Erasmus+ Eligibility: Asylum Seekers

Debate between Baroness Smith of Malvern and Lord Harper

Thursday 29th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

Yes, my noble friend is absolutely right. This is an enormously exciting opportunity for learners, for educators, for young people and for our communities. It is an investment in opportunity for our young people, our workforce and our future, opening doors for tens of thousands of people across the UK to benefit from those experiences. As my noble friend says, this includes our ability to learn from, and also share, the enormously important contribution that education makes to this country, to our exports and to our standing in the world.

[Lord Harper (Con)]

My Lords, I very much support the inclusion in this programme of those who have successfully got refugee status in the United Kingdom, in order to strengthen their integration into our society. But can the Minister explain why it is also open to those still seeking asylum who have not yet established their right to be in the United Kingdom? Many of those people’s claims will ultimately not be successful, and I do not know why we are spending significant amounts of our taxpayers’ money on putting on a very expensive European scheme when they have not yet established their right to be in our country.

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

Of course, the nature of the rights of asylum seekers means that they would not, for example, be able to benefit from travel overseas. Were they to be volunteering or in education, they could benefit from Erasmus programmes there.