Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants were recorded in the last 12 months who were categorised as (1) refugees, (2) having pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, (3) having settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, (4) having indefinite leave to remain, and (5) having limited leave to remain.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To access Universal Credit a person must be British, Irish, have a right of abode, or have a valid UK immigration status that permits recourse to public funds as well as meeting all the other entitlement conditions. The Department recently published Universal Credit Immigration status and Nationality summary statistics through ODS tables on GOV.UK.
For statistical production purposes, immigration status data has been categorised into 8 groups (see attached document).
Taken from the published statistics, the following table shows the number of people on Universal Credit by immigration status for each month from August 2024 to July 2025. The additional breakdowns requested for the EU Settlement Scheme are not readily available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.
Total number of people on Universal Credit by Immigration status each month from August 2024 to July 2025, Great Britain
Immigration status by month | CTA - UK, Ireland, Right of Abode | EU Settlement Scheme | Humanitarian | Refugee | Indefinite Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) | Limited Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) including Family Reunion | Other | No immigration status recorded on digital systems |
Jul-25 | 6,702,864 | 770,213 | 54,259 | 120,040 | 213,666 | 75,471 | 33,387 | 31,340 |
Jun-25 | 6,567,506 | 764,429 | 53,810 | 117,623 | 210,513 | 74,694 | 32,998 | 29,912 |
May-25 | 6,457,433 | 763,687 | 78,323 | 90,709 | 208,348 | 74,322 | 32,880 | 30,789 |
Apr-25 | 6,400,356 | 765,451 | 78,780 | 90,217 | 204,378 | 75,506 | 33,300 | 31,468 |
Mar-25 | 6,321,762 | 764,489 | 76,418 | 91,350 | 198,973 | 76,960 | 32,829 | 32,315 |
Feb-25 | 6,249,383 | 762,478 | 75,466 | 90,619 | 194,303 | 76,918 | 32,866 | 33,054 |
Jan-25 | 6,138,815 | 757,768 | 68,526 | 95,882 | 187,556 | 77,237 | 31,908 | 34,060 |
Dec-24 | 6,104,580 | 759,179 | 53,291 | 112,472 | 179,482 | 79,539 | 32,141 | 34,792 |
Nov-24 | 6,034,441 | 755,941 | 52,210 | 113,186 | 165,869 | 86,973 | 31,783 | 35,770 |
Oct-24 | 5,935,808 | 748,299 | 51,214 | 110,816 | 160,615 | 89,054 | 30,840 | 37,059 |
Sep-24 | 5,862,022 | 739,155 | 51,132 | 110,535 | 159,504 | 88,326 | 29,957 | 38,184 |
Aug-24 | 5,760,130 | 734,637 | 51,309 | 110,834 | 155,939 | 87,182 | 29,451 | 39,332 |
Source: Universal Credit Immigration status and nationality summary statistics
Notes
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants were recorded in non-UK immigration status groups in each year since 2019.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To access Universal Credit a person must be British, Irish, have a right of abode, or have a valid UK immigration status that permits recourse to public funds as well as meeting all the other entitlement conditions. The Department recently published Universal Credit Immigration status and Nationality summary statistics through ODS tables on GOV.UK.
For statistical production purposes, immigration status data has been categorised into 8 groups (further details provided in Table Guidance in the attached document).
Taken from the published statistics, the following table shows the number of people on Universal Credit by immigration status for each April from 2022 to 2025. Data is not held prior to April 2022.
Total number of people on Universal Credit by Immigration status for April 2022 to April 2025, Great Britain
Immigration status by month | CTA – UK, Ireland, Right of Abode | EU Settlement Scheme | Humanitarian | Refugee | Indefinite Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) | Limited Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) including Family Reunion | Other | No immigration status recorded on digital systems |
Apr-25 | 6,400,356 | 765,451 | 78,780 | 90,217 | 204,378 | 75,506 | 33,300 | 31,468 |
Apr-24 | 5,519,088 | 720,365 | 49,817 | 107,486 | 142,884 | 84,558 | 27,134 | 25,894 |
Apr-23 | 4,859,348 | 671,620 | 47,020 | 75,372 | 113,548 | 77,363 | 16,590 | 35,846 |
Apr-22 | 4,611,046 | 644,847 | 3,221 | 64,423 | 95,612 | 68,883 | 6,484 | 51,600 |
Source: Universal Credit Immigration status and nationality summary statistics
Notes
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants recorded to be in non-UK immigration status groups are (1) in work, and (2) not in work; and what proportion these claimants represent of the total Universal Credit caseload.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recently published Universal Credit Immigration status and nationality summary statistics and the relevant information from those statistics is displayed in Table 1 below.
For the purpose of statistical production, immigration status data has been categorised into the following 8 groups:
Table 1: Number and proportion of People on Universal Credit by immigration status and employment status June 2025, Great Britain
Immigration status | Not in employment | % of all on UC | In employment | % of all on UC | Total |
CTA - UK, Ireland, Right of Abode | 4,418,544 | 56.3% | 2,148,966 | 27.4% | 6,567,506 |
EU Settlement Scheme | 403,956 | 5.1% | 360,473 | 4.6% | 764,429 |
Humanitarian | 32,085 | 0.4% | 21,726 | 0.3% | 53,810 |
Refugee | 90,403 | 1.2% | 27,214 | 0.3% | 117,623 |
Indefinite Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) | 141,958 | 1.8% | 68,558 | 0.9% | 210,513 |
Limited Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) including family reunion | 50,010 | 0.6% | 24,692 | 0.3% | 74,694 |
Other | 21,705 | 0.3% | 11,289 | 0.1% | 32,998 |
No immigration status recorded on digital systems | 19,258 | 0.2% | 10,646 | 0.1% | 29,912 |
Total | 5,177,927 | 65.9% | 2,673,559 | 34.1% | 7,851,487 |
Source: Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS) Extract
Notes
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of expenditure on each major working-age benefit was accounted for by claimants from non-UK immigration status groups in (1) 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, and (2) 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recently published new Universal Credit - Immigration Status and Nationality statistics. Further breakdowns of these statistics are not currently available.
The department does not hold data for other Working Age Benefits expenditure broken down by immigration status.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent reports of increasing Iranian support for the Polisario Front; and what steps they are taking with allies to address the risks posed by Iranian influence in the Western Sahara conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has not seen requisite evidence regarding the allegation of Iranian support to the Polisario Front. However, we continue to monitor Iranian activity in the region.
The UK has long condemned the destabilising activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional partners and proxies. We will continue to work with partners to tackle Iran's destabilising activity.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat posed by the Yemen Cyber Army, and what steps they are taking to counter such cyber threats.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is facing an increasingly complex and persistent cyber threat landscape, driven by a diverse range of actors, including hostile nation states, non-state entities, and organised criminal groups.
To counter these threats, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) continuously monitors cyber activity targeting the UK, helping to safeguard national interests and ensure the country remains secure online.
The NCSC provides expert guidance, practical tools, and responsive services to victims of cyber incidents. It empowers organisations and individuals to strengthen their cyber defences and build long-term resilience against evolving threats.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether national security related vetting procedures are applied equally to permanent recruitment exercises and to government internship programmes in all departments and agencies, including summer intelligence internships.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Levels of National Security Vetting required are not primarily based on length of employment, or whether an individual is employed on a permanent or temporary basis.
The level of vetting required for a role is instead based on a range of factors, including: access to classified material, buildings and other assets; proximity to public figures assessed to be at particular risk from terrorist attack; and access to information or material assessed to be of value to terrorists or hostile states.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the report into the escape by Daniel Khaliffe from HMP Wandsworth.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Following Daniel Khalife’s escape from HMP Wandsworth in September 2023, Keith Bristow QPM was appointed to conduct an independent investigation. The investigation was asked to identify shortcomings and ensure lessons are learned to help prevent incidents of this nature occurring again in future. Following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings earlier this year, we are considering carefully what information from Mr Bristow’s report, which relates to matters of prison security, can be appropriately shared.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the date by which the Crown Court backlog will return to pre-2020 levels.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog from the Conservative administration. We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. That is why we took immediate action, funding a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days this financial year. We will invest up to £92 million more a year in criminal legal aid solicitors and have already boosted Magistrates’ sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months. However, the backlog has reached such an extent that reducing the backlog to a sustainable level will take a considerable period of time. Fundamental reform is necessary. That is why the previous Lord Chancellor asked Sir Brian Leveson to propose once-in-a-generation reform that will improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swifter justice for victims.
Part one of the Independent Review of Criminal Courts has now been published. We are considering Sir Brian’s proposals and will publish a government response in due course, then introduce legislation when parliamentary time allows. Part two of the Review, considering how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, is expected to be finalised later this year.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the expulsion of the Iranian Ambassador from Australia, what steps they are taking to monitor and counter state-backed interference in the UK by Iran and other hostile states.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government takes state threats to the UK incredibly seriously, including those posed by Iran. In concert with international partners, we will use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and our interests, from state threats.
In March the Government announced new measures to tackle state threats from Iran. This included placing the Iranian state, including Iran's Intelligence Services, the IRGC and MOIS, on the Enhanced Tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS). FIRS is a critical disruptive tool for the UK and went live on 1 July 2025.
The National Security Act 2023 also provides crucial powers to respond to foreign interference and we will strengthen our legislative framework where necessary, including committing to create a new state threats proscription-style tool that will further help to protect the UK.