Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 97805 on Police: Biometrics, what the (a) planned timescales and (b) terms of reference are for the two HMICFRS reviews referred to.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is aware of the risk of bias in facial recognition algorithms and supports policing in managing that risk. Initial findings from independent testing carried out by the National Physical Laboratory were shared with the Home Office in March 2024. The draft findings showed a potential bias in the algorithm used by specially trained operators in police forces to search the Police National Database (PND). The findings were explored with the National Physical Laboratory, and risks and mitigations were discussed with policing experts. Home Office Ministers were first made aware of the bias in October 2024. The final report was provided in April 2025 and updated for publication in October 2025.
The Government has tasked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, with support from the Forensic Science Regulator, to look at whether people have been affected by the bias as part of the inspection of police and relevant law enforcement agencies’ use of retrospective facial recognition. HMICFRS have begun scoping and planning for the inspection, which will begin before the end of March 2026. The inspection terms of reference will be published by HMICFRS.
A facial recognition match is only ever one piece of intelligence, as part of a wider police investigation. Manual safeguards, embedded in police training, operational practice, and guidance, require all potential matches returned from the PND to be visually assessed by a trained user and investigating officer. These safeguards have always been in place to minimise the risk that the wrong person in the PND is subject to investigation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to UIN 97805 answered on 15 December 2025, whether estimates have been made of the number of potential misidentifications made by police as a result of potential bias in the PND facial search algorithm.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is aware of the risk of bias in facial recognition algorithms and supports policing in managing that risk. Initial findings from independent testing carried out by the National Physical Laboratory were shared with the Home Office in March 2024. The draft findings showed a potential bias in the algorithm used by specially trained operators in police forces to search the Police National Database (PND). The findings were explored with the National Physical Laboratory, and risks and mitigations were discussed with policing experts. Home Office Ministers were first made aware of the bias in October 2024. The final report was provided in April 2025 and updated for publication in October 2025.
The Government has tasked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, with support from the Forensic Science Regulator, to look at whether people have been affected by the bias as part of the inspection of police and relevant law enforcement agencies’ use of retrospective facial recognition. HMICFRS have begun scoping and planning for the inspection, which will begin before the end of March 2026. The inspection terms of reference will be published by HMICFRS.
A facial recognition match is only ever one piece of intelligence, as part of a wider police investigation. Manual safeguards, embedded in police training, operational practice, and guidance, require all potential matches returned from the PND to be visually assessed by a trained user and investigating officer. These safeguards have always been in place to minimise the risk that the wrong person in the PND is subject to investigation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to UIN 97805 answered on 15 December 2025, when the Home Office first learned of potential bias in the current PND facial search algorithm.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is aware of the risk of bias in facial recognition algorithms and supports policing in managing that risk. Initial findings from independent testing carried out by the National Physical Laboratory were shared with the Home Office in March 2024. The draft findings showed a potential bias in the algorithm used by specially trained operators in police forces to search the Police National Database (PND). The findings were explored with the National Physical Laboratory, and risks and mitigations were discussed with policing experts. Home Office Ministers were first made aware of the bias in October 2024. The final report was provided in April 2025 and updated for publication in October 2025.
The Government has tasked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, with support from the Forensic Science Regulator, to look at whether people have been affected by the bias as part of the inspection of police and relevant law enforcement agencies’ use of retrospective facial recognition. HMICFRS have begun scoping and planning for the inspection, which will begin before the end of March 2026. The inspection terms of reference will be published by HMICFRS.
A facial recognition match is only ever one piece of intelligence, as part of a wider police investigation. Manual safeguards, embedded in police training, operational practice, and guidance, require all potential matches returned from the PND to be visually assessed by a trained user and investigating officer. These safeguards have always been in place to minimise the risk that the wrong person in the PND is subject to investigation.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current criminal and civil remedies available to victims of intimate image abuse; and with reference to Baroness Bertin's independent report entitled Creating a Safer World – the Challenge of Regulating Online Pornography, published in February 2025, whether she has assessed the potential merits of that report's recommendations on an independent redress mechanism to support victims whose images have been shared without consent.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Work to address the circulation of non-consensual intimate image (NCII) content online is an important part of the government’s ambition to halve VAWG in a decade, and the recently published VAWG Strategy includes a commitment to explore routes to ensure that intimate images that are taken, created or shared without consent are removed online.
It is vital that victims and survivors have access to the support they need when they need it most. The Home Office provides funding to the Revenge Porn Helpline, which offers high-quality support and advice to victims of NCII abuse, engages with law enforcement and other stakeholders to improve the response to intimate image abuse, and raises awareness of the nature of NCII abuse and the harm that it can cause.
The Government committed in the VAWG Strategy to create a joint team, across the Home Office, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Ministry of Justice and Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to address the issues detailed in Baroness Bertin’s Independent Pornography Review and rigorously examine the evidence to inform the government’s approach to pornography policy. Further details on this will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department has allocated to tackling violence against women and girls since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office allocated £74 million in FY2024/2025 and £122.3 million in FY2025/2026 to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
Our investment funds a range of vital frontline support services to victims of VAWG, improving police response to VAWG and tackling the root causes of VAWG.
The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. The cross-government VAWG Strategy,published on 18 December 2025, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, and to deliver our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG in a decade. The Strategy is backed by at least £1 billion funding across government over the spending review period.
Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish guidance to clarify the legal position of children aged 13 to 16 under section 75 of the Crime and Policing Bill.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Before commencing the new duty to report child sexual abuse, the Government will provide an appropriate period of time to prepare relevant sectors for implementation. This will include the development and publication of guidance for reporters.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she first became aware of the existence of the total absconder pool dataset.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Secretary of State for the Home Department has no plans to commission an independent review into the Department's handling, recording, and disclosure of absconder data. The Department already undertakes:
The Department remains committed to maintaining robust and transparent processes, ensuring compliance with all relevant standards and obligations. It is also dedicated to continuous improvement and will review and strengthen its procedures whenever necessary.
The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions. Departmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available.
All Parliamentary Questions are reviewed and cleared by Ministers prior to publication including those referring to absconders.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review the British citizenship of dual nationals convicted of previously expressing violent, racist or xenophobic sentiments.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Secretary of State with the power to deprive an individual of their British citizenship where:
The Government considers that deprivation on ‘conducive grounds’ is an appropriate response to activities such as those involving:
The Home Office publishes data relating to those deprived of British Citizenship on ‘conducive to the public good’ grounds. These are published in the Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and Investigatory Powers. Reports have been published up to 2024.
The figures from the previous five years of individuals who have been deprived of their British citizenship for this reason, are below:
Year | Number of individuals |
2021 | 8 |
2022 | 3 |
2023 | 2 |
2024 | 1 |
2025 | Not yet published |
In the interest of safeguarding national security, we do not break down these figures into sub-categories.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure consistent implementation of the NPCC 2025 Abnormal Loads Guidance by police forces, particularly regarding caravan transporter escorts and charging practices.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Police implementation of the National Police Chiefs Council 2025 Abnormal Loads Guidance on the escorting and charging for abnormal loads remains an operational decision for Chief Officers of forces, reflecting and accounting for conditions and priorities in their areas.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish data on the number of ‘change of circumstances’ applications received last year from people with No Recourse to Public Funds status due to homelessness, and how many applicants gained access to public funds as a result.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Information on change of conditions is published at Migration transparency data - GOV.UK in the Immigration and protection dataset.
When an individual is considered for assessment of Change of Conditions, various No Recourse to Public Funds conditions are checked, with ‘destitution’ being one of these conditions.
The specific 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.