Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data is being shared by her Department with the French government to help tackle small boat crossings.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office shares operational data with French partners to support the disruption, investigation, and prosecution of people-smuggling networks. This includes intelligence, operational information relating to the maritime environment. Information is exchanged through established joint working arrangements and liaison officers based in France.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information on a standard letter template used by Pakistani men to falsely claim they are gay during the asylum process.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is committed to ensuring that the asylum system is not open to abuse. It is the responsibility of everyone claiming asylum in the UK to co-operate with the Home Office and tell the truth. It is a crime to make an asylum application that involves trying to deceive the Home Office. If anyone does this and is found guilty of it in a court, they may be given a custodial sentence, after which they may be deported.
All asylum and human rights claims, including those raised by Pakistan nationals on grounds of sexuality are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The weight to be placed on evidence of support from any particular individual or organisation is something for an asylum decision maker to judge on a case-by-case basis, in line with the Immigration Rules and Home Office policy.
A decision maker will not accept that someone is gay simply because they claim to be so. Such declarations constitute the starting point in the consideration process and are subject to probing at interview and a proper assessment of the facts and circumstances.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people currently accommodated under sections 95, 98 or 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (a) entered the UK on a work, study or visitor visa and subsequently claimed asylum, (b) arrived by small boat, and (c) arrived by other unauthorised means in each of the last 12 months; and if she will publish this data by accommodation type, including hotels, dispersal accommodation, initial accommodation and large sites.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested on data linking asylum seekers' accommodation status with their route of entry is not currently published.
Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.
You may be interested to note that the Home Office publishes data onâŻasylumâŻin the âImmigrationâŻSystemâŻStatisticsâŻQuarterlyâŻReleaseâ. Data on people claiming asylum by prior route is published in table Asy_D01a of the âAsylum claims and initial decisions datasetsâ. The latest data goes up to the year ending June 2026.
Data on Asylum seekers in receipt of Home Office support by support type and accommodation type is published in table Asy_D09 of the âAsylum support detailed datasetsâ. Please note the figures reported represent the number of people in receipt of support at the end of the period, rather than the total supported throughout the period. The latest data goes up to as at 30 June 2026.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential financial impact of applying the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts service credit regime to (a) hotels, (b) MDP Wethersfield and (c) Napier Barracks.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is currently no dedicated KPI regime in operation for hotels or the Wethersfield Large Site and performance-related penalties are not being applied. The Home Office ceased to use Napier Barracks in 2025.
While hotels do not form part of core contractual KPI regimes, Home Office assurance teams review performance and carry out inspections at properties to ensure appropriate standards are being met. The Department keeps supplier performance under regular review and applies contractual remedies in accordance with the terms of the relevant contracts.
Large Sites assurance is delivered through strong, hands-on operational oversight, grounded in on-site presence, observation, incident review and active engagement with Providers. This provides a high degree of real-time visibility and responsiveness and ensures that performance is managed closely both on site and on record keeping - any issues are identified early and addressed promptly with a clear governance and escalation structure.
The Home Office is in the process of developing a KPI framework for Large Sites which, once agreed with contracted Providers, will be implemented at Wethersfield and any other Large Sites which may be brought into the estate in the future.
Asylum accommodation contracts contain performance management arrangements, including service credits where appropriate, to incentivise contractual compliance. The Home Office does not publish commercially sensitive information relating to the operation of its contractual arrangements.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow asylum seekers to register with their most local police station.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There is currently no policy of requiring asylum seekers to register at a police station. Asylum seekers may be required to report to an immigration reporting centre or police station as a condition imposed under section 71 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (asylum seekers with leave to enter or remain) or under Schedule 10 to the Immigration Act 2016 (asylum seekers on immigration bail).
There are a number of factors that go into determining the location a person is required to report. The circumstances where a person may report to a police station rather than an immigration reporting centre are outlined in the Reporting and Offender Management guidance which can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 financial insecurity on birthrates.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has made no recent assessments of the potential impact of financial insecurity on birthrates.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 13580, when her Department will publish the economic and equality impact assessments for the earned settlement system.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The consultation for the earned settlement model, as proposed inâŻâA Fairer Pathway to Settlementâ, was open to the public between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026.
Once the final model has been decided by the Home Secretary, the economic and equality impact assessments will be published.
We received over 200,000 responses from the public and organisations and are now considering all responses received. This will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of steps taken by her Department to have Shabir Ahmed deported.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Rochdale child sexual exploitation group preyed on the young and vulnerable and their appalling crimes have no place in our society; our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of these appalling crimes.
For his leading role in these crimes, Shabir Ahmed has been deprived of his British Citizenship but is exempt from deportation under Section 7(1) of the Immigration Act 1971, as a Commonwealth citizen ordinarily resident in the UK before 1 January 1973 and having been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least five years prior to a decision to deport him could be made. Mr Ahmed is also exempt from administrative removal.
Due to his exemption from deportation, there has been no cost to the public purse to remove him from the UK.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of NHS workers ineligible for indefinite leave to remain due to salary threshold changes introduced since 2023.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The government recognises the valuable role of those who work in the NHS. The âA Fairer Pathway to Settlementâ Command Paper set out that there should be a shorter pathway for those working in certain public service roles. The governmentâs proposals for which occupations should qualify for this treatment will be set out in its formal response to the consultation.
The final model for the earned settlement system will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is considering exemptions for NHS workers who fall marginally below the salary threshold requirement for indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The government recognises the valuable role of those who work in the NHS. The âA Fairer Pathway to Settlementâ Command Paper set out that there should be a shorter pathway for those working in certain public service roles. The governmentâs proposals for which occupations should qualify for this treatment will be set out in its formal response to the consultation.
The final model for the earned settlement system will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.