The Home Office is implementing the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and related provisions from the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 to deter small boat crossings and manage asylum claims, including processing previously inadmissible cases following the cancelled Rwanda scheme. The policy has generated unintended consequences including a significant increase in people staying permanently in the UK and asylum claims from visa holders, prompting budget-driven reforms and scrutiny of detention practices. Implementation is active with ongoing Treasury oversight and accountability assessments.
UIN: HCWS1540 I have been clear about this Government’s determination to crack down on small boats. No one should be making dangerous journeys, undermining our border security and putting lives at risk. We must restore order and control to our …
In response to: Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025: section 45
The C&AG has issued a clean audit opinion, providing assurance to Parliament on the Home Office’s 2024-25 financial statements. Report type: financial_audit | Departments: ['Home Office'] | Topics: ['Borders and immigration']
We asked the Home Office what actions it was taking to address some of the unintended consequences of the higher than expected use of the route, such as an 80% increase in people staying permanently in the United Kingdom in …
Ahead of the government’s Immigration White Paper, the NAO has examined the Home Office’s management of the Skilled Worker visa route. Report type: value_for_money | Departments: ['Home Office'] | Topics: ['Borders and immigration']
We are concerned that the Home Office’s culture allowed it to override too easily the controls and processes in place to protect taxpayers’ money. The Home Office appears to have been operating in crisis mode for several years and now …
The Small Ministerial Group, established around November 2022, implemented concessions to the process of acquiring sites, including dispensing with the requirement for a full business case before approving acquisitions. The Home Office began drafting an outline business case for the …
The Autumn Budget 2024 set a target for the Home Office to deliver significant savings by 2026.93 Moreover, following the cancelled Rwanda scheme, the current government has promised to resume processing asylum decisions for those previously considered as inadmissible. Under …
The Home Office explained it plans to reduce costs quickly, in part, by focusing on upstream measures, such as controlling irregular arrivals through the new Border Security Command. In our evidence session, the Home Office described the Border Security Command …
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21024 on Migrants: Detainees, if she will specify whether each Brook House Inquiry recommendation has been (a) accepted, (b) partially …
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 November (HL2389), in which he says that the Home Office review into immigration detention will not assess all areas of the Brook House …
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on implementing the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry, published on 19 September 2023; and whether any of those recommendations have been completed. Answer: 30 …
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8868 on Mistreatment of Detainees at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre Inquiry, whether she plans to publish a response to …
To ask His Majesty's Government which of the 33 recommendations in the Brook House Inquiry report they accept, and when each of these will be implemented. Answer: The abuse that took place at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in …
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Government response to the Brook House Inquiry report, published on 19 March 2024, what progress her Department has made on implementing the …
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry report published on 19 September 2023, what changes will be made to the operation of Haslar and Campsfield immigration removal centres when they reopen. …
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to review and respond to the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry report, published on 19 September 2023. Answer: The abuse that took place at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in …
We are disappointed that, despite the Committee previously raising concerns, the Permanent Secretary is still not providing the necessary transparency to enable Parliament to hold the Home Office to account on its asylum and immigration plans. We have previously raised …
We asked the Home Office how many people it planned to remove under the Illegal Migration Act. At our evidence session, the Home Office told us that it estimated at 28 December 2023 there were 33,000 people that the Home …
The Home Office acknowledged that there were many constraints that it would have to take into account when running the programme of relocations, and told us that it had developed plans and contingency options. It told us that its operational …
The Home Office has established four large accommodation sites – the Bibby Stockholm vessel in Dorset, former RAF bases in Wethersfield, Essex and Scampton, Lincolnshire, and former student accommodation in Huddersfield. The Home Office estimated that, by the end of …
We were concerned by the Home Office’s assessment of the set-up costs to convert the two former RAF bases to accommodation. At the outset, the Home Office estimated that such costs would be £5 million for each site, but the …
The Illegal Migration Bill was first introduced to Parliament in March 2023, and since this time the Home Office has not been processing claims for the majority of people arriving in small boats and through other irregular means. We remarked …
Many of those subject to removal will be living in Home Office accommodation, such as hotels or large sites, despite being unable to claim asylum in the UK. The Home Office spent an estimated £4.7 billion on asylum support (which …
Assessing the deterrent effect, and thus value for money, of the scheme will be complex. The Home Office recognised that it will be difficult to isolate the impact of the Rwanda partnership from other government policies intended to stop small …
The Accounting Officer told us that he received regular advice on a range of Home Office issues including each part, and the totality, of the programme of activity to stop the crossings of small boats and deter illegal migration. The …
Direction: to_committee
UIN: HCWS488 The Government’s number one priority is keeping the UK safe and our border secure. Illegal migration reduces our capability and capacity to help those who most need our support. It puts lives in danger by placing vulnerable people …
UIN: HLWS485 My rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration (Michael Tomlinson) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:The Government’s number one priority is keeping the UK safe and our border secure. Illegal migration red...
Direction: to_committee
We note the concerns raised in the evidence about the extent of the Home Office’s consultation with the Government of Guernsey on the Illegal Migration Bill. The Ministry of Justice’s Crown Dependency team should initiate a dialogue as soon as …
Response to the public inquiry into the mistreatment of detained individuals at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre.
UIN: HCWS356 The Government is today publishing its response to the Brook House Inquiry. The Government is grateful to the Chair of the Brook House Inquiry (BHI), Kate Eves, for her review and welcomes this important contribution to ensuring the …
UIN: HLWS352 My rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration (Michael Tomlinson) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:The Government is today publishing its response to the Brook House Inquiry. The Government is grateful t...
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address recommendations 10, 15 and 18 of the Brook House Inquiry report, published 19 September 2023. Answer: The Government continues to reflect on the findings in the Brook House …
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Senior Civil Servant appointed to oversee the Government’s consideration of the Brook House Inquiry report, published 19 September 2023, will continue overseeing the implementation of the recommendations after t Answer: The Government continues …
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they can provide further details about the cross-Government working group created to manage the delivery of Brook House Inquiry report recommendations, including (1) what are the group's terms of reference, (2) who Answer: The …
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their response to the Brook House Inquiry report, published 19 September 2023. Answer: The Government continues to reflect on the findings in the Brook House Inquiry report and progress is …
UIN: HLWS176 My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (James Cleverly) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:In accordance with my obligations under Section 61 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023, I am today …
The Modern Slavery Unit’s outputs, including belated information about its new model for stakeholder engagement (Modern Slavery Stakeholder Forums) is opaque to say the least. We deeply regret that a unit comprising 56 staff has prioritised work on the Illegal …
The Government should pause any requirement to provide third party evidence at the Reasonable Grounds stage until such an independent review has been concluded and has determined that the new requirements are not unduly burdensome. Type: recommendation | Number: 74 …
There has been a troubling and unwelcome rise in the number of adults choosing not to enter the National Referral Mechanism, who may be at risk of further exploitation. It is unclear why the Home Office does not collect, analyse, …
The Government’s evidence for individuals ‘abusing the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) system to gain asylum’ is not compelling. There may be a few examples of individuals attempting to take advantage of the NRM, but the Home Office has failed to …
The Home office must publish an interim evaluation of the devolved decision-making pilot for children by January 2024, and thereafter a full evaluation of all phases of the Pilot by June 2024. If the outcomes are successful, all decision making …
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to respond to the letter from the Chair of the Brook House Inquiry to the Home Secretary dated 19 October, which asked what steps they are taking to review and respond to …
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to publish a progress report on the implementation of recommendations from the Brook House Inquiry report, published on 19 September. Answer: The Government is carefully considering the findings of …
Direction: to_committee
The Home Office failed to convince us that it understands the full implications of its programme on the wider asylum system, affecting the ability of others to plan. The current business case for the asylum and protection transformation programme is …
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Home Office about its asylum and protection transformation programme.1 Type: conclusion | Number: 1 | Response status: accepted Government response: The government agrees …
In the year to April 2023, 25% of caseworkers left their role.15 The Home Office told us the proportion of caseworkers leaving had reduced since the C&AG’s report (published in June 2023) and that some caseworkers leave the role for …
The Home Office told us that it has increased the number of decisions caseworkers make by focussing on “bottlenecks” in the system. It said that asylum claims requiring decisions had not been reaching caseworkers quickly enough and, when they did, …
The Home Office also told us about its streamlined asylum process, which is used for people applying for asylum who are from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Sudan.19 It said that this process includes people seeking asylum completing a …
As a result of the changes it has made, the Home Office has increased the number of asylum decisions it makes from an average of 1,310 each week in April 2023, to 1,700 in the first week of July 2023.30 …
While the Programme aims to increase the number of asylum decisions that the Home Office makes, the Home Office acknowledged that it has not looked broadly enough at benefits and costs beyond the asylum and protection team of increasing decisions.33 …
The Home Office told us it would include a wider range of costs and benefits in the next iteration of its business case, which it plans to produce early in 2024.36 It had previously told the NAO it would update …
The Home Office said it would come back to us with further details on its processes for deciding who will share rooms but its letter of 18 August added little detail about how the Home Office would ensure people are …
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to respond to the final report of the Brook House Inquiry. Answer: The Government will carefully consider the findings of the Brook House Inquiry …
In response to: Illegal Migration Bill: factsheets
These factsheets provide more information about the Illegal Migration Bill introduced in the House of Commons on 7 March 2023.
These documents relate to the Illegal Migration Bill.
In order to fulfil the Prime Minister’s pledge to clear a substantial part of the backlog of asylum cases this year, the Home Office will need many more highly-trained decision-makers making initial decisions faster. Data on decision-making rates and appeal …
The prolonged detention with no certainty of release of asylum-seeking people who pose no threat to the public and for whom there is little prospect of removal from the UK is potentially harmful, impractical and costly. We are deeply concerned …
UIN: HCWS883 I have today published the Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Illegal Migration Bill on the Bill page on GOV.UK; a copy of the EIA has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The Bill is a …
UIN: HLWS868 My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Suella Braverman) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:I have today published the Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Illegal Migration Bill on the Bill …
Home Office response to the ICIBI's report: A re-inspection of initial processing of migrants arriving via small boats, including at Western Jet Foil and Manston.
Direction: to_committee
The Prime Minister told the House of Commons Liaison Committee in March that around 4,000 cases had been cleared in the three months since he pledged to clear the backlog outstanding at 28 June last year. We invite the Home …
UIN: HCWS837 Provisions within the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NABA), which came into force on 28 June 2022, set out the framework to differentiate between two groups of refugees who ultimately remain in the UK: “Group 1” and “Group …
UIN: HLWS824 My rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Immigration (Robert Jenrick) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:Provisions within the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NABA), which came into force on 28 June 2022, set out …
UIN: HCWS716 On 13 December 2022, my rt hon Friend the Prime Minister made a statement on tackling illegal migration and a clear plan to bring the system back into balance. Under our immigration system, where we refuse an asylum …
UIN: HLWS700 My rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Immigration (Robert Jenrick) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:On 13 December 2022, my rt hon Friend the Prime Minister made a statement on tackling illegal migration and …
UIN: HCWS467 Today I am updating Parliament on Home Office delivery since the previous Written Ministerial Statement of 5th September 2022. In the face of an increasingly complex operational context, the Home Office continues to make a significant positive impact. …
UIN: HCWS365 Today I am updating Parliament on an innovative arrangement between the UK and France to strengthen our bilateral partnership to tackle illegal migration at the shared border, with a focus on small boats crossings. Since the bilateral arrangement …
UIN: HLWS357 My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Suella Braverman) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:Today I am updating Parliament on an innovative arrangement between the UK and France to strengthen our …
Migration, including irregular migration across the English Channel, is an issue on which no magical single solution is possible and on which detailed, evidence- driven, properly costed and fully tested policy initiatives are by far most likely to achieve sustainable …
The visibility of small boat crossings of the English Channel should not prevent our remembering that migrants also use ferries, planes, trains and vehicles to enter the United Kingdom irregularly and by clandestine means. The rapid increase in the proportion …
The Home Office should urgently review lessons learned from the response to migrant crossings since January 2018. The review should focus on intelligence collection, risk assessment and how information is reported to Ministers and used to inform policy. The Home …
Further clarity is required on precisely what difference the assumption of operational responsibility for migrant crossings in the Channel by the Royal Navy (rather than Channel crossings, migration and asylum 45 Border Force) is intended to achieve and what measure …
There is a worrying trend in Home Office policy announcements being made before detailed policy has been worked through, tested and even agreed between Government Departments, as exemplified by early announcement both of military control of channel operations and the …
The Government must ensure that there is enough physical and staff capacity to conduct necessary searches, fingerprinting, identity and initial vulnerability checks consistently on all migrants arriving at Dover before they are transferred to Yarl’s Wood or other Home Office …
Fulfilment of this recommendation is likely to require investment in internet connectivity and/or other equipment and resources. Such investment would deliver greater effectiveness in managing safeguarding obligations and support improved communications between staff processing migrants in different
The Government must also explain what measures have been put in place to improve communication between Border Force and short-term holding facilities about their capacity to receive migrants. The Home Office should agree minimum notice periods for different numbers of …
UIN: HCWS213 The Government is today launching a consultation on reforming the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme – part of the ambitious work to tackle illegal migration we are delivering through our New Plan for Immigration. Illegal migration is facilitated …
The manner in which this decision was announced leaves a lot to be desired. The confusion around the ways and means which will be used to achieve the strategic objective (let alone the strategic objective itself) is unhelpful and does …
In short, the Government has not attempted to persuade us that Operation Isotrope is anything but an ill-defined policy, prematurely announced. The best case scenario for the Royal Navy is that it will leave with its reputation unharmed: there is …
Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time. Hon. Members: Object. Bill to be read a Second time on Friday 18 March.
The Department recognised that its processing of claims was not always quick and that it had not yet done enough to reduce the time it takes to process them. It claimed that it now has ‘the right plans in place’ …
Witnesses told us that the Home Office’s failure to keep its country policy information notes on Hong Kong up to date potentially left asylum-seekers who have a well- founded fear of persecution at risk of having their claims denied by …
The Department relies upon a disturbingly weak evidence base to assess the impact of its immigration enforcement activity. The lack of reliable evidence on what works prevents it from planning and prioritising its activities effectively. The Department accepts that it …
The Department’s failure to develop an end-to-end understanding of the immigration system leads to problems which it could avoid. At present, there are gaps in its digital and paper trail, and it is likely these have an impact on Immigration …
We are not convinced that the Department is sufficiently prepared to safeguard the status of individuals while also implementing a new immigration system and managing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department faces several challenges in the immediate future. …
We asked how the Department allocated resources across the immigration system and heard that this relies upon the judgements of senior staff rather than direct evidence. The Department explained that a “dearth of information” on some immigration enforcement activities meant …
We asked the Department to account for the plummeting number of people it returns to their countries of origin. The Department claimed that the fall in returns was because of greater compliance with immigration rules, changes to the legal framework …
We asked whether Immigration Enforcement should focus on in-country immigration enforcement rather than having to provide support at the border. The Department responded that it sees managing immigration into the country and in- country as a single system.41 However, the …
The Department told us that it works with different parts of the public sector and Government, such as the Ministry of Justice, to deliver its immigration enforcement services, and that this cooperation may not appear in its performance data.46 We …