Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the new community sponsorship scheme will commence before the number of immigrants entering the country illegally has been reduced to zero.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As set out in the Restoring Order and Control statement, arrivals under the new named sponsorship route will be capped. The number of arrivals will be carefully managed to align with the UK’s capacity to support refugees, and the Home Office will retain overall control on numbers.
Refugee status will be determined in partnership with the UNHCR, and all refugees will be subject to appropriate security, identity, and background checks before arrival in the UK.
Safe and legal routes offer an alternative to dangerous journeys for refugees genuinely fleeing war and persecution. The launch of the named sponsorship route will not depend on illegal entry reaching zero.
The government will set out further details on the schemes, including eligibility requirements, in due course.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria migrants applying under the new community sponsorship scheme will have to meet.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As set out in the Restoring Order and Control statement, arrivals under the new named sponsorship route will be capped. The number of arrivals will be carefully managed to align with the UK’s capacity to support refugees, and the Home Office will retain overall control on numbers.
Refugee status will be determined in partnership with the UNHCR, and all refugees will be subject to appropriate security, identity, and background checks before arrival in the UK.
Safe and legal routes offer an alternative to dangerous journeys for refugees genuinely fleeing war and persecution. The launch of the named sponsorship route will not depend on illegal entry reaching zero.
The government will set out further details on the schemes, including eligibility requirements, in due course.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a cap on the number of people who can apply under the new community sponsorship scheme announced in June 2026.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As set out in the Restoring Order and Control statement, arrivals under the new named sponsorship route will be capped. The number of arrivals will be carefully managed to align with the UK’s capacity to support refugees, and the Home Office will retain overall control on numbers.
Refugee status will be determined in partnership with the UNHCR, and all refugees will be subject to appropriate security, identity, and background checks before arrival in the UK.
Safe and legal routes offer an alternative to dangerous journeys for refugees genuinely fleeing war and persecution. The launch of the named sponsorship route will not depend on illegal entry reaching zero.
The government will set out further details on the schemes, including eligibility requirements, in due course.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she pans to answer named day written questions 12724, 12725, 12726 and 12727 tabled on 24 June.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Minister for Border Security and Asylum wrote to the Rt. Hon. gentleman on 13 and 23 July.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Home Office holds data on whether small boat migrants have been charged or convicted of any criminal offence.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
A breakdown by the number of charges and convictions for all criminal offences is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Security checks are undertaken for all those arriving through illegal migration routes and law enforcement have the powers to deal with them appropriately. All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system. These system and security database checks are completed during the asylum screening process and before a decision is made.
We continually assess potential threats in the UK. The Home Office works closely with other government departments as well as relevant agencies and law enforcement.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide a schedule of charges and convictions for criminal offences against small boat migrants.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
A breakdown by the number of charges and convictions for all criminal offences is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Security checks are undertaken for all those arriving through illegal migration routes and law enforcement have the powers to deal with them appropriately. All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system. These system and security database checks are completed during the asylum screening process and before a decision is made.
We continually assess potential threats in the UK. The Home Office works closely with other government departments as well as relevant agencies and law enforcement.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether migrants admitted under the one in one out policy have been (a) charged and (b) convicted of any criminal offence.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
All individuals seeking to come to the UK under the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme, part of the UK-France Agreement, undergo stringent security and criminal checks. Any who fail these will not be permitted entry to the UK. Furthermore, any individuals who then proceed to make an asylum claim in the UK are subject to robust, mandatory security checks.
Under our agreement with France, we have removed over 1000 illegal migrants from British soil, contributing to the nearly 70,000 illegal migrants who have been returned since July 2024.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any migrants admitted under the one in, one out deal have been charged or convicted of a criminal offence.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
All individuals seeking to come to the UK under the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme, part of the UK-France Agreement, undergo stringent security and criminal checks. Any who fail these will not be permitted entry to the UK. Furthermore, any individuals who then proceed to make an asylum claim in the UK are subject to robust, mandatory security checks.
Under our agreement with France, we have removed over 1000 illegal migrants from British soil, contributing to the nearly 70,000 illegal migrants who have been returned since July 2024.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the various community and armed forces groups that previously used the Cameron Barracks facility will be able to resume their activities at the barracks.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Army is preparing to move back into Cameron Barracks and look forward to welcoming back the community groups who previously shared the site. We expect the move back to have been completed by the Autumn, subject to finalising a hand back plan with the Home Office.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Cameron Barracks will be returned to the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Following our decision not to proceed with the consideration of Cameron Barracks, the site is in the process of being returned to the Ministry of Defence. This will be completed on or before our original agreed hand back date of October 2026.