Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the Orgreave inquiry to report.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
As referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July announcing the establishment of an inquiry into the events at Orgreave (HLWS860), the Home Secretary is currently in consultation with the Chair of the inquiry on its terms of reference. The Home Secretary has asked the Chair to engage with key stakeholders as part of that process, and a final copy of the terms of reference will be published at the earliest opportunity thereafter.
Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the Orgreave inquiry.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
As referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July announcing the establishment of an inquiry into the events at Orgreave (HLWS860), the Home Secretary is currently in consultation with the Chair of the inquiry on its terms of reference. The Home Secretary has asked the Chair to engage with key stakeholders as part of that process, and a final copy of the terms of reference will be published at the earliest opportunity thereafter.
Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much the chair of the Orgreave inquiry will be paid.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
As referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July announcing the establishment of an inquiry into the events at Orgreave (HLWS860), the Home Secretary is currently in consultation with the Chair of the inquiry on its terms of reference. The Home Secretary has asked the Chair to engage with key stakeholders as part of that process, and a final copy of the terms of reference will be published at the earliest opportunity thereafter.
Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers and refugees have been dispersed by the Home Office to Northern Ireland in each of the past five years, and how many from Syria, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine in the relevant official schemes.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The number of supported asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years were as follows:
Immigration group | As at 31 March 2021 | As at 31 March 2022 | As at 31 March 2023 | As at 31 March 2024 | As at 31 March 2025 |
Supported Asylum seekers | 912 | 1,404 | 3,030 | 2,765 | 2,637 |
Afghan Resettlement Programme | Scheme not open | Data not available | Data not available | 203 | 305 |
Homes for Ukraine (arrivals) | Scheme not open | Data not available | Data not available | 1,502 | 1,949 |
Please note that Asylum seekers are accommodated in Northern Ireland only if they apply for asylum there. These figures are a snapshot as at 31 March for the last 5 years.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to create designated-British-passports-only entry points at UK airports.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Whilst there are currently no plans to change queuing arrangements at the UK Border, those arrangements remain under constant review in order to prioritise security, maintain fluidity and ensure that we continue to run our border in the UK's best interests.
As the quickest and most efficient method of crossing the border, we encourage all eligible passengers to make use of the e-Gates at our ports of entry where possible.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation will affect travel from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Electronic Travel Authorisations are a new requirement for international travel to the UK. They do not affect domestic journeys, which means they do not affect travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in the past 12 months have been arrested and charged with offences relating to the proscribed terrorist organisations Hamas and Hezbollah.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government takes proscription offences seriously. Hamas and Hizballah are both proscribed in their entirety in the UK, with their listings extended in 2021 and 2019 respectively.
Data on arrests, charges and convictions for the proscription offences in sections 11 to 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 can be found in the quarterly Home Office publication ‘Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’.
Data is not published on the specific proscribed organisation that the arrest, charge or conviction relates to.
The most recent publication up to year ending June 2024, was published on 12 September 2024: Operation of police powers under TACT 2000, to June 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which 10 local authorities in the UK had the most asylum seekers in the most recent year for which figures are available, and how much funding each of those 10 local authorities received to support asylum seekers.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes our accommodation sites, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of expensive hotels and ensure better use of public money, whilst maintaining sufficient accommodation to meet demand.
The most recent data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, at: Asy_D11 Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Home Office has had various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which 10 local authorities in the UK had the most asylum seekers supported by the Home Office by proportion of population in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes our accommodation sites, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of expensive hotels and ensure better use of public money, whilst maintaining sufficient accommodation to meet demand.
The most recent data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, at: Asy_D11 Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Home Office has had various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which countries are regarded as unsafe in human rights terms and to which their citizens cannot be deported from the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual facts and merits in accordance with our international obligations.
The Home Office’s assessment of the situation for different groups in different countries is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which are available via https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.