Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the Asylum Support Payments contract as part of the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Support Payment (ASP) contract was originally included in the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme (ASAP). However, the ASP contract did not terminate at the same time as ASAP, so a decision was taken to descope it. This does not mean this will not be considered in the future.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what legal power the Government seized the property belonging to Rifaat al-Assad in Mayfair, London following his conviction for money laundering and embezzling public funds in France in 2020.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) provides law enforcement agencies with a wide range of powers to freeze, seize and recover criminal assets, such as property.
These include restraint orders, property freezing orders, recovery and confiscation orders. Over 250 agencies have had POCA powers extended to them, including the National Crime Agency, police forces, HMRC and the Serious Fraud Office.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy, updated on 20 November 2025, what criteria her Department will use to determine whether an application's healthcare needs, including mental healthcare, cannot be fully met in their country of origin.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
A claimant may claim that requiring them to leave the UK would breach their human rights due to a serious medical condition, which could be a physical illness or mental health issue. Such cases must be considered in accordance with our obligations under Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The threshold in Article 3 medical cases is very high, as set out in the UK Supreme Court case of AM (Zimbabwe) [2020] UKSC 17, which affirmed the Article 3 medical threshold as set out in the European Court of Human Rights case of Paposhvili v Belgium [2017] Imm AR 867.
We are committed to the ECHR and we believe that people should never be subject to torture. However, the interpretation of “inhuman or degrading treatment” has been expanded over time. As a consequence, we see examples of foreign national offenders who are being allowed to stay in the UK on the basis of an Article 3 protection claim, despite committing serious criminal offences in the UK. Others have blocked a deportation because their healthcare needs, including mental healthcare, cannot be fully met in their country of origin.
To retain public confidence, the ECHR and other instruments must evolve to face modern challenges. We are working with key partner countries over concerns that the interpretation of “inhuman or degrading treatment” has extended in scope, limiting their ability to make sovereign decisions on migration in their own democracies. The criteria, for considering healthcare needs, including mental healthcare, will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support do the police provide to judges if they experience (a) intimidation and (b) harassment (i) online and (I) in person.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Secretary of State regards judicial office holders’ safety with great importance. There are a range of judicial security policies and procedures in place to protect judicial office holders in court, outside of court and online.
The Police work jointly with HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Judicial Office to deliver appropriate safeguarding arrangements for judicial office holders who are the victim of a crime and/or subject to harassment, intimidation or threat as a result of their judicial role. The agreement between the three agencies which forms the framework for delivery of these safeguarding measures is known as the Judicial Harassment Protocol.
The Protocol enables appropriate and proportionate safeguarding measures to be applied where such as:
The police are working alongside the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS as key members of the Security Taskforce, commissioned by the Lady Chief Justice and chaired by Deputy Senior Presiding Judge Mrs Justice Yip, to consider opportunities for further improvement in this crucial area.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how judges are protected if they experience (a) intimidation and (b) harassment.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Secretary of State regards judicial office holders’ safety with great importance. There are a range of judicial security policies and procedures in place to protect judicial office holders in court, outside of court and online.
The Police work jointly with HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Judicial Office to deliver appropriate safeguarding arrangements for judicial office holders who are the victim of a crime and/or subject to harassment, intimidation or threat as a result of their judicial role. The agreement between the three agencies which forms the framework for delivery of these safeguarding measures is known as the Judicial Harassment Protocol.
The Protocol enables appropriate and proportionate safeguarding measures to be applied where such as:
The police are working alongside the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS as key members of the Security Taskforce, commissioned by the Lady Chief Justice and chaired by Deputy Senior Presiding Judge Mrs Justice Yip, to consider opportunities for further improvement in this crucial area.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the number and proportion of asylum seekers who previously entered the UK on a) a visa or b) other leave with relevant documentation, including the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK since 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.
By changing our protection offer, we are making it fairer for those who comply with the Rules. A person who enters the UK on a visa and continues to qualify will be on a faster route to settlement if they remain on that route, rather than claiming asylum. Claiming asylum will no longer provide the advantages that it does under the current system.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number and proportion of Bangladeshi asylum seekers who arrived in the UK on a) visas or b) other leave in the year to June 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.
By changing our protection offer, we are making it fairer for those who comply with the Rules. A person who enters the UK on a visa and continues to qualify will be on a faster route to settlement if they remain on that route, rather than claiming asylum. Claiming asylum will no longer provide the advantages that it does under the current system.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number and proportion of people claiming asylum who entered the UK on a work visa.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.
By changing our protection offer, we are making it fairer for those who comply with the Rules. A person who enters the UK on a visa and continues to qualify will be on a faster route to settlement if they remain on that route, rather than claiming asylum. Claiming asylum will no longer provide the advantages that it does under the current system.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under the Immigration Platform Technologies programme, what are the three integrated modern technology services that have been delivered.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The three integrated modern technology services that were delivered by IPT are:
Please see 6 September 2022: Immigration Platform Technologies (IPT) Programme Accounting Officer Assessment - GOV.UK for further details.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the number of experiments using animals that were carried out in Wales in 2024; and whether she will be taking steps to reduce these numbers.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
In 2024, 25,718 regulated scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Wales, a decrease from 31,940 in 2023.
The Home Office regulates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) to assure compliance with the robust protections afforded to animals used in science and to administrate the licensing framework. Licences to test on animals are only granted where applicants comply with the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement. Animals can only be used where there is no non-animal alternative, numbers are minimised, and where the most refined methods of testing are used to minimise harms.
The Government has published the strategy, "Replacing animals in science, A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods" which will accelerate the roll out of safe and effective alternatives to phase out animal testing in all but exceptional circumstances. Available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods