As announced in the Queen’s Speech in 2019, the Home Office is reviewing the legislation relating to hostile state activity to assess whether additional powers are required to address the threats to the UK.

The Official Secrets Acts (OSAs), along with other relevant Acts, are being considered as part of this work.

Given that the Home Office is already leading much of the policy work on OSAs, transferring the policy ownership from the Ministry of Justice to the Home Office is a matter of matching the formal position to the reality. We will continue to work closely with colleagues across Government as we develop our thinking on what legislative reform is required.

I wrote to the political parties in January seeking their views on this issue and, while there was broad support for the future publication of donations and loans, only one party expressed support for backdating publication to 1 January 2014. Having considered the representations of the parties, I did not believe it right to impose retrospective regulations on those who donated in accordance with the rules set out in law at the time. The secondary legislation to give effect to full transparency which I propose would therefore apply to donations and loans received on or after 1 July 2017.

I am keen to see progress on this issue and have written to the NI political parties seeking their views on moving to full transparency. I am currently considering responses from the parties before deciding on next steps. In line with usual pre-election protocols I will not be making any announcements until after the forthcoming Assembly election.

Under the provisions of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Electoral Commission are responsible for publishing details of spending by registered campaigners, including in relation to the recent EU referendum. I have no role in publishing information relating to campaign expenditure.

There has been a historical dispute between the UK and Irish Governments in relation to Carlingford Lough dating back to the 1920s. The UK Government’s longstanding position is that the northern side of the Lough forms part of the UK. In practice the regulation of activities is the responsibility of the Loughs Agency, a North-South body established under the Belfast Agreement which is supported by the UK and Irish Governments.

The final report on the handling of family reunion applications has not yet been sent to the Home Office by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.

Arrangements for publication will be considered once the final report has been received

The Dublin III Regulation clearly sets out the criteria and process for determining responsibility for asylum cases. Caseworkers refer to the detail of the Regulation when determining cases, along with the relevant case law. We are aiming to update and publish some additional guidance shortly. Caseworkers have access to policy and legal advisers on a regular basis.

Under the family reunion provisions in the Immigration Rules children are not eligible to sponsor parents or grandparents. Allowing them to do so would create a perverse incentive for children to be encouraged, or even forced, to leave existing family units in their countries of origin and risk hazardous journeys to the UK in order to act as sponsors. This would go against our safe guarding responsibilities.

Our refugee family reunion policy allows a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 of those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to reunite with them here, providing they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin.

There is provision to grant visas outside the Immigration Rules, which caters for those who do not qualify under the rules, where there are exceptional circumstances.

The Marriage Registration Reform Bill, introduced by my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Meriden (Caroline Spelman) in the previous Parliamentary session, would have enabled the details of both parents of the couple to be included on the marriage certificate.

The Home Office is continuing to develop proposals that will allow mothers’ names to be recorded on marriage certificates.

Pass rates for the Life in the UK Test are already published quarterly under transparency arrangements. The most recent are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2016

As part of the registration process each applicant's nationality is recorded. Information is not recorded with regard to gender. There are no plans to include a breakdown by nationality or gender in future publications.

Pass rates for language tests are held in individual approved supplier systems and are not currently published. There are no plans to publish this data.

Our records indicate that a total of 105 destitute asylum seekers were granted accommodation and support under section 4 of the Immigration and Nationality Act in the last year (2015) due to pregnancy, medical reasons or because they were taking all reasonable steps to leave the UK.

A full breakdown of categories is given below:

(a) unable to leave the UK due to medical reasons - 42 (including 6 due to late pregnancy)

(b) taking all reasonable steps to leave the UK - 63

(c) how many of these applications were made within 21 days of that person's appeal rights being exhausted:

- Medical – 1

- Steps to Leave – 5

This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

The cases referred to in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report do not reflect current visa and asylum processes. We have made significant improvements in our handling of complaints in recent years and have a clear plan to improve this element of our service further.

This plan takes account of feedback from the Public and Health Services Ombudsman and we will continue to work with the Ombudsman to identify further service improvements.

The Government is currently considering whether to renew the concession for Syrian nationals in respect of the Immigration Rules. The Government continues to monitor the situation in Syria closely in order to ensure our response is appropriate.

The UK Government recognises the exceptional pressures on the French Government and its citizens caused by the migrant situation in the Calais region. Both Governments are clear that the right course of action is, as far as possible, to move migrants away from Calais and for genuine refugees, to be offered protection within the French asylum system. This is why the UK has committed to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help provide support and facilities elsewhere in France.

The UK is in regular contact with France on all matters related to Calais and the migrant situation. However, operational decisions relating to the management of the camps are the responsibility of the French Government.

The UK Government recognises the exceptional pressures on the French Government and its citizens caused by the migrant situation in the Calais region. Both Governments are clear that the right course of action is, as far as possible, to move migrants away from Calais and for genuine refugees, to be offered protection within the French asylum system. This is why the UK has committed to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help provide support and facilities elsewhere in France.

The UK is in regular contact with France on all matters related to Calais and the migrant situation. However, operational decisions relating to the management of the camps are the responsibility of the French Government.

The UK Government recognises the exceptional pressures on the French Government and its citizens caused by the migrant situation in the Calais region. Both Governments are clear that the right course of action is, as far as possible, to move migrants away from Calais and for genuine refugees, to be offered protection within the French asylum system. This is why the UK has committed to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help provide support and facilities elsewhere in France.

The UK is in regular contact with France on all matters related to Calais and the migrant situation. However, operational decisions relating to the management of the camps are the responsibility of the French Government.

We continue to meet our statutory duties to accommodate and support destitute asylum seekers. Assessment of eligibility for support remains a priority. UKVI ensures staff are recruited and deployed flexibly to continue to meet business demands.

The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

However we continue to meet our statutory duties to accommodate and support destitute asylum seekers. Assessment of eligibility for support remains a priority. Since April 2015, 82% (14,112) of section 95 applications have been processed within 10 working days.

It is important to ensure that students who come to study in the UK under the Tier 4 route of the points-based system can speak English, in order that they can truly benefit from their British education and will be able to properly integrate with their peers. We will continue to have English language requirements for these students.

We have an excellent offer for international students who wish to study at our world-leading institutions and there remains no limit on the number who can do so. As a result, the UK remains the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students. Annual visa applications from international students to study at British universities are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, with visa applications to our elite Russell Group universities up by 39 per cent since 2010.

An assessment of the financial impact of the proposed changes to support for failed asylum seekers was published on 4 August and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforming-support-for-failed-asylum-seekers-and-other-illegal-migrants-impact-assessment

The government has consulted widely on the proposals, which are now contained in Schedule 6 to the Immigration Bill published on 17 September, and is discussing the detail of how they will be implemented with local authorities and others. The financial impact of the changes will be reviewed in light of these discussions and reflected in a revised impact assessment.