Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many immigration enforcement and return flights were operated in each month since July 2024.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office makes enforced returns by both charter flights and regular scheduled flights. We utilise both approaches flexibly to best meet operational needs and maximise value for money.
Month | Charter Flight Operations |
Jul-24 | 7 |
Aug-24 | 7 |
Sep-24 | 6 |
Oct-24 | 6 |
Nov-24 | 6 |
Dec-24 | 4 |
Jan-25 | 5 |
Feb-25 | 4 |
Mar-25 | 6 |
Apr-25 | 5 |
May-25 | 5 |
Jun-25 | 6 |
Jul-25 | 6 |
Aug-25 | 5 |
Sep-25 | 6 |
Oct-25 | 8 |
Nov-25 | 9 |
Dec-25 | 6 |
Jan-26 | 8 |
Feb-26 | 7 |
Mar-26 | 8 |
Apr-26 | 10 |
May-26 | 7 |
Jun-26 | 11 |
Jul-26 | 9 |
Aug-26 | 8 |
Sep-26 | 9 |
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many EU Entry/Exit System faults have been recorded in each month since its launch in October 2025.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Entry/Exit System is an EU-owned and operated system. Responsibility for its design, operation and the recording and management of system faults rests with the European Commission and participating Member States. The Government does not therefore hold a monthly breakdown of the number of faults recorded since its launch.
The Government continues to engage closely with the European Commission, Member States and the travel industry to understand operational impacts and support the smooth operation of journeys for British travellers.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many immigration removal centre beds were available in each year since 2024, and how many beds are currently available.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office currently operates eight immigration removal centres (IRCs) throughout the UK (seven in England and one in Scotland).
The IRC estate had an operational capacity of 2,244 beds as of 1 January 2024, 2,318 beds as of 1 January 2025 and 2,555 beds as of 6 October 2026.
Figures for Campsfield IRC, which opened on 1 December 2025, are included.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many specialist intelligence and investigations officers have (1) been recruited to, and (2) left, the National Crime Agency since July 2024.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Crime Agency (NCA) houses a number of functions which use intelligence officers and investigators to drive activity, as well as develop opportunities to protect the UK public from serious and organised crime.
In July 2024 the combined full time equivalent in these functions was 4869.96, in August 2026 it was 4926.59. The NCA's attrition rate is 4.7% for 2026.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the £10.5 million announced on 27 August 2024 to prepare the EU Entry/Exit System infrastructure at the Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel has been fully spent; and, if not, how any unspent funding has been reallocated.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Entry/Exit System (EES) implementation is a matter for the EU and the participating member states. The Home Office has not assessed, and does not hold information on, the total cost to UK taxpayers of implementing EES.
The Government has supported the juxtaposed portals with EES implementation. The Department for Transport provided £3.5 million to each of the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and Eurostar at St Pancras. This funding has been fully utilised to help minimise passenger wait times and maintain border fluidity.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the total cost to UK taxpayers of implementing the EU Entry/Exit System.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Entry/Exit System (EES) implementation is a matter for the EU and the participating member states. The Home Office has not assessed, and does not hold information on, the total cost to UK taxpayers of implementing EES.
The Government has supported the juxtaposed portals with EES implementation. The Department for Transport provided £3.5 million to each of the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and Eurostar at St Pancras. This funding has been fully utilised to help minimise passenger wait times and maintain border fluidity.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Home Office spent on consultancy fees in relation to their Resources for asylum seekers in the UK leaflets and posters.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office spent approximately £2,400 in consultancy fees in relation to the Resources for asylum seekers in the UK leaflets and posters.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total weight of Class A, B and C drugs that were seized from British airports in each year since 2024, broken down by drug type and airport.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The total weight of drugs seized by Border Force, broken down by type and by year, is available within our regularly published transparency data via the following link:Migration transparency data - GOV.UK
Statistics on the proportion of these seizures which took place at an airport or any other mode are not part of the published transparency data.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the Home Office's decision to revoke the Bloomsbury Institute's licence to sponsor international students, how many other (1) higher, and (2) further, education institutions are under investigation for failing to meet any or all of the assessments that they are required to comply with to remain on the Register of Student Sponsors.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All licensed sponsors are subject to ongoing compliance monitoring, including through the Basic Compliance Assessment and wider sponsorship compliance framework.
It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing investigations, including the number of sponsors currently subject to live compliance action. Where a sponsor is found not to be meeting its obligations, the Home Office may take a range of compliance actions, including action plans, licence restrictions, suspension or revocation.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many student visa applications were (1) accepted, and (2) rejected, in each year since 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes the data you have requested in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on sponsored study outcomes are published in table Vis_D02 of the entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets’. The latest data goes up to the year ending March 2026. Please find below a table on sponsored study visas issued and refused for each year between the year ending March 2024, to the year ending March 2026.
Sponsored study (‘Student’ and ‘Child Student’) entry clearance visas issued and refused between the YE March 2024 to the YE March 2026
Year Ending | Issued | Refused |
YE March 2024 | 557,221 | 24,749 |
YE March 2025 | 421,621 | 14,155 |
YE March 2026 | 409,954 | 20,399 |
Notes: The figures include both main applicants and dependant family members.