefing dated 24 March.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government considers the resettlement of targeted groups of refugees, particularly the most vulnerable, to be a vital part of the international response to the current migration crisis. However, we do not support the setting of binding quotas or targets by any organisation, either at European or international level. In our view national resettlement schemes, run and co-ordinated with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other partners, is the best way for each country to make its own contribution.
We have committed to resettling 20,000 vulnerable Syrians over the lifetime of this Parliament and we saw the first 1,000 arrive before Christmas 2015. This is in addition to the other resettlement schemes that we operate, including Gateway, under which 750 refugees from all over the world are resettled each year.
Resettlement is only one strand of the Government’s efforts. It complements our significant humanitarian aid programme, including £2.3 billion to the Syria region, and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Syria. The Government is clear that this approach is the best way to ensure that the UK’s help has the greatest impact for the majority of refugees who remain in the region and their host countries surrounding Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of Palestinian students in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to sit their exams this year, without experiencing delays at checkpoints.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While no assessment has been made about this particular issue, we consistently urge Israel to ease movement and access restrictions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, not least because of the impact the restrictions have on children and continuity of their education.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the steps being taken to consolidate and monitor the current ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh and to prepare the way for a full peace agreement.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are concerned about the recent outbreak of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Minister for Europe, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), issued a press statement on 2 April calling for the sides to halt the fighting and to exercise restraint. The UK strongly supports the work of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who have recently visited the region. We will continue to urge the sides to work with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to reach a negotiated peace settlement.