Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the re-entry of Russia into the G8; and what assessment they have made of whether Russia should pay compensation for the damage caused since its invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statement the Prime Minister made in the House of Commons on 25 November 2025 [Columns 219] and to the answers provided by The Lord Privy Seal to the House of Lords on Ukraine on 26 November [Columns 1390 & 1392].
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the West Midlands Police relied on false intelligence when banning Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from an Aston Villa match.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
To ensure full independent scrutiny, the Home Secretary has commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to inspect how police forces in England and Wales provide risk assessment advice to local Safety Advisory Groups and other bodies responsible for licensing high-profile public events. HMICFRS has been asked to provide an initial response on the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv match by 31 December.
Additionally, the Home Affairs Select Committee held an evidence session on 1 December to examine the decision-making process and intelligence assessments. The government awaits the Committee’s findings.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the protective measures for veterans proposed in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to distinguish between veterans and those responsible for terrorist violence.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All of the protections that the Government has announced are being introduced in order to protect and ensure fair treatment of any veteran who is asked to engage with legacy mechanisms.
Measures set out in the legislation, including the right to give evidence remotely and having regard to the welfare of witnesses, will necessarily apply to others. This will ensure, for example, that former police officers are able to avail of these measures.
Some other non-legislative measures will apply only to veterans, including the protection from cold calling and the safeguard that ensures veterans do not have to give unnecessary evidence on historical context and general operational details.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what new measures they are proposing to effectively remove illegal immigrants as soon as they arrive in the UK
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK-France pilot has already been put into action meaning that anyone entering the UK on a small boat can be detained on arrival and returned to France.
On 17 November 2025 ‘Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy’ was published on .GOV.UK. This statement sets out that we will increase removals form the UK, impose visa penalties with countries who do not cooperate with us on returns, incentivise family returns, and sanctions for non-cooperation; consult on ending indefinite support for failed asylum seeking families; and explore safe third-country hubs for those who cannot quickly return to their country of origin.
We will also make changes to the appeal system to expedite returns and seek to reform the application of Articles 3 and 8 of the ECHR to remove barriers to return.
The Government is working at pace on the legislative and policy changes required and will set out timelines for implementation in due course.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are considering to tackle littering on roads.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the responsibility for clearing highway litter lies with the relevant local authority or with National Highways (NH), depending on the type of road. In respect of local roads, litter collection is a matter for local highway authorities, and funding for this is provided as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. In respect of the strategic road network, the Government has set a performance indicator for NH in respect of litter on its roads, and NH’s compliance with this is assessed at regular meetings with the Department’s officials, as well as by the Office of Rail and Road.
National Highways undertakes regular litter collection on motorway verges, and delivers a range of interventions to deter littering on its roads. These include installing signage; providing litter bins at service areas suitable for use by drivers of different vehicle types; social media messaging; and undertaking trials of AI enforcement cameras.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of India concerning the recent denial of burial rights to Christian families in the state of Chhattisgarh.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including the ability to conduct burial rites with dignity, is a fundamental right. The UK is committed to promoting and defending FoRB as a core element of our foreign policy, and we encourage all governments - including India's - to ensure that individuals can practise their faith freely and without discrimination.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many refugees are currently housed in social housing in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Information related to the type and location of accommodation used by individuals who have been granted refugee status is not routinely collated or published by the Home Office.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the use of asylum accommodation.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
When this Government came to office, we inherited a system where hotels were one of the primary means of providing asylum accommodation – with more than 400 in use in Autumn 2023 at a cost of almost £9 million per day – and where a 70 per cent collapse in asylum decision-making in the last months of the previous administration had driven that pressure up further.
We have taken rapid action to address that chaos, in particular by speeding up the volume of asylum decision-making so that fewer people are stuck in limbo, dependent on support from the state, and so that more failed asylum-seekers can be removed from the UK, along with foreign national offenders and others with no right to be in our country.
The number of hotels in use is now around half the peak reached under the previous Government, and we will take further action over the rest of this Parliament to end the use of asylum hotels entirely.
To support that goal, as allocated as part of the Spending Review, the Government will be investing £500 million in a new, more sustainable accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities. This funding will be delivered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in partnership with the Home Office and local councils, in order to deliver better outcomes for communities and taxpayers.
In particular, this fund will support local authorities to make available basic alternative accommodation so that it can be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed. In the longer term, our ambition is that this investment will leave a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduce pressure on local housing markets.
MHCLG and the Home Office are committed to continue working closely with devolved governments and local government to co-design this new model, building on the work undertaken to date. We will be writing to local authorities shortly to update them on this new model.
This new funding will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels. These reforms will also go hand-in-hand with the wider reforms set out in the Immigration White Paper to reduce inflow to the asylum system.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when funding allocations will be confirmed for outstanding Darwin Plus applications.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is now working with Darwin Plus applicants to confirm and award new project grants under the programme. Applicants have been advised to expect updates over the summer. Updates will also be made available on the Darwin Plus website.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans have arrived in the UK under the relocation scheme arising from the 2022 data leak of their identities.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As of 15 July 2025, under the Afghanistan Response Route, 900 principals are in Britain or in transit, together with 3,600 family members.