Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an equality impact assessment has been undertaken for the raised 'standard of proof' for asylum claims, as amended following the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impact assessments throughout the policy development process. Raising the 'standard of proof' for asylum claims that were made on or after 28 June 2022 when the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force was no exception.
We are committed to ensuring that proposals are considered carefully so that they support creation of a system which is both fair and sustainable.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain for survivors of domestic abuse.
Answered by Mike Tapp
Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper âA Fairer Pathway to Settlementâ (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.
As part of this consultation, we sought views on the potential impact of the proposed changes on vulnerable groups, including how an earned settlement system may be tailored for victims of domestic abuse.
We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.
Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.⯠As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both economic impact assessments and equality impact assessments, which we will make available when the full response to the consultation is published.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what alternative accommodation will be provided to women and children asylum seekers once they are removed from hotels.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Home Office officials keep the asylum accommodation estate under continual review. As part of this estate management, operational adjustments are made on an ongoing basis to ensure sufficient and suitable capacity is maintained to meet expected levels of demand.
As the department reduces its reliance on hotel accommodation, individuals and families, including women and children, are moved into more appropriate longer term forms of asylum accommodation within the existing estate. This includes dispersal accommodation and, where required, other contingency arrangements that meet the necessary standards for safety and suitability.
The Home Office is committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure and appropriate accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity throughout the asylum process.
In line with the Allocation of Accommodation policy, accommodation is offered on a no choice basis across the United Kingdom. Where an individual has specific, acute needs that require them to be accommodated in a particular area, established processes supported by Migrant Help and asylum support casework teams are in place to consider such circumstances.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 proposed asylum and returns reforms on women.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Equality impacts will be considered for individual policies as they continue to be developed and will be kept under review to ensure there are no unintended impacts.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether data is available on the average length of time people spend living in the UK before acquiring Indefinite Leave to Remain, including (a) all individuals, (b) those on work routes, and (c) those on family routes.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The Home Office publishes data on individuals granted indefinite leave to remain, by initial leave type, and number of years into their journey in the âMigrant journeyâ annual release. Data are published in table âMJ_D01â of the âMigrant journey detailed datasetsâ. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the âNotesâ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2005 to 2024.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Restoring Control Over the Immigration System: White Paper, whether families accessing Free School Meals under the No Recourse to Public Funds extension could be subject to penalties of 5 or 10 years under the earned settlement scheme.
Answered by Mike Tapp
Data regarding how many people in the UK are subject to the âno recourse to public fundsâ condition (NRPF) is currently in development and not ready for release. We will continue to explore what further information on NRPF can be produced. We are unable at this time to provide a specific timeframe for data publication or indeed confirm what will be published.
The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Consideration will then be given, if appropriate, to how transitional arrangements may be designed to ease the impact of policy change, especially for individuals or groups already afforded permissions by the previous system.
The final model will also be subject to equality impact assessment, which the government has committed to publish in due course.
Free school meals are not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes. It is the Department for Education who set the eligibility criteria for who can access free school meals.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Restoring Control Over the Immigration System: White Paper, whether her Department plans to apply the 5 and 10 year penalties for accessing public funds to those on limited leave to remain who are currently living in the UK and receiving benefits.
Answered by Mike Tapp
Data regarding how many people in the UK are subject to the âno recourse to public fundsâ condition (NRPF) is currently in development and not ready for release. We will continue to explore what further information on NRPF can be produced. We are unable at this time to provide a specific timeframe for data publication or indeed confirm what will be published.
The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Consideration will then be given, if appropriate, to how transitional arrangements may be designed to ease the impact of policy change, especially for individuals or groups already afforded permissions by the previous system.
The final model will also be subject to equality impact assessment, which the government has committed to publish in due course.
Free school meals are not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes. It is the Department for Education who set the eligibility criteria for who can access free school meals.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) children and (b) adults are subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds condition.
Answered by Mike Tapp
Data regarding how many people in the UK are subject to the âno recourse to public fundsâ condition (NRPF) is currently in development and not ready for release. We will continue to explore what further information on NRPF can be produced. We are unable at this time to provide a specific timeframe for data publication or indeed confirm what will be published.
The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Consideration will then be given, if appropriate, to how transitional arrangements may be designed to ease the impact of policy change, especially for individuals or groups already afforded permissions by the previous system.
The final model will also be subject to equality impact assessment, which the government has committed to publish in due course.
Free school meals are not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes. It is the Department for Education who set the eligibility criteria for who can access free school meals.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which government departments and schemes will explicitly include families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) within their eligibility criteria following the introduction of new guidance; and what steps will be taken to monitor and enforce consistency of support across these schemes.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The new guidance being produced by the Home Office is designed to assist local authorities in supporting families with NRPF, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. The guidance will provide clarity around statutory duties and key safeguards for local authorities, ensuring a clear and consistent approach. The guidance does not alter the eligibility criteria for any current schemes or benefits.
Children whose families are subject to the âno recourse to public fundsâ condition (NRPF) can currently access schemes and benefits such as free school meals, 15 hours of free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds and15 hours free childcare for three- to four-year-old.
The Home Office will continue to work across government where relevant to ensure that migrant children with NRPF are specifically considered when reviewing or deciding on eligibility for schemes and benefits.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's review of the adults at risk in immigration detention policy, whether she has considered the potential merits of including (a) lesbian, (b) bisexual and (c) gay people on the list of indicators of risk.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
As part of the review of the adults at risk in immigration detention policy, I can confirm that officials have considered the merits of including lesbian, gay and bisexual people on the list of indicators of risk under the policy. In addition, written comments and representations from a number of organisations that represent lesbian, gay and bisexual people were provided to the Home Office further to external engagement on the review.