Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of 30 month reviews of refugee status.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months is the first step towards implementing the “core protection” model, announced as part of the reforms last autumn.

We are committed to ensuring our policies are sustainable and do not place unnecessary burdens on the taxpayer, and this policy is no different. We do not want people to remain on Core Protection for the long term, and only those who do remain on Core Protection will have their protection needs regularly reviewed. We will encourage refugees to switch out of the Core Protection route wherever possible into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.

Reviews will be targeted based on objective country information, and any other new information that comes to light, allowing us to make the most efficient use of resources. We will continue to monitor staffing levels and will deploy our workforce flexibly subject to business needs as we have done in the past.

The approach to reviewing status will be efficient and targeted; we will reassess where country conditions or personal circumstances have changed significantly.

To do this we will build on the efficiencies that have already seen record levels of initial decisions being made, including use of AI, such as our policy search tool or case summarisation which are already assisting asylum decision makers.

The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up decision making and reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision. This will enable us to maximise our capacity and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of 30 month reviews of refugee status on the Home Office asylum claims backlog.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The change to reduce refugee permission to stay to 30 months is the first step towards implementing the “core protection” model, announced as part of the reforms last autumn.

We are committed to ensuring our policies are sustainable and do not place unnecessary burdens on the taxpayer, and this policy is no different. We do not want people to remain on Core Protection for the long term, and only those who do remain on Core Protection will have their protection needs regularly reviewed. We will encourage refugees to switch out of the Core Protection route wherever possible into a new, bespoke work and study route to access family reunion and settlement rights with new fees and conditions in accordance with the rules of that route.

Reviews will be targeted based on objective country information, and any other new information that comes to light, allowing us to make the most efficient use of resources. We will continue to monitor staffing levels and will deploy our workforce flexibly subject to business needs as we have done in the past.

The approach to reviewing status will be efficient and targeted; we will reassess where country conditions or personal circumstances have changed significantly.

To do this we will build on the efficiencies that have already seen record levels of initial decisions being made, including use of AI, such as our policy search tool or case summarisation which are already assisting asylum decision makers.

The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up decision making and reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision. This will enable us to maximise our capacity and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of 30 month reviews of refugee status on asylum seekers with protected characteristics; and what mechanisms she will put in place to assess threats to those asylum seekers with protected characteristics when making decisions on whether it is safe for those individuals to be sent back to their own country.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Equalities considerations are at the front and centre of our work. As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, Home Office officials consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process, and the impact that asylum reforms will have on those with protected characteristics, is no exception. Equality impacts will be considered for individual policies as they continue to be developed. These will be kept under review to ensure that there are no unintended impacts on people with protected characteristics.

Every asylum claim will be considered on its own merits, taking into account evidence that a person provided as part of their claim, and the latest objective country information. Where it is concluded that the person is no longer at risk on return, their protection status may be revoked and they may be removed.

We recognise that there are particular sensitivities when it comes to vulnerable individuals, including those with protected characteristics, and we will always take our responsibilitiesto these individuals extremely seriously. No one who is at risk of persecution or serious harm in their country will be expected to return there.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will re-open the family reunion scheme.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The family reunion route was suspended to ease the pressures that local authorities and public services have been placed under due to the recent significant increase in people arriving under this route in recent years.

Outstanding applications will continue to be considered under the family reunion rules in place prior to the commencement of the suspension, including those that are at appeal.

During the suspension, the Government is taking forward wider asylum and family reforms to place the system on a fairer, controlled and sustainable footing. Further information on forthcoming changes will be set out in due course. In the meantime, other family routes remain available, including Appendix FM.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her 5th March policy announcements on the asylum system on levels of homelessness in the UK.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Replacing the statutory duty to support with a power, and making it a condition of support not to work illegally were included in the 5^th March policy announcements. The aim of these measures is to reduce misuse of support, not to make people homeless or deny support to those who genuinely need it and have no way to support themselves.

Our intention is that support will only go to those who are genuinely destitute and actively engaging with the asylum system, not those seeking to exploit it. These changes will give us greater flexibility to take firmer action against individuals who do not comply.

The Restoring Order and Control statement set out the overall direction of the future policy. The intention is to replace the current statutory duty with a more flexible framework, using the discretionary power that can take account of a wider range of factors when assessing and providing asylum support. These factors may include:

- Whether individuals have alternative means of supporting themselves such as right to work

- Whether individuals have complied with relevant immigration conditions; and

- behaviour and conduct in the UK.

Support will only be withdrawn where there has been a breach of the rules. Any withdrawal of support is done on a case-by-case basis, with any mitigating circumstances or vulnerabilities considered in the decision-making process.

We are engaging with MHCLG and other stakeholders on the potential impact of these changes, particularly on homelessness. We will also ensure that the needs of vulnerable people are properly considered as part of the decision-making process, including the needs of families with children. We are committed to ensuring that proposals are considered carefully, so that they support creation of a system which is both fair and sustainable.

Higher education funding (No. 2)

Decoupling the price of gas from electricity

Statutory rights for trade union future-proofing jobs representatives

Workers Memorial Day

Restructuring at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Online abuse and exploitation of Ukrainian refugees

Anniversary of the Tel al-Sultan aid worker massacre

Redundancies of skilled rail workers at Balfour Beatty

Nature restoration and flood risk

Future Homes Standard

Escalating settler violence in the West Bank

Outdoor learning

HPV Awareness Day

New US sanctions on Cuba

Mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law

Strike action by UCU at Scottish universities

World Social Work Day 2026

Transition of rail workers into Great British Railways

Energy price cap

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