Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 24 September (HL10412), whether they will place in the Library of the House (1) the stakeholders they have met to improve policy guidance on asylum claims based on religious conversions, and (2) the minutes of those meetings.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We engage with stakeholders, including faith leaders, to ensure asylum claims based on religious persecution, including those based on religious conversion, are well considered, that those in genuine need are supported, and that there are no loopholes to claiming asylum in this country. Our guidance for considering claims based on religious conversion is publicly available on GOV.UK and we do not consider it is appropriate to place detailed discussions with stakeholders in the Library of the House.

Detailed Home Office policy instructions are regularly reviewed and provide a framework for considering asylum claims. All caseworkers receive extensive training to consider claims objectively and impartially and receive mentoring support before interviewing claimants and making such decisions. Our processes are underpinned by a robust framework of safeguards and quality checks, ensuring that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, fake claims are rooted out, and protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.

Every asylum claim admitted to the UK asylum system, including those based on religion or belief, and including those from claimants who were accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm, is determined on its individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. People may become refugees ‘sur place’ due to activities they engage in or beliefs they have come to hold since leaving their country. As with all asylum claims, claims involving sur place activity are carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. In some circumstances it is appropriate to revoke protection status where evidence emerges that status was obtained by deception; where protection is no longer needed; or where someone commits a serious crime, represents a threat to our national security or demonstrates extremist behaviour.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they investigated reports that asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge sought to convert to Christianity to avoid deportation; and if so, whether they will publish the findings of that investigation.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We engage with stakeholders, including faith leaders, to ensure asylum claims based on religious persecution, including those based on religious conversion, are well considered, that those in genuine need are supported, and that there are no loopholes to claiming asylum in this country. Our guidance for considering claims based on religious conversion is publicly available on GOV.UK and we do not consider it is appropriate to place detailed discussions with stakeholders in the Library of the House.

Detailed Home Office policy instructions are regularly reviewed and provide a framework for considering asylum claims. All caseworkers receive extensive training to consider claims objectively and impartially and receive mentoring support before interviewing claimants and making such decisions. Our processes are underpinned by a robust framework of safeguards and quality checks, ensuring that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, fake claims are rooted out, and protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.

Every asylum claim admitted to the UK asylum system, including those based on religion or belief, and including those from claimants who were accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm, is determined on its individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. People may become refugees ‘sur place’ due to activities they engage in or beliefs they have come to hold since leaving their country. As with all asylum claims, claims involving sur place activity are carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. In some circumstances it is appropriate to revoke protection status where evidence emerges that status was obtained by deception; where protection is no longer needed; or where someone commits a serious crime, represents a threat to our national security or demonstrates extremist behaviour.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to amend the assessment of religious conversion as a basis for an asylum claim since March 2024.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We engage with stakeholders, including faith leaders, to ensure asylum claims based on religious persecution, including those based on religious conversion, are well considered, that those in genuine need are supported, and that there are no loopholes to claiming asylum in this country. Our guidance for considering claims based on religious conversion is publicly available on GOV.UK and we do not consider it is appropriate to place detailed discussions with stakeholders in the Library of the House.

Detailed Home Office policy instructions are regularly reviewed and provide a framework for considering asylum claims. All caseworkers receive extensive training to consider claims objectively and impartially and receive mentoring support before interviewing claimants and making such decisions. Our processes are underpinned by a robust framework of safeguards and quality checks, ensuring that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, fake claims are rooted out, and protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.

Every asylum claim admitted to the UK asylum system, including those based on religion or belief, and including those from claimants who were accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm, is determined on its individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. People may become refugees ‘sur place’ due to activities they engage in or beliefs they have come to hold since leaving their country. As with all asylum claims, claims involving sur place activity are carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. In some circumstances it is appropriate to revoke protection status where evidence emerges that status was obtained by deception; where protection is no longer needed; or where someone commits a serious crime, represents a threat to our national security or demonstrates extremist behaviour.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to issue immigration rules on the weight immigration tribunals should put on baptism while in asylum accommodation in the UK when assessing an asylum claim on the grounds of religious conversion.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)