Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to impose sanctions on Israel to help prevent mass civilian casualties in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the APS tool is used to (a) generate and (b) inform casework decisions; and what human oversight mechanisms are applied.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Policy Search tool (APS) tool is an artificial intelligence (AI) search assistant. It is a chat-based interface which finds and summarises Country Policy Information Notes (CPIN) directly relevant to the inputted query, to provide the policy basis for decisions.
In line with the ‘human in the loop’ principle, APS was designed so that decision-makers cannot use the tool by itself to decide a claim. AI technology does not make decisions on Asylum applications; instead, it will help Asylum Decision Makers analyse data and provide insightful information that further informs outcomes.
The Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) tool uses AI to summarise asylum interview transcripts. The tool uses a Large Language Model to extract and summarise information from existing asylum interview transcript documents to provide decision-makers with a concise summary document. In line with the ‘human in the loop’ principle, ACS has been designed so that decision-makers cannot use the tool by itself to decide a claim. Instead, it acts as an aid in the usual decision-making process.
After APS was operationalised, a specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team), for APS.
Whilst there is no standard operating procedure in place on the use of APS, all members of the Department were required to complete a mandatory ‘AI for all’ learning package in 2025. Furthermore, caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Department intends to publish a DPIA for the APS and ACS tools after both have been operationalised. APS is now fully rolled out, while ACS is due to follow in April 2026.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role the ACS and APS tools play in asylum decision-making processes; and what safeguards are in place to ensure equitable decisions.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Policy Search tool (APS) tool is an artificial intelligence (AI) search assistant. It is a chat-based interface which finds and summarises Country Policy Information Notes (CPIN) directly relevant to the inputted query, to provide the policy basis for decisions.
In line with the ‘human in the loop’ principle, APS was designed so that decision-makers cannot use the tool by itself to decide a claim. AI technology does not make decisions on Asylum applications; instead, it will help Asylum Decision Makers analyse data and provide insightful information that further informs outcomes.
The Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) tool uses AI to summarise asylum interview transcripts. The tool uses a Large Language Model to extract and summarise information from existing asylum interview transcript documents to provide decision-makers with a concise summary document. In line with the ‘human in the loop’ principle, ACS has been designed so that decision-makers cannot use the tool by itself to decide a claim. Instead, it acts as an aid in the usual decision-making process.
After APS was operationalised, a specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team), for APS.
Whilst there is no standard operating procedure in place on the use of APS, all members of the Department were required to complete a mandatory ‘AI for all’ learning package in 2025. Furthermore, caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Department intends to publish a DPIA for the APS and ACS tools after both have been operationalised. APS is now fully rolled out, while ACS is due to follow in April 2026.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that the use of automated tools in asylum processes complies with data protection and equality legislation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
An Equality Impact Assessment and Data Protection Impact Assessment were completed for both Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) and Asylum Policy Search (APS) before pilots commenced. An updated EIA for both ACS and APS is currently intended to be published after both tools have been operationalised.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Department intends to publish a DPIA for the APS and ACS tools after both have been operationalised. APS is now fully rolled out, while ACS is due to follow in April 2026.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an Equality Impact Assessment was conducted prior to the deployment of the ACS and APS tools.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
An Equality Impact Assessment and Data Protection Impact Assessment were completed for both Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) and Asylum Policy Search (APS) before pilots commenced. An updated EIA for both ACS and APS is currently intended to be published after both tools have been operationalised.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Department intends to publish a DPIA for the APS and ACS tools after both have been operationalised. APS is now fully rolled out, while ACS is due to follow in April 2026.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued (a) standard operating procedures and (b) internal guidance to caseworkers on the use of the ACS and APS tools.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Policy Search tool (APS) tool is an artificial intelligence (AI) search assistant. It is a chat-based interface which finds and summarises Country Policy Information Notes (CPIN) directly relevant to the inputted query, to provide the policy basis for decisions.
In line with the ‘human in the loop’ principle, APS was designed so that decision-makers cannot use the tool by itself to decide a claim. AI technology does not make decisions on Asylum applications; instead, it will help Asylum Decision Makers analyse data and provide insightful information that further informs outcomes.
The Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) tool uses AI to summarise asylum interview transcripts. The tool uses a Large Language Model to extract and summarise information from existing asylum interview transcript documents to provide decision-makers with a concise summary document. In line with the ‘human in the loop’ principle, ACS has been designed so that decision-makers cannot use the tool by itself to decide a claim. Instead, it acts as an aid in the usual decision-making process.
After APS was operationalised, a specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team), for APS.
Whilst there is no standard operating procedure in place on the use of APS, all members of the Department were required to complete a mandatory ‘AI for all’ learning package in 2025. Furthermore, caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Department intends to publish a DPIA for the APS and ACS tools after both have been operationalised. APS is now fully rolled out, while ACS is due to follow in April 2026.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish Data Protection Impact Assessments for the Asylum Casework Support and Asylum Policy Search tools.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
An Equality Impact Assessment and Data Protection Impact Assessment were completed for both Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) and Asylum Policy Search (APS) before pilots commenced. An updated EIA for both ACS and APS is currently intended to be published after both tools have been operationalised.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Department intends to publish a DPIA for the APS and ACS tools after both have been operationalised. APS is now fully rolled out, while ACS is due to follow in April 2026.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department is taking to secure an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of legality of displacement orders in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs under international humanitarian law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that donors and the UN-led humanitarian response meet the specific and diverse needs of women and girls in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March, and her answers to the questions raised in response, which dealt with the current situation in Lebanon at length. We will provide further such updates to the House in due course as the situation develops.