Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contribution by the Minister for Security of Column 160 during the National Security Ministerial Statement on 14 May 2026, when the Minister will write to the Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Hon. Member received a response on 10 June 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of de-radicalisation programmes.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has been made of the current terrorist threat level within the UK.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The threat to the UK from all forms of terrorism is currently assessed as SEVERE, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The UK National Threat Level is set independently of Government by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), who take into account a wide range of intelligence, to ensure it accurately reflects the threat of a terrorist attack in the UK.

The government continue to work closely with the police and intelligence agencies to monitor and respond to the full range of terrorist threats facing the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support the security of Hindu temples and events.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Government is committed to ensuring that Hindu communities, and all faith communities, are able to worship and gather in safety.

Hindu temples are eligible to apply to the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme, which provides funded protective security measures for places of worship and associated faith community centres in England and Wales that are at risk of hate crime. The scheme supports successful applicants who demonstrate vulnerability to hate crime by providing funded security measures including CCTV, alarms, secure doors and windows, fencing, lighting and entry systems. The scheme opens on an annual basis and will be open again later this year.

The Government also provides Faith Security Training, a free security awareness training course available to all faith communities, including Hindu communities, across England and Wales. It is designed to help faith communities strengthen security knowledge, improve preparedness and reduce the risk and impact of hate crime and other serious incidents at their places of worship. The training includes both multi-faith content and faith-specific modules, including bespoke Hindu content.

Where Hindu temples or event organisers have specific concerns regarding events, they should continue to engage with local police and local authorities, who can provide advice and support on safety and security planning.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that humanitarian organisations' operations are not inadvertently impacted by the National Security (State Threats) Bill; and whether they have considered a specific exemption for those organisations to provide legal certainty.

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

The National Security (State Threats) Bill will create a power for the Secretary of State to designate state and state-linked bodies involved in foreign power threat activity. The offences which follow aim to deter and disrupt those who support hostile activity.

It is neither the intention nor effect of the Bill to disrupt legitimate humanitarian activity, often carried out in difficult operating environments. There are safeguards and defences in the offences, as drafted, which prevent this from happening.

The Government has committed to working with humanitarian organisations to ensure the interpretation of the Bill is clear and does not impede their vital work. The Government accepted amendments in the House of Lords to address the humanitarian issue.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her department plans to facilitate biometrics checks in Gaza following the statement by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to the House on 24th June 2026 regarding the resumption of medical evacuations and student pathways.

Answered by Mike Tapp

All individuals who enter the UK as part of the Medevac and Student processes will be subject to robust security checks and will be required to submit their biometrics ahead of travel. This is a vital way of protecting the UK public from individuals who pose any national security, criminality or safeguarding risks.

Where individuals are approved for travel from Gaza, the Government will work with the authorities of a third country to facilitate the enrolment of biometrics before onward travel to the UK. We may waive in-person biometric requirements only for individuals medically certified as too ill to enrol. All those accompanying such individuals must also provide their biometrics in person and present valid travel documentation for everyone.

We are not able to offer a running commentary on operational matters. HMG will work closely with authorities in a third country to ensure individuals undertake biometric checks before coming to the UK.

Supporting Medevac and Student departures is a coordinated effort across HMG. Departures from Gaza remain highly complex and dependent on factors outside the UK Government’s control. As such, travel and timelines cannot be guaranteed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help students from Gaza who hold places at UK universities to come to the UK for studies beginning this year.

Answered by Mike Tapp

As confirmed in the Foreign Secretary’s statement of 24 June 2026, the Government has renewed support for high achieving students from Gaza to take up fully funded scholarships at UK universities for the 2026/27 academic year.

The Government will work closely with Devolved Governments, universities, international partners and relevant authorities to facilitate departures and onward travel. However, departures from Gaza remain highly complex and dependent on factors outside the UK Government’s control. As such, travel and timelines cannot be guaranteed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Leaders' declaration on the fight against drug trafficking, published on 17 June 2026, what additional resources she plans to commit to maritime interdiction operations.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Home Office and UK Law Enforcement, particularly Border Force and the National Crime Agency, delivers a significant amount of operational activity to detect and seize illicit drugs being trafficked to the UK and to secure our border. We do not routinely comment on operational deployments or operations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Home Secretary, when her Department plans to publish the annual report on the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The first FIRS annual report will be laid in Parliament as soon as practicable. The report will set out, among other things, the number of registrations, the number of information notices issued, the number of persons charged with an offence and the number of persons convicted of an offence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an ETA is required to go on holiday whilst on a 90 day work visa.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The ETA Scheme applies to those passengers visiting the UK (or transiting landside, passing through Immigration Control) who do not currently need a visa for short stays or do not have an immigration status prior to travelling.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness and impact of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The work done by the Defending Democracy Taskforce and its members is vital in tackling threats to our democracy. Parliament is regularly updated about the progress and priorities of the Defending Democracy Taskforce, most recently in March 2026 when the previous Security Minister provided a statement on its work.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of of insurance ghost broking conducted through social media and messaging platforms; and what steps her Department is taking to tackle that form of fraud.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of insurance ghost broking conducted through social media and messaging platforms?

• The Home Office does not hold data on the level of insurance ghost broking conducted through social media and messaging platforms.
• Reports of insurance broker fraud made to Action Fraud increased by 32% to 775 reports in the year ending September 2024 compared to 2023, and by a further 12% to 870 in the year ending September 2025 compared to 2024.
• The FCA reported that almost half of young drivers surveyed in April 2026 had purchased insurance through social media or messaging apps and highlighted the growing threat posed by ghost brokers operating through those channels.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle that form of fraud?

In October 2024, the Home Office launched the Insurance Fraud Charter committing insurers to identify and disrupt illegal insurance intermediaries and the websites used to promote bogus insurance products.

We support industry-led campaigns, including the Insurance Fraud Bureau’s Avoid Ghost Brokers campaign, and work with partners including the City of London Police’s Fraud Enforcement Department to disrupt organised insurance fraud networks.

In December 2025, the cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce published a package of measures to tackle uninsured driving, fraud and ghost broking, and support a more stable motor insurance market.

The Government has also regulated social media platforms through the Online Safety Act to do more to stop their platforms from being used as a vector for fraud. From around 2027, this will also include fraudulent adverts for the largest platforms.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help improve counter-terrorism intelligence sharing between agencies.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Counter-terrorism is a whole-of-government effort in response to a terrorist threat that is diverse, dynamic and complex. This work is underpinned by the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST.

Collaboration and information sharing is supported via regular engagement through the governance of the CONTEST system, which monitors the implementation of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy and ensures that we maintain effective co-ordination across government.

As set out in the latest iteration of the strategy, the Government is making transformational improvements to respond to the evolving threat landscape.

One example of how we have strengthened our approach is the development of the Counter-Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC). CTOC brings together professionals from across the national security community and wider public services, under one roof, enabling greater collaboration, information sharing and operational effectiveness.

We keep the delivery of CONTEST under constant review to ensure our approach remains fit for purpose in response to emerging risks and challenges.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has received briefings on Operation Hexagon conducted by Greater Manchester Police since 2019.

Answered by Natalie Fleet

Operation Hexagon was a police operation established by Greater Manchester Police in 2019 independently of Government.

The Home Office is not aware of having received briefings on Operation Hexagon and currently holds only information that is publicly available.

A manual search of the information requested has not been conducted, as it would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on Operation Hexagon conducted by Greater Manchester Police.

Answered by Natalie Fleet

Operation Hexagon was a police operation established by Greater Manchester Police in 2019 independently of Government.

The Home Office is not aware of having received briefings on Operation Hexagon and currently holds only information that is publicly available.

A manual search of the information requested has not been conducted, as it would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June to Question 8123 on Offences against Children: Disclosure of Information, if she will hold discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (b) the Secretary of State for Justice about (i) current levels of and (ii) future strategies to ensure consistency amongst Councils, Police and the CPS regarding data publishing on the background of child sexual offenders.

Answered by Natalie Fleet

The publication of data by local authorities and the Crown Prosecution Service are matters for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Attorney General respectively.

The Home Office is focused on delivering the recommendations from Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. This includes mandating more comprehensive collection of data by police forces, as well as working across government to ensure safeguarding agencies (including the police, local authorities, schools and health services) are using information and intelligence to disrupt and prosecute those committing these terrible crimes and ensure victims and survivors are protected.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make UK police resources available to liaise with the Moroccan authorities in relation to the disappearance of Inaayah Makda in Casablanca on 28 January 2026; and what discussions she has had with her Moroccan counterpart on action taken by police in that country following reports that witnesses have provided statements concerning alleged subsequent sightings.

Answered by Natalie Fleet

The Moroccan authorities hold primacy for the investigation into the disappearance of Inaayah Makda, and any request from the Moroccan authorities for assistance from UK law enforcement agencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

While the Home Secretary has not had discussions with representatives of the Moroccan authorities, consular assistance continues to be provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The Government has been assured by the Moroccan authorities that all leads, and any new leads, will be followed up appropriately.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the Inter-Ministerial Group on drugs (a) last met and (b) will next meet.

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

The Drugs Strategy Ministerial Forum (DSMF) brings together Ministers from six departments (the Home Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Department for Education and the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government), along with other departments as appropriate, to ensure cross-government accountability and join-up on a range of drug-related activity.

The last DSMF was held in December, and the next meeting is being planned for the autumn.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the training available to asylum application caseworkers; and whether they plan to revise the guidance for them.

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

There is a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework in place to support asylum decision makers. This is delivered by a dedicated team of senior grade trainers and technical experts.

The initial training for asylum decision makers is a 9-week programme designed to give an understanding of relevant legislation, policy, and the Refugee Convention. Alongside the initial training, a range of other technical training is available to decision makers to consolidate their learning, this includes a specialised course which focuses on assessing all medical evidence, training to help detect potentially fraudulent documents, training on identifying and making appropriate intelligence referrals, as well as training on how to respond to and consider any underlying factors, such as trauma, which may be evident in a claimant’s account. The wellbeing of decision makers is also addressed in training and covers issues such as vicarious trauma and resilience.

Training materials are subject to continuous review, informed by insights from policy, operational teams as well as independent expert stakeholders. When training has not been delivered for a period of time, it undergoes a formal and rigorous review process and is updated as necessary to ensure it remains accurate, relevant, and fully compliant before being delivered.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have paid to the government of France to stop illegal immigrants arriving from boats into the United Kingdom.

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

The UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration at our shared border. Joint work with France has prevented more than 44,000 crossing attempts since the last general election.

The UK and France have reached agreement on a deal covering the financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29, which aims to increase the number of personnel deployed by 53% and provide a significant increase in technological and intelligence resources to strengthen operations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 3 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the sponsorship system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 1 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the sponsorship system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 4 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the sponsorship system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt recommendation 2 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the sponsorship system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 9 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 8 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 13580, when her Department will publish the economic and equality impact assessments for the earned settlement system.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The consultation for the earned settlement model, as proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, was open to the public between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026.

Once the final model has been decided by the Home Secretary, the economic and equality impact assessments will be published.

We received over 200,000 responses from the public and organisations and are now considering all responses received. This will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 7 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 6 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 5 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing professional chess players to qualify for leave to remain in the UK under the a) International Sportsperson and b) Global Talent visa route; and if she will take steps to include professional chess within those categories.

Answered by Mike Tapp

There are no current plans to include chess players in either the International Sportsperson (ISP) visa route or the Global Talent visa route, but we keep all routes under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 10 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 14 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 13 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 12 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 11 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Leaders' declaration on the fight against drug trafficking, published on 17 June 2026, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to prevent organised criminal groups from infiltrating ports and logistics networks.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Home Office engages regularly with port operators, shipping companies and wider transport partners to support the security of the UK’s borders and supply chains, including to prevent drug trafficking and the facilitation of illegal migration. This includes ongoing engagement with industry to strengthen security practices, improve information sharing, and support collaboration with law enforcement and international partners.

Carriers also have an important role to play in protecting the integrity of the border. Through measures such as the Authority to Carry scheme, the Government works with carriers to prevent individuals who may pose an immigration or security risk from travelling to the UK.

The Government keeps its approach to tackling organised criminality in ports, logistics networks and transport routes under review. We work closely with operational partners and international counterparts to monitor threats, including the risk of organised criminal infiltration and the exploitation of services by organised crime groups, and to disrupt illicit activity through intelligence sharing and joint working.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Leaders' declaration on the fight against drug trafficking, published on 17 June 2026, what discussions she has had with port operators and shipping companies on strengthening security standards to prevent drug trafficking.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Home Office engages regularly with port operators, shipping companies and wider transport partners to support the security of the UK’s borders and supply chains, including to prevent drug trafficking and the facilitation of illegal migration. This includes ongoing engagement with industry to strengthen security practices, improve information sharing, and support collaboration with law enforcement and international partners.

Carriers also have an important role to play in protecting the integrity of the border. Through measures such as the Authority to Carry scheme, the Government works with carriers to prevent individuals who may pose an immigration or security risk from travelling to the UK.

The Government keeps its approach to tackling organised criminality in ports, logistics networks and transport routes under review. We work closely with operational partners and international counterparts to monitor threats, including the risk of organised criminal infiltration and the exploitation of services by organised crime groups, and to disrupt illicit activity through intelligence sharing and joint working.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department issued any (a) guidance and (b) policy updates on the handling of asylum claims from Sudanese nationals in 2023.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

All asylum and human rights claims, including those from Sudanese nationals, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.

In 2023, there was a process in place called the Streamlined Asylum Process for certain nationalities, including Sudanese nationals, who had claimed asylum before 7 March 2023. This process enabled asylum claims to be considered without a substantive interview, including through the use of an asylum questionnaire, where certain eligibility criteria were met. Decision‑makers were required to continue to apply the relevant Immigration Rules, country information and asylum policy guidance in all cases. The Streamlined Asylum Processing guidance setting this out was published on GOV.UK at the time. This guidance has been superseded and is no longer in use.

Following the conclusion of the streamlined asylum process for all nationalities, all adult claimants are now expected to attend a substantive asylum interview as part of the standard process. This gives them an opportunity to provide relevant evidence about why they need international protection, and it enables the person conducting the interview, to help draw out and test that evidence.

Asylum decision makers carefully consider each claimant’s protection needs by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information guidance. They receive extensive training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at:

Asylum decision making guidance (asylum instructions) - GOV.UK

Ministers receive a range of information relating to asylum operations and policy, including material relevant to particular cohorts, where this is necessary to support decision-making. The provision of such advice is an ongoing process and not limited to specific nationalities or timeframes.

The Department also maintains internal guidance for decision-makers, which is kept under review to ensure claims are considered in line with the appropriate legal framework.

The Home Office publishes Country Policy and Information Notes (CPINs), which provide comprehensive country of origin information, along with analysis, for use by Home Office decision makers when assessing protection and human rights claims. Each Note addresses the circumstances for specific groups, drawing from a broad range of sources such as media and local and international entities, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, all in line with relevant asylum policies and refugee law. Current versions of CPINs are published on GOV.UK, while historic versions are available on ecoi.net and Refworld. The following CPINS on Sudan were available to decision makers in 2023:

• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Nuba”, Document #2042769 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Opposition to the government [Version 3.0]”, Document #2049355 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Non-Arab Darfuris [Version 5.0]”, Document #2062863 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity / Expression [Version 1.0]”, Document #2073777 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Security situation [Version 1.0]”, Document #2093601 - ecoi.net (published in June 2023)
• UK Home Office (Author): “Report of a fact-finding mission to Khartoum, Sudan; Conducted between 10 and 17 August 2018”, Document #1452806 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Return of unsuccessful asylum seekers”, Document #1440156 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author), published by DIS – Danish Immigration Service: “Sudan, Situation of Persons from Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue”, Document #1145688 - ecoi.net

CPINs are kept under constant review and are updated periodically. A new CPIN on Sudan: Security situation was published in June 2023. It is available here: UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Security situation [Version 1.0]”, Document #2093601 - ecoi.net.

All asylum claims, including those from Sudanese nationals, are subject to appropriate screening and security checks. This includes consideration of identity, nationality and security matters, as well as any relevant exclusion considerations under the Refugee Convention. Leave is granted only where an individual meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules and it is appropriate to do so.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's Office press release entitled Leaders' declaration on tackling migrant smuggling, published on 17 June 2026, what discussions she has had with transport operators on preventing their services from being used to facilitate illegal migration.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Home Office engages regularly with port operators, shipping companies and wider transport partners to support the security of the UK’s borders and supply chains, including to prevent drug trafficking and the facilitation of illegal migration. This includes ongoing engagement with industry to strengthen security practices, improve information sharing, and support collaboration with law enforcement and international partners.

Carriers also have an important role to play in protecting the integrity of the border. Through measures such as the Authority to Carry scheme, the Government works with carriers to prevent individuals who may pose an immigration or security risk from travelling to the UK.

The Government keeps its approach to tackling organised criminality in ports, logistics networks and transport routes under review. We work closely with operational partners and international counterparts to monitor threats, including the risk of organised criminal infiltration and the exploitation of services by organised crime groups, and to disrupt illicit activity through intelligence sharing and joint working.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are currently being accommodated in hotels in each local authority area.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department made of country conditions in Sudan for the purpose of determining asylum claims in 2023; and what screening, security checks and exclusion criteria were applied before granting leave to remain to Sudanese nationals.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

All asylum and human rights claims, including those from Sudanese nationals, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.

In 2023, there was a process in place called the Streamlined Asylum Process for certain nationalities, including Sudanese nationals, who had claimed asylum before 7 March 2023. This process enabled asylum claims to be considered without a substantive interview, including through the use of an asylum questionnaire, where certain eligibility criteria were met. Decision‑makers were required to continue to apply the relevant Immigration Rules, country information and asylum policy guidance in all cases. The Streamlined Asylum Processing guidance setting this out was published on GOV.UK at the time. This guidance has been superseded and is no longer in use.

Following the conclusion of the streamlined asylum process for all nationalities, all adult claimants are now expected to attend a substantive asylum interview as part of the standard process. This gives them an opportunity to provide relevant evidence about why they need international protection, and it enables the person conducting the interview, to help draw out and test that evidence.

Asylum decision makers carefully consider each claimant’s protection needs by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information guidance. They receive extensive training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at:

Asylum decision making guidance (asylum instructions) - GOV.UK

Ministers receive a range of information relating to asylum operations and policy, including material relevant to particular cohorts, where this is necessary to support decision-making. The provision of such advice is an ongoing process and not limited to specific nationalities or timeframes.

The Department also maintains internal guidance for decision-makers, which is kept under review to ensure claims are considered in line with the appropriate legal framework.

The Home Office publishes Country Policy and Information Notes (CPINs), which provide comprehensive country of origin information, along with analysis, for use by Home Office decision makers when assessing protection and human rights claims. Each Note addresses the circumstances for specific groups, drawing from a broad range of sources such as media and local and international entities, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, all in line with relevant asylum policies and refugee law. Current versions of CPINs are published on GOV.UK, while historic versions are available on ecoi.net and Refworld. The following CPINS on Sudan were available to decision makers in 2023:

• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Nuba”, Document #2042769 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Opposition to the government [Version 3.0]”, Document #2049355 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Non-Arab Darfuris [Version 5.0]”, Document #2062863 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity / Expression [Version 1.0]”, Document #2073777 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Security situation [Version 1.0]”, Document #2093601 - ecoi.net (published in June 2023)
• UK Home Office (Author): “Report of a fact-finding mission to Khartoum, Sudan; Conducted between 10 and 17 August 2018”, Document #1452806 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Return of unsuccessful asylum seekers”, Document #1440156 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author), published by DIS – Danish Immigration Service: “Sudan, Situation of Persons from Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue”, Document #1145688 - ecoi.net

CPINs are kept under constant review and are updated periodically. A new CPIN on Sudan: Security situation was published in June 2023. It is available here: UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Security situation [Version 1.0]”, Document #2093601 - ecoi.net.

All asylum claims, including those from Sudanese nationals, are subject to appropriate screening and security checks. This includes consideration of identity, nationality and security matters, as well as any relevant exclusion considerations under the Refugee Convention. Leave is granted only where an individual meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules and it is appropriate to do so.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ministers in her Department received any (a) submissions and (b) briefings relating to the processing of asylum claims from Sudanese nationals in 2023.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

All asylum and human rights claims, including those from Sudanese nationals, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.

In 2023, there was a process in place called the Streamlined Asylum Process for certain nationalities, including Sudanese nationals, who had claimed asylum before 7 March 2023. This process enabled asylum claims to be considered without a substantive interview, including through the use of an asylum questionnaire, where certain eligibility criteria were met. Decision‑makers were required to continue to apply the relevant Immigration Rules, country information and asylum policy guidance in all cases. The Streamlined Asylum Processing guidance setting this out was published on GOV.UK at the time. This guidance has been superseded and is no longer in use.

Following the conclusion of the streamlined asylum process for all nationalities, all adult claimants are now expected to attend a substantive asylum interview as part of the standard process. This gives them an opportunity to provide relevant evidence about why they need international protection, and it enables the person conducting the interview, to help draw out and test that evidence.

Asylum decision makers carefully consider each claimant’s protection needs by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information guidance. They receive extensive training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at:

Asylum decision making guidance (asylum instructions) - GOV.UK

Ministers receive a range of information relating to asylum operations and policy, including material relevant to particular cohorts, where this is necessary to support decision-making. The provision of such advice is an ongoing process and not limited to specific nationalities or timeframes.

The Department also maintains internal guidance for decision-makers, which is kept under review to ensure claims are considered in line with the appropriate legal framework.

The Home Office publishes Country Policy and Information Notes (CPINs), which provide comprehensive country of origin information, along with analysis, for use by Home Office decision makers when assessing protection and human rights claims. Each Note addresses the circumstances for specific groups, drawing from a broad range of sources such as media and local and international entities, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, all in line with relevant asylum policies and refugee law. Current versions of CPINs are published on GOV.UK, while historic versions are available on ecoi.net and Refworld. The following CPINS on Sudan were available to decision makers in 2023:

• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Nuba”, Document #2042769 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Opposition to the government [Version 3.0]”, Document #2049355 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Non-Arab Darfuris [Version 5.0]”, Document #2062863 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity / Expression [Version 1.0]”, Document #2073777 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Security situation [Version 1.0]”, Document #2093601 - ecoi.net (published in June 2023)
• UK Home Office (Author): “Report of a fact-finding mission to Khartoum, Sudan; Conducted between 10 and 17 August 2018”, Document #1452806 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Return of unsuccessful asylum seekers”, Document #1440156 - ecoi.net
• UK Home Office (Author), published by DIS – Danish Immigration Service: “Sudan, Situation of Persons from Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue”, Document #1145688 - ecoi.net

CPINs are kept under constant review and are updated periodically. A new CPIN on Sudan: Security situation was published in June 2023. It is available here: UK Home Office (Author): “Country Policy and Information Note Sudan: Security situation [Version 1.0]”, Document #2093601 - ecoi.net.

All asylum claims, including those from Sudanese nationals, are subject to appropriate screening and security checks. This includes consideration of identity, nationality and security matters, as well as any relevant exclusion considerations under the Refugee Convention. Leave is granted only where an individual meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules and it is appropriate to do so.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what oversight and verification processes are applied to medical evidence provided by general practitioners in support of applications under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; whether guidance is issued to those practitioners; and whether those practitioners are part of standard NHS GP services and contracted healthcare provision linked to asylum accommodation, including hotels, dispersal accommodation, and contingency and military sites.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

For information on support provided under sections 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Table AS_01 of the Asylum Support Data in the Migration Transparency Datasets provides the total number of applications for S4 support, with data available back to 2010. This table can be used to address questions relating to overall volumes of section 4 support applications.

Further detail on grants of Section 4 support is available in Table Asy_09c within the Asylum summary tables (Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK), which shows the of number of decisions to grant section 4 support. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2026.

Healthcare for asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation including hotels and large, former military, sites is provided through the NHS in line with national guidance for newly arrived migrants.

The Home Office does not routinely publish average processing times for Section 4 support applications by application type, including applications made on medical grounds or applications for additional support. The Home Office categorises Section 4 support applications as either imminent, where there is an urgent need for support, or non-imminent. Between June 2025 and May 2026, applications categorised as imminent were completed in an average of 3 days, whilst non-imminent applications were completed in an average of 9 days. Delays can occur where additional information is required from applicants or other departments, or where specialist medical advice is required as part of the decision-making process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people whose asylum claims have been refused have (a) applied for and (b) been granted support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in the last five years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

For information on support provided under sections 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Table AS_01 of the Asylum Support Data in the Migration Transparency Datasets provides the total number of applications for S4 support, with data available back to 2010. This table can be used to address questions relating to overall volumes of section 4 support applications.

Further detail on grants of Section 4 support is available in Table Asy_09c within the Asylum summary tables (Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK), which shows the of number of decisions to grant section 4 support. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2026.

Healthcare for asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation including hotels and large, former military, sites is provided through the NHS in line with national guidance for newly arrived migrants.

The Home Office does not routinely publish average processing times for Section 4 support applications by application type, including applications made on medical grounds or applications for additional support. The Home Office categorises Section 4 support applications as either imminent, where there is an urgent need for support, or non-imminent. Between June 2025 and May 2026, applications categorised as imminent were completed in an average of 3 days, whilst non-imminent applications were completed in an average of 9 days. Delays can occur where additional information is required from applicants or other departments, or where specialist medical advice is required as part of the decision-making process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken from submission to decision was for applications for support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for (a) applications made on medical grounds and (b) applications for additional support in the last 12 months.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

For information on support provided under sections 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Table AS_01 of the Asylum Support Data in the Migration Transparency Datasets provides the total number of applications for S4 support, with data available back to 2010. This table can be used to address questions relating to overall volumes of section 4 support applications.

Further detail on grants of Section 4 support is available in Table Asy_09c within the Asylum summary tables (Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK), which shows the of number of decisions to grant section 4 support. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2026.

Healthcare for asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation including hotels and large, former military, sites is provided through the NHS in line with national guidance for newly arrived migrants.

The Home Office does not routinely publish average processing times for Section 4 support applications by application type, including applications made on medical grounds or applications for additional support. The Home Office categorises Section 4 support applications as either imminent, where there is an urgent need for support, or non-imminent. Between June 2025 and May 2026, applications categorised as imminent were completed in an average of 3 days, whilst non-imminent applications were completed in an average of 9 days. Delays can occur where additional information is required from applicants or other departments, or where specialist medical advice is required as part of the decision-making process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate potential delays in border processing during the summer holiday period for British travellers entering the EU.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation is a matter for the EU and its member states.

In August 2024, the UK Government provided £3.5 million to the three locations with juxtaposed French border controls - the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and St Pancras International - for additional kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and help keep waiting times to a minimum.

The Government is working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for EES and to promote flexible solutions for UK travellers. We continue to encourage the maximum use of flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK, and engaging the European Commission and member states to encourage a pragmatic approach.

A cross government communications group supports industry in communicating about EES to their customers. This includes providing industry with a toolkit of information and materials to use on their channels. As part of this public awareness campaign running since September 2025, EES messaging has also been shared across government social media channels targeting the British travelling public and through the media. GOV.UK pages also provide information to the public ahead of their journeys.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Entry/Exit System border check sites in the United Kingdom are operational.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation is a matter for the EU and its member states.

In August 2024, the UK Government provided £3.5 million to the three locations with juxtaposed French border controls - the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and St Pancras International - for additional kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and help keep waiting times to a minimum.

The Government is working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for EES and to promote flexible solutions for UK travellers. We continue to encourage the maximum use of flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK, and engaging the European Commission and member states to encourage a pragmatic approach.

A cross government communications group supports industry in communicating about EES to their customers. This includes providing industry with a toolkit of information and materials to use on their channels. As part of this public awareness campaign running since September 2025, EES messaging has also been shared across government social media channels targeting the British travelling public and through the media. GOV.UK pages also provide information to the public ahead of their journeys.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safeguarding implications of any local authority relying on age assessment guidance produced before the coming into force of Part 4 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the establishment of the National Age Assessment Board.

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

Responsibility for age assessment sits between the Home Office and local authorities. Local authorities are required to determine whether they have obligations towards an individual under the relevant children’s legislation and the Home Office needs to establish age for immigration purposes. Both are subject to legal duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Throughout 2026, Facial Age Estimation (FAE) technology will continue to undergo rigorous testing, ahead of expected implementation in 2027 for small boat arrivals at Western Jet Foil, where quick decisions are critical. This testing is being carried out across diverse groups, including different ethnicities, genders and age ranges, indicating promising performance and accuracy. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Metrology Institute (NMI) - world leading in establishing the most accurate metrology standards, science and technology, has been commissioned to carry out the independent review of testing and trial reports produced by the Home Office.

Testing and assurance is ongoing. Equalities impacts, the impacts on children (including our duties under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009) are being considered through ongoing testing, independent analysis and policy development, in line with legal advice and public sector equality duty obligations. In addition to the introduction of FAE technology, we have also begun work to utilise the regulation-making power under section 53 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, to codify the manner in which age assessments under sections 50 and 51 of the Act must be conducted.

These regulations, which would apply to decisions made both by local authorities and the National Age Assessment Board, will enable the creation of a clear and uniform set of standards and support decision-makers to achieve greater consistency in the way age is assessed, as well as endeavouring to ensure assessments can be carried out in a more efficient, proportionate manner. The regulations will be supported by detailed guidance for those conducting these assessments and will consolidate existing best practice principles and other existing published guidance, which follow caselaw set by the courts. Existing guidance will remain relevant until subsequent guidance is published.

We are planning targeted engagement to draw on the expertise and experience of specific relevant stakeholders, including local authorities and the Department for Education, and hearing children’s voices, which will be essential to the development of the regulations and guidance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of local authority guidance on age assessments for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, in particular whether such guidance is current and authoritative; and whether they will require local authorities to publish any such guidance.

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

Responsibility for age assessment sits between the Home Office and local authorities. Local authorities are required to determine whether they have obligations towards an individual under the relevant children’s legislation and the Home Office needs to establish age for immigration purposes. Both are subject to legal duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Throughout 2026, Facial Age Estimation (FAE) technology will continue to undergo rigorous testing, ahead of expected implementation in 2027 for small boat arrivals at Western Jet Foil, where quick decisions are critical. This testing is being carried out across diverse groups, including different ethnicities, genders and age ranges, indicating promising performance and accuracy. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Metrology Institute (NMI) - world leading in establishing the most accurate metrology standards, science and technology, has been commissioned to carry out the independent review of testing and trial reports produced by the Home Office.

Testing and assurance is ongoing. Equalities impacts, the impacts on children (including our duties under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009) are being considered through ongoing testing, independent analysis and policy development, in line with legal advice and public sector equality duty obligations. In addition to the introduction of FAE technology, we have also begun work to utilise the regulation-making power under section 53 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, to codify the manner in which age assessments under sections 50 and 51 of the Act must be conducted.

These regulations, which would apply to decisions made both by local authorities and the National Age Assessment Board, will enable the creation of a clear and uniform set of standards and support decision-makers to achieve greater consistency in the way age is assessed, as well as endeavouring to ensure assessments can be carried out in a more efficient, proportionate manner. The regulations will be supported by detailed guidance for those conducting these assessments and will consolidate existing best practice principles and other existing published guidance, which follow caselaw set by the courts. Existing guidance will remain relevant until subsequent guidance is published.

We are planning targeted engagement to draw on the expertise and experience of specific relevant stakeholders, including local authorities and the Department for Education, and hearing children’s voices, which will be essential to the development of the regulations and guidance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what key performance indicators are included in contracts with (a) Migrant Help and (b) the Refugee Council for the provision of asylum support services; what targets are set for those indicators; and how performance against those targets is (i) monitored and (ii) reported.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Migrant Help holds the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder.

The Refugee Council is contracted to provide the independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder. The published Contracts Finder notice for this contract reflects the original award and end date. However, the contract has subsequently been extended to December 2026, with provision for a further extension to March 2027.

The Home Office has a rigorous performance management regime for its contractor in this case the average call answering times are tracked and measured against contractual provisions.

The Cabinet Office publishes performance data for KPIs on the government’s most important contracts, which can be found at: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the average call answering times for asylum helplines; and what performance requirements are set for call handling times with contractors.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Migrant Help holds the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder.

The Refugee Council is contracted to provide the independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder. The published Contracts Finder notice for this contract reflects the original award and end date. However, the contract has subsequently been extended to December 2026, with provision for a further extension to March 2027.

The Home Office has a rigorous performance management regime for its contractor in this case the average call answering times are tracked and measured against contractual provisions.

The Cabinet Office publishes performance data for KPIs on the government’s most important contracts, which can be found at: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Entry/Exit System on waiting times at UK ports serving routes to the European Union.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation is a matter for the EU and its member states.

In August 2024, the UK Government provided £3.5 million to the three locations with juxtaposed French border controls - the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and St Pancras International - for additional kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and help keep waiting times to a minimum.

The Government is working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for EES and to promote flexible solutions for UK travellers. We continue to encourage the maximum use of flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK, and engaging the European Commission and member states to encourage a pragmatic approach.

A cross government communications group supports industry in communicating about EES to their customers. This includes providing industry with a toolkit of information and materials to use on their channels. As part of this public awareness campaign running since September 2025, EES messaging has also been shared across government social media channels targeting the British travelling public and through the media. GOV.UK pages also provide information to the public ahead of their journeys.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish (1) the internal Home Office report on the performance of facial age-estimation technology, (2) an equality impact assessment, and (3) a Child Rights Impact Assessment, before facial age-estimation technology is used to perform initial age assessments in a live decision-making setting.

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

Responsibility for age assessment sits between the Home Office and local authorities. Local authorities are required to determine whether they have obligations towards an individual under the relevant children’s legislation and the Home Office needs to establish age for immigration purposes. Both are subject to legal duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Throughout 2026, Facial Age Estimation (FAE) technology will continue to undergo rigorous testing, ahead of expected implementation in 2027 for small boat arrivals at Western Jet Foil, where quick decisions are critical. This testing is being carried out across diverse groups, including different ethnicities, genders and age ranges, indicating promising performance and accuracy. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Metrology Institute (NMI) - world leading in establishing the most accurate metrology standards, science and technology, has been commissioned to carry out the independent review of testing and trial reports produced by the Home Office.

Testing and assurance is ongoing. Equalities impacts, the impacts on children (including our duties under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009) are being considered through ongoing testing, independent analysis and policy development, in line with legal advice and public sector equality duty obligations. In addition to the introduction of FAE technology, we have also begun work to utilise the regulation-making power under section 53 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, to codify the manner in which age assessments under sections 50 and 51 of the Act must be conducted.

These regulations, which would apply to decisions made both by local authorities and the National Age Assessment Board, will enable the creation of a clear and uniform set of standards and support decision-makers to achieve greater consistency in the way age is assessed, as well as endeavouring to ensure assessments can be carried out in a more efficient, proportionate manner. The regulations will be supported by detailed guidance for those conducting these assessments and will consolidate existing best practice principles and other existing published guidance, which follow caselaw set by the courts. Existing guidance will remain relevant until subsequent guidance is published.

We are planning targeted engagement to draw on the expertise and experience of specific relevant stakeholders, including local authorities and the Department for Education, and hearing children’s voices, which will be essential to the development of the regulations and guidance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals whose asylum claims have been refused applied for support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

For information on support provided under sections 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Table AS_01 of the Asylum Support Data in the Migration Transparency Datasets provides the total number of applications for S4 support, with data available back to 2010. This table can be used to address questions relating to overall volumes of section 4 support applications.

Further detail on grants of Section 4 support is available in Table Asy_09c within the Asylum summary tables (Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK), which shows the of number of decisions to grant section 4 support. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2026.

Healthcare for asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation including hotels and large, former military, sites is provided through the NHS in line with national guidance for newly arrived migrants.

The Home Office does not routinely publish average processing times for Section 4 support applications by application type, including applications made on medical grounds or applications for additional support. The Home Office categorises Section 4 support applications as either imminent, where there is an urgent need for support, or non-imminent. Between June 2025 and May 2026, applications categorised as imminent were completed in an average of 3 days, whilst non-imminent applications were completed in an average of 9 days. Delays can occur where additional information is required from applicants or other departments, or where specialist medical advice is required as part of the decision-making process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) recreational, (b) leisure and (c) community activities are provided to asylum seekers housed at Crowborough Training Camp; what funding is allocated for such activities; and which organisations are responsible for delivering them.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Home Office engages with Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) organisations to provide activities on-site for residents. VCS organisations currently deliver football training sessions as well as percussion music workshops on-site and, following success elsewhere, on-site gardening projects are also being considered.

The Clearsprings Ready Homes (CRH) Activity Coordinators facilitate sporting activities on-site, delivering a range of indoor and outdoor activities for asylum seekers.

On-site activity is a crucial part of orderly management and ensuring the sites are as self-sufficient as possible.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a breakdown of the funding allocated to Entry/Exit System (EES) border check sites across the United Kingdom, including the amount spent on each individual site.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation is a matter for the EU and its member states.

In August 2024, the UK Government provided £3.5 million to the three locations with juxtaposed French border controls - the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and St Pancras International - for additional kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and help keep waiting times to a minimum.

The Government is working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for EES and to promote flexible solutions for UK travellers. We continue to encourage the maximum use of flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK, and engaging the European Commission and member states to encourage a pragmatic approach.

A cross government communications group supports industry in communicating about EES to their customers. This includes providing industry with a toolkit of information and materials to use on their channels. As part of this public awareness campaign running since September 2025, EES messaging has also been shared across government social media channels targeting the British travelling public and through the media. GOV.UK pages also provide information to the public ahead of their journeys.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much real terms funding was allocated to public awareness campaigns on the EU Entry Exit System prior to its implementation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation is a matter for the EU and its member states.

In August 2024, the UK Government provided £3.5 million to the three locations with juxtaposed French border controls - the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and St Pancras International - for additional kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and help keep waiting times to a minimum.

The Government is working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for EES and to promote flexible solutions for UK travellers. We continue to encourage the maximum use of flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK, and engaging the European Commission and member states to encourage a pragmatic approach.

A cross government communications group supports industry in communicating about EES to their customers. This includes providing industry with a toolkit of information and materials to use on their channels. As part of this public awareness campaign running since September 2025, EES messaging has also been shared across government social media channels targeting the British travelling public and through the media. GOV.UK pages also provide information to the public ahead of their journeys.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the EU's Entry/Exit System on UK travellers.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation is a matter for the EU and its member states.

In August 2024, the UK Government provided £3.5 million to the three locations with juxtaposed French border controls - the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and St Pancras International - for additional kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and help keep waiting times to a minimum.

The Government is working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for EES and to promote flexible solutions for UK travellers. We continue to encourage the maximum use of flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK, and engaging the European Commission and member states to encourage a pragmatic approach.

A cross government communications group supports industry in communicating about EES to their customers. This includes providing industry with a toolkit of information and materials to use on their channels. As part of this public awareness campaign running since September 2025, EES messaging has also been shared across government social media channels targeting the British travelling public and through the media. GOV.UK pages also provide information to the public ahead of their journeys.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) procedures and (b) mechanisms are in place to control entry and exit at the asylum accommodation site in Crowborough; and what guidance is issued to security staff on how to verify and differentiate between authorised individuals and visitors.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Clearsprings Ready Homes, an experienced specialist in asylum accommodation services, has been appointed by the Home Office to manage the site. They are responsible for ensuring the safe and secure operation of the accommodation and for providing wraparound support that meets the essential health and wellbeing needs of the asylum seekers.

Everyone entering or leaving sites are required to sign in and out at the front gate. This process is managed by the service provider’s security team and overseen by the Home Office Oversight and Assurance team, who are also based on site.

Awareness of authorised individuals is provided to the security team who maintain specific entry and exit logs for each organisation operating on-site. A separate visitor log is also kept, with Home Office and/or Provider approved visitors captured on specific dates. Anyone attending site not recorded on the authorised individuals or visitors log will be turned away.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the closure of asylum hotels doesn't lead to an increase in undocumented migrants dispersed in communities.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

This Government has committed to closing every asylum hotel as soon as possible, and by the end of this Parliament. Work is well under way, with more suitable sites, including military bases, being brought forward to ease pressure on communities.

The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers and local communities is of utmost importance. When a person claims asylum, we conduct mandatory identity and security checks. The biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data so we can establish whether the person is a threat to public safety. The asylum screening part of the process is based on an interview aimed at establishing: any vulnerabilities, any threat to the UK/UK interest, their journey to/history in the UK and the basis of their claim.

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

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of individuals accommodated at the asylum site in Crowborough at its opening remain in residence; and what proportion have subsequently left, including through relocation, grant of status, or removal.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Home Office does not give a live commentary on the number of asylum seekers accommodated at accommodation sites.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which 20 asylum hotels announced for closure on 29 June 2026 are expected to cease operating, and on what dates.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

This Government is committed to closing all hotels, and return them to their communities, by the end of this Parliament and delivering that promise.

As announced on 26 June 2026 twenty more hotels have closed, listed as follows:

• Dayz Away Lodge – Dudley, Black Country

• Holiday Inn Ashford Central – Ashford, Kent
• Best Western Atlantic – Chelmsford, Essex
• The Cisswood – Horsham, Sussex
• The Collection Hotel – Birmingham, West Midland
• Adagio – Leicester, East Midlands
• Norwich Hotel – Norwich, Norfolk
• Allerton Court - Northallerton, North Yorkshire
• Mercure George – Reading, Berkshire
• TLK Apartments – Bromley, Greater London
• Best Western Stoke – Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
• The Granby (1 The Hill) – Gravesham, Kent
• Hampton by Hilton – Bristol
• Delta Hotel Cheshunt – Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
• Episode Leamington – Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
• Oxford Witney Hotel – Oxford, Oxfordshire
• Shambrook – Bedford, Bedfordshire
• Bell hotel - Epping, Essex
• OYO Evesham hotel - Evesham, Worcestershire
• Best Western - Wembley, London

These are in addition to the eleven closed in April 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what feasibility assessments have been completed for each of the proposed former military sites announced on 29 June 2026.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been removed from the UK following the exhaustion of all asylum and immigration appeal rights since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office publishes statistics on returns from the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data on asylum-related returns, is available in table Ret_05 of the ‘Returns summary tables’. The latest data goes up to the year ending March 2026.

Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim or further submission at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been withdrawn, refused and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third-country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will have in determining eligibility for the proposed sponsored refugee scheme.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

As announced on 27 June, arrivals under the new safe and legal routes will start small and build over time. The number of arrivals will be carefully managed to align with the UK’s capacity to support refugees.

Refugee status will be determined in partnership with the UNHCR.

Further details of the new routes will be set out in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of refugees expected to enter under the proposed capped safe and legal sponsorship route each year.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

As announced on 27 June, arrivals under the new safe and legal routes will start small and build over time. The number of arrivals will be carefully managed to align with the UK’s capacity to support refugees.

Refugee status will be determined in partnership with the UNHCR.

Further details of the new routes will be set out in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the comparative cost of accommodating asylum seekers in (a) hotels and (b) Ministry of Defence sites per person per night.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Government has been very clear that hotels are not suitable for use to house asylum seekers and are committed to closing every single one and returning them to the communities for their intended use. The cost per person per night for any accommodation varies depending on utilisation and as we are now closing significant numbers of hotels that rate is skewed whilst hotels are being vacated. In October 2025 before the programme of hotel closures the cost was £145 per person per night. For large sites costs are site-specific and are dependent on the rate of increase of the population on the site.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's Office press release entitled Leaders' declaration on tackling migrant smuggling, published on 17 June 2026, what additional resources will be made available to the Border Security Command as a result of the commitments made in that declaration.

Answered by Mike Tapp

Approximately, 80% of migrants arriving via small boats debriefed by the Home Office stated that they have used social media at a point in their irregular migration journey, including to locate or communicate with an agent associated with an organised crime group.

The global operation of organised immigration crime for migrant smuggling and the borderless nature of the online environment means a collective international response to this online threat is therefore required. This is why online facilitation of migrant smuggling has been raised on the international agenda. The Home Secretary hosted counterparts from the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in September 2025 for the Five Country Ministerial where we committed to collective action on the online element of migrant smuggling. Similarly, the UK has endorsed the G7 Action Plan which features a commitment to tackling online facilitation of migrant smuggling.

The Border Security Command (BSC) provides strategic leadership across the border security system to disrupt the activity of organised crime groups which facilitate irregular migration. As part of this, the BSC has a dedicated policy team that is responsible for engaging with online industry, including social media companies, and developing policy interventions to disrupt the exploitation of the online environment for the facilitation of migrant smuggling. The Border Security Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 introduced offences specifically addressing the online element of migrant smuggling, such as the online advertising of unlawful immigration services. BSC officials also collaborate with international partners on the development of a global policy response to this threat; this includes engaging with them to aligning approaches and progress joint policy interventions.

BSC officials have developed effective and collaborative relationships with major social media companies to develop and strengthen the Government and industry’s collective response to the threat. This engagement has built mutual understanding of how organised criminals exploit platforms to advertise unlawful immigration services and increased activity to tackle this, therefore disrupting the gangs’ ability to exploit social media platforms. As a result of this collaboration with industry, we have ensured swift removal of unlawful immigration content, with over 28,000 accounts, pages and posts, identified by the Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) referred to social media platforms since 2024.

Furthermore, the BSC funds the Online Communications Centre (OCC) within the NCA which primarily focuses on operational disruption of the online element of organised immigration crime. The OCC utilises this funding in part to develop enhanced intelligence, data and online capabilities to identify and remove criminal content and target facilitators.

Lastly, the Online Safety Act places statutory duties which require online services, including social media companies, to identify and mitigate the risk of illegal content on their platforms, including unlawful immigration material. In addition, online services are required to implement robust measures and reporting systems to ensure they can swiftly remove illegal content once identified. Ofcom, as the regulator, is charged with implementing the measures within the Act and ensuring compliance. With the Act providing a suite of powers that they can utilise should they encounter non-compliance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's Office press release entitled Leaders' declaration on tackling migrant smuggling, published on 17 June 2026, what discussions she has had with social media companies on preventing the use of their platforms by migrant smugglers.

Answered by Mike Tapp

Approximately, 80% of migrants arriving via small boats debriefed by the Home Office stated that they have used social media at a point in their irregular migration journey, including to locate or communicate with an agent associated with an organised crime group.

The global operation of organised immigration crime for migrant smuggling and the borderless nature of the online environment means a collective international response to this online threat is therefore required. This is why online facilitation of migrant smuggling has been raised on the international agenda. The Home Secretary hosted counterparts from the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in September 2025 for the Five Country Ministerial where we committed to collective action on the online element of migrant smuggling. Similarly, the UK has endorsed the G7 Action Plan which features a commitment to tackling online facilitation of migrant smuggling.

The Border Security Command (BSC) provides strategic leadership across the border security system to disrupt the activity of organised crime groups which facilitate irregular migration. As part of this, the BSC has a dedicated policy team that is responsible for engaging with online industry, including social media companies, and developing policy interventions to disrupt the exploitation of the online environment for the facilitation of migrant smuggling. The Border Security Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 introduced offences specifically addressing the online element of migrant smuggling, such as the online advertising of unlawful immigration services. BSC officials also collaborate with international partners on the development of a global policy response to this threat; this includes engaging with them to aligning approaches and progress joint policy interventions.

BSC officials have developed effective and collaborative relationships with major social media companies to develop and strengthen the Government and industry’s collective response to the threat. This engagement has built mutual understanding of how organised criminals exploit platforms to advertise unlawful immigration services and increased activity to tackle this, therefore disrupting the gangs’ ability to exploit social media platforms. As a result of this collaboration with industry, we have ensured swift removal of unlawful immigration content, with over 28,000 accounts, pages and posts, identified by the Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) referred to social media platforms since 2024.

Furthermore, the BSC funds the Online Communications Centre (OCC) within the NCA which primarily focuses on operational disruption of the online element of organised immigration crime. The OCC utilises this funding in part to develop enhanced intelligence, data and online capabilities to identify and remove criminal content and target facilitators.

Lastly, the Online Safety Act places statutory duties which require online services, including social media companies, to identify and mitigate the risk of illegal content on their platforms, including unlawful immigration material. In addition, online services are required to implement robust measures and reporting systems to ensure they can swiftly remove illegal content once identified. Ofcom, as the regulator, is charged with implementing the measures within the Act and ensuring compliance. With the Act providing a suite of powers that they can utilise should they encounter non-compliance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's Office press release entitled Leaders' declaration on tackling migrant smuggling, published on 17 June 2026, what assessment she has made of the reduction in illegal migrant arrivals expected directly as a result of the measures agreed by G7 leaders.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The UK has played a leading role in driving G7 action on illegal migration and migrant smuggling, turning shared political commitments into more structured collective action. The G7 Action Plan, as agreed by Interior Ministers in 2024, is the framework through which we focus our cooperation, with the Evian Leaders’ Declaration reinforcing action to disrupt organised criminal networks, including online.

The UK will continue to contribute through, for example, our landmark Border Security Summit on tackling organised immigration crime, exploring with partners the full range of factors driving illegal migration; and via the introduction of our world-first Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons sanctions regime, striking at the profits gained by smugglers.

There is no single driver or solution in tackling illegal migration; progress depends on sustained, coordinated action across the system. We will keep working with G7 partners to disrupt smugglers’ business models and reduce illegal migration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's Office press release entitled Leaders' declaration on tackling migrant smuggling, published on 17 June 2026, what contribution the United Kingdom expects to make towards the implementation of the declaration's commitments.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The UK has played a leading role in driving G7 action on illegal migration and migrant smuggling, turning shared political commitments into more structured collective action. The G7 Action Plan, as agreed by Interior Ministers in 2024, is the framework through which we focus our cooperation, with the Evian Leaders’ Declaration reinforcing action to disrupt organised criminal networks, including online.

The UK will continue to contribute through, for example, our landmark Border Security Summit on tackling organised immigration crime, exploring with partners the full range of factors driving illegal migration; and via the introduction of our world-first Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons sanctions regime, striking at the profits gained by smugglers.

There is no single driver or solution in tackling illegal migration; progress depends on sustained, coordinated action across the system. We will keep working with G7 partners to disrupt smugglers’ business models and reduce illegal migration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's Office press release entitled Leaders' declaration on tackling migrant smuggling, published on 17 June 2026, what metrics will be used to assess the success of the declaration.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The UK has played a leading role in driving G7 action on illegal migration and migrant smuggling, turning shared political commitments into more structured collective action. The G7 Action Plan, as agreed by Interior Ministers in 2024, is the framework through which we focus our cooperation, with the Evian Leaders’ Declaration reinforcing action to disrupt organised criminal networks, including online.

The UK will continue to contribute through, for example, our landmark Border Security Summit on tackling organised immigration crime, exploring with partners the full range of factors driving illegal migration; and via the introduction of our world-first Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons sanctions regime, striking at the profits gained by smugglers.

There is no single driver or solution in tackling illegal migration; progress depends on sustained, coordinated action across the system. We will keep working with G7 partners to disrupt smugglers’ business models and reduce illegal migration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether Child Rights Impact Assessments conducted by the Home Office are equivalent to the Child Rights Impact Assessments conducted under the Department for Education template; and whether those assessments evaluate the impact of proposed asylum and immigration reforms against the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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

Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 places a legal duty on the Secretary of State to make arrangements for ensuring immigration, asylum, nationality and general customs functions are carried out with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK.

This legal duty requires us to develop policy in respect of children through the lens of safeguarding, welfare as well as the best interests of children as primary (although not the only consideration), as set out in our statutory guidance.

Accordingly, as policy development continues on this government’s asylum and immigration reforms, my policy teams will complete Home Office Children’s Impact Assessments. Section 55 is a bespoke statutory duty for the Home Office, and it is not an equivalent to assessments conducted by other government departments.

Home Office Ministers have committed to complete Children’s Impact Assessments in accordance with Section 55 but have made no such commitments to complete Children’s Rights Impact Assessments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish statistics on (a) eVisa errors, (b) cancellations of EUSS status and (c) EUSS status granted in error.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The statistics on eVisa errors are available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-immigration-status-evisa-ukvi-account-creation-data/evisa-error-correction-volumes-from-the-online-webform

There are currently no plans to publish the data for cancellations of EUSS status or for EUSS status granted in error. All statistical publications are subject to review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in organised crime activity across England and Wales.

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

This Government are committed to tackling serious and organised crime (SOC) in all forms, in line with the priorities set out by this Government on crime and policing and security, including the Safer Streets Mission and border security. The UK's response to SOC is delivered through a whole-system approach involving law enforcement and wider operational partners, operating at local, regional and national levels. The National Crime Agency (NCA) leads the national operational response to the most serious forms of organised and high-harm crime, while also setting priorities and coordinating activity across the wider system. Police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) deliver the majority of operational activity to disrupt organised crime groups (OCGs) affecting communities.

The NCA is charged with undertaking an annual assessment of the serious and organised crime (SOC) threat to the UK, including analysis of emerging and evolving trends in this threat. The National Strategic Assessment (NSA) 2026 of Serious Organised Crime can be found here.

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Found: decision-making 21 Impacts from other public services 24 Referral and collaboration 25 Inclusion of Home Office

Found: While the Home Office is the 5 sponsoring department for the Immigration and Asylum Bill, proposals

Found: The disclosure regime spans across the criminal justice system, and the Home Office, Attorney General

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Found: National Security Act (2023), which contains UK-wide provisions including FIRS, implemented by the UK Home Office

Found: A series of practical measures recommended by UKCVA and adopted by the Home Office streamlined the two

Found: body that would include representatives from a range of government departments including the Home Office

Found: DHSC, the Home Office, HMRC and the Ministry of Justice all face complex data challenges where the same

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Found: more consistently embedded within crossgovernment policymaking, including through HM Treasury, the Home Office

Found: Tourism policy is spread across multiple departments, including the Treasury, Home Office, DfT, DCMS,

Found: Home Office currently report the following ‘headroom’ per visitor visa / ETA product(s): Visit visa

Found: Tourism policy is affected by decisions across DCMS, DBT, DfT, HM Treasury, the Home Office and DSIT

Found: GOV.UK states that an ETA costs £20 and is permission to travel for eligible visitors. [4]  The Home Office

Found: Visas: The Home Office should introduce a competitive visa offering, with extensions of ETAs where possible

Found: This includes with DfT, DBT, the Home Office, DfE and DESNZ in relation to cruise tourism, the infrastructure

Found: Home Office, DWP and DCMS: publish an annual tourism workforce statement.

Found: DCMS should work with the Home Office and skills bodies on a tourism workforce transition note, because

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Found: The Home Office estimates that that means a cost to the UK economy in the region of up to £734 million

Found: opportunity to align policy levers across departments, particularly between DCMS, HM Treasury, the Home Office

Found: The Home Office and MHCLG have allocated additional funding to keep places of worship safer, whether

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Found: DCMS and the Home Office have worked closely with industry experts to develop tailored statutory guidance

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to receive toxicology results on the prosecution of drug driving offences.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the time taken to receive toxicology results on the prosecution of drug-driving offences.

Operational matters relating to evidential testing, forensic analysis and prosecutions are primarily for the police, the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle rural crime.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to tackling rural crime and safeguarding rural communities. That is why Defra has worked closely with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the 2025-28 Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy which was published in November 2025.

The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.

To tackle waste crimes specifically, including those taking place in rural areas, Defra published the Waste Crime Action Plan in March. It sets out the decisive measures that we are taking in England to prevent harm, disrupt and prosecute offenders and clean up the damage that they leave behind.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been issued to police forces and local authorities following repeal of the Vagrancy Act; whether additional funding has been allocated to support implementation; and whether Ministers received advice on potential operational risks or unintended consequences.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The government has introduced targeted replacement measures alongside repeal of the Vagrancy Act 1824 to ensure there are no gaps in powers available to protect community safety. The Home Office has issued information on the commencement of those measures and will update statutory guidance on the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to provide greater clarity on how relevant powers can be used in different circumstances. On the question of funding, I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 14018 on 7 July 2026.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Home Office about the operation of the Common Travel Area.

Answered by Hilary Benn

I have recently had discussions with the Home Office on immigration and the Common Travel Area following the recent public disorder in Northern Ireland in mid-June.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland joined the Minister of State for the Home Office at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Tuesday 7 July to discuss the operation of the Common Travel Area.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister has responsibility for supporting Mountain Rescue.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Mountain Rescue covers a broad range of capabilities provided by civilian, military, and voluntary responders. As such, individual departments sponsoring these various services are responsible for policy in those areas.

These departments include Home Office, DfT, and MOD, alongside relevant departments in devolved governments.

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Found: short-term resourcing shortfalls 26 Part Two Government workforce planning – lessons learned • The Home Office

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Found: 3,335 3,273 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 2,284 - 2,284 1,778 Home Office

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Found: Improvised Explosives 315 324 Total 2,268 2,135 Defence has a long-standing agreement in place with the Home Office

Found: 3,335 3,273 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 2,284 - 2,284 1,778 Home Office

Found: D SIT, in conjunction with Home Office, will lead on the overall design, build and delivery of the system

Found: D SIT, in conjunction with Home Office, will lead on the overall design, build and delivery of the system

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Found: • Upgraded over 80 Home Office masts during this reporting period for the SRN delivering new 4G coverage

Found: B3: Evidence of age and death Minor amendment to insert an additional example “Home Office immigration

Found: For information about giving evidence by video link for criminal cases, read the Home Office guidance

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Found: . • Utilise ISF funding to deliver a red- teaming project which will inform ongoing Home Office work

Found: The Home Office has also launched a consultation into increasing closure orders to give investigators

Found: children and babies as victims of domestic abuse as well as heightened risk in pregnancy 2026 Home Office

Found: government resilience arrangements should be brought under the CCA 2004. 6 Home Office

Found: government resilience arrangements should be brought under the CCA 2004. 6 Home Office

Found: Made 23/03/2026 Laid 25/03/2026 Came into force 01/04/2026 Home Office The Trafficking People

Found: Prior to running the Centre, Phil was a Civil Servant working for the Home Office, Ministry of Justice

Found: Implementation on the UK side will be led jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office

Found: Implementation on the UK side will be led jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office

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Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

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Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

Found: Related content Home Office press statement on small boat crossings For press enquiries, please contact

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Found: crackdown, led by the NCA and involving every UK police force, and Regional Organised Crime Unit, Home Office

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Found: Caroline brings over 20 years’ civil service experience across the Home Office, DWP, Ministry of Justice

Found: Caroline brings over 20 years’ civil service experience across the Home Office, DWP, Ministry of Justice

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