Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions the Government has had with HSBC and other UK linked financial institutions about reports that BN(O) status holders are being denied access to their pension savings in Hong Kong when they leave.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
This government is deeply committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK. We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British National (Overseas) route are having difficulties accessing their Mandatory Provident Fund.
As documentary requirements for withdrawing funds are a matter for the Hong Kong authorities, officials have raised this issue directly with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong MPF Schemes Authority. We have urged them to facilitate early draw down of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently and have made clear such discrimination of BN(O)s is unacceptable.
We will continue to raise the issue with the relevant authorities and work towards a solution.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what transitional protections are planned to be put in place for BN(O) applicants, dependants and children reaching 5 years’ residence from 2026 so they are not disadvantaged compared with the expectations when they entered the route.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, will raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten years.
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK. BN(O) visa holders will attract a five-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after five years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.
As part of the earned settlement model, we are proposing a series of tests that will measure a person’s contribution to this country and either reduce or increase the amount of time to settlement. This will include work undertaken by the individual. This earned settlement model and the tests which measure contribution are currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement and we will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers.
Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following the close of that consultation. In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the government will ensure that any changes to BN(O) and wider settlement rules are matched by a plan to boost domestic skills and fill vacancies in the NHS and wider economy.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, will raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten years.
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK. BN(O) visa holders will attract a five-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after five years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.
As part of the earned settlement model, we are proposing a series of tests that will measure a person’s contribution to this country and either reduce or increase the amount of time to settlement. This will include work undertaken by the individual. This earned settlement model and the tests which measure contribution are currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement and we will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers.
Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following the close of that consultation. In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the proposed earned settlement system will apply to Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders and their families; and whether new income, compliance or conduct requirements could extend the qualifying period or make some of those visa holders ineligible for settlement, particularly those with low or no taxable earnings, prior use of public funds or minor immigration breaches.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, will raise the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten years.
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK. BN(O) visa holders will attract a five-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after five years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.
As part of the earned settlement model, we are proposing a series of tests that will measure a person’s contribution to this country and either reduce or increase the amount of time to settlement. This will include work undertaken by the individual. This earned settlement model and the tests which measure contribution are currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement and we will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers.
Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following the close of that consultation. In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian and mental health impact of asylum delays for Hong Kongers fleeing political persecution; and what steps the Government will take to ensure their claims are processed swiftly.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office takes safeguarding issues extremely seriously. Protecting vulnerable people is a key cross-cutting departmental priority.
We recognise that that all asylum seekers are potentially vulnerable. During the asylum decision making process we aim to ensure that particularly vulnerable claimants are identified and that they are given help in accessing appropriate services.
A claimant or their legal representative can also request their case is prioritised by emailing or writing to the relevant decision-making unit responsible for their claim.
Individual claims may be prioritised on a case-by-case basis due to exceptional and compelling circumstances. Please see Case by case prioritisation on GOV.UK for further information about how individual asylum claims may be prioritised.
The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives, including innovative tooling to speed up decision-making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system.
The number of people awaiting an initial decision as of September 2025 is down 54% from the peak in June 2023, and we continue to make good progress. This shows that the steps we have already taken to streamline the asylum process and increase our efficiency are paying off and is an important achievement in building an asylum system that is efficient, sustainable and flexible.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Stamp Duty on primary residences on (a) labour mobility, (b) housing supply and (c) house prices.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is an important source of government revenue, raising around £12 billion each year to help pay for essential public services. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) sets out some of the interactions between SDLT, house prices and the volume of transactions as part of its Housing Market Forecasts, available on the OBR website.
https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/the-economy-forecast/housing-market/
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to support low-income earners with transport to and from London following (a) the introduction of pay as you go ticketing in Dorking and Horley constituency and (b) price increases of between 3% and 24%.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has commissioned independent evaluation on the trial, this research has not yet concluded. The current evidence is provided by LNER and is available at
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to written question 103034 answered on 8 January 2026, when she will conduct this post-delivery evaluation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is currently progressing the evaluation of the phases of Pay as you go roll out in the South East, following the launch of phase one stations last year. Once evaluation is complete, we will make the final reports public.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2026 to Question 103034 on Railways: Tickets, if she will make an assessment of the impact of cancelling evening out return fares between Dorking and London on commuters.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
For stations in Dorking and Horley, we have simplified the complicated web of tickets by having one Peak and one Off-Peak price, with some fares changing and others being removed as part of improvements to ticketing via pay as you go with contactless expansion. This will allow passengers greater flexibility in their choice of tickets, with some seeing a reduction in their ticket price.
On 23 November the Chancellor and Transport Secretary announced that regulated rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years. Over a billion journeys are going to be affected by this freeze with season tickets, anytime returns on commuter routes, and off-peak returns on longer-distance routes all subject to the freeze.
The Department is currently progressing the evaluation of the phases of Pay as you go roll out in the South East. Once evaluation is complete we will make the final reports public.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Office of Rail and Road on the pricing of fares on cross-Channel routes.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
International Rail services operate on an open access basis, with fares set in line with commercial strategy by the private companies involved. The Government engages regularly with the independent Office of Rail and Road to discuss its regulatory activities, which for international rail services include competition and consumer protection matters.
The Government is committed to supporting the growth of our international rail connections with Europe and is working to establish a thriving and competitive market, which could deliver more competitive fares and greater choice, supporting industry to tackle capacity constraints and signing landmark agreements with Germany and Switzerland to pave the way for new routes.