Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce the new safe and legal routes set out in Restoring Order and Control, updated on 21 November, and what estimate they have made of the number of refugees who will be able to enter through those routes.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK has a proud history of providing protection and we continue to welcome refugees and people in need through our safe and legal routes.

As announced in Restoring Order and Control, we are developing new capped sponsored refugee pathways across education, labour and community routes. This transformative change to safe and legal routes will revolutionise the way in which we offer opportunities to refugees. Policy development is underway, and the Home Office is working at pace with partners to design and operationalise these routes as soon as practicable.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the protection work and study visa proposed in Restoring Order and Control, updated on 21 November, what the fee level will be; what criteria will be used to govern entry through that route; and how soon asylum seekers will be able to earn settlement on that route.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The full details of the Core Protection offer, and the Protection Work and Study route, remain subject to further policy development which will be set out in due course. Settlement requirements will also be considered as part of our consultation. We are currently consulting on how the settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the asylum policy in Restoring Order and Control, updated on 21 November, whether asylum seekers who are awaiting a decision after 12 months will be able to apply for jobs.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Asylum seekers are eligible to apply for permission to work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. There are no current plans to change this policy.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what their assessment is of the number of additional families and children who will be affected by the benefit cap as a result of its thresholds not being uprated from April 2026; and what its thresholds would be from April 2026 had they been uprated in line with the universal credit standard allowance since (1) 2016 when the current thresholds were set, and (2) 2023 when they were last uprated.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No assessment has been made of the number of additional families and children who will be affected by the benefit cap as a result of its thresholds not being uprated from April 2026.

The requested figures for thresholds uprated in line with the Universal Credit standard allowance are shown below. Note these are annual figures for 2026/27.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposals in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, published on 20 November, and Restoring Order and Control, updated on 21 November, on child poverty.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The earned settlement model, proposed in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation. The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessment, which we have committed to publish in due course.

Our proposals in Restoring Order and Control are designed to encourage refugees to contribute and integrate into UK society and the economy. We will have due regard to our section 55 duties and consider the best interests of children as the policy is further developed.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether child benefit will be included in the proposals regarding public funds in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, and Restoring Order and Control, published on 20 November.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Child Benefit is listed as a public fund in Section 115 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and paragraph 6 of the Immigration rules.

The Fairer Pathway to Settlement consultation on earned settlement seeks views on whether the qualifying period for settlement should be increased by five or ten years if the applicant has claimed public funds and whether the law should be changed so that it would be possible to make settlement subject to a “no recourse to public funds” condition.

The consultation is open to anyone who wishes to share their views, including individuals, organisations, and other stakeholders who may be affected by or have an interest in the proposed changes.

As set out in the Restoring Order and Control statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy, published on 21 November 2025, access to taxpayer funded benefits will be prioritised for those making an economic contribution. A consultation is planned for this year.