Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on student society statements praising Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

As the Education Secretary made clear in her statement to Parliament on 2 March, universities should be places of open discussion and dialogue, where views should be challenged and questioned. But there is no place for hate speech or intimidation on campus.

That is why on 8 March, the Government announced stronger protections for university students and staff against extremism, harassment and intimidation on campus.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to open new legal routes for Iranian nationals affected by the regional conflict.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government has not introduced a bespoke visa route in response to the conflict. Existing visa routes remain available and Iranian nationals who wish to come to the UK can apply to do so via these routes.

Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules.  We advise people to consider the most appropriate visa route for their own circumstances.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the conflict with Iran on the number of asylum applications from Iranian nationals; and what steps she is taking to manage the anticipated change.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

If someone is in the UK and circumstances in their home country change, such that it is no longer safe for them to return home, they can claim asylum. The Home Office constantly monitors global events and prepares for a range of scenarios to ensure the asylum system can respond effectively.

We are closely monitoring the fast-moving situation in Iran and we continue to register, interview and decide protection claims from Iranian nationals in the UK as normal. All asylum and human rights claims will be carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.

We have already taken steps to streamline the asylum process and increase our efficiency. As per normal operational practice we can deploy decision makers flexibly to support wider casework demands across Asylum & Human Rights Operations and the wider Asylum Group within the Home Office. Any additional asylum claims will be processed in the usual way and each individual assessment will be made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country, is set out in the relevant Country Policy and Information Note. We keep all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review so we can respond to emerging issues such as challenges in the Middle East. The CPIN for Iran is available on GOV.UK at: Iran: country policy and information notes - GOV.UK. We will not remove anyone to their own or any other country where they have a well-founded fear or persecution or are at risk of serious harm.

Found: Owen of Alderley Edge, Baroness Sugg, Baroness Kidron, Lord Black of Brentwood, Lord Blencathra, Chris Philp

Found: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Chair, Joint Committee on Human Rights), Baroness Kidron, Helen Grant, Chris Philp