Home Office

The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure. The Home Office has been at the front line of this endeavour since 1782. As such, the Home Office plays a fundamental role in the security and economic prosperity of the United Kingdom.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Yvette Cooper
Home Secretary

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Conservative
Chris Philp (Con - Croydon South)
Shadow Home Secretary
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Lord Davies of Gower (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Home Office)
Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Home Office)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Alicia Kearns (Con - Rutland and Stamford)
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Home Office)
Ministers of State
Angela Eagle (Lab - Wallasey)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Diana Johnson (Lab - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Dan Jarvis (Lab - Barnsley North)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con - Life peer)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Seema Malhotra (LAB - Feltham and Heston)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Jess Phillips (Lab - Birmingham Yardley)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Thursday 13th March 2025
Terrorism Legislation Review
Written Statements
Select Committee Docs
Thursday 13th March 2025
09:01
Select Committee Inquiry
Wednesday 26th February 2025
Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls: Funding

This short inquiry is aimed at influencing the content of the Government’s new VAWG strategy, which is expected later this …

Written Answers
Friday 14th March 2025
Police Stations: Closures
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of …
Secondary Legislation
Wednesday 12th March 2025
Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) (Amendment) Order 2025
This Order amends the Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/2702) which requires certain passengers to hold a transit …
Bills
Tuesday 25th February 2025
Crime and Policing Bill 2024-26
A Bill to make provision about anti-social behaviour, offensive weapons, offences against people (including sexual offences), property offences, the criminal …
Dept. Publications
Friday 14th March 2025
16:22

Guidance

Home Office Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Feb. 24
Oral Questions
Jan. 28
Urgent Questions
Mar. 13
Written Statements
Mar. 12
Westminster Hall
Mar. 03
Adjournment Debate
View All Home Office Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Home Office does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Home Office has not passed any Acts during the 2024 Parliament

Home Office - Secondary Legislation

This Order amends the Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/2702) which requires certain passengers to hold a transit visa to pass through the United Kingdom without entering whilst transiting to another country.
This Order prescribes the control period under the Football Spectators Act 1989 (c. 37) (“the Act”) for the 2025 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Club World Cup in the United States of America. The control period begins on 9th June 2025, which is five days before the first match in the tournament, and ends when the last match in the tournament is finished or cancelled. The last match is due to be played on 13th July 2025.
View All Home Office Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petition Open
222,368 Signatures
(2,716 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
2,444 Signatures
(2,424 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
11,743 Signatures
(2,189 in the last 7 days)
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Open
222,368 Signatures
(2,716 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
35,159 Signatures
(95 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
33,030 Signatures
(193 in the last 7 days)
Petition Debates Contributed
222,368
c. 1,710 added daily
230,379
(Estimated)
26 May 2025
closes in 2 months, 1 week

We believe our country is facing serious challenges both from legal and illegal migration, and think the only way to deal with this is to suspend all immigration temporarily for 5 years.

View All Home Office Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Home Affairs Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Home Affairs Committee
Karen Bradley Portrait
Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 11th September 2024
Jake Richards Portrait
Jake Richards (Labour - Rother Valley)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Bell Ribeiro-Addy Portrait
Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Joani Reid Portrait
Joani Reid (Labour - East Kilbride and Strathaven)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Connor Rand Portrait
Connor Rand (Labour - Altrincham and Sale West)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Chris Murray Portrait
Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Margaret Mullane Portrait
Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Robbie Moore Portrait
Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Shaun Davies Portrait
Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Ben Maguire Portrait
Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Paul Kohler Portrait
Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Home Affairs Committee: Upcoming Events
Home Affairs Committee - Oral evidence
Asylum accommodation
18 Mar 2025, 2 p.m.
At 2:30pm: Oral evidence
Sachin Savur - Researcher at Institute for Government
Dr Lucy Mort - Senior Research Fellow at Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)
Professor Jonathan Darling - Professor in Human Geography at Durham University
At 3:30pm: Oral evidence
David Bolt - Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration at Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration

View calendar - Save to Calendar
Home Affairs Committee: Previous Inquiries
Home Office preparedness for Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Online Harms Gangs and youth crime The work of the Metropolitan Police Child sexual exploitation and the response to localised grooming: follow-up The work of HM Passport Office The work of the Immigration Directorates (2014 Q1) The work of the Border Force Home Affairs Committee - The work of the Home Secretary Radicalisation in schools Police, the media, and high-profile criminal investigations The work of the National Crime Agency 2014 Undercover policing: follow-up The work of the Immigration Directorates (2013 Q2-3) Leadership and standards in the police: follow-up The work of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Of Constabulary Drugs Female Genital Mutilation The work of the Immigration Directorates (2013 Q4) Reform of the Police Federation The work of the National Crime Agency The work of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Police investigations and the role of the CPS The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q2 2015) Countering extremism inquiry Reform of the Police Funding Formula inquiry The work of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration Migration crisis inquiry Psychoactive substances inquiry Counter-radicalisation one-off session Immigration: the situation in Calais one-off session The work of the Home Office The work of the Home Secretary The work of the Metropolitan Police inquiry Immigration: skill shortages inquiry International exchange of criminal records Police National Database inquiry Police bail Policing in London Police Information Notices ("Harassment warnings") The work of the Immigration Directorates (2014 Q3) Counter-terrorism (2015) Female genital mutilation: follow-up The work of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary European Arrest Warrant The work of the Immigration Directorates (2014 Q2) Serious and organised crime The work of the Permanent Secretary Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 College of Policing Out-of-Court Disposals Statutory Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill Police and Crime Commissioners Tobacco smuggling EU Justice and Home Affairs opt-out Policing and mental health Police and Crime Commissioners The work of the Home Office Immigration Cap Firearms Control Policing Immigration Cap - Terms Of Reference Second evidence session on Immigration Caps Specialist Operations Firearms submissions received Unauthorised tapping into or hacking of mobile communications Work of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre Rules governing enforced removals from the UK Extradition Lessons from the American experience of policing Impact of proposed restrictions on Tier 4 migration Government's review of Counter-Terrorism The work of the Home Secretary (2012) New Landscape of Policing Roots of Violent Radicalisation Policing Large Scale Disorder The work of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (2012) The work of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police The work of the UK Visas & Immigration Section E-crime Private Investigators Independent Police Complaints Commission Localised child grooming Leadership and standards in the police service Policing in London Olympics security Asylum The work of the UK Border Agency Human trafficking Counter-terrorism (2014) Hate crime and its violent consequences inquiry Counter-terrorism inquiry Domestic abuse inquiry Serious violence inquiry Windrush Children inquiry Immigration detention inquiry Post-Brexit migration policy inquiry EU policing and security cooperation inquiry Modern slavery inquiry Post Brexit migration inquiry Government preparations for Brexit inquiry Asylum accommodation inquiry Work of the Home Office inquiry Islamophobia inquiry The Macpherson Report: Twenty Years On inquiry English Channel crossings inquiry EU Settlement Scheme inquiry Home Office preparations for Brexit inquiry Police conduct and complaints inquiry Child migrants inquiry EU policing and security issues inquiry Immigration inquiry Brook House Immigration Removal Centre inquiry The work of the Home Secretary inquiry Policing for the future inquiry Home Office delivery of Brexit: immigration inquiry Home Office delivery of Brexit: policing and security cooperation inquiry Harassment and intimidation near abortion clinics Home Office delivery of Brexit: customs operations inquiry Immigration policy: principles for building consensus inquiry Antisemitism inquiry English-language testing inquiry Police diversity inquiry Prostitution inquiry The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q3 2015) inquiry College of Policing inquiry Police and Crime Commissioners inquiry Proceeds of crime inquiry Asylum accommodation The work of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Policing for the future: changing demands and new challenges The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q2 2016) inquiry Female Genital Mutilation inquiry Sharia councils inquiry The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q4 2015) inquiry The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q1 2016) inquiry Implications of the UK's exit from the European Union inquiry Hate crime and its violent consequences inquiry Migration and asylum Policing priorities Channel crossings Human Trafficking Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill Fraud Police and Crime Commissioners: 10 years on Policing of protests Non-contact sexual offences Fire and Rescue Service Summer 2024 disorder Asylum accommodation Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls: Funding Violence and abuse towards retail workers Post-Transition management of the border The UK’s offer of visa and settlement routes for residents of Hong Kong Asylum accommodation Counter-terrorism Domestic abuse English Channel crossings EU policing and security cooperation EU Settlement Scheme Government preparations for Brexit Home Office delivery of Brexit: policing and security cooperation Home Office delivery of Brexit: immigration Home Office preparations for Brexit Immigration detention Immigration policy: principles for building consensus Brook House Immigration Removal Centre The work of the Home Secretary Post Brexit migration Hate crime and its violent consequences Post-Brexit migration policy Islamophobia The Macpherson Report: Twenty Years On Modern slavery Police conduct and complaints Policing for the future Serious violence Windrush Children Work of the Home Office

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to enter a reciprocal agreement with the EU to enable visa-free travel entry for six months to EU Member States for UK citizens.

Article 492 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement already provides for the UK and the EU provide for visa-free travel for short-term visits in respect of their nationals in accordance with their domestic law.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how revenue generated from passport fees is allocated.

Revenue generated from passport fees contribute to the recovery of the costs provided for under section 86 of the Immigration Act 2016: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/19/section/86.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of (a) the number of contracts and (b) the value of those contracts for providing English language courses for refugees over the last three years.

The Government routinely publishes the details and costs of its procurement contracts on the contract finder website.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that police forces are sufficiently resourced to tackle crime rates.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 and represents a 6% cash increase and 3.5% real terms increase in funding.

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. That is why we have committed £200 million to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs in communities across the country.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of unexplained wealth orders that have been (a) requested by and (b) granted to the National Crime Agency each year from 2020 to 2024.

Between 2020 to 2024, the National Crime Agency (NCA) submitted two applications for unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) in 2023 with one being granted within the same year and the other being granted in 2024.

There are a number of variables which impact an operational decision to seek a UWO including: the ease with which evidence can be obtained from overseas; whether it would be proportionate to go to the High Court; and suitability of alternative investigatory powers.

The NCA has several other well-established powers under Part 8 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which they may use to compel information regarding the ownership of asset during an investigation such as Production Orders and Disclosure Orders. The NCA continues to review whether cases are suitable for a UWO.

The Government committed to report on the number of UWOs applied for and obtained each year under the Economic Crime Transparency and Enforcement Act 2022.

The report covering the 2023-24 period can be found at: Unexplained wealth orders: 2023 to 2024 annual report - GOV.UK

Dan Jarvis
Minister of State (Home Office)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a single independent inquiry into the (a) effectiveness of the Prevent programme and (b) adequacy of the handling of the cases involving (i) Axel Rudakubana and (ii) Ali Harbi Ali.

Significant improvements have been made to Prevent over the last few years and a further package of work to strengthen Prevent was announced by the Home Secretary in December 2024. New reforms include the creation for the first time of an independent Prevent Commissioner role. This dedicated permanent oversight function will provide continuous independent scrutiny of Prevent legislation, policy and delivery to maximise Prevent’s effectiveness. To begin this work swiftly, Lord David Anderson KC was announced as the interim Commissioner on 21 January.

In relation to the cases raised by the Rt Hon member, we have published the Prevent Learning Reviews into each case and tasked Lord Anderson with conducting a rapid review of both cases. Lord Anderson will identify whether there is further learning regarding the specific handling of each case; examine improvements made to Prevent since each case and determine whether they have sufficiently strengthened the Prevent system; and identify any remaining gaps or shortcomings that require further improvement. This review will be published and swift action will be taken to implement the findings.

The Home Secretary has already announced a public inquiry into the Southport attack. We are moving swiftly to set up the inquiry and we expect to announce further details later this month, after consultation with families and others most affected.

Dan Jarvis
Minister of State (Home Office)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the complete list is of different firearms types currently in service with police forces in England and Wales.

The types of firearms held by police forces are determined by individual chief constables in line with their assessment of threats and risks.

National capability is kept under constant review by individual police chiefs at a local level and by the National Armed Policing Lead and National Armed Policing Coordination Centre at a national level.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed closures of (a) Aldridge Police Station and (b) other local police stations on community safety.

The Home Office does not collect data on the number or location of police stations, or the impact of their closure. Police stations are just one of the ways people can access their local police services, including reporting online and by phone 24/7.

It is up to Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents) to make decisions on local resourcing and estates, including police stations. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their local knowledge and experience.

As part of the Safer Street Mission to reduce crime and increase public confidence in policing, the Government has introduced a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to transform neighbourhood policing. Each neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues.

We have also provided £200 million in FY 25/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood personnel. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the illegal use of off-road bikes.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced in Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on off-road bikes and other vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles.

This will allow the police to quickly remove anti-social vehicles and send a clear message to antisocial drivers that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of the Western Balkans as a transit route for irregular migration, arms smuggling and drug trafficking; and what concrete steps they have taken since June 2024 with European allies to strengthen partnerships aimed at disrupting criminal networks in the Western Balkans that facilitate irregular migration.

The Western Balkans is a notable transit route for third country nationals being trafficked to the UK, as well as being a route of concern for the trafficking of illicit commodities.

Since July 2024, this Government has sought to further cooperation across the region to target a range of threats from organised crime groups based in the Western Balkans. This has included agreeing a series of joint operational initiatives with Albania in December 2024 to further our work on preventing irregular migration and the smuggling of illicit commodities, and in November 2024 reaching new agreements with Kosovo and Serbia on preventing organised immigration crime, and with North Macedonia on working together to disrupt the activities of organised criminals who seek to undermine border security.

The UK is hosting the Berlin Process later this year, bringing together Western Balkan states and other European partners to discuss shared solutions to these issues.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing flooding under the statutory duties of English firefighters.

Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their general powers in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework.

The Home Office is undertaking further work alongside Defra, National Fire Chiefs Council and other relevant stakeholders to understand in more detail if there are gaps in the Fire and Rescue Services flooding response and resilience system.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to help tackle hate crimes against trans people in England and Wales.

All hate crimes, including those targeting the LGBT+ community, are completely unacceptable. This Government is determined to tackle these appalling crimes, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these offences.

We have already committed to ensuring parity of protection for LGBT+ and disabled people under the aggravated offences and will implement this change in an appropriate legislative vehicle in due course.

The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal, True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime - including transgender hate crime - do not have to visit a police station to report. We are also continuing to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub, which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime, providing expert advice to police to support them in investigating these abhorrent offences.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the annual cost of policing cannabis-related offences.

It is not possible from the available data to separate out the costs of policing these particular offences from other policing responsibilities, including in relation to other controlled substances.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support community-led initiatives focused on preventing knife crime.

The Home Office has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, to ensure at risk children and young people are supported in a more systematic way. The Government recognises the vital role community voices can play in the effective delivery of crime reduction initiatives.

This is why the Prevention Partnership model, and its associated functions will be designed in partnership with the communities it intends to support. As we continue to design the Young Futures Programme, we want to ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the existing Violence Reduction Units in this regard. In 2025/26 we are investing £49.7m in Violence Reduction Units, including making over £4.3m available to the West Midlands this year, and £14.4m to Serious Violence Duty Partnerships nationally.

Violence Reduction Units and Serious Violence Duty partnerships bring together key partners, including the local community, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area. As part of the 'whole system' approach to violence prevention, they are required to operate 'with and for' the community. This involves support for community-led and grass-roots organisations to deliver interventions that help to prevent violence, including knife crime.

The Prime Minister has also launched a Coalition to tackle the scourge of knife crime. The Coalition brings together key stakeholders, including community leaders, to help the Government develop an extensive understanding of what causes young people to be drawn into violence.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to improve educational support and engagement for vulnerable young people at risk of becoming involved in knife crime.

The Home Office has committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, to ensure at risk children and young people are supported in a more systematic way. The Government recognises the vital role community voices can play in the effective delivery of crime reduction initiatives.

This is why the Prevention Partnership model, and its associated functions will be designed in partnership with the communities it intends to support. As we continue to design the Young Futures Programme, we want to ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the existing Violence Reduction Units in this regard. In 2025/26 we are investing £49.7m in Violence Reduction Units, including making over £4.3m available to the West Midlands this year, and £14.4m to Serious Violence Duty Partnerships nationally.

Violence Reduction Units and Serious Violence Duty partnerships bring together key partners, including the local community, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area. As part of the 'whole system' approach to violence prevention, they are required to operate 'with and for' the community. This involves support for community-led and grass-roots organisations to deliver interventions that help to prevent violence, including knife crime.

The Prime Minister has also launched a Coalition to tackle the scourge of knife crime. The Coalition brings together key stakeholders, including community leaders, to help the Government develop an extensive understanding of what causes young people to be drawn into violence.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will outline the (a) content and (b) frequency of statelessness-specific training for her Department's statelessness determination unit.

Statelessness Determination training for caseworkers new to this work, consists of two weeks classroom training covering the Statelessness Convention and the relevant immigration rules and how these apply to statelessness casework with case studies.

After the initial classroom training, there is approximately nine weeks of mentoring where caseworkers complete statelessness casework with a mentor and are assessed with the aim to transition to independent case working.

After completing initial training and mentoring, caseworkers receive ongoing support and assessment through quality assurance from their technical specialist who is also available to assist with cases and casework queries. If new rules or legislation are introduced, training is delivered as and when required.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department employs anyone to work exclusively on statelessness determination applications.

The Home Office employs a small team which covers the issue of statelessness applications, but also routinely covers different, or additional work, as business needs and priorities require.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were refused statelessness status by her Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

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

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) restrictions on freedom of movement and (b) other preventative measures are placed on migrants who have (i) arrived in the UK illegally and (ii) been identified as supporters of foreign terrorist organisations.

We have a range of powers at our disposal including prosecution, detention and removal and will not seek to hesitate to use those, as appropriate, against individuals who arrive here illegally and seek to threaten the security of our country.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many contracts awarded to outside companies for the provision of services related to (a) refugees and (b) asylum have gone over budget in the last ten years.

The Home Office applies robust controls to the management of expenditure and performance in relation to all departmental contracts, including publishing on a quarterly basis the rating of the most important contracts against key performance indicators.

The specific information requested regarding a particular category of contracts is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department conducted any audits into services provided by contractors to refugees and asylum seekers in the last five years.

The Home Office applies robust controls to the management of expenditure and performance in relation to all departmental contracts, including publishing on a quarterly basis the rating of the most important contracts against key performance indicators.

The specific information requested regarding a particular category of contracts is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were granted statelessness status by her Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

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

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35834 on Immigration: Afghanistan, how many people who have been resettled or relocated under the Afghan Resettlement Programme were granted (a) Indefinite Leave to Enter and (b) Indefinite Leave to Remain (i) before and (ii) after 15th August 2021.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) brings together existing Afghan resettlement ACRS & ARAP into a single, efficient pipeline.

Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was launched on 1 April 2021. The UK formally opened the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) on 6 January 2022.

Statistics on individuals resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes are available in the Immigration System Statistics release. For a summary of the data, see the resettlement section of the ‘How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?’ chapter; for detailed data, see table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement datasets.

Afghan Operational Data is published quarterly and is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK

The latest release was on the 27 February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has provided to local authorities for the provision of refugee and asylum services in each of the last five years.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum and refugee expenditure on a regular basis in the Home Office Annual Report, available on gov.uk.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 34060 on Afghanistan: Resettlement, what the (a) required entry clearance processes and (b) relevant suitability requirements are that need to be met in order for family members to obtain entry clearance to the UK.

Applicants for the ARAP, including family member applicants, apply to the MoD for eligibility consideration. If found eligible, the MoD make an application for entry clearance to the Home Office on behalf of each eligible person, part of which requires the applicant to attend a visa application centre to submit their biometrics.

Suitability requirements are set out in Part 9 of the Immigration Rules: Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules part 9: grounds for refusal - Guidance - GOV.UK.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on housing asylum seekers in (a) Essex and (b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency since 2022.

Information on asylum expenditure is published on gov.uk in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting the adult social care sector from proposed increases in the certificate of sponsorship fee.

Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review.

However, there are no current plans to exempt the adult social care sector from the certificate of sponsorship fee increase.

A provisional estimate of the impact of increasing sponsorship fees is a less than 0.2% increase in the cost of hiring an average skilled worker.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders were (a) in prison and (b) living in the UK in the latest period for which data is available.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information which includes the number of foreign national offenders (FNOs), in the Offender management statistics quarterly - GOV.UK release, within the latest release of which covers the period up to 31 December 2024 data release.

The Home Office publishes the number of FNOs subject to deportation and living in the community within its Immigration Enforcement quarterly transparency release. The latest release can be found at: Immigration Enforcement data: Q4 2024 - GOV.UK.

The Home Office works tirelessly to clear legal barriers, secure documentation or overcome other impediments to a return, and between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025, there were 2,925 enforced and voluntary returns of FNOs. This is an increase of 21% compared to 2,422 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.

The Home Office continues to work closely with HMPPS (HM Prisons and Probation Service) to focus on driving up the returns of FNOs direct from prison, delivering 1,557 early removal scheme (ERS) returns, which is a 26% increase compared to 1,231 in the same period 12 months prior.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32366 on Undocumented Migrants: Organised Crime, if she will publish the agreed deliverables of the UK/Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce.

The taskforce is in the process of agreeing deliverables. As part of this we will consider what it may be possible to publish noting the critical importance of safeguarding the integrity of operational activity.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 2 (North East), procurement reference CF-0333500D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 5 (East Midlands), procurement reference CF-0334000D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 6 (East of England), procurement reference CF-0334100D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 8 (South West), procurement reference CF-0334500D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 4 (West Midlands), procurement reference CF-0333700D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 3 (Yorkshire & Humber), procurement reference CF-0333600D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 1 (North West), procurement reference CF-0319600D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme - Lot 7 (London), procurement reference CF-0334200D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's contract entitled Refugee Employability Programme, procurement reference CF-0276700D58000000L5A4EAK, what the total number of service users is.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to Question 30479 dated 21st February 2025.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
27th Feb 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of asylum seeker hotels; and whether there is a need to review the funding behind the scheme.

This government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.

We took immediate action to resolve that exceptional strain by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here. Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Home Office has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being.

It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with almost 17,00 people removed between 5 July and 31 January 2025.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 28420 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, when she plans to publish the Home Office annual report and accounts for 2024 to 2025.

The Home Office’s financial figures for 2024-25 will be subject to a full and detailed independent external audit by the National Audit Office, after the accounts close on 31st March 2025. Only after the conclusion of this audit, can the financial schedules and full report be completed, signed off, laid before Parliament and then published.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will offer indefinite right to remain for Ukrainians on the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme opened to applications on 4 February 2025, which enables Ukrainians in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes to apply for a further 18 months’ temporary permission to remain in the UK.

We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine to assist in the rebuilding of the country. It is important our approach respects these wishes.

This is why the temporary sanctuary Ukraine visa Schemes do not lead to settlement in the UK.

There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of age determination processes at the UK border.

There is no single age assessment technique, or combination of techniques, able to determine age with complete precision, but the Government continues to work to establish the best available processes and techniques to improve the accuracy of our age assessment results.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of suspected age misidentifications at the UK border in each of the last five years.

There is no single age assessment technique, or combination of techniques, able to determine age with complete precision, but the Government continues to work to establish the best available processes and techniques to improve the accuracy of our age assessment results.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to remove barriers for families of non-UK Armed Forces personnel to stay in the UK.

HM Armed Forces personnel are exempt from immigration control in service. Those who do not naturalise as British during service, can apply for settlement under Appendix HM Armed Forces of the Immigration Rules on discharge when their exemption from immigration control ends, up to 18 weeks before their discharge, or for two years after.

HM Armed Forces personnel can be accompanied by their family members, and there are special Immigration Rules in place to ensure that those who serve, have served, or their family members are not disadvantaged due to that service. This takes into account the unique nature of their service, the Armed Forces Covenant, and the recruitment and retention of HM Armed Forces personnel in order to maintain national security.

A manifesto commitment was made to “strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities by putting Armed Forces Covenant fully into law”, and to “scrap visa fees for non-UK veterans who have served for four or more years, and their dependants.”.

We continue to keep this policy under review in the context of our wider considerations of various aspects of the immigration system.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to para 2.19 of the National Audit Office report entitled Local Government financial sustainability, published in February 2025, HC691, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of demand for asylum accommodation on prices for local authorities to procure accommodation.

The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider LA obligations and plans.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
6th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will offer asylum and temporary travel documents to pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who need it through a number of safe and legal routes, including a route for British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders coming from Hong Kong. However, those non BNO passport holders who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of (a) 14 February 2025 to Question 30619 on Deportation and (b) 25 February 2025 to Question 33426, how many appeals against deportation orders have sought to rely on rights under the ECHR in the most recent period for which figures are available for and in which a manual review would not be of disproportionate cost.

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.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the need for a resettlement scheme to support Palestinian refugees seeking asylum in the UK.

The UK has a long history of providing protection through various resettlement routes to supporting the most vulnerable people in the world.

We keep all existing pathways under review and we are closely monitoring the events in Gaza,

Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available which allow a person to apply to work, study, settle or join family in the UK. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) technology companies, (b) legal experts and (c) privacy advocates on the potential implications for her policies of requiring companies to create backdoors into encrypted systems.

Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly meet with key stakeholders, including technology companies, legal experts and privacy advocates, on a range of policies and issues.

Details of Ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.

Dan Jarvis
Minister of State (Home Office)