Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she intends to publish guidance for (a) the Police and (b) the public on protests outside life science facilities using animals in research.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law.
There is no statutory requirement for the Home Office to produce guidance for this instrument. However, the Home Office will work with the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing as the regulations are implemented to ensure forces understand their operational responsibilities.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contracts her Department has with Migrant Help for the provision of services to asylum seekers.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office holds one contract with Migrant Help for the provision of asylum services. The overall value for the 10-year contract (2019-2029) is £235,000,000. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The AIRE – Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract held with Migrant Help includes 24-hour service provisions. Information on this contract is publicly available: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder
The Home Office holds contracts with the following companies for asylum related services. This information is publicly available:
Serco Ltd- AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mears Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited - CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder Contract start date 26 February 2023
Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder Contract start date 23 April 2025
Prepaid Financial Services Limited - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 27 February 2021
Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Contract Start date 1 March 2019
Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 16 September 2022
British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 9 February 2022
thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 29 February 2024
VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder Contract Start Date 6 August 2024
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals have had their visas revoked since 2010, broken down by type of grounds for refusal.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office do not currently publish data in relation to decisions to cancel permission to enter or permission to stay. The information requested can’t be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the results of the consultation on potential reforms to Section 24 of Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which closed on 13 June 2014.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
In 2014, the then Government commenced a public consultation seeking views on section 24, with the aim of increasing openness and transparency. This work was paused due to changes in administration in 2015.
Under this Government, the Home Office has been reviewing the matter internally, and the intention to clarify the position on Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 remains, taking account of the previous consultation.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of illegal migration on risks to the public.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Border Security Command (BSC) whose work is imperative not only to stop criminals from entering the UK via small boats in the first place but to stop anyone from making these dangerous journeys. This is why the BSC is working with partners internationally to tackle and disrupt organised immigration crime gangs.
All individuals arriving in the UK via small boats undergo a comprehensive screening process. This is designed to gather key information about each person, including any indicators of criminality.
As part of this process, the Home Office collects biometric data—such as facial images and fingerprints—to verify identity. These biometrics are checked against Home Office systems and other law enforcement databases, including Interpol’s wanted list. This enables us to identify individuals, assess whether they pose a risk to public safety, and determine any breaches of immigration law. These checks are essential to maintaining a secure, fair, and effective immigration system.
In line with the Refugee Convention, refugee status will be denied to those who have committed serious crimes, pose a danger to the community, or present a threat to national security.
For further details on security checks during the asylum screening process, please refer to Gov.UK.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the scale of illegal migration to the UK.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes statistics on detected arrivals via illegal routes to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on detected arrivals by illegal routes is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of September 2025.
The Government has taken significant steps to address illegal migration and its Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration. We are committed to tackling illegal migration and the criminal networks which facilitate it. Since July 2024, nearly 50,000 individuals without lawful status have been returned from the UK. Our agreement with France means that those arriving by small boats can be detained and returned to France.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of retrospective settlement changes proposed in their ‘Earned Settlement’ consultation on the UK's national resilience, specifically regarding the retention of cyber security and data science personnel in critical national infrastructure sectors.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement, in order to ease the impact of changes for particular groups or preserve already afforded permissions by the previous system. No transitional arrangements have been decided upon yet.
Details of the earned settlement model, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will be finalised following that consultation. The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of UK asylum and visa policies, in the context of Iranian nationals potentially seeking refuge.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK has a proud history of providing protection and we continue to welcome refugees and people in need through our safe and legal routes. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Our visa policy is kept under review. Iran is a visa national country, and we will assess any visa applications against the relevant immigration rules in the normal way.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure police are aware of the potential impact of violence against women and girls has on the number of people missing people.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we’ve made it our mission to halve it in a decade. We are deploying the full power of the state through our VAWG Strategy, which was published on 18th December 2025.
Every missing person case deserves a swift and thorough response from all safeguarding agencies. We also recognise the link between a person going missing and their vulnerability to violence against women and girls, which is why tackling VAWG remains central to our approach.
The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, established by the College of Policing, provides a comprehensive national framework that police forces in England and Wales must follow in missing person investigations. Within this, the National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes an annual report setting out available data on missing persons.
Missing People Ltd has been in receipt of Home Office funding for its core support services since 2011, including its helpline. This is in recognition of the work of the police as a multiagency safeguarding partner and the role in some missing cases.
Asked by: Michelle Welsh (Labour - Sherwood Forest)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of including missing people in future work to tackle violence against women and girls.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we’ve made it our mission to halve it in a decade. We are deploying the full power of the state through our VAWG Strategy, which was published on 18th December 2025.
Every missing person case deserves a swift and thorough response from all safeguarding agencies. We also recognise the link between a person going missing and their vulnerability to violence against women and girls, which is why tackling VAWG remains central to our approach.
The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, established by the College of Policing, provides a comprehensive national framework that police forces in England and Wales must follow in missing person investigations. Within this, the National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes an annual report setting out available data on missing persons.
Missing People Ltd has been in receipt of Home Office funding for its core support services since 2011, including its helpline. This is in recognition of the work of the police as a multiagency safeguarding partner and the role in some missing cases.