Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an equality impact assessment on the use of electronic monitoring of asylum seekers.

On 15 June 2022, the Government introduced a 12-month pilot to test whether electronic monitoring (EM) is an effective means by which to improve and maintain regular contact with asylum claimants who arrive in the UK via unnecessary and dangerous routes. This is to assist in progress their claims more effectively toward conclusion.

This pilot operates in parallel to our established EM processes under which foreign national offenders who have outstanding asylum claims may be subject to EM as a condition of bail.

Equality Impact Assessments on the use of electronic monitoring of asylum seekers have been conducted and will be published in due course.