To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Religious Freedom
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will have discussions with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on the (a) circumstances which led the police to cancel a prayer walk for Israel and the Jewish people, organised by Christian Action Against Anti-Antisemitism to take place in Golders Green on 21 October 2023, (b) the basis on which the police determined that tweets by supporters of a pro-Palestinian march scheduled for the same day seven miles away constituted a sufficient level of threat to require cancellation of the Golders Green event and (c) whether the police plan to investigate those tweets further.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office is in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) regarding the recent protests following the devastating events in Israel.

The management of protests is an operational matter for the police, as are decisions around investigations. The Home Office cannot intervene on specific operational decisions of this nature, to do so would undermine their independence.

The MPS have confirmed that an officer provided advice and guidance to the organisers of the prayer walk. Following those discussions, a decision was made by the organiser to cancel the vigil.

The MPS do not have the power to prohibit a public procession without the consent of the Secretary of State.


Written Question
Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice his Department provides to rescue services that pick up migrants in small boats in the English Channel in (a) international and (b) UK territorial waters on where they can land those rescued; and what (i) domestic and (ii) international legal advice he has received on whether they can be landed on the territory of the last safe country from which they embarked.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Rescues of people making dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings of the Channel in small boats are directed and coordinated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and are subject to the UK's obligations under the SAR and SOLAS Conventions and UNCLOS. The policy on where, when and how those people are rescued therefore lies with MCA and not the Home Office.


Written Question
Visas: Afghanistan
Thursday 23rd February 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to assist people from Afghanistan who (a) formally assisted UK armed forces and (b) have been cleared by the Ministry of Defence as qualifying for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to complete the visa process necessary to enter the UK from (i) Afghanistan, (ii) a neighbouring country and (iii) a safe third country.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Afghan citizens and their family members who are assessed as eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) are referred by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to the Home Office for permission to enter the UK subject to the enrolment of biometrics and security checks.

Whilst there is currently no option to enrol biometrics in Afghanistan, we are working with the authorities in neighbouring countries and with international partners to carry out biometric enrolment in as efficient a manner as possible.

Applications are assessed against the Immigration Rules by the Home Office with entry clearance issued to those who are eligible for relocation to the UK. This allows for flight and accommodation arrangements to be made.

It is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they’re in the UK. We are working at pace with Local Authorities and other partners to source suitable accommodation.


Written Question
Home Office: Members' Constituency Work
Tuesday 10th January 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Home Office Hub in Portcullis House as a means of successfully processing MPs’ casework arising out of the invasion of Ukraine; for what reasons the Hub has been discontinued; and if she will make it her policy to establish similar arrangements within the Palace of Westminster to progress casework arising from the (a) Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and (b) obligations accepted by the UK to save Afghan former interpreters and other locally employed civilians who are now at risk for having helped UK armed forces during NATO’s intervention.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Following the closure of the Portcullis House hub, we have now set up a national programme of engagement events enabling MPs and their caseworkers to meet with Home Office officials nearer to their constituencies.

Urgent enquiries, including passport and Ukraine visa applications should be sent to the Urgent inbox mpurgentqueries@homeoffice.gov.uk.


Written Question
Visas: Russia
Tuesday 19th April 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on (a) extending the visa expiry dates and (b) offering other measures of relief to Russian (i) Tier 5 unpaid charity volunteers, (ii) students at UK universities whose courses are coming to an end and (iii) other citizens stranded in the UK as a result of sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Kevin Foster

Someone subject to immigration control who is legally present in the UK is expected to leave the UK before the expiry of their current permission, or to make an in-time application for permission to stay on a route for which they meet the requirements.


Written Question
Visas: Russia
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 1 Investor visa applications by people from Russia led to the granting of British citizenship in each year since 2008, broken down by people who subsequently (a) retained and (b) renounced Russian citizenship.

Answered by Kevin Foster

The data is not available. Immigration statistics for the year ending December 2021 are published at Migration statistics. While these include statistics for naturalisation as a British citizen based on residence, they do not identify the specific routes of entry used to secure that residence.


Written Question
British Nationality: Russia
Wednesday 23rd March 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2022 to Question 129730 on British nationality: Russia, if she will urgently take steps to ascertain how many high net-worth Russian people were granted British citizenship in each year since 2010 broken down by people who subsequently (a) retained and (b) renounced Russian citizenship.

Answered by Kevin Foster

As set out in my answer to question 129730, the requirements for a person to register or naturalise as a British citizen are set out in the British Nationality Act 1981 (BNA81). All applications for British citizenship are considered against the relevant requirements of the BNA81.

The net worth of an individual is not a basis on which an application for British citizenship would be granted. Therefore, we do not hold the data as requested as no information relating to an applicant’s net-worth is captured as part of the application process for British citizenship.


Written Question
British Nationality: Russia
Friday 11th March 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many high net-worth Russian people were granted British citizenship on the basis of their wealth in each year since 2010 broken down by people who subsequently (a) retained and (b) renounced Russian citizenship.

Answered by Kevin Foster

The requirements for a person to register or naturalise as a British citizen is set out in the British Nationality Act 1981 (BNA81). The net worth of an individual is not a basis on which an application for British citizenship would be granted.

All applications for British citizenship are considered against the relevant requirements of the BNA81. Consequently, we do not hold the data as requested.


Written Question
Sexual Offences: Psychiatric Patients
Monday 21st February 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2022 to Question 115830 on Sexual Offences: Psychiatric Patients, if she will (a) request that the Chief Constable of Surrey replies to the hon. Member for New Forest East on the two-year delay in concluding an investigation into the impregnation of a sectioned in-patient by a care home employee and (b) ensure that the response includes (i) an indication of when the file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service and (ii) an undertaking that the resultant child will not be relocated to Ghana to live with the father's parents prior to any decision on prosecuting the father.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

As my previous answer referred, it is not appropriate for ministers to comment on ongoing police investigations and this is an issue that the member will need to discuss with the Chief Constable.


Written Question
Sexual Offences: Psychiatric Patients
Friday 4th February 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason Police in Surrey, investigating the impregnation of a mentally-ill woman by an employee of a care unit to which she had been admitted, under section, claim that the matter is still under investigation more than two years later, when the (a) facts are not in dispute and (b) child faces permanent relocation to Ghana to live with the parents of the father; and if she will take steps to ensure that it is established whether or not the potential offence meets the criteria for a reasonable prospect of conviction.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

The Minister cannot comment on ongoing Police investigations but will make a request that the Chief Constable of Surrey Police contacts you to provide an appropriate answer.