The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 19th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government how many asylum liaison officers are currently in post in the Home Office, and whether there are any plans for further recruitment to support newly recognised refugees through the move-on process.
Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab, Home Office): The Home Office is working to make sure individuals have the support they need to integrate and work following a positive asylum decision and to help local authorities better plan their assistance to those individuals.
Support for newly recognised refugees is available through Migrant Help and their partners, which includes advice on how to work and support themselves with housing.
A new team of Asylum Move On Liaison Officers (AMLOs) is being operationalised to work with individuals at the start of the Move On process alongside Migrant Help to ensure a successful Move On. A virtual AMLO support team will be created to provide data and support to local authorities. The teams will work nationally when they are fully set up.
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government, following the Action Plan to Prevent and Counter the Smuggling of Migrants agreed by the G7 and published on 21 October, what plans they have to work with international partners to develop more accessible legal routes for migration.
Lord Hanson of Flint: The United Kingdom has a long history of providing sanctuary to those who need it. This country will always work alongside others to help those fleeing war and persecution and we value the importance of working with international partners to address the challenges of irregular migration.
Alongside tackling the criminal people smuggling gangs and fixing our asylum system, we are focused on supporting the relocation of those who have been identified as eligible for resettlement under our resettlement schemes and fixing the gaps in existing routes. That is why we have affirmed our ongoing commitment to the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS); supported the reunification of Afghan families under the ACRS route; provided sanctuary for Ukrainians under our Ukraine schemes; and provided routes for Hong Kongers under our Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route.
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government how many individuals have been identified as eligible for resettlement schemes and have authorisation to travel to the UK, but who currently reside in Lebanon and are awaiting travel confirmation.
Lord Hanson of Flint: Work continues at pace to resettle eligible individuals under UKRS from Lebanon. The number of individuals and families resettled is a changing picture due to the operational nature of the scheme, making it difficult to release numbers of eligible individuals due for resettlement at this time. Statistics on the number resettled will be recorded and reported in the relevant quarterly immigration data sets.
It can be confirmed that the UK Government is working as quickly as possible to bring those families who have been accepted onto the UK Resettlement Scheme to the UK by securing seats on flights where they become available.
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans with the UN Refugee Agency to expedite the travel of those eligible for UK resettlement who currently reside in Lebanon.
Lord Hanson of Flint: Work continues at pace to resettle eligible individuals under UKRS from Lebanon. The number of individuals and families resettled is a changing picture due to the operational nature of the scheme, making it difficult to release numbers of eligible individuals due for resettlement at this time. Statistics on the number resettled will be recorded and reported in the relevant quarterly immigration data sets.
It can be confirmed that the UK Government is working as quickly as possible to bring those families who have been accepted onto the UK Resettlement Scheme to the UK by securing seats on flights where they become available.
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government whether an impact assessment has been undertaken of the proposed changes to the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner’s fee structure, including the impact on charitable immigration advice services.
Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office together with the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner (OISC) ran the fees consultation for a period of 12 weeks, which closed on 5 June 2024. The consultation was designed to help best understand the impact of proposals to amend the structure of the fees charged by the OISC to its registered advisers, and to minimise the risks of any adverse impact. The findings from the consultation are currently under review.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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