Tag: Lord Roberts of Llandudno

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-07-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 12 July (HL Deb, col 124), how many Syrian refugees have been settled in each of the 71 local authorities so far.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Progress on resettlement in each local authority is indicated in quarterly immigration statistics. The last set of statistics, published on 26 May 2016, showed that 1,602 Syrians were resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme between October 2015 and March 2016 and sets out how many were located in each local authority.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to identify families in the UK who would be willing to receive related unaccompanied child refugees from the refugee camps in Calais.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

UK Government officials have confirmed that the Citizens UK list has been passed to the French authorities, who are primarily responsible for migrants on French territory.

We continue to work with the French authorities and others to speed up exist-ing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary. We will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.

We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe; over 70 of these are from France.

It is important that the due processes under the Dublin Regulation are followed. This position was recently confirmed in a Court of Appeal judgement (“ZAT and others”). Families are only contacted once a transfer request has been made and a family link has been established. When we accept a request to transfer an unaccompanied minor we liaise with Local Authorities and the child’s family.

A new scheme to allow community groups to directly sponsor a refugee family was launched by the Home Secretary and Archbishop of Canterbury on 19 July. The Full Community Sponsorship scheme enables community groups including charities, faith groups, churches and businesses, to take on the role of supporting resettled refugees in the UK. A ‘Help Refugees in the UK’ web-page has also been developed on GOV.UK to make it easier for the public to support refugees in the UK and allow local authorities to focus support on the goods and services that refugees need.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Dublin Regulation, in the light of recent events in Syria, and the need to protect vulnerable refugees.

Lord Bates

As set out in my Written Answer HL1907 on 21 September, the Government has no plans to change the way in which we apply the Dublin Regulation. The Dublin Regulation is a vital tool in our ability to manage asylum claims, including repeated claims.

The European Commission has proposed a review of the Dublin Regulation with a view to bringing forward a new measure for negotiation next March. We will cooperate fully with that review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the judgment in Lord Chancellor v Detention Action [2015] EWCA Civ 840, they will reconsider the sections of the Immigration Bill that provide for individuals having to appeal their cases after deportation.

Lord Bates

The judgement in Lord Chancellor v Detention Action is not relevant to the changes in the Immigration Bill. That judgment relates to the appeals processes for asylum claims under the Fast Track procedure rules. The provision in the Immigration Bill which extends the power to certify to require appeals to be brought from overseas where that will not result in a breach of human rights applies only to human rights claims.

The Court of Appeal recently considered the operation of the certification provisions that were introduced in the Immigration Act 2014, for those liable to deportation and held that the provisions were lawfully applied. The changes in the Immigration Bill extends this power to all human rights claims and the Government thinks it right to build on this successful legislation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the current migration situation, they will make changes to allow refugees to work in the United Kingdom immediately, or within six months, of arrival, in order to allow refugees to contribute to the British economy, and reduce pressure on refugees facing destitution.

Lord Bates

Those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, including those resettled under our three resettlement schemes, are entitled to work without restriction and have full access to the mainstream benefits system on the same terms as British citizens and other permanent residents in the UK. Asylum seekers are only permitted to work in the UK if their asylum claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months, providing the delay is not of their making. Employment is restricted to jobs on the shortage occupations list. We have no plans to reduce the time asylum seekers have to wait to take up employment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support is available specifically for refugees who have been granted asylum in the United Kingdom, and are therefore ineligible for the weekly allowance for asylum seekers.

Lord Bates

Those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, including those resettled under our three resettlement schemes, are entitled to work without restriction and have full access to the mainstream benefits system on the same terms as British citizens and other permanent residents in the UK. Asylum seekers are only permitted to work in the UK if their asylum claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months, providing the delay is not of their making. Employment is restricted to jobs on the shortage occupations list. We have no plans to reduce the time asylum seekers have to wait to take up employment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to co-ordinate the work of non-governmental organisations and charities in order to improve the support available for refugees as they leave Syria, and to support them in settling and integrating into European life.

Lord Bates

The UK has been operating resettlement schemes for many years and we already have established and effective networks to accommodate and support resettled people.

However, we recognise that the increase in numbers will require an expansion of current networks and the impact on local communities and infrastructure will need to be managed carefully. That is why we are working with a wide range of partners including local authorities and civil society organisations to ensure that people are integrated sensitively into local communities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to support the governments of Italy and Greece to deal with the number of immigrants arriving in their countries.

Lord Bates

The UK has provided support to Italy and Greece through European Asylum Support Office (EASO) coordinated missions. We have provided over 1000 days of staff time on 20 missions over 3 years, more than any other Member State. The UK will also provide up to ten personnel to EASO to support ‘Hotspot’ missions in Italy and Greece.

In addition to assistance through EASO the UK is also providing Greece bilateral law enforcement support through our National Crime Agency.

The UK actively supports the work of Frontex (the European Union agency with responsibility for improving the securing and surveillance of the EU external border) to co-ordinate the work of the European border agencies to raise standards of border management.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the breakdown by (1) nation, (2) region, and (3) nationality, of the number and proportion of 16 to 24 year-olds applying to register to vote online since the launch of Individual Electoral Registration in summer 2014.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Since the introduction of IER in Great Britain in June 2014 there have been over 2.8 million applications to vote from 16 – 24 year olds including over 2.2 million online applications. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by nationality. Although electors are required to state their nationality when submitting an application to register, this information is not recorded as part of the published register.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that United Kingdom immigration and emigration statistics are studied as part of the core curriculum in schools.

Lord Nash

The national curriculum contains a number of opportunities for pupils to be taught about migration, for example within the History curriculum. As part of a compulsory unit on British history, 11 to 14 year olds may study the social history of migration to, from and within the British Isles.