Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to withdraw Georgia from the list of safe states as defined in immigration legislation.

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

Section 80AA of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (as amended and inserted by section 59 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023) provides for a list of generally safe states for whom asylum and human rights claims would be declared inadmissible; Georgia was added to that list by regulations.

Our current assessment of the situation in Georgia is set out in the relevant Country Policy and Information Notes, which are available on the gov.uk website.

We will continue to monitor the situation, working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Should we consider that Georgia – or any other designated state – no longer meets the relevant criteria, we would ask Parliament to make the necessary amendments to the list.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of immigration detention (a) in total, (b) per person detained and (c) by detention centre in the 2024-25 financial year.

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

The total amount spent on immigration detention in the 2024/25 financial year will be published in the Home Office annual report and accounts in 2025.

The Home Office does not publish the costs associated with each Immigration Removal centre as this is commercially sensitive.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the 14th Report of Session 2017-19 of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Immigration detention, HC 913, published on 21 March 2019.

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

No recent review of this report has taken place. However, the Government is committed to tackling irregular migration and strengthening border security. We are maximising efforts to establish a system that is better controlled and managed by increasing enforcement capabilities and returns, whilst operating a detention estate with appropriate safeguards in place.

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 increasing the immigration detention estate by 290 places.

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

The Home Office does not comment on service provider procurement exercises, which are commercially sensitive. However, contracts are published upon the Contracts Finder website, once awarded. The Home Office is committed to ensuring value for money on all IRC sites.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to repeal Part II of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (Amendment of List of Safe States) Regulations 2024.

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

The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (Amendment of List of Safe States) Regulations 2024 amended Section 80AA of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (as inserted by section 59 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023).

The provisions in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 that use the Section 80AA list are not yet commenced. Therefore, at present, S80AA has no effect in practice. The Government is considering all options relating to the Illegal Migration Act and its implementation, and will set out more details in due course.

King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2024 for the Buchan Battalion Boys’ Brigade

Found: Not called _12 Pete Wishart Kirsty Blackman .

Found: _12 Pete Wishart Kirsty Blackman .