Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of hostile environment policies; and what criteria are used to judge the success of these policies.

The Government is committed to a firm, fair and humane immigration policy which distinguishes effectively between those with lawful status and those here illegally. The term ‘hostile environment’ as a description of Home Office immigration policy is incorrect and does not represent our values as a country.

In common with other comparable countries, the UK has in place a framework of laws, policies and administrative arrangements, introduced under successive governments, ensuring?access?to work, benefits and?services?is only permitted for those with the right?access?to them. The measures within this framework are: Right to Work; Right to Rent; and access to healthcare, public funds, financial services and driving licences.

Key measures were the subject of public consultations and/or impact assessments before they were introduced. The measures incorporate important safeguards, including the ability to exercise discretion where there are genuine barriers to persons leaving the UK or there are exceptional compassionate factors.

A full evaluation of the Right to Rent Scheme is underway and the Government accepts the recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review report in full, including reviewing and evaluating measures designed to regulate access to work, benefits and services. As the Home Secretary said in her statement to Parliament on 21 July, policy and decision making must be rigorously examined to ensure that any adverse impact on any corner of our society is identified and acted on quickly. To ensure that we better understand the groups and communities that our policies affect, we are overhauling the way in which we build up our evidence base and engage with stakeholders across the board.