Written questions by Hanna.

How many (a) British and (b) Irish citizens emigrated from Northern Ireland in 2024.

The Home Office does not hold this information.

What the average waiting time is for any asylum seeker to receive a decision from the date they claimed asylum.

The average time taken to process a substantive decision is not currently available from published data and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost. However, the Home Office does publish data on the number of asylum claims awaiting an initial decision by duration in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum detailed datasets’, as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Additionally, data on the percentage of applications processed within 6 months is published in table ASY_01 of the ‘Immigration and Protection’ data of the Migration Transparency Data collection.

What the average waiting time for a decision for any asylum seeker is once they have received confirmation that their application is receiving prioritisation due to compassionate circumstances.

The requested information is not currently available from published data and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost. However, the Home Office does publish data on the number of asylum claims awaiting an initial decision by duration in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum detailed datasets’, as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Additionally, data on the percentage of applications processed within 6 months is published in table ASY_01 of the ‘Immigration and Protection’ data of the Migration Transparency Data collection.

What steps she is taking to ensure that the forthcoming white paper on immigration (a) reflects the requirements of (i) the mushroom sector and (ii) other agricultural sectors in Northern Ireland and (b) addresses issues of Northern Ireland abutting the EU land border.

The Home Office actively and regularly engages with the Devolved Governments at Ministerial level, and the Devolved Governments were invited to submit suggestions for inclusion in the Immigration White Paper (IWP), with further engagement taking place ahead of its publication.The IWP, which was published on 12 May 2025, links migration with skills policy for all parts of the UK, and we will continue to work with the Devolved Governments as we move forward. A copy of the IWP has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the forthcoming white paper on immigration.

The Home Office actively and regularly engages with the Devolved Governments at Ministerial level, and the Devolved Governments were invited to submit suggestions for inclusion in the Immigration White Paper (IWP), with further engagement taking place ahead of its publication.The IWP, which was published on 12 May 2025, links migration with skills policy for all parts of the UK, and we will continue to work with the Devolved Governments as we move forward. A copy of the IWP has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on taking steps to ensure that the forthcoming white paper on immigration reflects Northern Ireland's border with an EU member state.

The Home Office actively and regularly engages with the Devolved Governments at Ministerial level, and the Devolved Governments were invited to submit suggestions for inclusion in the Immigration White Paper (IWP), with further engagement taking place ahead of its publication.The IWP, which was published on 12 May 2025, links migration with skills policy for all parts of the UK, and we will continue to work with the Devolved Governments as we move forward. A copy of the IWP has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Migration Advisory Committee's report entitled Graduate route: rapid review, published 14 May 2024.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and other stakeholders.

If her Department will undertake a review of the Graduate route visa scheme.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and other stakeholders.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of industrial action by Northern Ireland immigration practitioners; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that asylum claims are not impacted.

All asylum claims will continue to be assessed on an individual basis, in line with published policies.The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to focus on speeding up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.This will enable us to maximise our capacity and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.

If she will take steps to enable access to safe protest around the Tower of London.

The management of protests is an operational decision for the police.The Government fully support the police to ensure that the right to protest can be exercised in a lawful way.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential for exploitation of migrant care worker visas being tied to individual employers; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of visa sponsorship being done via an independent body.

The Government condemns the exploitation of international care workers by rogue employers in the adult social care sector and continues to take robust action against this unscrupulous behaviour.We have recently implemented a prohibition on Skilled Worker sponsors recouping sponsorship costs from those they sponsor, and those doing so now risk losing their licence. We also intend to ban any employer who flouts employment laws from acting as a sponsor in the future.However, employer sponsorship is a core element of the UK’s economic immigration system and ensures those who most directly benefit from attracting workers to the UK play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the system.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of Electronic Travel Authorisation exemptions for tourists travelling from Dublin to Northern Ireland for one week or less.

The introduction of ETAs is a significant change to our migration and border system, affecting a cohort of travellers who have previously been able to travel without making any prior application to the Home Office.To ensure that the requirement is fully understood by eligible nationals, including visitors to Northern Ireland from Ireland, we have been working with a wide range of partners so that ETAs are not seen as a barrier to cross-border tourism on the island of Ireland.This includes developing specific ETA comms for Northern Ireland in conjunction with umbrella organisations for the Northern Irish and Irish tourism industries, and individual members of those organisations.We have also worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government since the inception of the ETA policy. ETAs are crucial in delivering the Government’s commitment to strengthening the security of the UK border and the Common Travel Area. The ETA application is quick and light-touch, and many applications are decided within minutes.

What recent discussions her Department has had with (a) the (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) Ireland tourism industry and (b) other stakeholders on the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisations.

The introduction of ETAs is a significant change to our migration and border system, affecting a cohort of travellers who have previously been able to travel without making any prior application to the Home Office.To ensure that the requirement is fully understood by eligible nationals, including visitors to Northern Ireland from Ireland, we have been working with a wide range of partners so that ETAs are not seen as a barrier to cross-border tourism on the island of Ireland.This includes developing specific ETA comms for Northern Ireland in conjunction with umbrella organisations for the Northern Irish and Irish tourism industries, and individual members of those organisations.We have also worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government since the inception of the ETA policy. ETAs are crucial in delivering the Government’s commitment to strengthening the security of the UK border and the Common Travel Area. The ETA application is quick and light-touch, and many applications are decided within minutes.

What recent discussions her Department has held with the (a) Northern Ireland Executive and (b) Irish Government on the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisations.

The introduction of ETAs is a significant change to our migration and border system, affecting a cohort of travellers who have previously been able to travel without making any prior application to the Home Office.To ensure that the requirement is fully understood by eligible nationals, including visitors to Northern Ireland from Ireland, we have been working with a wide range of partners so that ETAs are not seen as a barrier to cross-border tourism on the island of Ireland.This includes developing specific ETA comms for Northern Ireland in conjunction with umbrella organisations for the Northern Irish and Irish tourism industries, and individual members of those organisations.We have also worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government since the inception of the ETA policy. ETAs are crucial in delivering the Government’s commitment to strengthening the security of the UK border and the Common Travel Area. The ETA application is quick and light-touch, and many applications are decided within minutes.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Electronic Travel Authorisations on (a) tourism and (b) the economy in Northern Ireland.

The introduction of ETAs is a significant change to our migration and border system, affecting a cohort of travellers who have previously been able to travel without making any prior application to the Home Office.To ensure that the requirement is fully understood by eligible nationals, including visitors to Northern Ireland from Ireland, we have been working with a wide range of partners so that ETAs are not seen as a barrier to cross-border tourism on the island of Ireland.This includes developing specific ETA comms for Northern Ireland in conjunction with umbrella organisations for the Northern Irish and Irish tourism industries, and individual members of those organisations.We have also worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government since the inception of the ETA policy. ETAs are crucial in delivering the Government’s commitment to strengthening the security of the UK border and the Common Travel Area. The ETA application is quick and light-touch, and many applications are decided within minutes.

Whether her Department will provide (a) guidance and (b) practical support to (i) charities, (ii) community groups and (iii) voluntary groups to assist them in complying with the requirements of the T

Free, dedicated guidance and support will be provided to ensure that those in scope will understand how to meet the obligations of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. Guidance is currently being designed so that it is self-explanatory and easy to...

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill on (a) charities, (b) community groups and (c) voluntary organisations that organise events.

The Government is extremely mindful of the many community, voluntary-run and charity events that occur across the UK.The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill has been designed to achieve public protection outcomes whilst avoiding undue burden on busine...

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of implementing a bespoke visa for for the horticulture sector in Northern Ireland.

There have been no discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of implementing a bespoke visa for the horticulture sector in Northern Ireland. The UK operates a national immigration system, covering all areas of the country. Th...

What progress her Department has made on the review of the impact of the Electronic Travel Authorisation policy in Northern Ireland.

The Government keeps the operation of the ETA scheme under constant review, including its impact within Northern Ireland, and my changes to the scheme will be announced in the normal way.

With reference to her Department's guidance entitled Offshore well boat workers: Immigration Rules concession 2022, updated on 24 January 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of

Concessionary arrangements outside of the immigration rules are put in place where exceptional circumstances are demonstrated. They are always time limited and reviewed regularly. There are no plans to extend the existing concession beyond its original pa...