To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations she consulted prior to the decision to end automatic settlement of refugees after completion of five years leave to remain in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the costs of introducing safe return reviews for refugees who have completed five years leave to remain in the UK.

The policy decision on ending automatic settlement for refugees was introduced in 2005. This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees. Those who need protection are normally granted 5 years’ limited leave after which they are able to apply for permanent settlement. All settlement applications are carefully considered on their individual merits and this includes assessing whether there have been significant changes in country conditions or personal circumstances, which means that an individual no longer needs our protection.

UK Visas & Immigration already have a dedicated resource in place to undertake safe return reviews when considering settlement applications from those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection.