Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are seeking to co-operate with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on assisted voluntary return and reintegration of irregular migrants; and, if so, what form such co-operation would take.

The Home Office works with a wide range of stakeholders on a co-operative basis, ensuring that they are aware of the Voluntary Returns Service (VRS) and its offer, and how to ensure interested members of the community can apply. IOM is one of many such organisations which we engage with on a regular basis.

Separate to the VRS, the Facilitated Return Scheme (FRS) offers all foreign national offenders with a determinate prison sentence the opportunity to volunteer to return to their country of origin. Under separate arrangements set out in policy, the Home Office also provides financial assistance to certain groups of migrants to assist with reintegration in their country of origin after departure from the UK. IOM assist in the capacity of some post-arrival reception services linked to and outside of the FRS scheme.