Written questions by Lowe.

What her Department’s policy is on restricting multiple appeals against deportation.

In most deportation cases, there is no right of appeal unless the person concerned makes a human rights or protection claim, in which case there is a right of appeal against a decision to refuse the claim.As part of efforts to fix the broken asylum system the Government inherited, proposals are being developed to ensure immigration and asylum appeals are heard more quickly, with safeguards to maintain high standards, mechanisms to surge capacity when needed, and processes to accelerate and prioritise cases. These proposals will also include new procedures to tackle repeat applications and last-minute claims that frustrate removal action.Currently, where a person has already brought an appeal on human rights or protection grounds and then makes further submissions, they are subject to a robust test which if not met means their submissions will be rejected without a right of appeal. There is only an appeal where a person raises something that has not previously been considered which, taken together with any previously considered material, creates a realistic prospect of success.Where a person has permission to stay in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme, there is a right of appeal against a decision to make a deportation order against them, in compliance with the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU. That right can only be exercised once, unless another deportation decision is made.

How many charter flights for deportations were scheduled in the last 12 months; and how many took place.

In the year 5 September 2024 to 4 September 2025 inclusive, 69 returns charter flights were arranged, 64 were operated and five did not take place.

How many deportations have been delayed as a result of challenges under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the last 12 months.

The information requested, regarding the number of delayed deportations of foreign national offenders (FNOs) as a result of challenges under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and injunctions granted by domestic courts citing the European Convention on Human Rights, is not held centrally and to obtain it would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of publishing league tables of deportation compliance by countries.

We continue to use an array of tools, including through diplomatic engagement, to maintain and improve international returns co-operation.

Whether she plans to legislate to disapply the Human Rights Act 1998 in deportation cases.

We set out in our Immigration White Paper our intention to bring forward legislation to allow us to more easily remove foreign national offenders.Later this year we will set out more detailed reforms and stronger measures to ensure our laws are upheld, including streamlining and speeding up the removals process. That will include establishing new procedures so that the Home Office can more easily take enforcement and removal action and revoke visas in a much wider range of crimes where noncustodial sentences have been given, not just cases which are sent to prison.The Government is fully committed to complying with international law and the protection of human rights. Work is underway on reviewing the application of Article 3 and Article 8 in immigration cases.

What estimate she has made of the number of foreign nationals living in the UK unlawfully who are liable for deportation.

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal population, or the number of people who arrive illegally, and so we do not seek to make any official estimates of the illegal population. In June 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a note on ‘measuring illegal migration’, which can be found here: Measuring illegal migration: our current view - Office for National Statistics.This government has already removed almost 5,200 FNOs in its first year of office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous twelve months (5 July 2024 to 4 July 2025) and we will continue to crack down on any foreign nationals who come to this country and break our rules.

How many people who were applying for asylum have been issued with a driving licence since 2020.

To be issued with a driving licence, the law requires that the applicant is both normally and lawfully resident in GB. Individuals who are subject to immigration control must have been granted either leave to remain or leave to enter the country by the Home Office before a licence will be issued.

How many and what proportion of prisoners released under the early release scheme have subsequently been (a) rearrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted of other offences.

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. We publish data on convictions as part of our reoffending rates which are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.We have also published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics: Standard Determinate Sentence 40 (SDS40) : September 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK.The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on arrests or charges.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of investigating unlicensed fishing by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

The investigation and subsequent enforcement outcome took two days of work. The specific costs associated with each investigation and enforcement outcome can vary based on a number of factors. Data for this specific case is not held centrally but the average cost for two days of work would usually be approximately £500.

What the total cost to the public purse is for the evacuation of children from Gaza as of 2 September 2025.

I refer the Hon. Member to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s written statement to the House on 1 September 2025, which is available at the following link:https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-09-01/hcws899 No children have been evacuated as of 2 September 2025. The Government has therefore not incurred any costs outside of the costs associated with the teams in various Government departments overseeing the evacuation arrangements.

How many child benefit claims were cancelled because the claimant was found to be living abroad in each year since 2020.

From administrative data, the number of Child Benefit awards terminated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) through compliance activity per year, due to customers no longer meeting the Child Benefit residency criteria is provided below: ·- 2020-21 = 113 awards- 2021-22 = 269 awards- 2022-23 = 762 awards- 2023-24 = 1,030 awards- 2024-25 = 3,017 awardsThe increase in terminated awards over this period has resulted from incremental improvements in HMRC’s utilisation of available data sources. In 2024-25 a proof of concept used Home Office travel data as a risk indicator for when customers may no longer satisfy Child Benefit residence criteria. Following the success of this exercise, the government announced at Autumn Budget 24 investment in an additional 180 welfare counter fraud staff in HMRC to tackle fraud and error in Child Benefit. This is expected to save £350 million over the next five years.

If she will provide an estimate of the total number of Gazans that will enter the asylum system following medical treatment in the UK.

As the Home Secretary said in her statement to the House on 1 September, the Foreign Secretary will set out further details of the planned medical evacuations of children from Gaza in the near future.

How much was spent on legal aid for asylum cases in each year since 2019.

Legal aid is available to fund legal advice and representation provided to individuals seeking asylum in England and Wales, subject to an assessment of merits and financial eligibility.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes information regarding the cost of legal aid provided in respect of asylum matters funded as Controlled Work. The information requested can be found at column G of table 5.3. Controlled Work covers the provision of legal advice regarding asylum matters and representation before the First Tier (Immigration and Asylum) Tribunal.The LAA also publishes information about the cost of Legal Representation pertaining to immigration and asylum matters (see table 6.5). However, due to the way in which this information is recorded on LAA systems expenditure specifically in relation to asylum cases could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted for social media posts in each of the last five years.

The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on arrests or charging decisions. This is a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences in England and Wales within the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. However, data centrally held does not specify whether an offence relates to social media posts.

If she will publish a breakdown of Personal Independence Payment claimants by (a) nationality and (b) immigration status in each year since 2020.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Whether her Department has provided funding to the Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester.

The department has not provided funding to the Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester.

If she will publish the number of staff working in her Department, broken down by nationality.

Nationality can be taken upon recruitment and on occasion where it is required for internal procedures.However, these are not in a retrievable format and can only be obtained via disproportionate effort. In any case, due to the low numbers held by the Home Office, this would not be a true representation of the nationalities employed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the projected cost to the public purse is of Chevening scholarships awarded to students from Gaza for 2025-26.

All costs will be covered under the normal Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Chevening Scholarship Programme.

What the cost to the public purse was of the (a) evacuation and (b) relocation of Palestinian students from Gaza to the UK in 2025.

There is no published data for the costs of the evacuation and relocation of Palestinian students from Gaza to the UK in 2025.

What assessment she has has made of the potential impact of the the suspension of refugee family reunion route on number of visa applications.

The suspension of the refugee family reunion route is temporary while the Government undertakes a full review and reform of the current family rules to ensure we have a fair and properly balanced system. In the meantime, those with protection status can use other family routes to sponsor a partner and child to come to the UK. Information relating to these changes are published on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1298-4-september-2025.