Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 13 December 2024 (HL Deb cols 2010–12), whether the pilot will involve newly recognised refugees with lived experience of the moving on period; what the criteria will be to evaluate success; who is undertaking the pilot; and whether the interim findings will be published, and if so when.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) & RSM have been contracted to undertake an evaluation of the changes to the move on period on behalf of the Home Office. This evaluation will cover the extension of the move on period to 56 days, the provision of liaison officers to support those granted asylum, and the provision of £2.8m recognition payment for select local authorities. It will assess the implementation, early outcomes and value for money of these initiatives. It will also assess the early impact of the rollout of eVisas and how this interacts with the above initiatives.
The following outcomes are of interest, and the evaluation will assess how/whether the changes to the move on period have:
Evaluation methods include interviews with newly granted refugees to capture insights from those with lived experience of the move on process.
Interim evaluation findings are due to be delivered shortly, with final evaluation findings delivered this summer.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Sherlock on 18 March (HL Deb col 1203), whether the above-inflation increase in the standard rate of Universal Credit by the end of this Parliament represents an above-inflation increase in any year other than 2026–27.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The announced increase in the standard allowance will see an above inflation increase in every year from 2026/27 to the end of Parliament.
The proposed increases are inflation (measured by CPI), plus: 2.3% in 2026/27, 3.1% in 2027/28, 4.0% in 2028/29 and 4.8% in 2029/30.
As such, in each year, the rates will be what they would have been under CPI uprating and then increased by the relevant percentage figure.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the purpose of the changes made to (1) illegal entry, and (2) arriving without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey, in the Nationality: good character requirement guidance.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are already rules that can prevent those arriving illegally from gaining citizenship.
On 10 February 2025, the Home Office strengthened measures to make it clear that anyone who enters the UK illegally or who arrives without a required valid entry clearance or electronic valid authorisation having made a dangerous journey, including small boat arrivals, now faces having a British citizenship application refused on the basis that they will not normally be considered to be of good character. This change means that:
However, each citizenship application will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Secretary of State may choose to apply discretion to grant citizenship on an exceptional basis where there are particularly exceptional, compelling, or mitigating circumstances.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 12 February (HL Deb col 1255), what estimate they have made of the number of refugees who have arrived by unauthorised routes who will (1) apply for citizenship, and (2) have their application for citizenship accepted on the basis that their circumstances are 'exceptional, compelling and mitigating'; and whether these data formed the basis of assumptions that informed the changes made to the Nationality: good character requirement guidance in February 2025.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
No such data is available, and no such estimates have been made.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the changes made to the Nationality: good character requirement guidance published in February are consistent with the practice of disregarding immigration breaches outside of a child's control.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
When assessing good character, it is normally appropriate to disregard immigration breaches if it is accepted this was outside of the applicant’s control. Given illegal entry is normally considered outside a child's control, most children would not be held accountable for their immigration breach. The 10 February 2025 amendments to the good character policy did not alter this position.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the date of the latest UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre business case; what is the latest estimate for the total amount of capital cost including contingency; and whether both the business case and the estimate are publicly available.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A revised Full Business Case for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was prepared in 2023. That business case supported the Accounting Officer assessment published on 26 June 2023; cost estimates used in the business case were published on 28 June 2023 in a Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Scott of Bybrook [Statement UIN HLWS875]. The business case assumed that construction would extend from 2024 to 2027 with appropriate contingency included to allow for further delay.
Information on programme costs incurred to date has been set out in answers by Lord Khan of Burnley to Written Parliamentary Questions HL4243 and HL4207 and an answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage to Written Parliamentary Question HL5549.
The contract awarded in 2016 to Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Porter + Bowman for the design of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster remains in place.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they last prepared an estimate of the total capital cost for the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and what assumptions they used for the (1) start date, and (2) end date, of its construction.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A revised Full Business Case for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was prepared in 2023. That business case supported the Accounting Officer assessment published on 26 June 2023; cost estimates used in the business case were published on 28 June 2023 in a Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Scott of Bybrook [Statement UIN HLWS875]. The business case assumed that construction would extend from 2024 to 2027 with appropriate contingency included to allow for further delay.
Information on programme costs incurred to date has been set out in answers by Lord Khan of Burnley to Written Parliamentary Questions HL4243 and HL4207 and an answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage to Written Parliamentary Question HL5549.
The contract awarded in 2016 to Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Porter + Bowman for the design of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster remains in place.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of time spent by (1) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government staff, and (2) contractors, on (a) management, (b) project management, (c) planning, (d) legal case management, (e) architectural design, and (f) engineering management, of the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A revised Full Business Case for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was prepared in 2023. That business case supported the Accounting Officer assessment published on 26 June 2023; cost estimates used in the business case were published on 28 June 2023 in a Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Scott of Bybrook [Statement UIN HLWS875]. The business case assumed that construction would extend from 2024 to 2027 with appropriate contingency included to allow for further delay.
Information on programme costs incurred to date has been set out in answers by Lord Khan of Burnley to Written Parliamentary Questions HL4243 and HL4207 and an answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage to Written Parliamentary Question HL5549.
The contract awarded in 2016 to Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Porter + Bowman for the design of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster remains in place.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the contract with Sir David Adjaye and Adjaye Associates to provide lead architectural services for the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is still in force; and if it, or an amended contract, is in force, what is the scope of that contract or those contracts.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A revised Full Business Case for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was prepared in 2023. That business case supported the Accounting Officer assessment published on 26 June 2023; cost estimates used in the business case were published on 28 June 2023 in a Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Scott of Bybrook [Statement UIN HLWS875]. The business case assumed that construction would extend from 2024 to 2027 with appropriate contingency included to allow for further delay.
Information on programme costs incurred to date has been set out in answers by Lord Khan of Burnley to Written Parliamentary Questions HL4243 and HL4207 and an answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage to Written Parliamentary Question HL5549.
The contract awarded in 2016 to Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Porter + Bowman for the design of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster remains in place.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of maintenance, landscaping, security and flood defence of the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre during and after its construction.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A revised Full Business Case for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was prepared in 2023. That business case supported the Accounting Officer assessment published on 26 June 2023; cost estimates used in the business case were published on 28 June 2023 in a Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Scott of Bybrook [Statement UIN HLWS875]. The business case assumed that construction would extend from 2024 to 2027 with appropriate contingency included to allow for further delay.
Information on programme costs incurred to date has been set out in answers by Lord Khan of Burnley to Written Parliamentary Questions HL4243 and HL4207 and an answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage to Written Parliamentary Question HL5549.
The contract awarded in 2016 to Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Porter + Bowman for the design of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster remains in place.