Victoria Atkins: The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, helping over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan. Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we were not able to source appropriate accommodation in the normal way, so we have had to use hotels as a temporary measure. We do not want to keep families or individuals in temporary accommodation any...
Victoria Atkins: We know women released from prison face barriers to securing suitable accommodation and that earlier support, whilst they are on remand, to find accommodation can help. Women on remand are supported to meet resettlement needs and prepare for release by Probation staff in prisons. We will supplement existing support from Probation staff with access to specialist accommodation support for all...
Victoria Atkins: We are determined to make the criminal justice system far more sensitive to the needs of victims, and relentless in pursuing their perpetrators. To meet that aim, we are introducing systematic and cultural change to ensure that victims feel supported through our Rape Review Action Plan; and areRolling out Operation Soteria, a new investigatory model which focuses on the suspect’s, rather...
Victoria Atkins: Prison staff carry out a vital role in protecting the public and we must do all we can to protect them, and the prisoners within their care. This is why, in the Prisons Strategy White Paper, we have committed to a zero-tolerance approach to the crime and drugs that fuel violence behind bars. We have introduced the Key Worker role to support individual prisoners and identify emerging threats....
Victoria Atkins: In January 2021, the Government committed to end the use of prison as a place of safety in the Reforming the Mental Health Act White Paper. There is currently no centralised source of data to record the use of this power. In order to better understand how often and in what circumstances people are sent to prison as a place of safety, we have established a cross-departmental working group....
Victoria Atkins: It is essential that safeguarding concerns regarding prisoners are recorded and acted upon. Action needs to be taken at local level, so the information requested is held within establishments. A variety of different systems and processes are used for this purpose. As records are held locally rather than centrally, to gather the information requested it would be necessary to make individual...
Victoria Atkins: It is essential that safeguarding concerns regarding prisoners are recorded and acted upon. Action needs to be taken at local level, so the information requested is held within establishments. A variety of different systems and processes are used for this purpose. As records are held locally rather than centrally, to gather the information requested it would be necessary to make individual...
Victoria Atkins: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. Afghans who are eligible under ACRS or ARAP are working with job centre work coaches to assess their readiness for the jobs market, including their skills and qualifications.
Victoria Atkins: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will prioritise those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups (including ethnic / religious minorities and LGBT+). There is no application process for the...
Victoria Atkins: This prison population projections (for England and Wales from July 2021 to March 2026) are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-p rojections-2021-to-2026. Please refer to table 1.1 of the statistical tables for the total prison population projection for each year. We are committed to building as many prison places as we need. We are investing £3.8...
Victoria Atkins: To ensure consistent and accurate data recording, HMPPS, in collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government, has recently updated the Accommodation Recording Guidance to ensure Probation regions have a clear and consistent understanding of the accommodation status definitions, and how to record accurately. The Guidance defines...
Victoria Atkins: We evacuated over 15,000 people in Operation Pitting and a further 1,500 since then. There are currently over 12,000 individuals from Afghanistan in bridging hotels. This cohort is made up of British and Afghan Nationals who may be eligible for Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). To date we have successfully moved over 4,000 people...
Victoria Atkins: The Home Office has written to Afghan families advising them of the next steps to progress permanent residence in the UK. The Home Office has established a dedicated caseworking team, which is working jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. This team is contacting those here in the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and...
Victoria Atkins: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited. In Year 1, resettlement through the third pathway will be limited to those British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni...
Victoria Atkins: We are working at pace across government and with local authorities (LAs) to source appropriate accommodation for Afghan families who were evacuated to the UK. Once properties are identified and referred to the Home Office, a matching exercise is undertaken which enables us to offer the property to a suitable family. Where possible, we will match families from local bridging hotels allowing...
Victoria Atkins: The UK has a proud track record of helping those who need our protection – and this will continue. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) launched on 1 April 2021. More than 7,000 people have been relocated under ARAP so far, with more continuing to arrive. The ARAP scheme remains open to eligible applicants. The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) is separate to ARAP...
Victoria Atkins: No Ministerial directions were issued on the handling of animals connected with the Nowzad charity.
Victoria Atkins: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January and will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. The scheme will prioritise those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as...
Victoria Atkins: The third referral pathway will focus on those most at risk who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan. In the first year of this third referral pathway, the Government will offer ACRS places to the most at risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to...
Victoria Atkins: For those who were not called forward as part of Op Pitting, or who are not offered resettlement under the ACRS, they will need to apply to come to the UK under the existing economic or family migration rules. They will be expected to meet the eligibility requirements of their chosen route, which includes paying relevant fees and charges, and providing biometrics. However, there is currently...