Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms her Department will put in place to ensure the Windrush Commissioner’s (a) advice and (b) recommendations to the Government are promptly acted upon.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Windrush Commissioner will provide independent scrutiny, challenge and advice to the Home Secretary and Ministers, ensuring the lessons from Windrush are applied across the Home Office and are acted on throughout government.
As the Windrush Commissioner is an independent role any decision on how the Commissioner engages with parliamentarians as part of their work is a matter to be raised with the Commissioner themselves. However, like other Home Office commissioners it is expected that they may be invited to give evidence to the Home Affairs Select Commitee on relevant issues.
The immediate priority is to appoint the right person into the role and ensure they engage swiftly with impacted communities to truly understand their views and concerns, and identify how the Commissioner can deliver meaningful change through their new role.
To maintain momentum, drive early progress, and refine the role based on stakeholder engagement, the Commissioner will initially operate on a non-statutory basis. It may be put on a statutory footing at a later date subject to Parliamentary approval.
A Memorandum of Understanding will be drawn up between the Windrush Commissioner and the Home Office on the governance arrangements between both parties in line with the approach taken for all independent public officer holders. Like other Home Office Commissioners, the Windrush Commissioner will have their own dedicated team, maintaining their independence while receiving civil service support. Further support will be provided from the re-established Windrush Unit in the Home Office.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to mandate the Windrush Commissioner to report regularly to (a) Parliament (b) the Home Affairs Committee.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Windrush Commissioner will provide independent scrutiny, challenge and advice to the Home Secretary and Ministers, ensuring the lessons from Windrush are applied across the Home Office and are acted on throughout government.
As the Windrush Commissioner is an independent role any decision on how the Commissioner engages with parliamentarians as part of their work is a matter to be raised with the Commissioner themselves. However, like other Home Office commissioners it is expected that they may be invited to give evidence to the Home Affairs Select Commitee on relevant issues.
The immediate priority is to appoint the right person into the role and ensure they engage swiftly with impacted communities to truly understand their views and concerns, and identify how the Commissioner can deliver meaningful change through their new role.
To maintain momentum, drive early progress, and refine the role based on stakeholder engagement, the Commissioner will initially operate on a non-statutory basis. It may be put on a statutory footing at a later date subject to Parliamentary approval.
A Memorandum of Understanding will be drawn up between the Windrush Commissioner and the Home Office on the governance arrangements between both parties in line with the approach taken for all independent public officer holders. Like other Home Office Commissioners, the Windrush Commissioner will have their own dedicated team, maintaining their independence while receiving civil service support. Further support will be provided from the re-established Windrush Unit in the Home Office.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas expired before the recipient left the country in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
As set out in legislation, an individual is liable to removal from the UK if "the person requires leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom but does not have it". The Home Office has not historically recorded the means by which individual becomes liable to removal, and we could only collate and verify the requested information on visa overstayers for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
The Government has already begun to deliver a major surge in the removal of people with no right to be in the UK, with over 24,000 returns recorded between 5 July 2024 and 22 March 2025.
Further data on returns activity is published quarterly and can be found on gov.uk at Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allow time spent under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme to count towards the five-year qualifying period for settled status.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes.
This is why the temporary sanctuary Ukraine Visa Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.
There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.
The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, will provide up to an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK for those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission.
UPE is a new grant of permission; it is not an extension of a person's existing permission. An automatic extension of existing permission would mean providing further unnecessary permission, even to a person who has now left the UK and is no longer in need of temporary sanctuary in the UK.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent changes made to her Department's guidance entitled Nationality: good character requirement, published on 10 February 2025, on community cohesion.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The British Nationality Act 1981 is clear that it is for the Home Secretary to determine the good character policy. There is no definition of good character in primary legislation, nor is there statutory guidance as to how this should be interpreted or defined. Changes to the good character policy are at the discretion of the Home Secretary.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is leading cross-Government efforts to develop a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with communities and local stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address the deep-seated issues. A new cross-government ministerial ‘Communities & Recovery Steering Group’ has been stood up to oversee this work and this group includes the Home Secretary.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to publish information on profits made by Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts providers (a) Serco, (b) Mears and (c) Clearsprings through those contracts.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The providers of the Home Office’s Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts are held to account on their performance against an agreed set of key performance indicators throughout the course of each contract to ensure that the taxpayer receives value for money, and that the standards of service required by the department are met.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 41380 on Asylum: Hotels, how many hotels used for the housing of asylum seekers have closed between 21 January 2025 and 31 March 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer he received on the 31 March 2025 to UIN 41380.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she considered the potential merits of consulting the Windrush scandal's (a) victims and (b) victims' representatives in determining the role specification of the Windrush Commissioner.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Windrush Commissioner will be a public appointee, operating independently of the Home Office to serve as an advocate and trusted voice for victims, families and impacted communities affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal. They will provide independent scrutiny, challenge and advice to the Home Secretary and Ministers ensuring the lessons from Windrush are applied across the Home Office and are acted on throughout government.
We have actively engaged and listened to stakeholders’ views on the key responsibilities of this position, ensuring their reflections informed the role specification. On appointment, it is anticipated that the Commissioner will also engage with impacted groups to understand their viewpoint and identify how they can deliver meaningful change through this new role.
The recruitment process is being conducted in line with Cabinet Office principles and guidelines, with two independent panel members included on the Advisory Assessment Panel to ensure transparency and fairness.
Like other Home Office Commissioners, the Windrush Commissioner also will have dedicated funding to recruit and build their team, while also receiving civil service support from the re-established Windrush Unit in the Home Office. A Memorandum of Understanding will be drawn up between the Windrush Commissioner and the Home Office on the governance arrangements between both parties in line with the approach taken for all independent public officer holders.
To maintain momentum, drive early progress, and refine the role based on stakeholder engagement, the Commissioner will initially operate on a non-statutory basis. It may be put on a statutory footing at a later date subject to Parliamentary approval.
The Windrush Commissioner will also assure delivery of the Windrush Compensation Scheme to provide advice to Ministers on the scheme’s effectiveness in achieving its objectives and provide assurance that the needs of Windrush communities are met.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use Eastwood Hall Hotel to accommodate irregular migrants.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
As a matter of longstanding policy, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.
However, if a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of any such plans.
It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our plans to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement a scheme similar to the European travel information and authorisation system for travellers to the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK has introduced electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream, and improve the customer experience. The introduction of the ETA scheme is in line with the approach many of the UK’s international partners have already taken to border security, including the European Union’s forthcoming ETIAS and EES. The UK’s scheme was extended to eligible European nationals on 5 March 2025, and will be a requirement for this cohort for travel from 2 April 2025. In line with international partners, we are building upon our existing ability to track arrivals in and out of the country.