Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that the people manning the engines of asylum boats are refused asylum.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under existing legislation, an individual convicted of a particularly serious crime, resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, and who is considered a danger to the UK, will be denied asylum and will be considered for removal from the UK.
With the passage of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, the maximum sentence for facilitating a breach of immigration law, or “facilitation”, was raised to life in prison. Small boats pilots fall into this category of offender so aggravated cases, where there is an elevated level of harm and / or culpability identified, will likely receive a sentence in excess of 12 months. In cases where there is insufficient evidence to secure a facilitation charge, it is highly likely that a prosecution for illegal arrival will be sought. Similarly, in higher-end cases, the sentence for this will also likely be over 12 months on conviction.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of civil legal aid providers in rural areas; and what steps she is taking to help reduce gaps in legal aid provision.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It is vital that those who need legal aid – some of the most vulnerable people in our society – can access it wherever they happen to live.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services in England and Wales. The LAA monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid.
The Ministry of Justice has recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt and immigration & asylum legal aid fees, which, once fully implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year.
The Department is also providing over £6 million of legal support grant funding up to March 2026 to deliver free legal support and advice for people with social welfare legal problems. This includes the ‘Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support’ grant, which supports the work of organisations across England and Wales to sustain and improve access to early legal support and advice, including support at court. It also includes the ‘Online Support and AdviceGrant’, which ensures the provision of online support across a range of civil, family and tribunal problems via one service (Advicenow). The Advicenow website includes information about how to get legal aid in relevant areas of law and signposts users to further information and support.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has she made of access to legal aid services in rural constituencies.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It is vital that those who need legal aid – some of the most vulnerable people in our society – can access it wherever they live in the UK.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services in England and Wales. The LAA monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid. Procurement for legal aid contracts is now operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This new approach enables new entrants to apply for a contract at any time and for existing providers to expand their services. It is a more flexible approach removing hard deadlines and maximising the available supply of services so that we can adapt quickly and ensure everyone has access to legal aid.
The Ministry of Justice has recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt and immigration & asylum legal aid fees (which once fully implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year), and is currently consulting on funding of up to £92 million more a year for criminal legal aid solicitors.
The Department is also providing over £6 million of legal support grant funding up to March 2026 to deliver free legal support and advice for people with social welfare legal problems. This includes the ‘Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support’ grant, which supports the work of organisations across England and Wales to sustain and improve access to early legal support and advice, including support at court. It also includes the ‘Online Support and AdviceGrant’, which ensures the provision of online support across a range of civil, family and tribunal problems via one service (Advicenow). The Advicenow website includes information about how to get legal aid in relevant areas of law and signposts users to further information and support.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum claims made on the grounds of religious persecution from (a) Nigeria, (b) Eritrea and c) Pakistan between December 2001 and December 2024; and what steps she is taken to ensure claims are processed (i) fairly and (ii) efficiently.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not publish the number of asylum claims that were granted based on religious persecution. This information is not recorded in a reportable format. Information regarding initial decisions on asylum applications, by outcome, is contained within ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset on GOV.UK at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Detailed Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims. All caseworkers receive extensive training to consider claims objectively and impartially, and they receive mentoring support before interviewing claimants and making such decisions. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the safety of transgender people travelling to the US; and if he will publish a country policy and information note on (a) sexual orientation and (b) gender identity and expression in the US.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
US immigration is a matter for the US Government, in accordance with international law. The UK Government remains fully committed to upholding the human rights and freedoms of all LGBT+ people. We regularly monitor how policy changes in other countries could impact British nationals who travel, including LGBT+ people. We then review and update policies, and travel advice, as necessary.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she has taken to increase provision of legal aid in the south west of England.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data regarding the number of civil legal aid providers in Truro and Falmouth is set out in the below table:
Year | Falmouth | Truro |
2011 |
| 8 |
2012 |
| 4 |
2013 |
| 8 |
2014 |
| 6 |
2015 |
| 6 |
2016 |
| 5 |
2017 |
| 9 |
2018 |
| 10 |
2019 | 1 | 5 |
2020 | 1 | 5 |
2021 | 1 | 5 |
2022 | 1 | 5 |
2023 | 1 | 5 |
2024 | 1 | 6 |
2025 | 1 | 7 |
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services in England and Wales. The LAA monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid.
For civil contracts, the LAA aims to ensure supply across designated procurement areas, as opposed to specific towns or counties. The procurement areas may be different for different categories of law and the LAA aims to ensure the commissioning standard for each procurement area in each category of law is met throughout the life cycle of its contracts. The commissioning standard for the Southwest, which encompasses Truro and Falmouth, is currently met across all categories.
Generally, the LAA has changed its approach to commissioning for legal aid services. Procurement for legal aid contracts is now operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This is a significant change from the previous approach where firms could only bid to join at the initial tender of what typically was a five-year contract term. This new approach enables new entrants to apply for a contract at any time and for existing providers to expand their services. It is a more flexible approach, removing hard deadlines and maximising the available supply of services.
Further, the Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt and immigration & asylum legal aid fees, which when implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year. We are currently reviewing consultation responses and will publish the Government’s response in due course.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data her Department holds on the number of civil legal aid firms in Truro and Falmouth for each year data is available.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data regarding the number of civil legal aid providers in Truro and Falmouth is set out in the below table:
Year | Falmouth | Truro |
2011 |
| 8 |
2012 |
| 4 |
2013 |
| 8 |
2014 |
| 6 |
2015 |
| 6 |
2016 |
| 5 |
2017 |
| 9 |
2018 |
| 10 |
2019 | 1 | 5 |
2020 | 1 | 5 |
2021 | 1 | 5 |
2022 | 1 | 5 |
2023 | 1 | 5 |
2024 | 1 | 6 |
2025 | 1 | 7 |
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services in England and Wales. The LAA monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid.
For civil contracts, the LAA aims to ensure supply across designated procurement areas, as opposed to specific towns or counties. The procurement areas may be different for different categories of law and the LAA aims to ensure the commissioning standard for each procurement area in each category of law is met throughout the life cycle of its contracts. The commissioning standard for the Southwest, which encompasses Truro and Falmouth, is currently met across all categories.
Generally, the LAA has changed its approach to commissioning for legal aid services. Procurement for legal aid contracts is now operated under the ‘always on principle’ so that the procurement remains open during the life of the contract. This is a significant change from the previous approach where firms could only bid to join at the initial tender of what typically was a five-year contract term. This new approach enables new entrants to apply for a contract at any time and for existing providers to expand their services. It is a more flexible approach, removing hard deadlines and maximising the available supply of services.
Further, the Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing & debt and immigration & asylum legal aid fees, which when implemented, would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year. We are currently reviewing consultation responses and will publish the Government’s response in due course.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to remove barriers for families of non-UK Armed Forces personnel to stay in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
HM Armed Forces personnel are exempt from immigration control in service. Those who do not naturalise as British during service, can apply for settlement under Appendix HM Armed Forces of the Immigration Rules on discharge when their exemption from immigration control ends, up to 18 weeks before their discharge, or for two years after.
HM Armed Forces personnel can be accompanied by their family members, and there are special Immigration Rules in place to ensure that those who serve, have served, or their family members are not disadvantaged due to that service. This takes into account the unique nature of their service, the Armed Forces Covenant, and the recruitment and retention of HM Armed Forces personnel in order to maintain national security.
A manifesto commitment was made to “strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities by putting Armed Forces Covenant fully into law”, and to “scrap visa fees for non-UK veterans who have served for four or more years, and their dependants.”.
We continue to keep this policy under review in the context of our wider considerations of various aspects of the immigration system.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 30375 on Undocumented Migrants: Organised Crime, what progress the Border Security Command has made through participation in the UK-Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK and Italy are global leaders in disrupting economic crime and under the taskforce both nations will be sharing law enforcement strategies, policy, and expertise to maximise our disruptive effect on financial flows into the UK, Italy and across Europe.
The inaugural UK/Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce meeting was held in Rome, Italy on the 4th of February 2025. It was attended by UK law enforcement officials from the Border Security Command, NCA, HMRC and Immigration Enforcement. Attendees, including representatives from the Guardia Di Finanza, discussed organised immigration crime commonalities, joint initiatives and irregular migration flows impacting illicit finance activity in both Italy and the UK.
The Taskforce is now focussed on agreeing deliverables, including consideration of the new Irregular Migration and OIC Sanctions regime and joint operational activity.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration on (a) UK immigration laws and (b) legal challenges to border control policies.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Global Compact for Migration, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, aims to foster international cooperation on migration in a comprehensive way. The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction, in conformity with international law.
An effective well-managed migration system is a fundamental part of the UK’s approach to ensuring the security and control of our borders and the UK remains committed to working with partners to address shared challenges.