§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to take steps to enable refugees from Kosovo to accept temporary work on the land in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement. [81566]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienI have been asked to reply.
Evacuees from Kosovo who arrive in the United Kingdom under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Humanitarian Evacuation Programme will be granted exceptional leave to enter and, as a consequence, permitted to take employment immediately. In common with asylum applicants of other nationalities, those from Kosovo who have arrived independently in the United Kingdom will be entitled to seek permission to take employment if they have been waiting for a decision on their case for six months.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many refugees from Kosovo she expects will be given shelter in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement. [81564]
§ Mr. StrawI have been asked to reply.
The primary aim of the Government is to care for refugees in the region, and to facilitate their return to Kosovo. We are working together with our European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners and with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
We have long made clear that we stand ready to respond to requests for UNHCR to take vulnerable refugees from Kosovo on a temporary basis. We have agreed with UNHCR that any recommendations for evacuation from the region should be co-ordinated through the office of the UNHCR.
I announced on 20 April that arrangements had been agreed for the admission of 120 evacuees, mainly women and children, expected in the next few days. This decision was made following advice from UNHCR that the refugees were deemed to be vulnerable and in need of temporary protection outside the region.
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