Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 103186, on Asylum: Council Housing, which local authorities are participating in the asylum accommodation pilots.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
MHCLG and HO are exploring options for a new, more sustainable accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities. No final decisions have been taken by Ministers.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 103186 on Asylum: Council Housing, if she will publish the information or guidance given to participating local authorities on the new accommodation model.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested on the information or guidance given to participating local authorities on the new accommodation model is considered commercially sensitive.
We have committed to closing every asylum hotel, and work is well underway, with more suitable sites, including military bases, being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs. MHCLG and HO are exploring options for a new, more sustainable accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities and devolved partners.
This would complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate to end the use of hotels. New council housing will not be used by asylum seekers under any circumstances.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104897 on Strategic Migration Partnership: Finance, and with reference to the Cabinet Office Guide to Parliamentary Work, paragraph 233, if he will provide an aggregate figure for the most recent year’s funding to the partnerships contained with the Government Grants Data and Statistics database.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not currently publish funding levels to Strategic Migration Partnerships, previous years funding can be found here Government Grants Data and Statistics Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2025, to Question 90708, and 20 October 2025 to Question 85948, on Immigrant: English Language, what steps she plans to take to support the integration of asylum seekers, in the context of it not being a requirement to learn English.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Successfully integrating refugees remains a Government priority. Those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK have access to mainstream services to support them to build independent, fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to the UK economy.
Asylum seekers whose claims have been outstanding for six months or more are eligible for the same skills funding as other residents in England. Crucially, they are exempt from the standard three-year qualifying period for accessing Adult Skills Fund support, which includes fully funded English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learning.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question HL4510 on Community Relations: Muslims, what information her Department holds on the reason that the Muslim Council of Britain's written evidence was submitted to the Independent Review of Public Order and Hate Crime Legislation
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Following the appalling attack on a synagogue in Manchester on 2 October 2025, the Home Secretary announced an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October. The Review is being led by Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC, supported by former Assistant Chief Constable Owen Weatherill KPM.
Lord Macdonald is engaging with a wide range of organisations, including different faith and community groups. Given the Review is independent, it is for the Chair leading it to determine which groups and organisations he wishes to hear from.
The Government’s policy of non-engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain has not changed.
The Review is due to submit its report to the Home Secretary in Spring 2026.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on whether current Police and Crime Commissioners in (a) England and (b) Wales will serve their full term in office before the positions are discontinued, where (i) there is a combined authority mayor for that police force and (ii) where there is no such mayor.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is the Government’s intention that the role of Police and Crime Commissioner will continue until May 2028.
At that point, subject to legislation, it is the Government’s intention to transfer policing functions to Strategic Authority Mayors wherever possible, or to elected council leaders through Policing and Crime Boards where it is not.
The exception is in Cumbria where, subject to their Statutory Instrument being made and the Combined Authority established, it is anticipated that the newly created Mayor will be responsible for the governance of policing when they are elected in May 2027. This is part of the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government’s Devolution Priority Programme.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 104987, on Strategic Migration Partnership: Finance, whether her Department has determined the funding envelope for the 2025-26 funding; and on what dates was the 2024-25 funding given to the partnerships.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not currently publish funding levels to Strategic Migration Partnerships, previous years funding can be found here Government Grants Data and Statistics Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2026, to Question 105789, on Ministers and Public Consultation: Evidence, whether the Muslim Council of Britain is on the list of organisations subject to the policy of non-engagement.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office does not comment on specific groups.
It is up to each department to carry out due diligence when choosing to engage with any organisation or individual and, if asked, we will advise and share information to help others inform their decisions.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on publishing details of grants on asylum housing costs to individual local authorities.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority, and we have no plans to do so. We do however publish the grant funding instructions, which can be found here:
Unaccompanied asylum seeking children and leaving care: funding instructions - GOV.UK
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of 7 January 2026 to Question HL13000 on Police and Crime Commissioners, whether those savings include the operational costs of PCC functions being transferred to the offices of elected combined authority mayors.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
As set out in the government’s answer to Question HL13000, we expect to be able to save at least £20m per annum from 2028/29 as a result of aligning back office and support arrangements for policing governance with wider local government functions.
This includes savings as a result of transferring PCC functions to combined authority mayors.