Migrant Help holds the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder.

The Refugee Council is contracted to provide the independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder. The published Contracts Finder notice for this contract reflects the original award and end date. However, the contract has subsequently been extended to December 2026, with provision for a further extension to March 2027.

The Home Office has a rigorous performance management regime for its contractor in this case the average call answering times are tracked and measured against contractual provisions.

The Cabinet Office publishes performance data for KPIs on the government’s most important contracts, which can be found at: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts - GOV.UK.

In line with our existing policy, those resettled under Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and relocated under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) may be able to be accompanied by their immediate family members.

The government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable people fleeing Afghanistan. However, the situation is very complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes the eligible family members of those being resettled under the ACRS. For those evacuated from Afghanistan under the ACRS without their immediate family members, further information will be made available in due course about options for reuniting with them.

Those referred by UNHCR under the ACRS will have refugee status and will therefore be able to access the refugee family reunion route.

Those without refugee status wishing to bring family members would need to apply through the regular family visa route under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

The Home Office does not have a contract with the Refugee Council.

The Refugee Council run Children’s Panel provided advice to 1,971 children in 2016. The length of time between opening and closing cases, could only be provided at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

All unaccompanied asylum seeking children are referred to the Refugee Council’s panel of advisers.

Age-assessments of unaccompanied asylum seeking children are conducted by local authorities. The guidance to local authority practitioners states that most assessments should be completed within 28 days, however the timescale for assessment should be responsive to the needs of the child or young person. The Home Office does not collect statistics on how many and what proportion are carried out within this timescale.

Statistics on the number of age disputes raised and resolved for asylum applicants for each quarter from January 2010 to September 2015 are available on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/476915/asylum3-q3-2015-tabs.ods

The Home Office does not keep a record of the number of appeals against age assessments conducted by local authorities.

Home Office policy is not to return unaccompanied asylum seeking children whose claim has been refused unless there are safe and adequate reception arrangements in place. Statistics on the number of children removed from the UK in 2014 are available on Gov.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/476919/removals1-q3-2015-tabs.ods

However, these statistics include all nationalities and non-asylum cases.

Officials have regularly met representatives of the Refugee Council to discuss the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme. The last meeting was held on 25 September and was also attended by partners from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

I am pleased to confirm that Karen Pierce, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, UK Mission to the UN and Other International Organisations, Geneva will represent the UK at the UNHCR Global Resettlement Pledging Conference on 9 December 2014.

You have asked for details on how many refugees from Syria have been settled in the UK over the last 24 months. These figures are broken down by month in the table below.