Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safe routes are available to asylum seekers into the United Kingdom; and what criteria (a) Border Security Command and (b) other enforcement agencies use to distinguish asylum seekers from illegal migration.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who need it through a number of safe and legal routes. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the considerable number of people overseas who might like to come here. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

Nonetheless, there are options available for individuals who wish to come to the UK. Our global resettlement schemes include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. Alongside these schemes, we operate specific schemes for those fleeing Ukraine and Afghanistan, and an immigration route for British National (overseas) status holders from Hong Kong. Our refugee family reunion policy also allows immediate family members of those granted protection in the UK to stay with them or join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of individual stipends for people using access to work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Access to Work grants provide funding for workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The Access to Work scheme is highly personalised and each grant that is awarded is tailored to the individual, taking into account their specific circumstances.

When awarding Access to Work grants, the Scheme aims to balance the level of funding required to ensure individuals are able to purchase support needed to help them get into, and stay in, sustainable paid employment alongside the need to safeguard public money and provide a value for money service. The customer can always ask for a change of circumstance if their needs increase, or their support worker or travel costs increase. This support is based on current market value.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to secure help peace between Kurdish forces and the Syrian government; and what support he is providing to the Kurdish diaspora in the United Kingdom.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We support a Syrian-led political transition process leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government that includes representative figures from across Syria, including Kurds. We emphasise this in our diplomatic engagement with the interim Syrian authorities, through Ministers as well as our Syria Envoy. We will judge them by their actions.

More broadly, the UK supports Kurdish communities in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, as well as diaspora groups, promoting their rights and integration within their home countries. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office maintains engagement with a range of Syrian groups and individuals, including Kurds, in the UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of workplace health and safety enforcement; and what steps her Department is taking to strengthen health and safety protections for workers.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It is an independent regulator and it acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces. HSE uses a number of intervention techniques to utilise its resources in the most effective way using a variety of enforcement tools to drive improvements in health and safety.

The Department obtains assurance as to the adequacy of workplace health and safety enforcement through a range of measures including its Quarterly Assurance Review process.

At the start of each financial year HSE publishes its Business Plan which details what it will deliver during the year, which this year included a strong focus on performance, further improving the effectiveness of its investigations and changing its ways of working to deliver it objectives. Each year I approve HSE’s business plan on behalf of the Government.

Then at the end of each financial year HSE produces its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) that are laid in Parliament. The ARA is a report to Parliament that sets out information on HSE’s financial position and activity which includes risks to the achievement of its objectives and how it has performed during the year.

The Government’s Make Work Pay agenda sets out an ambition to review health and safety guidance and regulations with a view to modernising legislation and guidance where it does not fully reflect the modern workplace, which will help to strengthen health and safety protections for workers. HSE is working on three areas of legislative change: chemicals, energy and health but reviewing the Approved Code of Practice and guidance on temperature and welfare in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.

Under the heading of Safer Workplaces, Make Work Pay sets four key areas of focus that are within HSE’s remit: work related stress and mental health; workplace violence and aggression; menopause in the workplace and review of health and safety legislation.

Falkirk Shakespeare Project to perform original play at Edinburgh Fringe

Friends of Dawson Park, Langlees and Bainsford

Coalfields Regeneration Trust funding

Keeping transport workers safe

Covid-19 Day of Reflection 2025

Israel’s military presence in the West Bank

Ban on prison officer industrial action

Skilled worker legislation impact on government workers

25th anniversary of Alloa Athletic’s Bell’s Challenge Cup victory

Found: Chairman); Caroline Nokes (Second Deputy Chairman); Jonathan Davies; Zöe Franklin; Amanda Martin; Euan Stainbank

Found: Kelly Foy Zarah Sultana Siân Berry John McDonnell Richard Burgon Ian Byrne Dr Simon Opher Euan Stainbank

Found: Kelly Foy Zarah Sultana Siân Berry John McDonnell Richard Burgon Ian Byrne Dr Simon Opher Euan Stainbank

Found: Chairman); Caroline Nokes (Second Deputy Chairman); Jonathan Davies; Zöe Franklin; Amanda Martin; Euan Stainbank

Found: Chairman); Caroline Nokes (Second Deputy Chairman); Jonathan Davies; Zöe Franklin; Amanda Martin; Euan Stainbank