Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost within the current financial year of attempted deportations to Rwanda; and what estimate she has made of the total cost of planned deportations under that programme in the next five years.

The costs of our broken asylum system are at a 20-year record high, currently costing the UK taxpayer over £2 billion a year. This cannot continue – and the partnership with Rwanda is a key part of our plans to reform the system and put an end to unsustainable costs which impact the taxpayer.

The UK has provided Rwanda with an initial investment of £120m as part of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership. The UK will also be funding the processing costs for each person relocated, such as caseworkers, legal advice, translators, accommodation, food, healthcare, and for those granted protection, a comprehensive integration package to help them put down roots and start a new life. The UK has also made a £20m upfront payment to the Government of Rwanda to support initial set up costs.

We do not routinely disclose commercial or operational information relating to individual charter flights.

Actual spend will be reported as part of the annual Home Office Reports and Accounts in the usual way.