Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people they have returned to France under the UK-France migration and returns agreement since the scheme was introduced; how many people have been admitted to the UK under the reciprocal arrangements; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision by France not to renew the agreement.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The UK-France Returns Pilot was established to support our broader cooperation with France in tackling illegal migration and breaking the business model of the criminal gangs. Since the pilot began, we have returned over 1,500 people to France and a similar number of people have come to the UK.

The pilot demonstrated that a reciprocal returns arrangement can work in practice as part of a broader response to illegal migration. The Government continues to work closely with France on our shared objective of preventing dangerous crossings and disrupting organised immigration crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the reopening of the UK resettlement scheme, how many refugees they expect to resettle under the scheme in (1) 2026, and (2) 2027; and what assessment they have made of the capacity of local authorities to accommodate those arrivals.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As announced by the Home Secretary on 28 September, the Home Office has started receiving new referrals for the United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) in 26/27.

The Government expects the total arrivals across the UKRS and the three new community sponsorship routes to number in the low hundreds at first.

The Home Office works closely with the local authorities that volunteer to participate in the UKRS, and arrival is contingent on local authorities providing accommodation and agreeing to support a refugee family. The number of individuals resettled through the UKRS in any given year will depend on a range of factors, including the capacity of local authorities to welcome, accommodate and integrate refugees.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of Operation Comby in disrupting organised immigration crime between Ireland and the UK; and how many of the 49 people arrested as part of that Operation between 22 and 24 September have subsequently been (1) charged, (2) convicted, and (3) removed from the UK.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Operation Comby is an Immigration Enforcement led intensification exercise which aims to enhance focus on suspected abuse of the Common Travel Area by those involved in illicit activity.

As part of Operation Comby between 22 September and 24 September 2026, there have been 49 arrests, of which 4 individuals have been detained pending removal, 23 individuals have been removed, 8 individuals remain under investigation, and 1 individual has been convicted.

Following each phase of Operation Comby, participating law enforcement and border security partners undertake a structured post-operational review. This process enables agencies to share intelligence, assess operational outcomes against identified threats, capture lessons learned, and identify opportunities to strengthen resources, capabilities and the UK's border security response. Initial analysis from the recent intensification periods suggests that Operation Comby activity has had a positive impact on subsequent detection and disruption activity, indicating a short-term deterrent effect on individuals seeking to exploit the Common Travel Area.

These reviews take place following each intensification period and form part of an ongoing cycle of evaluation, intelligence development and continuous improvement. It is important to note that a number of investigations arising from the September 2026 intensification remain ongoing and, therefore, the Home Office is unable to disclose further information relating to active judicial proceedings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood that Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights will be used by individuals entering the UK on the resettlement scheme to bring additional family members.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As announced by the Home Secretary on 28 September, the Home Office has started receiving new referrals for the United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) in 26/27.

The Government expects the total arrivals across the UKRS and the three new community sponsorship routes to number in the low hundreds at first.

Individuals identified for resettlement under the UKRS are usually resettled as part of immediate family units.

Through the Immigration and Asylum Bill, the Home Office will limit the application of Article 8 claims in three ways: strengthening and rebalancing the public interest test to ensure issues that are central to the public interest are considered; defining family life for the purposes of Article 8, by setting out a clear framing for decision makers and the courts that it should not normally go beyond immediate family members; and requiring Article 8 family life claims from those outside of the UK to be made by a UK-based sponsor.

Found: I am copying this letter to Lord Davies of Gower, Lord German, Baroness Chakrabarti, Lord Harper, the