Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criminality data informs efforts to clamp down on the establishment of (a) vape shops (b) barber shops in England.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Addressing cash-based money laundering is one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre, which sits within the National Crime Agency. In March 2025, the NECC led a three-week intensification campaign (Operation MACHINIZE) against barbershops and other cash intensive businesses which saw 380 premises visited, 84 warrants, 35 arrests, and the seizure of illicit goods.

This was followed by a second phase of activity (Operation MACHINIZE 2) throughout October which involved every UK police force and Regional Organised Crime Unit, Home Office Immigration Enforcement, Trading Standards, HM Revenue & Customs and Companies House. The operation saw: 2734 premises visited and raided, 924 individuals arrested, over £10.7m of suspected criminal proceeds seized and over £2.7m worth of illicit commodities destroyed.

The Home Office is working closely with partners to use the learning from this operation to build on and develop long-term solutions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the (a) effectiveness of the legal and regulatory framework and (b) use and coverage of facial recognition technology by police forces in England.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government supports the wider adoption of facial recognition technology across all police forces.

Although there is a legal basis for police use of facial recognition, we want to bring forward a new bespoke legal framework, to build public trust and enable the wider, responsible use of facial recognition across police forces. To help shape this, the Home Office launched a public consultation on 04/12/2025 on the use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. The consultation responses we receive will inform the development of this new bespoke framework.

In terms of existing coverage, retrospective facial recognition is already used by all UK police forces. There are over 25,000 searches carried out each month on the Police National Database (PND) to help identify suspects after an incident or event.

Live facial recognition is used on a regular basis by some forces and is available to all forces via a small national capability made up of 10 mobile units.

The Home Office invested £12.6 million in facial recognition last year, with £2.8 million spent on national live facial recognition capabilities

This year, £6.6 million is being spent supporting the adoption, evaluation, and responsible rollout of facial recognition technology. This includes £3.9 million for the development of a new, national facial matching service.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Oral Statement of 19 November 2025 on China Espionage: Government Security Response, Official Report, column 614, if she will set out the proposed changes to the security guidance for candidates in the devolved and local elections.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit develops and distributes candidate security guidance ahead of every election. This includes best practice on personal and physical security; information on the role of the police; cyber security; and routes for candidates to report online abuse. The refreshed guidance will be distributed in January.

The guidance will include a link to recently published NPSA guidance to protect democratic institutions from foreign interference and espionage threats.

Election preparedness is a priority for the Defending Democracy Taskforce which established the Joint Election Security and Preparedness (JESP) Unit as a permanent function which sits jointly between Cabinet Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). JESP is dedicated to protecting UK elections and referendums and coordinating work across government to respond to issues including foreign interference, protective security, and cyber threats as they emerge.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the oral statement of 18 November 2025, Official Report, Column 614, on China Espionage: Government Security Response, how the proscription-type tool to disrupt proxy organisations will operate.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Earlier this year, the Independent Reviewer for State Threats Legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, published a review evaluating what powers under terrorism legislation could be emulated to tackle state-based security threats to the UK. Mr Hall KC recommended introducing a State Threats Proscription-style Tool that would be effective in disrupting state-linked organisations.

Design of the tool will be informed by Mr Hall’s review and will focus on disrupting and deterring the most egregious state and proxy organisations carrying out hostile activity against the UK.

The Government are committed to taking forward this proposal as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2025, to Question 86768, on Radicalism: Expenditure, if he will list the individual sums given to each of those local authorities; and what was the methodology used to calculate those allocations.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The individual sums provided to each local authority that received dedicated Home Office funds for Prevent in financial year 2024/25 was provided as part of the response to PQ 86768 of 14 November 2025.

Funding for posts and dedicated projects is allocated as part of an annual bidding process, with funding allocations informed by factors including the amount of funding available, the level of threat, the level of funding provided for Prevent posts in the previous financial year, and inflation-related increases.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help support police forces to tackle rising levels of online fraud and scams.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government, working with City of London Police, has recently replaced Action Fraud with a new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cybercrime. The new service (Report Fraud) went live on 4 December. Report Fraud will provide better intelligence to support police and other partners with responding to online fraud and scams.

In addition, the Government has completed recruitment of the National Fraud Squad (NFS) of specialist posts, led by the NCA and City of London Police. The NFS will take a proactive, intelligence-led approach to identifying and disrupting the most serious fraudsters operating in the online space and targeting the UK public.

The Home Office has also undertaken a comprehensive review of the fraud training and skills landscape - we will implement the recommendations from this to ensure officers have the right skillset to respond to online fraud and scams.

More broadly, under the Online Safety Act, companies in scope must now tackle fraudulent content at source, or face the possibility of significant fines from the regulator.

The Government will set out a comprehensive Fraud Strategy early in the New Year. It will include measures to both protect consumers and disrupt criminal networks and ensure that the UK remains the most difficult environment possible for fraudsters to operate in.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to paragraph 5.29 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, if she will provide an annual breakdown of the £15.3 billion cost of asylum accommodation over the next 10 years, according to information held by HM Government.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The £15.3bn figure was cited in a NAO report from May this year, it relates to a broad estimate of spend on accommodation contracts across the period 2019 to 2029, not the next 10 years. Actual Asylum spend is published in our Annual Report and Accounts, and as per the Spending Review we are committed to bring spend down by £1.1bn a year by 28/29.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average queue time at passport control was at UK airports in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The specific data requested is not available in an accessible format but below are the relevant statistics taken from Border Force’s transparency data.

Of the 897,695 queue samples measured across the UK in 2025, 97.9% of queues were within Border Force’s service standards above the 95% target. These service standards are 25 mins EU/EEA and 45 mins non-EU/EEA.

For further transparency data, including 2024, please refer to the below GOV.UK link.

Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she made of the potential impact of the proposals in the consultation on Earned Settlement on victims of domestic violence before its publication; and what steps she will take to ensure that protections for those victims, including the Domestic Violence Concession and Indefinite Leave to Remain routes, continue under any future settlement framework.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We are committed to reducing Violence against Women and Girls.

The Immigration White Paper, published in May 2025, committed to retain safeguards to protect the vulnerable, including settlement rights for victims of domestic violence and abuse.

The current public consultation on the proposed earned settlement scheme seeks views on the proposal that vulnerable groups, including victims of domestic violence and abuse, should retain their ability to settle without being subject to a minimum qualifying period.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to mitigate the mental health impact of proposed changes to settlement routes.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

On 20 November, we launched a public consultation on our proposed earned settlement model.

This consultation provides a means for all members of the public to express any concerns about the proposed new system are considered as we finalise policy. We are also running a separate, focused survey of visa holders to make sure their specific concerns are fully captured.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas a) the Department for Culture Media and Sport, b) the Arts Council, c) the National Archives, d) the British Library, e) the British Museum, f) Historic England, g) the Imperial War Museum, h) the National Gallery, i) the Science Museum Group, j) the Victoria and Albert Museum, k) the Wallace Collection, l) the BBC, m) Channel 4, n) Historic Royal Palaces and o) the Royal Parks have sponsored since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve the timeliness and adequacy of information shared between her Department and local police forces.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office works closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s to address any concerns about information sharing between the department and police forces.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the number of young people arrested at protests.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This government is committed to upholding the right to peaceful protest as well as balancing the need to protect the life of a community in the development of public order legislation. The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy, and people are free to gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law.

The government has published a human rights memorandum on the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, here: ECHRMemo.pdf

The memorandum provides a detailed consideration of each provision’s compatibility with Convention rights.

An equalities impact assessment for these measures in the Bill will be published in due course, this will assess the potential impact of the measures on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including age.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what will be the composition of Policing and Crime Boards following the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners; whether they will contain independent members; how will they be politically balanced.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Policing and Crime Boards will bring together elected council leaders to oversee the force in their area. They are likely to include upper tier local authority council leaders as well as independent co-opted members, who will bring unique skills and expertise.

We propose that they will be supported by a Policing and Crime lead who will provide day-to-day oversight of the force. We are working closely with a range of stakeholders on the design and implementation of Policing and Crime Boards, with Transition Working Groups to commence in January.

We plan to legislate to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners and create Policing and Crime Boards, when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refusals there have been for firearms licenses in the last 12 months.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes information annually on the number of firearm and shotgun certificate applications refused in England and Wales in the statistical publication on firearm and shotgun certificates. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2025 and can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/firearm-certificates-in-england-and-wales

The number of firearm and shotgun certificate applications that were refused in England and Wales for the year ending 31 March 2025, as well as previous years, can be found in data tables 1 and 3.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with car manufacturers on reducing the risk of stolen catalytic converters through design and technology.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are working with the police and the automotive industry, to ensure the strongest response possible to all types of vehicle crime.

The Home Office meets regularly with the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and with industry to discuss how government can help tackle the serious problem of vehicle crime. We also support the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group which focusses on prevention and deterrence of theft of, and from, vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles including the theft of catalytic converters.

Additionally in the Crime and Policing Bill we are banning the electronic devices used to steal vehicles, providing a valuable tool to prevent the theft of vehicles.

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 was introduced to reverse an upward trend in the level of metal theft through better regulation of the metal recycling sector, making it more difficult to dispose of stolen metal including catalytic converters.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2025, to Question 86656, on Hate Crime: Internet, who is the National Police Hate Crime Coordinator and in which public body are they based.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The National Police Hate Crime Coordinator is Chief Constable Mark Hobrough of Gwent Police, who serves as the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Hate Crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the ability of police forces to (a) investigate sexual offences, (b) fill gaps in data on violence against women and girls and (c) implement recommendations for improving public safety.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government with a manifesto mission to halve VAWG in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halving VAWG, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy, which we aim to publish as soon as possible.

The Home Office has invested £13.1 million this year to establish the new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) to improve the police response to VAWG and child sexual abuse. The NCVPP is continuing to drive forward the transformational work of Operation Soteria ensuring officers build the strongest possible, victim-centred, suspect-focused, context-led cases.

The Home Office works closely with police forces on improving the quality of police recorded crime data, including for crimes under the VAWG heading, as well as drawing on data from the Crime Survey for England & Wales (CSEW).

The Home Office are also carefully considering the findings and recommendations from the Angiolini Inquiry's Part 2 First Report which has examined the prevention of sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister’s comment that You will see 3,000 neighbourhood police officers on your streets by March in his speech on 1st December 2025, what recent progress has she made in delivering those additional officers.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

We have made £200 million available in 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this parliament, including up to 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by the end of March 2026.

The Government has committed to publishing neighbourhood policing numbers every six months to align with the official police workforce statistics, with the next update due at the end of January 2026 setting out the numbers in neighbourhood policing roles as at the end of September 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions the Department has had with the police on improving protection for retail workers experiencing abuse or violence.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.

The Home Office and Department for Business and Trade recently held a joint meeting of the Retail Crime Forum and Retail Sector Council, attended by representatives from policing and the retail sector, which included discussion on the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’. The strategy was jointly developed by the police and industry and aims to provide a collaborative and evidence-based approach to preventing retail crime, including abuse and violence against retail workers.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to improve oversight of biometric data storage and retention across law enforcement agencies.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office launched a public consultation on 04/12/2025 on the use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies.

The responses received will inform the creation of a bespoke legal framework and oversight for the use of biometric, facial recognition and similar technologies.

One aspect the consultation looks at is the oversight of biometric data storage and retention across law enforcement agencies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has been made of the level of police recruitment and retention rates; and what steps she is taking to help constabularies maintain the number of frontline police officers.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is clear that visible policing is essential to restoring public confidence in the police. To support this aim, for 2025/26, £376.8 million will be available to forces to support officer numbers. This funding will be distributed as follows:

• £270.1 million will be ringfenced funding, which PCCs will be able to access, as in previous years, by demonstrating that they have met their officer headcount targets.

• £106.7 million will be paid to forces who received additional recruitment allocations in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This funding will be provided as an additional recruitment top up grant. It will be unconditional, and the funding distributed according to how much additional recruitment forces were allocated.

The retention of police officers is a priority for the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. Experienced officers are incredibly valuable which is why forces should be using effective evidence-based strategies to manage retention and progression of existing officers. Voluntary resignations rates for police officers remain low at 3.2% compared to other sectors.

As at 31 March 2025, 90.3% of police officers worked in frontline roles (including visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline roles; excluding National Policing, unknown, and ‘Other’ functions), the same proportion as the previous year.

Forces are operationally independent, and the deployment of officers remains an operational decision for Chief Constables.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to her Department's press release entitled Review of public order and hate crime legislation, published on 15 November 2025, whether (a) anti-Muslim hatred and (b) the Government's proposed definition of Islamophobia are in scope of the review.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Following the horrific attack on a synagogue in Manchester on 2 October, the Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October. The Review will be led by Lord Ken Macdonald KC of River Glaven, supported by former Assistant Chief Constable Owen Weatherill

The review will ensure police powers remain fit for purpose, are used consistently, and strike the right balance between the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and the need to prevent disorder and keep communities safe.

The review is engaging directly with stakeholders and experts across a full range of sectors, faith groups and perspectives. The panel has not been asked to consider the Government’s proposed definition of Islamophobia, but it will be open to the independent chair of the review to determine the extent to which he might wish to do so in order to meet the terms of reference for the review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Anthony Grainger Inquiry, (b) The Litvinenko Inquiry and (c) Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

a) The Anthony Grainger Inquiry published its report on 11 July 2019.

b) The Litvinenko Inquiry published its final report on 21 January 2016.

c) The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) closed under section 14 of the Inquiries Act on 31 March 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the right to protest without fear of criminal sanction.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This government is committed to upholding the right to peaceful protest as well as balancing the need to protect the life of a community in the development of public order legislation. The right to peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy, and people are free to gather and express their views, provided they do so within the law.

The government has published a human rights memorandum on the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, here: ECHRMemo.pdf

The memorandum provides a detailed consideration of each provision’s compatibility with Convention rights.

An equalities impact assessment for these measures in the Bill will be published in due course, this will assess the potential impact of the measures on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including age.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the official set up date under section 5 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Jermaine Baker, (b) Manchester Arena Inquiry and (c) Anthony Grainger Inquiry.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The official set up dates are as follows:

a) The Jermain Baker Inquiry: 12 February 2020

b) The Manchester Arena Inquiry: 22 October 2019

c) The Anthony Grainger Inquiry: 17 March 2016

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that reforms to the visa system help ensure that UK business can employ talented international workers.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government’s approach is to link migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies, so that immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems in the UK.  This approach will be important to enabling delivery of the Government’s broader agenda.

Employers can continue to recruit workers for occupations at RQF level 6 and on the Temporary Shortage List but they will need to meet the current requirements of the Skilled Worker route.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas a) the Metropolitan Police Service and b) Police Scotland have sponsored since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

UKVI does not publish data on visas sponsored by individual sponsors.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the application of the new individual earnings requirement applies to spouses of UK citizens who are retired, carers, or stay-at-home parents.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

On 20 November, we launched a public consultation on our proposed earned settlement model.

The command paper accompanying that consultation puts forward a general requirement to have earnt at least £12,570 per annum for three years in order to settle in the UK.

The consultation directly asks for views on whether certain individuals or cohorts should be exempted from that general requirement.

Full details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following the public consultation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of the use of taxis by asylum seekers in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Transport services for asylum seekers are provided through our Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts. We pay a fixed rate for transportation services which is set out in the contracts. Our suppliers must deliver transportation requirements in line with contractual standards and the fixed rate – with the type of transportation determined by our suppliers within this framework. Information on spend by specific transportation types is therefore not readily available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider the treatment of LGBTQ+ refugees when assessing enforced returns to countries with newly established regimes, particularly where a change of government has not resulted in improved protections for LGBTQ+ people.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum and human rights claims including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. This is based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national, and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country, is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on Country policy and information notes - GOV.UK.

When someone applies for settlement, we review the situation in their country to assess whether they still need protection. Those who no longer need protection can return home in safety or apply to stay under other provisions of the Immigration Rules.

We will not remove anyone to any country where they will face persecution or serious harm.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that LGBTQ+ refugees will not be forcibly returned to countries where they are likely to face persecution.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum and human rights claims including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. This is based on evidence taken from a wide range of reliable sources, including reputable media outlets; local, national, and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country, is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on Country policy and information notes - GOV.UK.

When someone applies for settlement, we review the situation in their country to assess whether they still need protection. Those who no longer need protection can return home in safety or apply to stay under other provisions of the Immigration Rules.

We will not remove anyone to any country where they will face persecution or serious harm.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what new measures they are proposing to effectively remove illegal immigrants as soon as they arrive in the UK

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK-France pilot has already been put into action meaning that anyone entering the UK on a small boat can be detained on arrival and returned to France.

On 17 November 2025 ‘Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy’ was published on .GOV.UK. This statement sets out that we will increase removals form the UK, impose visa penalties with countries who do not cooperate with us on returns, incentivise family returns, and sanctions for non-cooperation; consult on ending indefinite support for failed asylum seeking families; and explore safe third-country hubs for those who cannot quickly return to their country of origin.

We will also make changes to the appeal system to expedite returns and seek to reform the application of Articles 3 and 8 of the ECHR to remove barriers to return.

The Government is working at pace on the legislative and policy changes required and will set out timelines for implementation in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much central government funding was made available to the London Borough of Hillingdon in 2024-25 to compensate for costs relating to asylum.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority, we do however provide funding to Local Authorities under the following grant agreements Asylum, Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking children & former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children Care Leavers.

Please see the link below to the relevant Funding Instructions:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children-uasc-grant-instructions

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-dispersal-grant-funding-instruction/funding-instruction-for-local-authorities-asylum-grant-2025-2026

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides guidance to officials on matters to draw to the attention of Ministers when drafting answers to Parliamentary Questions.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Guidance is provided to officials on how to answer Parliamentary Questions within the Home Office.

The Cabinet Office's Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines and standards that departments should seek to meet. This can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/111

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much Home Office funding is being provided to the London Borough of Hillingdon in 2025-26 to assist with the costs of asylum seekers.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority, we do however provide funding to Local Authorities under the following grant agreements Asylum, Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking children & former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children Care Leavers.

Please see the link below to the relevant Funding Instructions:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children-uasc-grant-instructions

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-dispersal-grant-funding-instruction/funding-instruction-for-local-authorities-asylum-grant-2025-2026

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on (a) taxis (b) buses (c) trains by her Department and its contractors for asylum seekers in it's care for each year from 2015 to date.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Transport services for asylum seekers are provided through our Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts. We pay a fixed rate for transportation services which is set out in the contracts. Our suppliers must deliver transportation requirements in line with contractual standards and the fixed rate – with the type of transportation determined by our suppliers within this framework. Information on spend by specific transportation types is therefore not readily available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sentencing levels for immigration-related offences under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to protecting the UK’s border security and is working very closely with the National Crime Agency and law enforcement partners to ensure they have the funding, tools and expertise to identify, disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups involved in illegal migration.

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 created the offence of illegal arrival which carries a maximum sentence of 4 years imprisonment on indictment. The Act also raised the maximum penalties for the illegal entry and arriving without an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to four years and entering in breach of a Deportation Order to five years. Notably, it also raised the maximum sentence for the offence of facilitating a breach of immigration law to life in prison.

Prosecutions are pursued for all of the above offences, as they are for all immigration offences, wherever there is sufficient evidence to do so. These cases are then referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where a decision on whether or not to prosecute is made. This decision is dependent upon the CPS’ assessment of the available evidence and whether or not it passes the CPS’ own public interest test. Information about the CPS’ decision making can be found here The Code for Crown Prosecutors | The Crown Prosecution Service.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of offences created by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 on illegal entry and arrival.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to protecting the UK’s border security and is working very closely with the National Crime Agency and law enforcement partners to ensure they have the funding, tools and expertise to identify, disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups involved in illegal migration.

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 created the offence of illegal arrival which carries a maximum sentence of 4 years imprisonment on indictment. The Act also raised the maximum penalties for the illegal entry and arriving without an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to four years and entering in breach of a Deportation Order to five years. Notably, it also raised the maximum sentence for the offence of facilitating a breach of immigration law to life in prison.

Prosecutions are pursued for all of the above offences, as they are for all immigration offences, wherever there is sufficient evidence to do so. These cases are then referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where a decision on whether or not to prosecute is made. This decision is dependent upon the CPS’ assessment of the available evidence and whether or not it passes the CPS’ own public interest test. Information about the CPS’ decision making can be found here The Code for Crown Prosecutors | The Crown Prosecution Service.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what planning permissions has the Home Office obtained, or intends to obtain, in relation to the asylum seeker accommodation being proposed at the Crowborough, East Sussex military site; and what discussions has the department had with Wealden District Council on the proposed use.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate, and compliant with the relevant planning regulations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to develop a National Integration Strategy for asylum seekers and refugees as part of proposed reforms to the asylum system.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government’s Asylum and Returns Policy Statement published on 17 November 2025 announced transformative changes to the asylum system and safe and legal routes.

Successfully integrating refugees remains a key Government priority. Work is underway to operationalise the proposals set out in the statement, with careful consideration being given to how integration is prioritised in implementation. Further details will be provided in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2025, to Question 85951, on Asylum: Dental Services, which organisation provides the dental care for asylum seekers.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Asylum Support provisions are reviewed regularly to ensure that we remain compliant in meeting our legal obligations.

The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the health care, including dental treatment and support they need, while protecting local services.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 86426, on Asylum: Housing, If she will publish a copy of the pre-procurement documentation sent to potential suppliers of asylum accommodation for the next round of contracts.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The pre-procurement documentation for the Future Asylum Contract Transformation Project will not be published.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 86772, on Asylum: Housing, whether the Home Office holds an unpublished guidance or manual on assessing suitability.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided in PQ 86772.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 94151 on Terrorism: Victims, if she will take steps to ensure those involved in carrying out acts of terrorism are not (a) invited to the inaugural event in 2026 and (b) included in any commemoration.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

On 21 August each year, the nation will come together in remembrance and recognition of victims and survivors of terrorism.

The National Day will acknowledge and support victims and survivors of terrorism.

The Government will continue to closely engage victims and survivors ahead the inaugural event in 2026, to shape national day plans and ensure their needs are met.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Oral Statement of 19 November 2025 on China Espionage: Government Security Response, Official Report, column 614, if she will set out the proposed changes to the maximum penalties for election interference offences.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Foreign interference in British politics is a growing danger to our democracy, and it is imperative that we tackle this problem.

The changes announced in our Elections Strategy will keep our elections secure by boosting transparency and accountability in politics, closing down loopholes for foreign funding, and significantly increasing penalties by giving the Electoral Commission the power to impose fines up to £500,000 per offence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children were referred to Prevent in each year from 2015 to date by age.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Prevent aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It works to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are offered appropriate interventions and support, and that communities are protected against radicalising influences.

The number of referrals to the Prevent programme that concern children, grouped by age for the financial year 2024/25 has been published in the latest annual Prevent statistics publication: Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK. Data can be found on Table 4 within the annual data tables accompanying the publication.

The number of referrals to the Prevent programme that concern children, grouped by age and financial year since 2016/17 has been published in the annual 2023/24 Prevent statistics publication: Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV.UK. Data can be found on Table 4 within the annual data tables accompanying the publication.

For the year 2015/16, the official statistics publication reports that there were 4274 referrals for individuals under 20 years old (56% of all referrals). A break down specifically of referrals for children is not available for this year. The statistics can be found here: Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, April 2015 to March 2016.

The number of referrals reported includes individuals who had been referred more than once during the year. The number of individuals referred is not routinely reported in the official statistics.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether financial resources will be made available to charities and voluntary groups organising public events in order for them to comply with the provisions of the Terrorism (Protection Of Premises) Act 2025.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 will strengthen protective security and preparedness by requiring those responsible for certain premises and events, including those run by charities and voluntary groups, to consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack.

Whether the Act applies to particular premises or events will depend on several factors. Premises may be in scope if they consist of at least one building, are wholly or mainly used for one or more of the uses specified in Schedule 1, and 200 or more people can reasonably be expected to be present at the premises at the same time.

Events may be in scope if they take place in a building or on land, 800 or more people are reasonably expected to be present at the same time, and it is accessible to members of the public with measures in place to check that attendees satisfy a condition of entry (e.g. that they have paid, have a ticket or pass, or are members or guests of a club, association or similar body).

Therefore, smaller events or those not limited by such access control may not be in scope.

The Government recognises the importance of non-profit and volunteer-run events and is committed to supporting those responsible to prepare for the Act’s commencement, which will not be before April 2027.

As part of this support, the Home Office will publish statutory guidance before the Act comes into force. This guidance will assist those responsible to understand the Act’s requirements and will be designed to be easy to follow, requiring no particular expertise nor the use of third-party suppliers.

The person responsible for an event or premises that falls within scope of the Act will need to determine which procedures and/or measures are reasonably practicable. One size will not fit all, and the Act’s reasonably practicable requirement will enable businesses to consider what is proportionate to their circumstances.

For these reasons, the Government does not consider financial support necessary to deliver the Act’s requirements.

Further information on the Act, including on what constitutes a qualifying event or a qualifying premises, may be found in factsheets on Gov.UK - Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: factsheets - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a copy of the current version of the Home Office guidance entitled Hotel Contingency Asylum Accommodation: Local authority version.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Hotel Contingency Asylum Accommodation is procured under the Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC). The AASC are published and set out our requirements for the sourcing and procurement of accommodation, including how providers should work and consult with local authorities on a range of issues, from pressure on services, to security and the impact on the wider community.

You can find information about specific Home Office contracts using the Contracts Finder, which can be found here: Contracts Finder - gov.uk(opens in a new tab).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of recent illegal working arrests, how many have been removed from the United Kingdom.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Details of Immigration Enforcement activity to tackle illegal employment in the UK can be found in the Home Office’s published transparency data: Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of September 2025 - GOV.UK

Returns data can also be found in the Home Office’s published transparency data. This is not broken down by arrest location: Returns from the UK and enforcement activity - GOV.UK

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 85954, on Asylum: Housing, whether there is a guidance document that the Department follows when reviewing and considering a local authority objection.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided in PQ 85954.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of ending the use of asylum hotels on the use of dispersed accommodation in areas like Oldham; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of routinely publishing the number of properties procured for dispersed accommodation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has, since 2022, operated a system of Full Dispersal which works to ensure that asylum accommodation is spread equitably and fairly across the UK. Procurement of accommodation is driven by a set of evidence-based plans, which are refreshed every six months with Local Government, and which consider a range of factors, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion, to ensure that no one area is overburdened.

Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, and broken down into Local Authority area, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release.

Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 86342, whether there is an internal document that sets out her Department's new accommodation strategy.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Prime Minister has been clear he wants every asylum hotel closed by the end of this Parliament. In delivering that, every Department has been asked to look at what more it can do. Accordingly, we are reviewing the long-term strategy to reflect the work to exit hotels.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to reduce the time taken for decisions to be made on applications for the (a) Protective Security for Mosques Scheme and (b) Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.

Global and domestic events have heightened security concerns within faith communities, which has led to a significant increase in demand for protective security schemes offered by the Home Office. Additionally, following the violent disorder last year, the Home Office set up rapid security services to safeguard mosques and other places of worship. Delivering this support to a large number of places of worship has unfortunately also contributed to delays in processing applications for longer-term security measures.

I can assure you the Home Office is working as quickly as it can to process applications.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assess whether students arriving in the United Kingdom from Gaza have expressed support for Hamas or any other proscribed organisation operating in the Gaza Strip.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

All visa applicants are required to provide their biographic and biometric data to enable a range of security checks to be completed, including criminality checks.

Robust security checks are being undertaken on all individuals who enter the UK through the process to support eligible students to exit Gaza. Biometrics are collected as part of the visa application process and prior to travel to the UK.

The Home Office uses various tools to detect and disrupt travel by terrorists, by criminals and by individuals excluded from the UK; previously deported from the UK; or using lost, stolen or revoked documents and visas. This includes the use of domestic and international watchlists. The Home Office works with both law enforcement and wider government partners to ensure appropriate action is taken before travel or at the border when individuals of concern are identified. It would not be appropriate to provide further information about the nature and scope of security checks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of animals involved in LD50 tests by type of animal; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those tests.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office publishes detailed annual statistics on the use of animals in science, including procedures for acute and sub-toxicity testing methods such as LD50 (Lethal Dose 50) and LC50 (Lethal Concentration 50). According to the latest published figures for 2024, there were 11,992 procedures in this category, and the statistics include a breakdown by species.

All testing using protected animals, including the LD50 and LC50 tests, are subject to strict regulation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

These particular tests are internationally recognised methods for assessing toxicity and are required under guidelines set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations overseen by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Some authorised medicines in the UK necessitate quality control tests which require the use of animals, conducted to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of specific medicines. The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and has published a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption. The strategy is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with ecommerce sites on the online sale of human remains.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the urgent correspondence from the hon. Member for Torbay dated 12 November 2025 on the potential closure of the custody suite in Torbay.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

A response to this letter has been sent.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to stop the sale of human remains on ecommerce sites.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the level of prosecutions for immigration-related offences.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Prosecutions themselves are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 provides an array of new and stronger powers for law enforcement agencies to prevent organised immigration crime and bring further prosecutions against immigration related offences. These powers will, for example, make it a criminal offence to put lives in danger during a small boat crossing and will allow law enforcement to intercept smuggling gangs’ criminal activity earlier on in the investigations process. The Crown Prosecution Service has welcomed the package of new offences as it equips prosecutors with another tool to fight organised immigration crime, especially those involving dangerous Channel crossings.

The full Act can be found at legislation.co.uk: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/31/part/3/enacted and part 3 provides for ‘Offences relating to things for use in serious crime’.

Statistics published last week show there has been a 33% surge in smuggling arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets over the last 12 months. More information on this can be read at What is being done to stop organised immigration crime? - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the current level of conviction and sentencing patterns for immigration offences on immigration enforcement policy.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Statistics published last week show there has been a 33% surge in smuggling arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets over the last 12 months. What is being done to stop organised immigration crime? - GOV.UK

To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication. Information about convictions of immigration offences is not available in our published data. Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on detected irregular arrivals to the UK Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to deter small boat crossings in the English Channel.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government’s Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration. We are committed to tackling illegal migration and the criminal networks behind it.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 has now received Royal Assent and the overarching impact assessment for this can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-bill-2025-impact-assessment/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-bill-2025-impact-assessment-accessible#impact-assessment

The Government is continuously monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of our measures in place to tackle small boats. As stated in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the Border Security Command will be publishing an annual report, which must state the Commander’s views on the performance in the financial year of the border security system. This is set out in the Act here:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/31/section/4/enacted

Border security is fundamental to both our national security and economic security and evaluating our approach is a critical part of that.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of real human remains being advertised for sale on ecommerce sites.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve border security technology at ports of entry.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Immigration White Paper, published in May 2025, sets out a range of measures to transform the border, including using technology to maintain security at ports of entry.

The introduction of a ‘universal permission to travel’ requirement means that we know more about everyone wishing to travel to the UK including Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and eVisa holders. This will allow for more interventions to take place upstream, with enhanced data and intelligent technologies also being used to target interventions on arrival, as well as using facial comparison technology to deliver consistent identity verification. We are currently reviewing the findings of a contactless eGate pilot and will announce further information on its implementation in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2025, to Question 86767, on Counter-terrorism: expenditure, what is the methodology by which local authorities are threat-rated for the purposes of Prevent funding; and what is the methodology by which the Prevent funding to individual councils is calculated.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Each year the Home Office conducts an annual prioritisation exercise to understand which Local Authorities (LAs) are facing the highest threat from radicalisation to terrorism. The model is data-led and incorporates both quantitative and qualitative elements. It is regularly reviewed and adapted to ensure that it provides a sound basis to make effective evidence-based decisions.

The quantitative element of the model draws on counter-terrorism investigations data and arrests data for terrorism and terrorism-related offences; the number of cases that have been discussed at a Channel multi-agency panel or are being managed separately under the police-led process; community tension reports; hate crime data; Indices of Multiple Deprivation; and annual employment statistics.

As part of the qualitative element, we hold a series of regional roundtables with key Prevent delivery partners, which allows us to sense check the preliminary rankings and make adjustments by drawing on the knowledge and experience of front-line Prevent practitioners from across a range of sectors, including CT Policing; Department for Education; Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government; Health; and HM Prisons and Probation.

Funding for posts and dedicated projects is allocated as part of an annual bidding process, with funding allocations informed by factors including the amount of funding available, the level of threat, the level of funding provided for Prevent posts in the previous financial year, and inflation-related increases.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what work they are undertaking with London St Pancras Highspeed and Eurostar to review border controls at St Pancras station following the introduction of the UK electronic travel authorisation scheme, and the phased roll-out of the EES and ETIAS.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government continues to engage with the French Ministry of the Interior and Police aux Frontieres about border control at St Pancras, including on plans for EES and ETIAS. We are working closely with Eurostar and London St Pancras Highspeed to support them in mitigating any disruption. Ultimately outbound border control, including pre-registration for EES and automation at St Pancras is a matter for the French authorities and industry.

For inbound travel to St Pancras, the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation check takes place ahead of travel to the UK, therefore this has no impact on outbound border control at St Pancras.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision to stop investigating non-crime hate incidents on the rate of hate incidents in London, and what data they hold to support that assessment.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

All police forces in England and Wales continue to record non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) and retain them as intelligence, making local decisions, as appropriate on whether further investigation is appropriate. The Home Office does not collate data on NCHIs.

The College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council are currently undertaking a review of NCHIs, working closely with the Home Office. We look forward to receiving the final recommendations of the review shortly and will consider them carefully.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to allow greater automation of border controls at St Pancras station to support increased services through the Channel Tunnel, including to Germany and Switzerland.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government continues to engage with the French Ministry of the Interior and Police aux Frontieres about border control at St Pancras, including on plans for EES and ETIAS. We are working closely with Eurostar and London St Pancras Highspeed to support them in mitigating any disruption. Ultimately outbound border control, including pre-registration for EES and automation at St Pancras is a matter for the French authorities and industry.

For inbound travel to St Pancras, the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation check takes place ahead of travel to the UK, therefore this has no impact on outbound border control at St Pancras.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the use of pre-registration services to enable passengers to complete immigration processes before arriving at St Pancras station.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government continues to engage with the French Ministry of the Interior and Police aux Frontieres about border control at St Pancras, including on plans for EES and ETIAS. We are working closely with Eurostar and London St Pancras Highspeed to support them in mitigating any disruption. Ultimately outbound border control, including pre-registration for EES and automation at St Pancras is a matter for the French authorities and industry.

For inbound travel to St Pancras, the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation check takes place ahead of travel to the UK, therefore this has no impact on outbound border control at St Pancras.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the provisions of the Sentencing Bill which relate to the removal of foreign criminals from the United Kingdom are compatible with Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We have carried out an assessment of the compatibility of the provisions in the Sentencing Bill which relate to the removal of foreign criminals from the UK with Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.

The Government is currently appealing the scope and operation of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework before the higher Courts.

However, it is the Government’s view that the provisions are compatible with Article 2.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of technology-facilitated abuse incidents reported to the police in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold data on technology-facilitated abuse incidents recorded by police forces in England and Wales.

The rapid development of technology has provided additional spaces for technology facilitated abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) to be perpetrated and has equipped perpetrators with new ways to harass, intimidate, stalk and coerce women and girls. We will set out plans to address technology-facilitated VAWG, in our forthcoming Strategy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to disrupt organised criminal gangs involved in human trafficking.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery, including human trafficking and ensuring that victims are identified and supported and offenders are brought to justice. The Modern Slavery Action Plan for 2025-2026 sets out the Government’s ambition to do this.

Under the Action Plan, we are working closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and internationally, to share intelligence to identify organised criminal gangs and tackle the enablers of human trafficking to disrupt offending. This includes implementing measures through the Online Safety Act; providing support through the Modern Slavery Fund to tackle modern slavery at source and reduce the threat both overseas and to the UK; and commissioning research to better under the nexus between organised immigration crime and modern slavery, to identify new ways to break criminals’ business models.

The National Police Chief Council Lead for Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime is also developing a new national framework for investigating modern slavery, which is designed to support police officers at every stage of the investigative process to secure better outcomes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase support for victims of domestic abuse, including early intervention and safeguarding.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This government recognises the devastating impact of domestic abuse on victims, which is why we have set the ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. Prevention and early intervention will sit at the heart of the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, with a focus on addressing the root causes of VAWG including supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.

In May 2025 we announced a £19.9m investment to provide vital support to victims of VAWG, increase awareness of VAWG and actively prevent these horrific crimes. This includes over £6 million for national helplines supporting victims of domestic abuse, 'honour'-based abuse, revenge porn and stalking and £2.5m on prevention and early intervention.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and its delivery plan will include (a) funding and (b) measures to address technology-facilitated domestic abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all of its forms, including abuse facilitated by technology, is a top priority for this government, with an unprecedented mission to halve it within a decade. The rapid development of technology has provided additional spaces for VAWG and equipped perpetrators with new ways to harass, intimidate, stalk and coerce women and girls. We will set out plans to address technology-facilitated VAWG in our forthcoming Strategy.

Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 11th June, we are working through the details of funding for tackling VAWG over the Spending Review period of 2026-2029. We will provide further details on funding when departmental budget allocations have been finalised.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60158 on Victim Support Schemes: Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences, whether the funding announced for the 2025-26 financial year to help prevent such crimes is ringfenced.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse and sexual violence, is a top priority for this Government with a manifesto mission to halve VAWG in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach, underpinned by a new strategy which we aim to publish as soon as possible.

Ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments to retain sufficient flexibility to allocate funding within their settlements and respond effectively to emerging issues, ensuring the best use of public resources.

Home Office funding announced for VAWG in the financial year 2025-26 was not ring-fenced by HMT as part of phase one of the 2025 Spending Review settlement, and the Home Secretary retained discretion over budget allocations for VAWG funding.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have undergone specialist technology-facilitated domestic abuse training in each of the last five years.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The College of Policing is the responsible body for setting standards, developing curriculum and monitoring training delivery within policing, including the technology-facilitated domestic abuse training within Operation Modify.

In our manifesto, we committed to strengthening training on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) for policing to ensure that all officers have the right skills to investigate all VAWG offences, including technology-facilitated abuse.

In response to this, the Home Office has invested £13.1 million this year to launch the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP). This funding includes an uplift of nearly £2 million to deliver a robust package of training improvements across public protection crime types, including technology-facilitated abuse.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the recent visa reforms on workforce shortages in key sectors.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government’s approach is to link migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies, so that immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems in the UK. This approach will be important to enabling delivery of the Government’s broader agenda.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the Sentencing Bill with Article 2 of the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We have carried out an assessment of the compatibility of the Bill with Article 2 of the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework.

The Government is currently appealing the scope and operation of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework before the higher Courts.

It is the Government’s view that [the Bill] is compatible with the Protocol and the Framework.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent the provisions of the Sentencing Bill which relate to the removal of foreign criminals from the United Kingdom will apply to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The current deportation regime applies in Northern Ireland as it does in the rest of the UK. It is the government’s view that deportation powers are consistent across the UK and that clause 42 will apply UK wide.

We will do everything we can to remove foreign criminals and protect the public in Northern Ireland and all other parts of the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for attempting to impersonate someone else on a Secure English language test in each of the last five years.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The cost of providing the information requested would result in disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for cheating on Secure English language tests in each of the last five years.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The cost of providing the information requested would result in disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to address cases where DWP staff meet the annual Skilled Worker Visa salary threshold but are affected by the method used to calculate hourly pay.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

When assessing salaries for visa purposes, our approach is consistent with that taken in national minimum wage guidance, which states:

‘If you pay a salaried worker their normal salary while they are absent from work and this forms a part of their employment contract, the time of the absence counts towards the worker’s time worked for minimum wage purposes. For example, during rest breaks, lunch breaks, holidays, sickness absence or maternity / paternity / adoption leave.’

We do not plan to change our approach, as it could open up inconsistencies with wider employment regulation.

A decision on whether to amend employment contracts, so that salaries reflect the actual hours worked, would be for an employer to make.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support the freedom to pray silently in public places.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights. The government is committed to ensuring that individuals are protected from discrimination on the basis of religion or belief, and that they are able to hold and manifest their beliefs in a reasonable and lawful manner.

Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 introduced safe access zones of 150 metres around all abortion clinics in England and Wales. Within these zones, it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly influence someone’s decision to use or provide abortion services, obstruct them, or cause harassment or distress.

The legislation on safe access zones does not specify behaviours; it is for the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and courts, who are operationally independent, to determine whether an act meets the threshold. CPS guidance confirms that vigils or silent prayer could fall within scope depending on intent and circumstances (in annex A): https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offences-during-protests-demonstrations-or-campaigns.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to pause asylum accommodation evictions during the activation of a severe weather emergency protocol.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) protocols are now recognised standard operational practice in the Home Office.

Where SWEP is activated in a local authority area, if Service Users at the end of their move on period have not secured onward accommodation and are due to be evicted from asylum accommodation, Accommodation Providers will not actively pursue eviction, and this will be delayed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making it a statutory requirement for police officers to record how many suicides they attend.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not collect data from police about suicides they have attended and has no current plans to do so.

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Found: This includes working with the new NCVPP to apply learning from Operation Soteria, a pioneering, Home Office-funded

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Found: Introduction On August 13th, the Home Office released a statement saying that 10 new LFR vans are being

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Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to review the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to ensure it can effectively detect vehicles with obscured or altered number plates.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

No assessment of potential financial losses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates has been made.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

The DVLA is part of the British Standard Institute (BSI) committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates. The proposed amendments are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025. Officials are also considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers.

Standards on the use of automated number plate reader technology is a matter for the Home Office which issues guidance on its use as part of the National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement (NASPLE).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate the Government has made of the financial losses suffered by businesses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates to commit fuel theft or evade charges.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

No assessment of potential financial losses as a result of vehicles using obscured or false number plates has been made.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

The DVLA is part of the British Standard Institute (BSI) committee that has recently reviewed the current standard for number plates. The proposed amendments are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025. Officials are also considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers.

Standards on the use of automated number plate reader technology is a matter for the Home Office which issues guidance on its use as part of the National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement (NASPLE).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of search and rescue capacity in the English Channel; and what steps they are taking to strengthen life-saving provision.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

His Majesty's Government makes regular assessments of the adequacy of search and rescue capacity in the English Channel, in response to ever-changing operating patterns and the extremely high-risk appetite of the Organised Crime Networks that facilitate such crossings. In addition to the layered search and rescue response structure already in place, DfT, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and the Home Office Border Security Command are investigating options to increase the rescue capacity of Government-contracted surface assets in the Channel, while the MCA and Border Security Command are advancing plans to enhance the future provision of aviation search assets.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the upcoming Homelessness Strategy addresses homelessness among newly recognised refugees arising from the 28 day move-on period.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Through A National Plan to End Homelessness, the Cross-Government Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, the Home Office has committed to strengthen data sharing processes to ensure councils receive information from asylum accommodation providers for 100% of newly granted refugees at risk of homelessness, within two days of an asylum discontinuation of support notification. This supports early intervention by enabling councils to commence homelessness assessments.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Department or organisation will be responsible for meeting the costs associated with securing and preparing a new site for the Crowborough cadets, now that Crowborough Training Camp has ben earmarked to accommodate asylum seekers.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

An alternative temporary venue in Crowborough to deliver weeknight training has been identified by the Army Cadet Force. Its suitability is being reviewed by the Royal Navy Cadet Force and Royal Air Force Air Cadets.

The Ministry of Defence continues to work with the Home Office to assess the potential impact that housing asylum seekers on military bases could have on our Cadet Forces and future activities, and to develop any necessary mitigating actions.

We have been clear that our priority remains ensuring these developments have limited impact on our Cadets, and we will always apply the appropriate safeguarding measures so that Cadet programmes can continue to be delivered.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which official, team, or directorate within his Department is responsible for identifying a new training location for the Crowborough cadets, now that Crowborough Training Camp has been earmarked to accommodate asylum seekers.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

An alternative temporary venue in Crowborough to deliver weeknight training has been identified by the Army Cadet Force. Its suitability is being reviewed by the Royal Navy Cadet Force and Royal Air Force Air Cadets.

The Ministry of Defence continues to work with the Home Office to assess the potential impact that housing asylum seekers on military bases could have on our Cadet Forces and future activities, and to develop any necessary mitigating actions.

We have been clear that our priority remains ensuring these developments have limited impact on our Cadets, and we will always apply the appropriate safeguarding measures so that Cadet programmes can continue to be delivered.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many alternative sites are currently being assessed by his Department to accommodate the Crowborough cadets, following their proposed displacement from Crowborough Training Camp, to accommodate asylum seekers.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

An alternative temporary venue in Crowborough to deliver weeknight training has been identified by the Army Cadet Force. Its suitability is being reviewed by the Royal Navy Cadet Force and Royal Air Force Air Cadets.

The Ministry of Defence continues to work with the Home Office to assess the potential impact that housing asylum seekers on military bases could have on our Cadet Forces and future activities, and to develop any necessary mitigating actions.

We have been clear that our priority remains ensuring these developments have limited impact on our Cadets, and we will always apply the appropriate safeguarding measures so that Cadet programmes can continue to be delivered.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps are being taken to increase mobile connectivity in South Shropshire constituency.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Government continues to work closely with the mobile network operators (MNOs), ensuring that we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment, as well as identifying and addressing barriers to deployment where they exist and it is practical to do so.

In Ofcom’s Connected Nations Annual Report, published on 19 November 2025, it is reported that 4G is available across 88% of landmass in the South Shropshire constituency from all four MNOs, while 5G (combined standalone and non-standalone) is available outside 80% of premises in the constituency from at least one MNO.

Whilst the rollout of 5G infrastructure is primarily commercially driven, government’s Shared Rural Network programme continues to deliver 4G coverage improvements. The programme has upgraded and activated two government funded Home Office masts which are providing new coverage to the more rural parts of South Shropshire.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce reoffending rates among prolific offenders in Great Yarmouth town centre.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

In November 2024, the Home Office introduced Respect Orders to give police and local councils powers to ban persistent offenders from town centres. As well as prison sentences of up to two years, criminal courts will be able to issue unlimited fines and community orders, such as unpaid work, and curfews as punishment for breaching a Respect Order.

For those who persistently break the law, we are building 14,000 new prison places to make sure they are removed from the streets. Whilst in prison they will be expected to take part in education or learn new skills to make them more useful contributors to society after release.

The Probation Service's first priority is to protect the public. Anyone released from prison is subject to strict licence conditions, including exclusion zones where appropriate. If found to have breached these conditions they can be returned to prison.

The Probation Service puts in place services aimed at reducing re-offending by supporting the needs of people on probation in Great Yarmouth. These include providing support in obtaining and maintaining suitable accommodation, help with drug and alcohol dependency issues, assistance with personal wellbeing needs and a holistic service addressing all needs for women.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will establish a cross-government protocol with the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care setting out roles, referral routes and timescales between schools, police forces and health services when responding to allegations of child-on-child sexual abuse.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is taking the strongest action to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation. This includes setting up a new national inquiry, with which government departments will cooperate fully, to ensure we are tackling this vile crime and supporting victims and survivors.

Working Together is the national multi-agency statutory guidance for all practitioners working with children and their families. Local safeguarding partners (local authorities, police and health) already have a statutory duty to set out in their threshold document and local protocols the process for referrals, assessments, support and services for children who need help or protection. This guidance underpins Ofsted’s Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services framework.

We are also delivering the biggest reform to children’s social care in a generation, investing £2.4 billion in the Families First Partnership programme, introducing multi-agency child protection teams through our landmark Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill and establishing a national Child Protection Authority.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to lead international efforts to establish agreed standards for AI safety and ethics in fraud prevention; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK's on shaping global AI policies to combat scam operations.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK is leading international efforts to raise AI safety standards. Through the AI Security Institute we are building world-first public capabilities to test advanced AI systems and share methodologies internationally. We also work with our international partners across several multilateral organisations and standard bodies, including the G7, G20, UN, OECD, and GPAI to address a range of AI related issues.

Domestically, the Online Safety Act requires major platforms and search services to assess and mitigate fraud risks, including those amplified by AI, and take swift action to remove scam content on their platforms.

In addition, the Home Office will continue to ensure that Law Enforcement have the capabilities they need to tackle perpetrators who exploit the use of AI, while working closely with international partners and in partnership with the tech industry to build resilience and protect UK public and businesses.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of Home Office travel data used in determining immigration status; whether this has involved 24,000 families having their child benefit stopped; whether any failures in accurate determinations would breach the principles of accuracy, fairness and transparency set out in the UK General Data Protection Regulation; and whether they plan to cease the use of Home Office data in assessing immigration status.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC do not use Home Office international travel data to determine immigration status. HMRC uses the data as a starting point for identifying potential unreported absences from the UK. Undetected changes to an individual’s residency status are a leading cause of Child Benefit error and fraud.

HMRC’s Chief Executive wrote to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 November 2025 about this matter including the corrective action that HMRC is taking. This letter was subsequently published by the Committee on 18 November 2025.

It was understood from the outset and made clear by the Home Office that its international travel data could not be used in isolation to determine Child Benefit entitlement, therefore requiring HMRC to conduct its own checks and enquires with recipients to establish eligibility. The same data was used during a pilot in 2024 which allowed HMRC to focus their enquiries on less than 2% of recipients while preventing £17m in incorrect payments. This led to the expansion of the measure and investment in an additional 180 counter-fraud staff, announced at the Budget in 2024 and is expected to save around £350 million over the next five years.

When using international travel data complemented by a check of UK employment using the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system, HMRC will no longer suspend payments at the outset of its enquiries. Instead, recipients will be given at least one month to evidence their entitlement. HMRC will continue to iterate the process where its monitoring and learning suggests that it should make further changes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 86754 on Railways: Industrial Disputes and 2 December 2025 to Question 93782 on British Transport Police: Industrial Disputes, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Section 280 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 when applied to the British Transport Police.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Section 280 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 is applicable to the British Transport Police as it is for a Home Office force. The effect of section 280(1) is to remove police officers from the statutory protections set out in legislation for those who take industrial action. Therefore, if BTP constables were to strike they would have no access to the legal protections provided in the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 that other workers have when they strike. The definition of “police service” is set out in section 280(2) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and would include the constables of the British Transport Police.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the British Transport Police works with (a) her Department, (b) Network Rail and (b) train operating companies to reduce pedal-cycle theft at railway stations, including through collaboration on prevention measures such as secure cycle parking, lighting and CCTV coverage.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department is committed to working with the rail industry and the British Transport Police (BTP) to ensure that the railway remains a safe environment for passengers and rail staff.

BTP works in partnership with rail operators to make stations hostile environments for potential bike thieves with measures focused on cycle storage. The force frequently works with rail operators, local partners and Home Office police forces, to run public events that raise awareness of preventative measures passengers can take to deter criminals, and offer services such as offering free bike marking.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when statutory guidance will be produced on the duty to collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024; and what plans the Government has to ensure its implementation following the decision to abolish PCCs and the upcoming changes to integrated care boards.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

We will work closely with the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social care as Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Integrated Care Board reforms unfold and this will inform our consideration of implementation of the Duty to Collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. The Ministry of Justice has recently announced that it will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.

We are taking this opportunity to review and strengthen the commissioning and delivery of victims’ services. In light of the announcement to abolish the PCC function in May 2028, we will also explore changes to the delivery of victims funding to ensure this is delivered in the best way in the future.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 November (HL11797), what steps they take to ensure that those living in the vicinity of a prison are notified in the event that a foreign national offender is released without being deported immediately.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There is no mechanism to notify the public living in the vicinity of a prison if a Foreign National Offender (FNO) is released.

When a FNO is released into the community, they are subject to supervision and monitoring by the probation service in the same way British citizens released from prison would be. The Home Office will pursue removal of FNOs whether in prison or the community where a deportation order has been made.

The HMPPS Victim Contact Scheme provides a service for the victims of offenders who are convicted of a specified violent, sexual or terrorism offence and are sentenced to twelve months or more imprisonment. Victims who decide to receive the service are allocated a Victim Liaison Officer who will keep the victim updated on key stages throughout the sentence, including when the offender (whether FNO or not) is released.

In the year-ending October 2025, over 5,400 FNOs have been returned which is 12% higher than the 12 months prior.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings her Department has held with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to discuss (a) number plate cloning and (b) the use of ghost plates.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) co-chairs the Number Plate and ANPR Working Group with the National Police Chiefs Council. Members of the group include various police forces, the Department for Transport, the Home Office and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. The group meets bi-monthly to discuss number plate related matters, including cloned and ghost plates.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support SMEs to (a) implement cybersecurity measures and (b) procure AI systems securely; and whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing (i) subsidised support and (ii) guidance to tackle the cost pressures that prevent small businesses from adopting secure-by-design practices.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Improving the cyber security of our nation’s SMEs is critical to the resilience of the wider economy. The Government provides free tools, guidance, and training to help SMEs implement cyber security measures. This includes the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC’s) recently launched Cyber Action Toolkit which provides SMEs with tailored advice.

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and the NCSC, have introduced several voluntary Codes of Practice, covering Software, AI, and apps and app stores. These measures, co-designed with industry and experts, set minimum security requirements and support SMEs to securely adopt AI systems.

We will continue to work with industry and monitor the impact of these Codes of Practice. This will enable us to assess their effectiveness and consider further guidance and incentives to help SMEs confidently implement secure-by-design practices in a cost-efficient way. For immediate assistance, SMEs should get in touch with their regional Cyber Resilience Centre, which are run by the police and the Home Office, and offer free cyber advice and support to SMEs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written evidence submitted by the Home Office to the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry on the Home Office's management of asylum accommodation, AAC0141, HC 580, which local authorities are participating in pilots relating to the Accommodation Strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government is committed to ending the use of asylum hotels. To support that goal, we are investing £500 million in a new, more sustainable asylum accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities. This will help make available basic alternative accommodation so that it can be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed. Our ambition is that this investment will leave a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduce pressure on local housing markets.

This new funding will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels.

MHCLG and the Home Office are working closely with councils and devolved partners to co-design this approach. Funding allocations to local authorities are yet to be finalised and will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authorities are participating in asylum seeking housing pilots; and how much funding has been allocated to those pilots.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government is committed to ending the use of asylum hotels. To support that goal, we are investing £500 million in a new, more sustainable asylum accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities. This will help make available basic alternative accommodation so that it can be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed. Our ambition is that this investment will leave a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduce pressure on local housing markets.

This new funding will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels.

MHCLG and the Home Office are working closely with councils and devolved partners to co-design this approach. Funding allocations to local authorities are yet to be finalised and will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the British Transport Police's crime-screening policy introduced in August 2024, if she will publish the formal guidance for pedal-cycle theft (J13) and the operational factors used to determine when an offence is progressed to investigation; and if she will publish quarterly data showing the number of (a) pedal-cycle thefts reported, (b) investigated, and (c) closed without investigation, broken down by (i) cycle value and the (ii) availability of (A) CCTV and (B) witness evidence.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The British Transport Police (BTP), like their Home Office force counterparts, are operationally independent and decisions on whether to release guidance are for the Chief Constable to make.

Crime figures for the BTP are collated by the Home Office and published on the Office for National Statistics website.

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