Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many soldiers and their families are on accommodation waiting lists or assigned to accommodation a significant distance from their work because priority for housing was given to the families of Afghan refugees.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

No Armed Forces families have been displaced from their Service Family Accommodation either within barracks, or on housing estates close to their place of work, to house Afghan families.

No Service Families are on waiting lists or have been assigned accommodation a significant distance from their work because priority for housing was given to Afghan families.

The Ministry Of Defence’s priority is and will always remain, to accommodate Serving personnel and their families.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many armed forces families have been displaced from their Service Family Accommodation (1) within barracks, and (2) on housing estates close to their place of work, to house families of Afghan refugees since 6 January 2022.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

No Armed Forces families have been displaced from their Service Family Accommodation either within barracks, or on housing estates close to their place of work, to house Afghan families.

No Service Families are on waiting lists or have been assigned accommodation a significant distance from their work because priority for housing was given to Afghan families.

The Ministry Of Defence’s priority is and will always remain, to accommodate Serving personnel and their families.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many children of Afghan refugees attending schools in or near army barracks across the UK are being taught in classes segregated by sex.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Prime Minister’s special envoy for negotiations regarding the British Indian Ocean Territory sovereignty dispute was aware of the 1966 Agreement (1) when negotiating in Washington DC on behalf of the UK Government during 2024 and 2025, and (2) when the agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago was signed on 22 May 2025.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I provided on 22 December in response to Question HL12715, and I gently point out to her that the Government has always been aware of the Exchange of Letters to which I referred in that answer, even if they appear to have taken some Opposition parties by surprise.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to conclude negotiations with the government of the United States of America on amendments to the 1966 Exchange of Notes to ratify the UK-Mauritius Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

We continue to work closely with the US to ensure that the necessary arrangements are in place for the future governance of the base. Excellent progress is being made on updating the UK-US Agreement, which will be finalised before the treaty between the UK and Mauritius is ratified.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that direct funding allocated to the Pride in Place programme will support only legitimate high-street businesses.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has launched its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support to 284 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.

The Pride in Place Programme is community-led, with Neighbourhood Boards made up of local people deciding how funding is invested, supported by the local MP and the local authority. Neighbourhood Boards have the flexibility to invest in a wide range of activity where this reflects community priorities, including projects and interventions to support and revitalise local high streets.

Neighbourhood Boards must work with local people and the local authority to develop a Pride in Place Plan, setting out the community’s vision for change over the next decade. Neighbourhood Boards should engage the relevant accountable body to decide how best to manage project appraisals, due diligence, awards to organisations and contractual and payment arrangements.

The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and ensure appropriate financial oversight across all Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many illegal immigrants who have left Home Office asylum accommodation are currently unaccounted for.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

There is a difference between Asylum Seekers who leave Home Office provided accommodation while their claim is pending and an absconder. Those who leave accommodation may be deemed as missing from that particular location but are not automatically considered as ‘absconders’ as they may remain in contact with the Home Office whilst their claim is processed.

Absconders are individuals who have breached one or more conditions of their immigration bail and all efforts to contact the person have been exhausted.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers have absconded from Home Office accommodation since 5 July 2024; and how many of them have subsequently been located.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

There is a difference between Asylum Seekers who leave Home Office provided accommodation while their claim is pending and an absconder. Those who leave accommodation may be deemed as missing from that particular location but are not automatically considered as ‘absconders’ as they may remain in contact with the Home Office whilst their claim is processed.

Absconders are individuals who have breached one or more conditions of their immigration bail and all efforts to contact the person have been exhausted.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether neighbourhood boards appointed in local areas to oversee the Pride of Place programme will be required to (1) receive formal written applications for funding, (2) retain independent auditors to carry out financial checks to verify applicants' financial probity, and (3) audit all payments annually for a minimum of five years.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has launched its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support to 284 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.

The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and ensure appropriate financial oversight across all Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors.

Neighbourhood Boards are community-led bodies responsible for shaping local priorities through the Pride in Place Plan, with financial accountability and assurance provided through local authorities acting as the accountable bodies and through MHCLG’s programme-level oversight. This includes the submission of expenditure profiles and forecasts to MHCLG, alongside ongoing monitoring and evaluation in line with published guidance.

MHCLG’s Communities Delivery Unit provides each neighbourhood with a named official to monitor delivery, support governance and escalate concerns where necessary.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to end the use of Ministry of Defence accommodation to house Afghan refugees; and what plans they have to find alternative accommodation for Afghan refugees.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The resettlement of Afghan refugees under ARP continues and we are proud of this safe and legal route for those affected by events in Afghanistan. Those who are eligible and arrive in the UK legally under ARP receive Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

Transitional accommodation (TA), including Service Family Accommodation (SFA), has been used on the Defence Estate to support eligible Afghan families arriving under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the wider Afghan Resettlement Programme. This has ensured safe, immediate housing for eligible persons resettled in the UK.

The use of large bridging hotels has now ended, and the Government is reducing reliance on temporary Ministry of Defence accommodation. Recent arrivals increasingly move directly into permanent settled homes where available, or into other forms of transitional accommodation on a short‑term basis.

Under the Afghan Resettlement Programme, transitional accommodation is offered for up to nine months, within which households are expected to move into their settled home. The Government continues to work closely with local authorities to secure suitable permanent accommodation and to support families towards sustainable long‑term resettlement. Settled homes remain the best long‑term solution, providing newly arriving individuals and families with the stability to integrate, put down roots, and build their new lives in the UK.

Found: Baroness Buscombe  No relevant interests to declare.

Found: December at 3.45pm in Committee Room 3A Present: Lord Morse (Chair) Baroness Blake of Leeds Baroness Buscombe

Found: Baroness Buscombe: It is not working.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Foster of Bath (The Chair); Lord Bach; Baroness Bertin; Baroness Buscombe