Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her department has made of the cost to local authorities of emergency social services provisions to those affected by changes to earned settlement.

Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.

As part of this consultation, we sought views on the potential impact of the proposed changes, including on local authorities.

We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received.  This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.

Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both economic and equality impact assessments.