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280 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUkraine: RefugeesI withdraw that comment; it has obviously offended him. But, in all seriousness, I have not seen the reported feuding between departments. Perhaps it happens when I am not there,…06 Apr 2022HANSARDUkraine Refugee VisasMy Lords, with the leave of the House I shall now repeat in the form of a Statement the Answer to an Urgent Question given in the other place by my honourable friend the Minister…31 Mar 2022HANSARDUkraine Refugee VisasThe noble Baroness has asked a lot of questions in one go; I will do my best. On the number of extra staff taken on, I am now satisfied with staffing levels. There are 300 staff…31 Mar 2022HANSARDUkraine Refugee VisasI thank the noble Lord, Lord Ponsonby, for his very valid questions. On his first question on the number of arrivals, I cannot give him that number, but I said that I would write…31 Mar 2022HANSARDUkraine Refugee VisasI thank the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, and I hope he knows that I have the utmost respect for him. I worked with him on the Syrian refugee programme. He disagreed with me a lot then,…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI am happy to clarify the questions asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Sheehan, which are, as usual, precise, to the point and perfectly valid. I should explain what happens with…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, for her comments—again, very constructive and helpful. I will do my best to answer them as quickly as possible, owing to time. The first…31 Mar 2022HANSARDUkraine Refugee VisasI thank my noble friend Lord Cormack for his question. He and I have discussed this most days since he gave me the letter last week. The way government works, the responsibility…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI can confirm what the noble Lord has asked about liaising with all the foreign agencies. I am glad to have picked up on our main security concerns. I think “security” is the…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI thank my noble friend Lady Morgan for her question. If the mother in this case has a Ukrainian passport, it should be really easy for her to get a visa, by simply filling out…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI hope that I can answer the noble Lord’s question straightaway. On who pays for them, people are responsible for their own flights, but the operators, Wizz Air and others, are…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeMy noble friend is right, and I will look at the number that he said. As I say, 44 was mentioned at the Home Affairs Select Committee. The family scheme does not stipulate, or…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI will do my best not to duplicate the previous Statement and to read as quickly as possible. I will not repeat that “President Putin’s bloody invasion is a barbaric and…31 Mar 2022HANSARDUkraine Refugee VisasI assure the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, that I would much rather have the Statement taken as read. I was told that, because it was delivered today, that is not possible. I will try to…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for his question. I am certainly happy to do what he suggests with the family units; that is a very good point. On his first question, I…31 Mar 2022HANSARDUkraine Refugee VisasI thank the noble Baroness, Lady Sheehan, for her question. If I misled her or this House, it was the last thing I intended to do. My memory is that I said that the forms are in…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeThe answer to the question on the babies is that children under five do not have passports or visas. The reason why there still have to be visits to visa application centres is…28 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI do not accept the statement of the noble Baroness that the system is built to fail—it is not. But there are problems with it. I would be delighted to sit down with her and…28 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI thank my noble friend for that question. I was not aware of the letter and I look forward to receiving it from him personally, because it might be quicker than via the system,…28 Mar 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeI agree with much of the sentiment of what the noble Baroness said. As far as the visa process is concerned, the only purpose is to provide security checks for this country. As I…28 Mar 2022