Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens are awaiting compensation for the seizure of their land by the government of Zimbabwe.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government does not hold comprehensive information on the number of British citizens awaiting compensation following the seizure of land in Zimbabwe. Responsibility for compensating those affected by Zimbabwe's Fast Track Land Reform Programme rests with the Government of Zimbabwe.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the response by the government of Mauritius to the MV Wakashio oil spill of 2020; and what records they hold of any assessment of this matter conducted in connection with negotiations over the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory, up to and including the date of this question.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the MV Wakashio oil spill, Mauritius undertook a review of its National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, drawing on lessons identified from the incident. The review was supported by international partners, including the UNDP and technical experts, and was intended to strengthen national preparedness and response arrangements for future oil-spill incidents. This was one of a range of factors considered by the Government in connection to the future environmental protection of the British Indian Ocean Territory during negotiations with Mauritius.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the capacity and track record of the Government of Mauritius to manage marine protected areas, as part of the preparation, development and due diligence of the negotiations over the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government considered a range of factors relevant to the future environmental and marine protection of the British Indian Ocean Territory during negotiations with Mauritius. Mauritius committed to ensure the marine environment would be effectively protected under a future Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area (MPA). Under the terms of the Agreement, the UK agreed it would support Mauritius in the establishment and management of any future MPA.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether British Overseas Territories citizens connected to the British Indian Ocean Territory are entitled to bring legal challenges before the courts on matters affecting their (1) citizenship status, (2) ancestral graves, and (3) place of birth, where those matters concern British sovereign territory
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Legal challenges concerning decisions affecting the British Indian Ocean Territory may be brought before the courts in accordance with the applicable legal framework and procedures. As with any litigation, it is for the courts to determine questions of jurisdiction and the merits of individual cases.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what expenditure has been incurred in legal work relating to the Chagos islands or the Chagossian people in the last two years.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is not possible to provide a single figure for this expenditure. Government lawyers are salaried and do not charge their time by individual workstream. There is also no centrally held figure for external legal costs across government relating to the Chagos Islands or Chagossian people over the last two years.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the appropriate forum for legal challenges brought by Chagossians about decisions affecting the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Legal challenges concerning decisions affecting the British Indian Ocean Territory may be brought before the courts in accordance with the applicable legal framework and procedures. As with any litigation, it is for the courts to determine questions of jurisdiction and the merits of individual cases.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report that the new Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland described herself as the Ambassador to Great Britain when presenting her credentials.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 8 September in response to Question 26855 which is copied below:
All Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary accredited to the Court of St James's are Ambassadors to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers have been removed from Northern Ireland in the past three years; whether the Government possess confirmations of their departure from the United Kingdom and return to another state; and how many such returns were made to the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not routinely produce statistics showing from where in the UK a failed asylum seeker has been removed. A transparency publication updated on 19 August (Northern Ireland enforcement activity between 1 October 2022 and 31 May 2026 - GOV.UK) shows that between 1 July 2024 and 31 May 2026, Immigration Enforcement conducted 2,913 enforcement visits in Northern Ireland resulting in 2,425 arrests, with nearly 1,000 (963) people subsequently returned, almost 500 (493) of which had a destination of Ireland. These numbers are not however specific to asylum seekers and include both asylum-related and non-asylum encounters.
The latest official statics on returns published on 27 August (How many people are returned from the UK? - GOV.UK) show that in 2025 there were 521 returns (enforced and voluntary) to Ireland (table Ret_D02 of the ‘returns detailed datasets’). These figures are from across the UK however and are not specific to Northern Ireland encounters.
Obtaining the specific information you have requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wood of Anfield on 27 July (HL1989), whether they will commence the recording by data fields of (1) the nationality of asylum seekers, (2) how they entered or came to be in the United Kingdom, and (3) which country they travelled from most recently before reaching the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes the number of asylum claims raised by nationality, and the number of people claiming asylum by prior route, by nationality in the Asy_D01 and Asy_D01a tables available here: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK
Asylum seekers arrive in the UK through a range of routes before claiming asylum. In the year ending June 2026, 41% had previously entered on a visa or other leave, 40% arrived by small boat, 12% arrived via other illegal entry routes, and 8% entered via other routes or could not be matched to a route of entry.
Information on countries asylum seekers travelled from before reaching the UK this information is not published. It is held as “free text” on individual case files and can only be extracted manually at disproportionate cost.
The number of people claiming asylum in the previous three years, and to date in the current year is shown below:
Time period | People claiming asylum |
Year ending December 2023 | 87,427 |
Year ending December 2024 | 104,764 |
Year ending December 2025 | 101,911 |
January to June 2026 | 33,189 |
Source: Asy_D01 Asylum claims raised, by nationality, age, sex, UASC, applicant type, and location of claim.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration, if any, they are giving to the forfeiture of the NHS pensions of Mr Amran Hussein and Dr Muhammad Iqbal following their recent convictions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under NHS Pension Scheme Regulations, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, may direct all or part of a member's pension benefits be forfeited where the member has been convicted of a relevant offence committed before those benefits become payable. Any decision on forfeiture is considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Government does not comment on individual cases.