Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 14 May (HL Deb cols 565–70), whether they will now answer the question as to whether the family test was applied to the changes in the Immigration Rules.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

During the Motion of Regret Speech on 14 May 2024, in answer to Baroness Lister’s question, I set out the evidence and advice that was taken in to account before making the decision to increase the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR).

We did not seek further advice from the Migration Advisory Committee, but we did consider its previous advice and evidence regarding net fiscal contributions and access to benefits.

We also took into account reports about the impact of the MIR on families by the Migration Observatory, the Journal of Economics, Race and Policy and the Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

For the avoidance of doubt, this means the Family Test was not applied when making the decision to increase the MIR. There is no legal obligation for the test to be applied.

A full regulatory assessment and equalities impact assessment on the changes to the Immigration Rules laid on 14 March will be published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 May (HL4028), why they do not keep records on individuals who are not British citizens who have had their visitor or other visas rescinded because of criminal activities associated with public order offences since 7 October 2023.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office cannot provide a breakdown of the reasons why a British citizen would have their visa rescinded without conducting a manual review of all case files where a visa has been cancelled.

Undertaking such a review would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 15 May (HL4217), under what arrangement 50 illegal migrants were returned from the Republic of Ireland to the UK in the past seven months.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Individuals lawfully in Ireland who enter the United Kingdom unlawfully, and individuals lawfully in the United Kingdom who enter Ireland unlawfully, are liable to be refused entry and returned to the country from which they arrived.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 29 April (HL3804), (1) when the feasibility report on prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be published, and (2) when they will publish their response to those findings.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham in 2023 to conduct a feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

We have now received the final report on the feasibility study. We are currently considering the findings of the report carefully and engaging with the police and other partners. We will confirm our next steps in due course.

Found: The Government have responded by way of a letter from Lord Sharpe of Epsom OBE, Parliamentary Under

Found: Lord Sharpe of Epsom Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Baroness Hamwee London

Found: A★_ Lord Sharpe of Epsom to move, That this House do not insist on its Amendment 3G, to which

Found: A★_ Lord Sharpe of Epsom to move, That this House do not insist on its Amendment 3J, to which

Found: A★_ Lord Sharpe of Epsom to move, That this House do not insist on its Amendment 3J, to which

Found: A★_ Lord Sharpe of Epsom to move, That this House do not insist on its Amendment 3G, to which