Our landmark UK-France returns deal means we can send those who arrive on small boats straight back to France – striking at the heart of the gangs’ business model. This has seen us deport more than 1,000 illegal migrants from British soil.

The UK-France returns arrangement remains a pilot scheme and has been extended until October 2026, allowing it to be further scaled and tested over the peak summer period. There is no single silver bullet to end small boat crossings, and this pilot is only one element of our partnership with France, within our wider strategy. I continue to work with my European counterparts to build a comprehensive approach to control migration between the EU and the UK.

The Government takes the welfare and safety of those in its care seriously. Each case considered under the pilot is assessed on an individual basis, including consideration of safeguarding, vulnerability and suitability for removal. Appropriate safeguards are in place, and individuals are able to make representations before any removal takes place.

Where an individual is detained, the suitability of ongoing detention is regularly reviewed, and where there is no legal barrier, removal will proceed.

Individuals are not removed to France where their age is in dispute, given the terms of the Treaty sets out those removed will be individuals who have been determined to be an adult. Removing minors to France is explicitly prohibited under Article 4(2)(d) of the Agreement.

We will continue to work with French authorities to ensure swift, lawful processing under the Agreement and to maintain public safety. We are continuously monitoring and evaluating our pilot, alongside the procedures in place to deliver it.

The Government recognises Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as a national priority and remains committed to reducing incidents through policing, prevention, and safeguarding measures. If the site is taken forward, the safety and security of local communities, staff and those accommodated on site would be of the utmost importance, with appropriate security arrangements developed in close engagement with local police and partners.

One of the Government’s top priorities is to increase border security and dismantle Organised Crime Groups (OCG) who facilitate dangerous and irregular small boat journeys across the Channel. The aim of the UK’s arrangement with France is to stop small boat crossings, protect lives which are lost during these dangerous crossings, undermine the OCG business models and improve the UK’s border security. The arrangements operate under a bilateral treaty, which explicitly commits both countries to respecting the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Individual assessments are carried out prior to removal. These take into account any submissions raised by the individual as to why France is not safe in their particular circumstances. Individuals also have access to the courts to challenge removal.

The UK and France continue to work closely to ensure the pilot operates effectively.

The Government keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a range of experts and stakeholders.

We remain focused on the specific needs for women in our care and all our immigration removal centres (IRCs) are operated in line with the Detention Centre Rules 2001, published operating standards for IRCs and Detention Services Orders; a framework which ensures the safety and security of those detained in our care.

All staff working with women receive appropriate gender specific training, in addition to any generic training they receive when they undergo initial training. This includes equality and diversity, human trafficking, and modern slavery. Detention Services Order 06/2016 ‘Women in the immigration removal estate’ sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld. In addition, all Home Office staff working in the detention system are given training and support to identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability at the earliest opportunity.

In accordance with the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.

We are committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and suitable accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity while their asylum claim is considered.

The site has been assessed as safe, legal and compliant for use as asylum accommodation, and all accommodation must meet contractual standards and be safe, fit for purpose and properly equipped.

Initial engagement with Police Scotland and Highland Council on the proposed use of Cameron Barracks to accommodate asylum seekers took place in early October 2025. Engagement with Police Scotland, Highland Council and other statutory partners continues regularly via an Operational Working Group and through bi-lateral conversations.

As we have previously confirmed to all partners, the safety and security of local communities around the site, the staff who work there and those accommodated on the site are of the utmost importance, and a specialist and experienced provider of security services would be permanently on site 24/7 if the site were to be used as asylum accommodation.

If the site were to be used as asylum accommodation, we would work closely and routinely with Police Scotland Highlands Division to ensure appropriate security arrangements were in place for the safety and security of the asylum seekers and the wider community.

If the Home Office decides to proceed with using Cameron Barracks as asylum accommodation, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) would not be involved in the day to day running or security of the site. Any decisions regarding military police or other MOD activity in the surrounding area are solely for the MOD, and it would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on their operational posture.

The Home Office expects the highest standards of cleanliness, safety and hygiene in all asylum accommodation and holds providers to account through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services (AASC) contracts.

Contractual expectations are set out in the AASC Statement of Requirements (Schedule 2) which requires accommodation providers and their landlords to ensure that properties are safe, habitable and fit for purpose at all times, including meeting standards on cleanliness, hygiene, repairs and health and safety compliance.

Monitoring of accommodation standards is carried out through Home Office contract management and assurance activity, including inspections and performance reporting against contractual requirements.

Reporting routes are available to asylum seekers through the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service, delivered by Migrant Help, which allows issues or complaints relating to accommodation to be raised.

Investigation and resolution of complaints are managed by the Home Office once issues are escalated by Migrant Help. Providers are required to investigate concerns promptly, take remedial action within contractual timescales, and report outcomes to the Home Office.

Independent customer satisfaction and assurance activity further informs performance management and continuous improvement.

The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office expects the highest standards from accommodation providers. A detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by accommodation providers and the standards we expect can be found in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

All Accommodation must comply with the relevant standards for Accommodation defined in Annex B, and the rules relating to sharing and relocations defined in Annex C of this Schedule 2.

The AASC contracts include robust mechanisms for incentivising the provider to deliver on the contractual requirements set out therein. The Home Office also employs a dedicated contract assurance team whose conduct property inspections and assurance reviews.

When engaging with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) and Strategic Engagement Group (SEG), minutes are taken at these meetings. There are no criteria defining ‘constructive dialogue’ with NGOs.

A list of non-governmental organisations who attended NASF and SEG since January 2023 is provided below:

Micro Rainbow

The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)

British Red Cross

Refugee Action

Asylum Matters

Scottish Refugee Council

Refugee Council

Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP)

Freedom from Torture

Rainbow Migration

Helen Bamber Foundation

Migrant Help

Immigration Law Practitioners Network (ILPA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

No formal risk assessment has been undertaken. The disclosure of meeting records is handled in the usual way taking into account the wider Home Office risk assessment framework, disclosure and data protection provisions, and, where applicable, Freedom of Information guidance.

The Home Office publishes Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including the number of times exemptions under sections 36 and 38 of the FOI Act have been applied. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Establishing whether these exemptions were applied for reasons relating to asylum policy or stakeholder engagement could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and our manifesto included the mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

The Home Office will also go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year.

The Home Office works carefully to ensure that the needs and vulnerabilities of those residing in asylum accommodation are identified and considered, including those needs related to mental health and trauma and will use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence wherever it occurs, including in asylum accommodation.

This government also state our commitment to a gender sensitive asylum system and that we carefully consider the vulnerabilities of all those in our care, which includes previous trauma.

The age of a person arriving in the UK is normally established from the documents with which they have travelled, but many do not have any definitive documentary evidence to support their claimed age.

There are clear safeguarding issues which arise if a child is inadvertently treated as an adult, and equally if an adult is wrongly accepted as a child and placed in accommodation with children to whom they could present a risk.

Where there is reason to doubt an individual’s claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure individuals are routed to the correct adult or child process for assessing their asylum or immigration claim.

If there is doubt whether a claimant is an adult or child, they will be referred to a local authority’s Children’s Services Department who are then able to either undertake an age assessment themselves or can refer into the National Age Assessment Board for further consideration of their age in the interests of safeguarding. Regardless of age, where issues relating to safeguarding or community safety are raised, referrals will be made to the relevant authorities.

The Government’s Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration. We have introduced the Border Security Asylum and Immigration Bill which will give law enforcement counter terror-style powers to identify and disrupt people smuggling gangs. It will introduce a new measure whereby those who commit sexual offences which give rise to the notification requirement in Schedule 3 of the Sexual offences Act 2023 will be excluded from being granted asylum protections in the UK.

We recognise the devastating impact of sexual violence on victims and our communities and are absolutely committed to tackling sexual offences with a manifesto mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach to relentlessly pursue all VAWG perpetrators in this country, under-pinned by a new strategy which we aim to publish in the autumn.

The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised. Any incident relating to security or community cohesion is reported to the Home Office immediately, so any necessary changes can be made as soon as possible.

No one in the UK, including foreign nationals, asylum seekers or refugees, is above the law. Asylum seekers are clearly advised of the expectations the Home Office and accommodation providers have for them to behave responsibly while they are accommodated in Home Office properties and not to engage in any form of criminal or anti-social activity.

This Government is also delivering a cross-government transformative approach to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year.

54 developers have signed the developer remediation contract with government. MHCLG publishes quarterly updates on progress that developers are making.

As at 30 June 2025, those developers had identified 1,892 buildings with life-critical fire safety defects that they are obligated directly to remediate. Developers had started or completed work on 47% of those buildings.

On 2 December 2024, MHCLG published a joint plan with developers to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience. 39 developers (accounting for over 95% of buildings to be remediated by developers) have signed up to the joint plan. In doing so, those developers committed to ambitious stretch targets to finish assessing all their buildings by July 2025, and to start or complete remedial works on 80% of relevant buildings by July 2026 and on all relevant buildings by July 2027.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications.

Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material.

Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR.

Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026.

The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

The BSR is a key delivery partner in supporting government priorities, including the delivery of 1.5 million homes. We recognise that delays can have a significant impact across the construction sector, and we are committed to ensuring homes are delivered safely and quickly and investment opportunities are maximised.

Currently 154 New build Gateway 2 applications currently sit with the BSR, amounting to c. 29,000 homes, including c.15,000 in London.

To address these challenges on 30 June MHCLG announced significant changes marking a new phase of operations for the BSR, including addressing operational challenges, strengthening leadership and the intention to move the BSR from the HSE into a new standalone body.

On 4 August 2025, the BSR launched a new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will significantly accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB) including those relevant to new affordable housing. This Unit aims to make a final decision within 65 days of receipt of an application. Of the 17 decisions going through this system as of 29 August 2025, 10 are ahead of internal milestones to meet this target, and the other 7 are on track.

Other reforms include improved communication with applicants and plans for an account manager model, granting approvals with requirements, and changes to allow Class 2 RBIs to handle some lower risk work, freeing up Class 3 capacity. To support this BSR will recruit over 100 new staff to strengthen capacity by the end of the year.

Combined MHCLG, BSR and Industry deep dives and BSR engagement with Tier 1 developers via the CLC working group are helping identify further improvements. Recently the CLC published new guidance to support successful submissions.

These changes will of course take time to take full effect, but the early signs are encouraging. I am clear that my department and the BSR should continue to work closely with the sector to ensure applications can be processed quickly without compromising safety.

On your question regarding potential delays as a result of the regulatory transition, the BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications.

Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material.

Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR.

Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026.

The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

The building safety levy has built in measures to minimise impact on housing while balancing the need to raise the revenue required to make homes safe. Measures to achieve this include:

1. Variable levy rates at local authority level.
2. A 50% discount on developments on previously developed land reflecting the often additional costs of building on these sites.
3. Exemptions from the levy including Affordable Housing.

The Building Safety Levy is an industry contribution towards building safety remediation. Revenue is raised from new, non-exempt, residential development which principally occurs in and around urban areas. Expenditure is directed at buildings over 11m in height which are principally located in urban areas.

The department regularly engages with the Greater London Authority and will continue to do so as the Mayor of London prepares the next London Plan, including on building and fire safety.

No such specific assessment has been made.