Found: 5 March 2026, Letter from Lord Hanson of Flint re: Immigration Rules Change Correspondence

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 4 March (HL Deb col 1399), what the timeline is for developing technical solutions with technology companies and partners; and what form those solutions will take.

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

Operation Reckoning is delivering a surged enforcement response aimed at tackling all layers of criminal activity associated with the model of phone theft in London, including street level offenders, middle market handlers and those responsible for the export of stolen devices. It is delivering significant results: in the 12 months to February, mobile phone theft in the capital fell by 12.3% on the previous year.

We welcome this significant progress, but too many people are still being subjected to the considerable distress and disruption caused by these criminals and we are determined to bring these numbers down further.

To break the business model that drives mobile phone theft, we need to reduce the value of a stolen device. The Metropolitan Police are leading work with technology partners to look at the quickest and most effective ways of achieving this outcome and we are working in close support of this collaboration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 4 March (HL Deb col 1399), what aspects of Operation Reckoning are focused on disrupting or removing the organised crime business model for stole mobile phone devices.

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

Operation Reckoning is delivering a surged enforcement response aimed at tackling all layers of criminal activity associated with the model of phone theft in London, including street level offenders, middle market handlers and those responsible for the export of stolen devices. It is delivering significant results: in the 12 months to February, mobile phone theft in the capital fell by 12.3% on the previous year.

We welcome this significant progress, but too many people are still being subjected to the considerable distress and disruption caused by these criminals and we are determined to bring these numbers down further.

To break the business model that drives mobile phone theft, we need to reduce the value of a stolen device. The Metropolitan Police are leading work with technology partners to look at the quickest and most effective ways of achieving this outcome and we are working in close support of this collaboration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 9 February (HL13910), whether they will provide an annual breakdown of how many of the 950 small boats and engines related to Channel crossings were seized by the National Crime Agency and the Border Security Command in each year since 2023.

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

The Border Security Command oversees a system-wide, comprehensive strategy aimed at disrupting all elements of the business model that makes small boats crossings possible. Seizing small boats equipment, which is often conducted in collaboration with international partners, forms one strand of this approach.

Due to the operational nature of this data and the frequency of revision as a result of ongoing reporting, we cannot provide an accurate breakdown of this data on an annual basis.

This data includes information provided by international partners, working with the NCA and the Border Security Command, which may be revised as on-going reporting is received. Accordingly, seizures are reported over a longer time period to ensure accuracy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 26 February (HL14639), how many fixed penalty notices have been issued to cyclists and scooter riders for (1) jumping red lights, and (2) riding on pavements, in England in the past 12 months; and whether they have plans to introduce legislation to reduce those practices.

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

The Home Office does not collect or hold specific data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists or scooter riders.

The Home Office’s annual publication Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing - the most recent edition of which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023 - provides statistics on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, all of which apply exclusively to motor-vehicle drivers. Cyclists are therefore excluded from the scope of the published figures.

It is an offence for a cyclist to jump a red light and to cycle on a pavement, and the Government is determined to go further to make our streets safer for pedestrians by introducing new cycling offences through the Crime and Policing Bill, which will tackle instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cyclists, ensuring parity of enforcement powers against dangerous behaviour on our roads, for all road users.

The Crime and Policing Bill will also give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 17 February  (HL14372), when they plan to publish the independent evaluation of the impact of the 56-day asylum move-on pilot.

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

The report will be published on GOV.UK as part of the Home Office Research Series. Publication is expected in Spring 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 17 February  (HL14372), what the move-on process will be for all groups of newly recognised refugees leaving asylum accommodation between the end of the current pilot on 28 February and the introduction of a new process.

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

Home Office Ministers have decided to set the notice period for all individuals granted leave exiting the asylum accommodation estate at 42 days, from the point they are notified of a positive asylum decision.

This policy will apply to individuals granted leave on or after 9 March 2026. The policy will not apply to individuals who are already within the notice period and those for whom support has already been discontinued.

The 56‑day pilot concluded on 8 March 2026.