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

James Cleverly
Home Secretary

Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Labour
Stephen Kinnock (Lab - Aberavon)
Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Immigration)
Dan Jarvis (Lab - Barnsley Central)
Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Security)
Alex Norris (Lab - Nottingham North)
Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Policing)
Ministers of State
Tom Tugendhat (Con - Tonbridge and Malling)
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Chris Philp (Con - Croydon South)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con - Life peer)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con - Life peer)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Laura Farris (Con - Newbury)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Scheduled Event
Tuesday 19th March 2024
Home Office
Orders and regulations - Main Chamber
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (Amendment of List of Safe States) Regulations 2024 and associated regret motion
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Scheduled Event
Tuesday 19th March 2024
15:45
Home Office
Orders and regulations - Grand Committee
19 Mar 2024, 3:45 p.m.
Strikes (Minimum Service Levels: Fire and Rescue Services) (England) Regulations 2024
View calendar
Scheduled Event
Monday 15th April 2024
14:30
Home Office
Oral questions - Main Chamber
15 Apr 2024, 2:30 p.m.
Home Office (including Topical Questions)
Save to Calendar
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Select Committee Docs
Thursday 14th March 2024
12:00
Select Committee Inquiry
Tuesday 27th February 2024
Fire and Rescue Service

The Home Affairs Committee holds a two-part inquiry to examine the workplace culture in the Fire and Rescue Service, following …

Written Answers
Monday 18th March 2024
Asylum: Community Development
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that asylum seekers housed in asylum accommodation have …
Secondary Legislation
Thursday 14th March 2024
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Fees) Order 2024
This Order prescribes the fees payable by the holder of a licence issued under section 2C of the Animals (Scientific …
Bills
Thursday 7th December 2023
Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill 2023-24
Make provision about the removal of certain migrants to the Republic of Rwanda.
Dept. Publications
Monday 18th March 2024
13:35

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
View All Home Office Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Introduced: 7th December 2023

Make provision about the removal of certain migrants to the Republic of Rwanda.

Commons Completed
Lords Completed
Ping-Pong

Last Event - Consideration Of Lords
Monday 18th March 2024
Introduced: 8th November 2023

A Bill to amend the Investigatory Powers Act 2016; to make provision about information supplied by, or relating to, the Judicial Commissioners; and for connected purposes.

Lords Completed
Commons - 60%

Last Event - Committee Stage
Thursday 7th March 2024
(Read Debate)
Next Event - Report Stage
Monday 25th March 2024
Introduced: 14th November 2023

A Bill To amend the criminal law; to make provision about criminal justice (including the powers and duties of the police) and about dealing with offenders; to make provision about confiscation and the use of monies in suspended accounts; to make other provision about the prevention and detection of crime and disorder; to make provision about begging, rough sleeping and anti-social behaviour; to make provision about the police; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 60%

Last Event - Committee Stage
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Acts of Parliament created in the 2019 Parliament

Introduced: 22nd September 2022

A Bill to make provision about economic crime and corporate transparency; to make further provision about companies, limited partnerships and other kinds of corporate entity; and to make provision about the registration of overseas entities.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 26th October 2023 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 7th March 2023

A Bill to Make provision for and in connection with the removal from the United Kingdom of persons who have entered or arrived in breach of immigration control; to make provision about detention for immigration purposes; to make provision about unaccompanied children; to make provision about victims of slavery or human trafficking; to make provision about leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom; to make provision about citizenship; to make provision about the inadmissibility of certain protection and certain human rights claims relating to immigration; to make provision about the maximum number of persons entering the United Kingdom annually using safe and legal routes; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 20th July 2023 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 11th May 2022

Make provision about threats to national security from espionage, sabotage and persons acting for foreign powers; about the extra-territorial application of Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007; about the award of damages in proceedings relating to national security and the payment of damages at risk of being used for the purposes of terrorism; about the availability of legal aid to persons connected with terrorism; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th July 2023 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 24th May 2023

A Bill to make provision for immigration restrictions to be disregarded for the purposes of the British Nationality Act 1981 in historical cases in which such restrictions were in practice disregarded.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th June 2023 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 11th May 2022

A Bill to make provision for new offences relating to public order; to make provision about stop and search powers; to make provision about the exercise of police functions relating to public order; to make provision about proceedings by the Secretary of State relating to protest-related activities; to make provision about serious disruption prevention orders; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 2nd May 2023 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 6th July 2021

Make provision about nationality, asylum and immigration; to make provision about victims of slavery or human trafficking; to provide a power for Tribunals to charge participants where their behaviour has wasted the Tribunal’s resources; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 1st March 2022

A Bill to Set up a register of overseas entities and their beneficial owners and require overseas entities who own land to register in certain circumstances; to make provision about unexplained wealth orders; and to make provision about sanctions.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 14th March 2022 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 3rd March 2020

To make provision in relation to domestic abuse; to make provision for and in connection with the establishment of a Domestic Abuse Commissioner; to prohibit cross-examination in person in family proceedings in certain circumstances; to make provision about certain violent or sexual offences, and offences involving other abusive behaviour, committed outside the United Kingdom; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2021 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 19th March 2020

A Bill to make provision about the application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 where a building contains two or more sets of domestic premises; and to confer power to amend that order in future for the purposes of changing the premises to which it applies.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2021 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 24th September 2020

A Bill to make provision for, and in connection with, the authorisation of criminal conduct in the course of, or otherwise in connection with, the conduct of covert human intelligence sources.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 1st March 2021 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 5th March 2020

A Bill to make provision to end rights to free movement of persons under retained EU law and to repeal other retained EU law relating to immigration; to confer power to modify retained direct EU legislation relating to social security co-ordination; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th November 2020 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 7th January 2020

A bill to create a power of arrest, without warrant, for the purpose of extraditing people for serious offences

This Bill received Royal Assent on 22nd October 2020 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 8th January 2020

To provide for the payment out of money provided by Parliament of expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State or a government department under, or in connection with, the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 8th June 2020 and was enacted into law.

Home Office - Secondary Legislation

This Order prescribes the fees payable by the holder of a licence issued under section 2C of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (c.14). This Order increases the fixed element of the fee from £915 to £1007 and the variable element from £299 to £329.
This Order amends the Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) Order 2000 (“the 2000 Order”).
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
10,471 Signatures
(6,180 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
10,166 Signatures
(1,980 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
2,222 Signatures
(1,230 in the last 7 days)
Petition Debates Contributed
256,618
Petition Closed
16 Sep 2021
closed 2 years, 6 months ago

The right to peaceful assembly and protest are fundamental principles of any democracy and the proposed part of this bill that gives the police new powers to tackle disruptive peaceful protests should be removed from The Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

188,650
Petition Closed
28 Aug 2022
closed 1 year, 6 months ago

Join other nations in providing a route to safety for refugees. Waive all visa requirements for Ukrainian passport holders arriving in the UK.

The Government is refusing to release official research on the characteristics of grooming gangs, claiming it is not in the “public interest”.

We, the British public, demand the release of the official research on grooming gangs undertaken by the Government in full.

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
Diana Johnson Portrait
Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Home Affairs Committee Chair since 15th December 2021
Tim Loughton Portrait
Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Adam Holloway Portrait
Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Simon Fell Portrait
Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Diane Abbott Portrait
Diane Abbott (Independent - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 11th May 2020
Carolyn Harris Portrait
Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 7th March 2022
Lee Anderson Portrait
Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 15th March 2022
James Daly Portrait
James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 27th June 2022
Marco Longhi Portrait
Marco Longhi (Conservative - Dudley North)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 9th January 2023
Alison Thewliss Portrait
Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 28th March 2023
Kim Johnson Portrait
Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 27th November 2023
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 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

13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with valid digital immigration status have been detained at the UK border for non-possession of physical immigration status documents in the last 12 months.

Border Force do not hold the data on people who have been detained for not possessing evidence of their permission to enter, obtained digitally, in an easily accessible format.

Immigration system statistics, year ending December 2023, are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2023.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
14th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the additional funding provided to the police in the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, will have a consequential impact on the police allocation formula.

The Government has announced an additional £234m will be invested in police productivity over the next four years.

This funding will be used to pilot or roll out cutting-edge technology such as live facial recognition, automation and the use of drones as first responders. It will also set up a Centre for Police Productivity to support police forces’ use of data and deliver this technology, maximising productivity and the use of AI.

Funding will be distributed to specific programmes and we are working with policing partners to allocate this funding. This funding will help all forces to free-up police officer time and improve performance.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the level of immigration to the UK for the past year; and how many individuals were granted visas for (1) work, (2) study, (3) family reunification, and (4) asylum.

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release]. Data on work and study visas granted are published in table Vis_D02, of the ‘Entry clearance detailed dataset’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release]. Data on family reunification visas granted are published in table Fam_D01 and data on the number of people applying for and being granted asylum are published in table Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#asylum-and-resettlement]. Information on how to use these datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to 2023 Q4.

Not everyone granted a visa will become an ‘immigrant’ as per the United Nations definition of a long-term migrant. Information regarding immigration and emigration is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ [https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=immigration&content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=relevance].

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2024 to Questions 16488 and 16489 on Visas: National Security, for what reason his Department does not publish this information.

Our caseworking systems do not include MI reporting that differentiates between the various non-conducive refusal types and so the information requested is not available in a reportable format.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of immigration on (1) public services, (2) housing, and (3) infrastructure.

The Government has been clear that net migration is too high and is determined to bring it down to sustainable levels to help protect public services and housing against unsustainable pressure.

In May 2023, the Government announced measures to restrict the number of overseas students able to bring dependants. On 4 December 2023, the Home Secretary announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration further. These include limitations on family dependants being brought in by care workers and senior care workers; increasing the salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route; commissioning the Migration Advisory Committee to review the Shortage Occupation List; and raising the minimum income requirement for Family visas progressively over the next few years. These measures are now being implemented and were the subject of a WMS by the Minister for Legal Migration and the Border on January 30th.

Taken together with the measures the Government announced in May 2023, this means that around 300,000 people who were eligible to come to the UK last year would not be able to do so in future.

We keep all our immigration policies under review and work closely with key government departments to ensure that the immigration system best serves the UK, reflects the public’s priorities and protects public services against undue pressure.

A full analysis of the impact of the package will be published in a regulatory impact assessment in due course.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what statistical evidence is held by the Home Office to support the claim made by former Home Secretary in the Daily Telegraph on 3 February that between 6 September 2022 and 13 November 2023, she “became aware of churches around the country facilitating industrial-scale bogus asylum claims”.

Every asylum claim is determined on its individual merits in line with our published policy and guidance. There are a small number of recent cases which have raised concerns that not all conversions are necessarily genuine and it is right we work with faith leaders to better understand these cases.

We are unable to comment further on the former Home Secretary’s remarks. She was reshuffled on 13th November 2023.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to develop engagement forums with asylum seeker and refugee communities.

We regularly engage with stakeholders through standalone meetings and various forums such as the Asylum Strategic Engagement Group, which includes organisations who both speak for and represent asylum seekers.

The Asylum Lived Experience Advisory Panel (ALEAP) is a regular engagement forum, which enables refugees with recent lived experience of the UK asylum system an opportunity to discuss the impact of Home Office policies and processes across their asylum journey.

It is important that we distinguish between individuals who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in his Department from £13.4m in 2019-20 to £17.1m in 2020-21.

In reference to your question, the Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA, formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles. The government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent. Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.

The Home Office detected error in 2019/20 was published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and in 2020/21 was published in the Fraud Landscape Report. The reasons for any increase are set out in these documents.

The PSFA assists ministerial departments and public bodies in their delivery of specialist fraud activity. In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fee for a project licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and using the funds generated to (a) support the further development of non-animal methods and (b) improve enforcement of the regulatory framework.

The Government charges fees for regulation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 on a full cost recovery basis. The Government has no plans to introduce a fee for project licences. The Government will shortly increase the current fees to maintain high standards of regulation.

The Government recently announced that it will double investment, from £10m to £20m per annum, in research to achieve the three Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) and develop non-animal alternatives. The Government will also publish a plan to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure effective border control and management of illegal immigration, in particular addressing any gaps in enforcement or security protocols.

Due to the steps we have taken, small boat arrivals fell by 36% in 2023 compared to the previous year; Albanian arrivals were down by over 90%. This reflects our continuing work with the French Government to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings from taking place.

Immigration Enforcement is taking robust action to tackle illegal migration through:

  • returning more than 25,000 people in 2023 who have no right to be in the UK, including more than 5,700 Albanians;
  • increasing the number of illegal working visits by over 68% as of September 2023, compared to the same period in 2022; and
  • disrupting organised crime groups, resulting in 246 arrests of people smugglers in 2023.

In terms of security protocols, the government does not routinely comment on individual cases or operational matters.

Our highest priority is protecting the safety and security of this country, which is why the UK has world-class police, security and intelligence agencies and a robust counter-terrorism framework in place.

As you would expect, security checks are already undertaken for all those identified arriving through illegal migration routes and law enforcement have the powers to deal with them appropriately.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police officers working in Child Abuse Investigation Teams had completed training in rape and sexual offences investigations by 12 March 2024, broken down by police force.

The Government recognises that having police officers with the right skills is critical in ensuring child abuse investigations are progressed and managed effectively. Given policing is operationally independent, it is the responsibility of Chief Constables to manage the allocation of officers to different crime types and to ensure they are appropriately trained and equipped to undertake investigations. The Home Office therefore does not hold the specific information requested.

The Government continues to invest in a range of work to strengthen law enforcement capacity and capability to tackle child sexual abuse, including developing and delivering an effective and victim-focused response. This includes funding policing’s Vulnerability, Knowledge and Practice Programme which aims to improve and coordinate police practice in protecting vulnerable people, including identifying and sharing best practice across police forces, as well as improving partnership responses.

Additionally, the College of Policing has developed the Specialist Child Abuse Investigators: Development Programme (SCAIDIP) - a specialist course aimed at developing investigators working within the child abuse investigation arena.

And in July 2023, the Government also announced that 2,000 officers will complete new specialist training on investigating rape and serious sexual offences by April this year. This will mean more officers building stronger cases and placing victims at the heart of their response. The College of Policing is confident that this commitment will be met.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Overhaul of criminal justice system delivers significant improvement for rape victims, published on 10 July 2023, how many extra police officers have been trained in investigating rape and sexual offences.

We recognise that specialist skills and knowledge is critical to ensuring rape and sexual offence cases are progressed and managed effectively.

We are supporting the College of Policing to improve the learning and development offer available to officers on rape and sexual offences. This includes developing new, academic-informed, training for investigators and officers likely to make initial contact with victims.

In July, we also announced that 2,000 officers will complete new specialist training on investigating these crimes by April, which will mean more officers building stronger cases and placing victims at the heart of their response. The College of Policing are confident that this commitment will be met and we will provide a further update shortly.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they can give to organisations providing support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine who want to refurbish boats confiscated from illegal English Channel crossings to help aid the demand for small boats for medical evacuations along the Dnipro River.

The migrant vessels, which this campaign is endeavouring to persuade the Home Office to send to Ukraine, are totally unsuitable for the purposes suggested. They have been assessed by Home Office experts as valueless from a military perspective and lethally dangerous otherwise, with at least 20 deaths linked to them since August 2023 alone.

The Home Office’s opposition to sending these vessels to Ukraine is well-founded and is informed by the assessment of border security and military experts.

The UK remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression. To date, we have provided almost £12bn in total military, humanitarian, and economic support. This includes £2.5bn in military aid for 2024/25, an increase of £200m on the previous two years.

We continue to work closely with the Ukrainian Government, together with our international partners, to ensure that their Armed Forces receive the support they need.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to UIN 17620 on 13th March 2024.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his oral statement of 12 March 2024 on Update on foreign national offenders, prisons and probation, in what roles the 400 additional caseworkers were previously working.

The additional caseworkers referenced in the oral statement of Secretary of State for Justice on 12 March 2024 are Home Office staff.

The 400 additional caseworkers are external recruits and were not transferred from other roles.

Michael Tomlinson
Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

The fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
1st Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Rwandan nationals have been granted (1) refugee status, or (2) other leave to remain, in the UK since April 2022; and what are the principal reasons for granting.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ on gov.uk. Data on initial decisions by nationality are published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. From April 2022 until December 2023, 9 main applicant Rwandan nationals were granted refugee permission and 1 main applicant was granted other leave.

All asylum and human rights claims lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, including those seeking asylum from Rwanda, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations, and against the background of relevant case law, policy guidance and the latest available country of origin information.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of (a) sexual assault, (b) physical assault and (c) harassment by staff have been made by detainees in detention centres in each of the last five years.

We operate a comprehensive complaints process in immigration removal centres, residential and non-residential short-term holding facilities (STHFs), pre-departure accommodation (PDA) and during escort. Complaints are managed in line with published guidance ‘Handling complaints in immigration removal centres’ - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and are recorded under predetermined categories; service complaints, minor misconduct complaints or serious misconduct complaints.

Data on the overall number of complaints received in each category is included in published data at Customer service operations data: Q4 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Michael Tomlinson
Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press notice entitled UK hosts world leaders for first Global Fraud Summit, published on 11 March 2024, if he will publish the evidential basis on which the statement was made that £3 billion was lost to overseas accounts last year as a result of fraud.

The £3 billion figure is an estimate of the UK fraud losses that either originated abroad or had an international element.

This estimate combines data on the fraud losses that was publicly available over the period of Financial Year 22/23 on the Action Fraud dashboard (the latest Action Fraud data can be found here NFIB Dashboard (Public) (arcgis.com), with the estimate that over 70% of fraud originated abroad or has an international element, which was published in the Fraud Strategy Tackling fraud and rebuilding trust (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will reinstate the digital application process for Ukrainians in the UK.

All Ukraine scheme application forms are accessed online. The application process which allowed Ukraine scheme applicants to use the UK Immigration ID Check app to provide facial biometrics was open to eligible Ukrainians outside of the UK until 7 December 2023. This process was only ever available for Ukrainians applying from outside of the UK. We keep the Ukraine schemes and application processes under constant review, including for Ukrainians in the UK.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 137 of the Fraud Strategy, published on 3 May 2023, whether any country considered by his Department to be financially benefiting from fraud was in attendance at the Global Fraud Summit held at Lancaster House from 11-12 March 2024.

We currently have no assessment of which countries are benefitting from fraud.

We are determined that through strong international collaboration, we will raise global standards and push forward a co-ordinated approach to tackle fraud.

This is why we hosted the first Global Fraud Summit and agreed an ambitious plan for tackling fraud across the world.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
12th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether representatives of (a) India, (b) the Philippines, (c) Indonesia, (d) Nigeria, (e) Ghana and (f) South Africa were invited to the Global Fraud Summit held at Lancaster House from 11-12 March 2024.

The Home Secretary convened the first ever Global Fraud Summit, featuring Ministers and representatives from across 11 countries as well as international institutions to agree a co-ordinated action plan to dismantle international fraud networks. With over 70% of the UK fraud threat having an overseas element, strengthening international collaboration is critical.

The countries included in the summit were those with a similar pattern of victimisation, aiming to develop joint working and share best practice. We are also working bilaterally with a number of countries, including some of the ones listed in the question and have already agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Government which includes a strategic dialogue on online fraud.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2024 to Question 12789 on Offences against Children, what steps is he taking to incorporate paragraph 35 of General Comment 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to allow the (a) police and (b) other public authorities to investigate child welfare and safeguarding when an individual is suspected of a violent animal welfare offence.

We believe our existing domestic legislation gives effect to the rights within the UNCRC, without the need for it to be incorporated through an additional Bill. For example, the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004 sets out a range of duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Laura Farris
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to work with Cabinet colleagues on visas for representatives of international NGOs to take part in (a) advocacy meetings and (b) other UK-hosted events.

UKVI routinely works with colleagues across Government, including the Cabinet Office, to ensure attendees to UK supported events are able to proceed legally and securely.

Employees of certain international organisations based in, or with offices in, the UK who have been recruited overseas, as well as representatives and officials of the international organisations listed when travelling to the UK in their official capacity on the official business of that organisation, are exempt from immigration control. Employees of the international organisations listed on the following site would qualify for exempt entry clearances: List of International organisations whose employees qualify for exempt entry clearances (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

When a visa is required, UKVI works towards a 15 working day customer service standard, which includes options for priority (5 working days) and super priority (24 hours) decisions where available.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his planned timetable is for establishing a process by which Ukrainians who did not receive a 1A stamp on arrival to the UK are able to apply for a biometric residence permit and extend their leave to remain.

We are aware of occasions where Ukrainians did not have their passport endorsed by an immigration official on arrival to the UK. Measures have been taken to prevent this from occurring in the future, and steps are being taken to progress those applications affected.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of proposals to house asylum seekers at the former RAF base at Scampton.

Cost information is prospective and commercially sensitive, and as such is not available to be released. The pressure on the asylum system from small boat arrivals has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which are more appropriate and offer better value for the taxpayer than expensive hotels.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding asylum claims there are.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum claims awaiting an initial decision is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate to December 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 15272 on Aviation: Passengers, if he will estimate the number of general aviation flights that landed in the UK without providing advance passenger information in each year since 2015.

Given our commitment to protecting the UK from harm, I remain unable to share figures which can reveal operational practices that could be exploited to evade border controls.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism entitled Visa system forces care workers to stay silent on rape and abuse, published on 11 March 2024.

The Government strongly condemns any allegations of such abuse.

Anyone who has witnessed or been the victim of criminal activity should, in the first instance, contact the police.

The UK’s sponsorship system has a built-in compliance framework, which has strong safeguards to prevent sponsors from engaging in illegal employment practices.

Sponsors are required to comply with UK laws, including wider employment law (such as working hours and meeting minimum salary requirements). UKVI have powers to revoke a licence where any of the key personnel named on it are convicted of certain serious offences. UKVI regularly visits premises to check sponsor compliance with the duties and requirements set out in the sponsor guidance, and this is frequently done alongside the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, whose specific remit is to protect vulnerable and exploited workers.

Employers in the health and care sector are also expected to adhere to the Department’s Health and Social Care’s Code of Practice for international recruitment. This sets out clear routes of escalation for anyone with concerns about exploitative recruitment or employment practices. It can be accessed here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel-in-england.

Anyone who has witnessed or has been the victim of immigration abuse is strongly encouraged to report an immigration or border crime here: www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime.

Or, to the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) here: www.gla.gov.uk/report-issues/.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Border Force is taking to (a) identify and (b) detain people crossing the border who have been involved in the (i) funding and (ii) supply of munitions to Russia.

The Home Office’s priority is to deliver a safe and secure border and we will never compromise on this. Border Force maintain 100% checks for all scheduled arriving passengers into the UK.

We operate the Authority to Carry Scheme 2023 to prevent certain individuals from travelling to or from the UK when that is necessary in the public interest.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
29th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the application of all the provisions of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill to Northern Ireland in light of the judgment of the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland that the conditional immunity provisions in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with Article 2 of the Windsor Framework.

The Government has consistently applied immigration policy across the United Kingdom as a whole. That remains our absolute intention with the Rwanda Bill, which provides for it to apply UK-wide. We have considered the judgment and have lodged an appeal.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to improve the biosecurity of laboratories handling dangerous pathogens.

Part 7 of the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act (ATCSA) 2001 regulates the ability of sites such as universities, hospitals and research centres to hold and work with certain dangerous pathogens and toxins as listed under Schedule 5 of the Act.

The legislation places several responsibilities on sites including notifying the Home Office of their intention to hold or work with such substances, and ensuring suitable security measures are in place.

Current security levels around Schedule 5 substances remain sufficiently high and we continue to work with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) to continuously review and improve the policies, processes and legislation surrounding Schedule 5 substances.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times a member of the Armed Forces was referred to Prevent in each year since 2018.

The Home Office publishes data on Prevent referrals in the annual Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

This includes publishing a breakdown of the ‘Sector of referral of those referred’. Table 1 provides a yearly breakdown of the number of referrals from ‘Other’ sectors. ‘Other’ sectors includes military, government (includes Home Office Enforcement and HMRC), or other private sectors of employment. At this time we are unable to disaggregate the military component for the full time series.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the level of activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the UK.

While we do not routinely comment on the detail of operational or intelligence matters, the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations.

The UK Government has long been clear about our concerns over the malign activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and we will continue to hold Iran and the IRGC to account. The UK has sanctioned the IRGC in its entirety and on the 29th January 2024 the UK and US announced new sanctions to tackle the domestic threat posed by the Iranian regime. The UK sanctioned 7 individuals and 1 organisation, including senior Iranian officials and members of organised criminal gangs who collaborate with the regime, in order to expose and disrupt Iran’s activities in the UK and overseas.

We continually assess potential threats in the UK and use all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and our interests from Iran-linked threats.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to tackle (a) online scams and (b) other cyber crime.

Fraud is designated a priority offence under the Online Safety Act (OSA), meaning companies will be held to account if they fail to remove illegal content on their platforms. This is expected to have a strong impact on some of the highest harm fraud types, such as online purchase, investment and romance scams, as well as key fraud enablers such as the recruitment and use of money mules.

However, the OSA will take time to come into force. Therefore, the Government has also created the Online Fraud Charter: a voluntary agreement bringing together the largest companies in the tech sector, who have committed to a series of actions aimed at reducing fraud on their platforms and services. The Charter was signed on 30 November, and will deliver a much quicker and more targeted response than regulation: Online Fraud Charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Tackling cyber crime is at the heart of the Government’s National Cyber Strategy 2022-25, which is supported by £2.6 billion of investment through the National Cyber Fund.

As part of the Criminal Justice Bill, we are also introducing a new power for law enforcement and other investigative agencies to act to suspend IP addresses and domain names where they are being used for a criminal activity with a link to the UK.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the document entitled Draft terms of reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, what updates his Department has provided on relevant developments in its area of work to that group since 2019.

Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over a range of issues. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 16019 on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
5th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report.

Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss, and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.

Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the call for evidence relating to potential regulations under the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill 2023.

The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which gained Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes. The Act also provides a power for the Secretary of State to extend requirements to other equipment designed for use in agricultural or commercial activities, via secondary legislation.

A call for evidence was published last summer, seeking views on the details needed for the secondary legislation, targeted at those who may be affected by proposals, including the agricultural and construction sectors, manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement.

Over 200 responses to the call for evidence were received, and we have further engaged with manufacturers and retailers to discuss responses in detail. I am carefully considering responses before publishing the Government response.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers in managerial roles have faced disciplinary action as a result of inquiries into Wayne Couzens.

The IOPC carried out a number of investigations into incidents related to Wayne Couzens, including the handling of indecent exposure allegations against him and sharing offensive content via social media.

As a result, a total of eleven officers from multiple forces faced disciplinary action; ten of these were constables and one was a sergeant.

Seven of the officers were found to have committed gross misconduct at proceedings and were dismissed, or would have been dismissed if still serving. Two officers received final written warnings and two officers received reflective practice.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent review of drugs by Professor Dame Carol Black, if his Department will commission further research on the potential impact of the use of (a) skunk and (b) all other cannabis on levels of psychosis.

Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs noted that cannabis poses a large number of health risks, including psychological and respiratory disorders, particularly given increases in potency. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates a link between cannabis and psychosis which underlines the importance of our approach to tackling its misuse. Cannabis continues to be the most commonly used drug and around 21% of adults starting drug treatment between 2021 and 2022 said they had a problem with cannabis use.

For this reason, cannabis is controlled under Class B of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health, and harms people and communities.

At the UK Drugs Ministerial in November 2023, the latest research findings into the links between cannabis and psychosis were presented by a leading academic and those findings are informing policy making. The department has no current plans to commission further research into the links between cannabis and psychosis but continues to keep all drugs under review and will consider all evidence as appropriate.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
11th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of maternity leave for serving police officers in England.

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) consider and make recommendations to the Government on the pay, allowances, hours of duty and leave for police officers. The Government values their independent and expert advice.

Police officers may take up to 15 months’ maternity leave. Officers who meet the relevant qualifying criteria receive full pay for 26 weeks.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
28th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how many unaccompanied children seeking asylum who were housed in Home Office hotels are still missing; and what is the breakdown of (1) ages, and (2) length of time missing, for those children.

We take any child going missing extremely seriously. When any child goes missing, a multi-agency missing persons protocol is mobilised. Many of those who have gone missing are subsequently traced and located.

As of 5 March, 118 children are still missing. The majority were aged 16 and 17 when they went missing. Only about 18 are still under the age of 18. It is important to note that this data is from a live operational database and has not been quality assured to the same standard as published data.

The most recent published data can be found at asylum and resettlement datasets on GOV.UK: (www.gov.uk).

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
28th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals have arrived into the UK via irregular routes since 7 March 2023; and of those individuals, how many have a case for refugee status started by the Home Office.

The Home Office publishes statistics on irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK statistics’ release on gov.uk. Data on irregular arrivals from 2018 to 2023 is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’. Data on asylum applications from small boat arrivals and the initial decisions for these applications is published in tables Irr_D02 and Irr_D03 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of May 2023.

The Home Office does not publish data on asylum applications for other irregular arrivals.

As shown on table Irr_D03, there were no applications of asylum granted to small boat arrivals who arrived in April and May 2023.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
5th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce crime in Hampshire.

This Government is committed to cutting crime, keeping our streets safe, and restoring confidence in the criminal justice system. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are responsible for policing in their area and are focused on the local priorities for policing, to help cut crime.

The Government is funding a range of initiatives in Hampshire to reduce crime. This includes the Safer Streets Fund, the Government’s flagship crime prevention programme, where Hampshire has received over £4 million of investment. Hampshire has received almost £1.5 million for 2024/2025 to increase uniformed police hotspot response, and since 2019 the Home Office has invested over £5.1m to develop and run the Hampshire Violence Reduction Unit.

These initiatives are in addition to the investment we have made available to increase officer numbers. Hampshire and Isle of Wight recruited 582 additional uplift officers against a total three-year allocation of 518 officers. As at 30 September 2023, there were 3,422 police officers in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, a total growth of 631 additional officers against the baseline (2,791) at the start of the Police Uplift Programme.

Hampshire Police’s funding will be up to 464.2 million in 2024/25, an increase of up to 29.2 million when compared to 2023/24.

Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of the number of serious child abuse offences committed in the last 12 months.

The term child abuse covers a broad range of offences including, but not limited to, sexual offences, violence against the person and cruelty and neglect. It is not possible to identify all child abuse offences recorded in official data.

In January 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published experimental analysis which looked at a range of indicators from different data sources to enable understanding of child abuse. This report can be found here:

Child abuse in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).

As the Home Secretary stated in his written statement of 10 January 2024, we are working with the ONS to explore whether a new survey could more effectively measure the current scale and nature of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse. The ONS is currently developing the questionnaire and safeguarding procedures for the proposed survey, which will then be piloted.

Laura Farris
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
5th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice on tackling female (a) trafficking, (b) exploitation and (c) sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland.

Criminal justice is devolved in Northern Ireland, with responsibility for the policy and legislative response to modern slavery resting with the Northern Ireland Executive. However, we recognise that trafficking can involve the movement of vulnerable individuals across borders, and we work closely with our partners in the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that our response to modern slavery across the UK is joined-up and the legislation is complementary.

This includes, at official level, regular engagement with representatives from the Devolved Administrations, through quarterly meetings and the Modern Slavery Engagement Forums. These Forums focus on key policy areas, including enforcement, prevention, adult victim support, and child and victim support policy. Officials also engage in quarterly meetings with representatives on commercial sexual exploitation.

The Home Office also engages with First Responder Organisations, across the whole of the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland this includes the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Health and Social Care trusts and Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid. First Responders are trained by their respective organisations to identify indicators of modern slavery and refer potential victims into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). In 2023, there were 462 NRM referrals sent to the PSNI for investigation, accounting for 3% of all referrals received, as published in the National Referral Mechanism statistics on GOV.UK.

Laura Farris
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of international students who go on to work in the NHS after studying in the UK.

The Home Office publishes data on how people move through the immigration system in the Migrant Journey report. The report contains information on the number of people starting a journey each year broken down by immigration route (e.g. study) and how many extend into other categories (e.g. work) following their initial leave. The statistics do not show which sectors people were employed in. The latest report covers up to the end of 2022.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
5th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much and what proportion of the cost of caring for an unaccompanied minor asylum seeker with special needs who has been placed in the care of a local authority is paid for by his Department.

In addition to money for children's social care that local authorities receive through the Local Government Finance Settlement and finance arrangements which apply to the Devolved Administrations, the Home Office provides additional funding contributions to the costs incurred by local government in looking after unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children and former UAS childcare leavers.

Local authorities supporting the greatest number of UAS children relative to their child population receive the higher rate of £143 per child per night for each UAS child.  This higher rate applies to local authorities supporting UAS children totalling 0.07% or greater of their general child population.  All other local authorities receive £114 per person per night for each UAS child in their care.   In addition, any local authority who accept the responsibility for a UAS child from a higher rate receiving local authority will receive the higher rate of £143 per child per night. This funding is not ring-fenced, and local authorities are free to use this funding as they see fit to support children in their care.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
5th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the needs of an unaccompanied minor placed in the care of a local authority; and what assessment his Department has made of the ability of local authorities to meet those needs.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under S20 of the Children Act 1989 to look after children in need in their area. This includes unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children who either arrive in a local authority area or are transferred there under the mandated National Transfer Scheme. The National Transfer Scheme provides a mechanism for the statutory responsibility for an UAS child to be transferred from an entry local authority to another local authority in the UK for ongoing care and support.

The decision for any UAS child to be referred to the NTS for transfer lies with the local authorities as the child’s corporate parent. The NTS Protocol sets out the criteria for referring a child to the NTS which can be found here: Unaccompanied asylum seeking children: national transfer scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

When a child is being looked after by a local authority, that local authority is under a duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare under the Children Act 1989.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)