Migration Observatory and ONS to be questioned on settlement, citizenship and integration

Tomorrow the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee will be holding two evidence sessions and part of its inquiry into settlement, citizenship, and integration.  

The sessions will cover statistics and data around migration to and from the UK, settlement rules and immigration policy. 

The sessions will take place on Tuesday 27 January 2026 and can be followed live on Parliament TV. 

Giving evidence at 10:30am will be:

• Dr Madeleine Sumption MBE, Director of the Migration Observatory 

Possible questions include: 

• What is the role of the Migration Advisory Committee and the Migration Statistics User Forum? 

• What cohorts are emigrating to the UK and how does it vary by route? Are current immigration patterns satisfying the UK's needs? 

• What data are we not capturing in the migrant journey? What are the advantages and disadvantages in capturing this data? 

• How does the Home Office measure who is leaving the UK? How does it measure the number of British nationals leaving? 

• The Government is consulting on applying changes to settlement rules to those already here. What are the arguments for and against applying these changes to settlement rules retrospectively?  

• The Government is proposing to change rules around language requirements. Is the direction proposed the right one? 

• What are the main issues with the Life in the UK test and how should it be refreshed?  

• What are the impacts of migrants on public services?  

• Can you have immigration policy that promotes integration and economic benefits or is a trade off inevitably involved? 

Giving evidence at 11:25am will be:

• Mary Gregory, Executive Director of Population, Census and Social Statistics at the Office for National Statistics 

Possible questions include: 

• How are levels of immigration and emigration calculated? 

• How are statistics gathered in relation to British citizens? 

• What data are we not capturing in the migrant journey? What are the advantages and disadvantages in capturing this data?  

• How effectively are different systems of data collection at different organisations e.g. Home Office, DWP, DHSC communicating with one another?  

• What effect is external migration having on demography in the UK and how does this compare to internal migration, as well as with an ageing population and declining birth rates?  

• Some organisations have called for an interim census? Is this feasible? What are the advantages and disadvantages?  

• The ONS came under criticism in 2025, notably in the Devereux Review. What changes have taken place in the 6 months since that publication and how can you reassure the public that the ONS is producing reliable data?