Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were deported to Germany in each year since 2020.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on returns in the ‘Immigration System Statistics quarterly release’. Data on returns by return type and destination can be found in Ret_D02 of the ‘Returns detailed datasets’. Data on returns of FNOs by destination can be found in Ret_D04 of the same file. This data covers the period 2004 to September 2025. For future publication dates, please see the release calendar.
Deportations are a subset of published FNO returns relating to the removal of those who are subject to a Deportation order. FNO returns that are not deportations will generally be cases where a person is being returned for a breach of UK immigration laws or for not being able to demonstrate any lawful basis to remain in the UK.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled UK-Germany joint action plan: irregular migration, published on 10 December 2024, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the joint action plan on the level of illegal migration since December 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The recent change to German legislation is a key part of the Government's efforts to crack down on small boat crossings and secure UK borders. This change was agreed as part of the UK-Germany Joint Action Plan (JAP) and demonstrates the strength of our international partnerships, continuing close UK-Ger cooperation and the value of the JAP.
Under the new legislation, people smuggling gangs storing boats and engines in Germany, for use in Channel crossings, will face 10 years in prison. This change gives UK and German law enforcement agencies stronger powers to dismantle criminal networks and tackle the supply and storage of small boat equipment. The legislation also strengthens sharing of information between UK and German law enforcement, which will lead to more people smugglers being brought to justice.
The UK and Germany judge that this legislation change is necessary and will make a difference. Law enforcement agencies continue to work closely, with both systems working to support effective implementation and monitor its operational impact.
The Home Secretary has spoken with her German counterpart, Interior Minister Dobrindt, about the importance of this legislative change and our continued close cooperation in the fight against people smuggling.
The Home Office and German Ministry of the Interior closely monitor delivery of the JAP on an ongoing basis, including through the UK-Germany Home Affairs Dialogue, as well as via frequent operational engagement. A formal assessment of the impact of the plan in its entirety has not yet been undertaken. However, operational outcomes are routinely monitored.
The UK and Germany are cooperating closely and at pace to ensure the criminal gangs undermining both countries’ respective border security face justice.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has assessed the potential effectiveness of recent German legislation targeted at people smugglers; and whether she has had discussions with her German counterpart on this matter.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The recent change to German legislation is a key part of the Government's efforts to crack down on small boat crossings and secure UK borders. This change was agreed as part of the UK-Germany Joint Action Plan (JAP) and demonstrates the strength of our international partnerships, continuing close UK-Ger cooperation and the value of the JAP.
Under the new legislation, people smuggling gangs storing boats and engines in Germany, for use in Channel crossings, will face 10 years in prison. This change gives UK and German law enforcement agencies stronger powers to dismantle criminal networks and tackle the supply and storage of small boat equipment. The legislation also strengthens sharing of information between UK and German law enforcement, which will lead to more people smugglers being brought to justice.
The UK and Germany judge that this legislation change is necessary and will make a difference. Law enforcement agencies continue to work closely, with both systems working to support effective implementation and monitor its operational impact.
The Home Secretary has spoken with her German counterpart, Interior Minister Dobrindt, about the importance of this legislative change and our continued close cooperation in the fight against people smuggling.
The Home Office and German Ministry of the Interior closely monitor delivery of the JAP on an ongoing basis, including through the UK-Germany Home Affairs Dialogue, as well as via frequent operational engagement. A formal assessment of the impact of the plan in its entirety has not yet been undertaken. However, operational outcomes are routinely monitored.
The UK and Germany are cooperating closely and at pace to ensure the criminal gangs undermining both countries’ respective border security face justice.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the asylum policies of the government of Germany on the number of Afghans seeking asylum in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the isolated impact of stricter asylum policy measures introduced by the German government as part of the ‘migrationswende’ on Afghan asylum claims in the UK.
Afghan asylum claims to the UK are down 8% (September – September) from 2024-2025.
The Government does monitor global migration trends closely, including illegal migration into the UK via Europe. We have enhanced our close cooperation with European partners on this shared challenge, including with Germany via our Joint Action Plan, as members of the Calais Group and via EU agencies such as Europol and Frontex.
On 17 November 2025, the Home Secretary announced new measures in the asylum policy statement to Parliament, with the aim of reducing the pull factors which underpin illegal migration to the UK. Many of these measures are comparable to European counterparts and will restore order and control to the UK asylum system via EU agencies via EU agencies.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote UK-manufactured hydrogen technologies in international markets.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As a frontier Industrial Strategy sector, the government has committed to targeted support to boost exports of hydrogen sector goods and services by showcasing UK capabilities through our global network, providing greater access to international supply chains and — as outlined in the Trade Strategy — by expanding clean energy sector agreements, like the UK-Germany Hydrogen Partnership.
To support these opportunities, the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance aims to deliver £10bn in clean growth financing by 2029, alongside options to support overseas sales, including loan guarantees for foreign buyers, and working capital, insurance and bond support products to assist UK suppliers.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with NICE on the potential merits of innovative brain cancer treatments in Germany that are not currently available on the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has had no discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the potential merits of innovative brain cancer treatments in Germany that are not currently available on the National Health Service.
In England, NICE makes recommendations for the NHS on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. The NHS is legally required to fund NICE recommended medicines, normally within three months of final guidance, and cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the point of a positive draft NICE recommendation. NICE aims wherever possible to issue guidance on new medicines close to the time of licensing to ensure that patients are able to benefit from rapid access to clinically and cost effective new medicines.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the quality of 5G UK mobile services compared to (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) the USA, (d) China, (e) Spain and (f) other international counterparts.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The department uses Ofcom's Connected Nations data which includes metrics on geographic, indoor and outdoor premises coverage across the UK. Ofcom describes quality of service using coverage confidence levels and signal strength thresholds. The methodology is available at: CN2025 - Methodology Annex.
The department is aware of various external data sources, including the EU commission’s 5G Observatory report 2025 | Shaping Europe’s digital future, The Mobile Economy 2025 - The Mobile Economy and Global Network Excellence Index | Opensignal that publish a variety of metrics for international comparisons. While direct comparisons between countries are difficult to draw, this is an invaluable input into informing the department’s policy development.
The EU commission published data on 5G coverage for households at the end of 2024 which showed that coverage in the UK at the end of 2024 (95%) was on par with India, China and ahead of France (94%) and the EU (94.3%), but behind South Korea (100%), Japan (99.2%), Norway, Iceland and Germany (all 99%) as well as Spain (95.7%) and USA (97.0%). Since this assessment, UK 5G coverage outside premises has increased to 97%.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has held discussions with his NATO counterparts on the EU's position on requiring SAFE payments.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK has and will continue to hold a ‘NATO First’ approach. While it is disappointing that we were not able to positively conclude discussions on UK participation in the first round of SAFE, the UK continues to step up on European security in the face of rising threats, including through Foreign and Defence Secretary engagements at NATO ministerial meetings in October and December. Our Security and Defence Partnership with the EU will complement and reinforce NATO’s role as the cornerstone of Euro Atlantic Security and our defence firms will continue to be a vital part of defence supply chains across the continent; in the last year alone, we have struck significant deals with Norway, Türkiye, and Germany.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department plans to lay the Kensington Treaty before Parliament for ratification.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Federal Republic of Germany on Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny shortly after the Christmas recess.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his German, Italian and Japanese counterparts on Germany potentially joining the Global Combat Air Programme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As partners we have maintained that we remain open to other partners joining. The UK and our GCAP partners, Italy and Japan, are focused on delivering this vital military capability at pace.