Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 28425 on Afghanistan: Resettlement, how many and what proportion of the total number of Afghans in the UK arrived via the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme, announced by the Defence Secretary on 18 December 2024, is not in itself an immigration scheme, but a single delivery pipeline to improve efficiency in the end to end relocation and in-UK resettlement of those arriving on our Afghan schemes.The latest published statistics for arrivals under the Afghan schemes can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6745f99683f3d6d843be975e/asylum-summary-sep-24-tables.ods.

How many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of being under 21 and a care leaver since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

How many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of returning to a developing country since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled G7 countries agree new plan to dismantle migrant smuggling gangs, published on 4 October 2024, if she will publish that plan.

On 4 October 2024, G7 nations agreed a new plan to tackle the smuggling of migrants. This Action Plan will deliver a boost to UK law enforcement by fostering closer cooperation with G7 partners to bolster border security, combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation by migrant smugglers. The Government published the Action Plan priorities and key overarching elements for collaboration on 21 October 2024 on the gov.uk website. (Action Plan to Prevent and Counter the Smuggling of Migrants (accessible) - GOV.UK)

When the Border Security Commander plans to set strategic priorities for border security.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 23 January to Question 22404.

How many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of having been sleeping rough since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

How many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of being under 18 and travelling alone since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

How many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of being part of a family group that will travel together, including someone under 18 years old since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

How many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of having received a letter from the Home Office confirming they are a victim of modern slavery since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

How many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of their claim for asylum in the UK having been refused since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

Which intelligence agencies will work with Border Security Command.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 23 January to Question 22404.

Who the members of the board of Border Security Command are.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 23 January to Question 22404.

Whether Border Security Command has commenced participation in Europol Operational Task Forces.

A range of UK agencies continue to undertake multiple operations with European law enforcement partners, coordinated through Europol and Eurojust, including participation in Operational Task Forces.

Which international (a) source and (b) transit country partners Border Security Command are working with to disincentivise irregular migration.

The Borde Security Command is committed to a ‘whole of route of approach’ to tackling irregular migration. This includes working with our international partners across a large number of source and transit countries, which is led by the evidence on the key migratory routes, in order to disincentivise irregular migration and break the business models of organised crime gangs.

How many individual voluntary returns have been awarded (a) up to £1,000, (b) between £1,000 and £2,000 and (c) between £2,000 and £3,000 by the Voluntary Returns Service since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.

What steps Border Security Command has taken with the banking sector to (a) prevent illicit finance and (b) reduce the profits of organised crime groups facilitating irregular migration.

We created the Border Security Command which will apply public-private partnerships to Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) for the first time, including with the UK’s financial sector and financial institutions, to prevent the flow of illicit finance and degrade the profits of OCGs facilitating irregular migration. This will build on existing activity with banking institutions across the UK such as suspicious activity reports (SAR) which are routinely sent from UK banks to the National Crime Agency. All regulated financial institutions must make a SAR if they know or suspect, or have reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that a person is engaged in money laundering or terrorist financing. It is a criminal offence if an institution does not report their knowledge, suspicion or reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting.OIC remains a global threat, with no respect for national boundaries. Tackling it requires an international response, with governments and international organisations working together to develop strategic solutions and collaborative operations, across the whole irregular migration route, from source to destination countries. As such, the Border Security Command is working in partnership with like-minded international partners such as Italy, under the UK-Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce. The UK and Italy are global leaders in disrupting economic crime and under the taskforce both nations will be sharing law enforcement strategies, policy, and expertise to maximise our disruptive effect on financial flows into the UK, Italy and across Europe.In addition, our new irregular migration sanctions regime - a world first - will be a valuable additional capability to bring to bear against people smugglers.

What steps Border Security Command has taken to improve understanding of the methodologies used to facilitate irregular migration.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 23 January to Question 22404.

What steps Border Security Command has taken support (a) law enforcement and (b) other partners to (i) understand, (ii) identify and (iii) tackle organised immigration crime.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 23 January to Question 22404.

How many people under 18 and travelling alone have been deported since 4 July 2024; and to which countries they were deported.

The information requested is not available from published statistics and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The Home Office does publish the quarterly statistics on the returns of FNOs by nationality, destination and year. These returns are published in the Returns Detailed Datasets, Year Ending September 2024, which are available at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Whether Border Security Command have commenced working with the Calais Group of Interior Ministers.

On 10 December 2024, Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, jointly with German Federal Minister of the Interior and Community, Nancy Faeser, convened the Calais Group Interior Ministers meeting with Belgium, France, and The Netherlands, in London, in the presence of the European Commission and its agencies. All Calais Group partners agreed to jointly deliver the Calais Group Priority Plan in 2025, committing to enhancing cooperation to address the acute challenges that migrant smuggling groups pose to our collective border security. Border Security Command officials are working closely with Calais Group official and operational counterparts to deliver the plan. The Home Secretary, Border Security and Asylum Minister and officials regularly engage with Calais Group partners as important near neighbours in the fight against organised migrant smuggling groups.