Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children of Afghan refugees attending schools in or near army barracks across the UK are being taught in classes segregated by sex.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposals in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, published on 20 November, and Restoring Order and Control, updated on 21 November, on child poverty.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation. The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessment, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Our proposals in Restoring Order and Control are designed to encourage refugees to contribute and integrate into UK society and the economy. We will have due regard to our section 55 duties and consider the best interests of children as the policy is further developed.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she plans to put in place measures to safeguard the (a) mental health and wellbeing and (b) ability to enrol in multi-year course programmes of children who be subject to temporary refugee status reviews every 30 months.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department will work with the Home Office as they carefully consider the appropriate pathways and wider provision for asylum-seeking families with children. We will continue to focus on ensuring vulnerable children are protected and their welfare safeguarded.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the 20-year baseline for refugees on core protection routes for Hong Kongers (a) born after 1997 and (b) whose parents did not register for BN(O) status; whether B1 English-language qualifications will remain valid for BN(O) visa holders approaching eligibility for Indefinite Leave to Remain; and what her Department's plans are for BN(O) residents who contribute to society in non-financial ways, including carers, elderly people, students and stay-at-home parents.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.
BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements. Children of BN(O) status holders born after 1997 are eligible for the BN(O) route and will therefore qualify for the same reduction.
We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation, including which groups might be exempted from requirements to demonstrate earnings.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply, including the current B1 English language requirement.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Home Office policy paper, Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy, published on 17 November, whether they intend to detain in immigration detention centres children who were once accepted as refugees but subsequently not so, following a 30-month review of their status.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Pathways for unaccompanied children, families with children, and other vulnerable asylum seekers will be reviewed with full consideration of our EQIA and Section 55 duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK.
As now, children will not be detained in Immigration Removal Centres.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many child refugees have attended (a) primary, (b) secondary, and (c) post-16 schools in England since 2015, broken down by (i) local authority, and (ii) year.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The law requires children of compulsory school age living in England, including foreign nationals, to receive a suitable full-time education.
If a school has concerns about an individual’s age and lack documentation, they should refer this to the local authority, which may conduct an assessment. Age assessment is the responsibility of local authorities and the Home Office. The local authority may liaise with the Home Office age dispute team and may also seek support from the National Age Assessment Board.
The department does not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her department's policy paper entitled Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy, updated on 20 November 2025, under what circumstances will refugees on core protection status be able to reunite with children under the age of 18.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The earned settlement consultation launched on 20 November 2025.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK plays a leading role in responding to the humanitarian needs of vulnerable groups across Lebanon.
This year, the UK has provided £15.5 million in programming budget support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA programming supports Palestinians in Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Syria. The UK's funding contributes to UNRWA's delivery of basic education, health, relief services, and humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
This financial year, the UK has also spent £33.5 million in humanitarian support focussed on Lebanon's most vulnerable and marginalised populations. This support includes a partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which supports 'Makani' community centres across Lebanon, including in 11 Palestinian camps and gatherings. These centres provide Early Childhood Education and Retention Support to 1,200 vulnerable Palestinian children.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to Article 3, on the prohibition on torture, of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of children and refugees, and preventing torture and we continue to play a leading role in supporting international conventions and alliances that uphold these goals.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to Article 8, on the qualified right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence, of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government remains committed to protecting the rights of children and refugees, and preventing torture and we continue to play a leading role in supporting international conventions and alliances that uphold these goals.