Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend the replacement of the Border Force cutters to be undertaken via domestic-only procurement.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Progress continues to be made on plans to procure a replacement maritime capability for the Border Security Command.
The procurement schedule has not yet been finalised but we are continuing to engage potential suppliers for future Border Security Command cutters on the basis of a UK-led build, using the Defence and Security provisions within the Procurement Act 2023 where appropriate. This approach is consistent with the government's commitment to back British businesses and a sustainable and successful shipbuilding and maritime technology sector and to ensure value for money and deliverability.
A dynamic UK shipbuilding sector has potential to play a key role in creating and sustaining jobs and in ensuring shared prosperity around the country. The Maritime Capabilities Replacement Programme procurement will require all bidders to deliver social value, with fair work and resilient supply chains identified as key priorities.
My officials are working closely with the National Shipbuilding Office.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they intend to give to UK content and social value in the procurement of Border Force cutters.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Progress continues to be made on plans to procure a replacement maritime capability for the Border Security Command.
The procurement schedule has not yet been finalised but we are continuing to engage potential suppliers for future Border Security Command cutters on the basis of a UK-led build, using the Defence and Security provisions within the Procurement Act 2023 where appropriate. This approach is consistent with the government's commitment to back British businesses and a sustainable and successful shipbuilding and maritime technology sector and to ensure value for money and deliverability.
A dynamic UK shipbuilding sector has potential to play a key role in creating and sustaining jobs and in ensuring shared prosperity around the country. The Maritime Capabilities Replacement Programme procurement will require all bidders to deliver social value, with fair work and resilient supply chains identified as key priorities.
My officials are working closely with the National Shipbuilding Office.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the procurement timelines for the replacement cutters for Border Force.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Progress continues to be made on plans to procure a replacement maritime capability for the Border Security Command.
The procurement schedule has not yet been finalised but we are continuing to engage potential suppliers for future Border Security Command cutters on the basis of a UK-led build, using the Defence and Security provisions within the Procurement Act 2023 where appropriate. This approach is consistent with the government's commitment to back British businesses and a sustainable and successful shipbuilding and maritime technology sector and to ensure value for money and deliverability.
A dynamic UK shipbuilding sector has potential to play a key role in creating and sustaining jobs and in ensuring shared prosperity around the country. The Maritime Capabilities Replacement Programme procurement will require all bidders to deliver social value, with fair work and resilient supply chains identified as key priorities.
My officials are working closely with the National Shipbuilding Office.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they have not published a Police Covenant Report for the 2024–25 financial year, pursuant to section 1 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, and when they will do so.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Police Covenant Annual Report for the 2024–25 financial year has been completed and we plan to publish the report as soon as possible.
The Government remains committed to the Police Covenant, ensuring that the physical protection, health and wellbeing of the police workforce, both serving and retired, are properly recognised and supported.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 July (HL Deb col 135), on what basis they calculated that 35,000 people who arrived in the UK specifically by small boats were removed last year.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
I would like to correct a statement I made in the House of Lords on 22 July 2025 whilst debating a Topical Question raised by Lord Empey; ‘To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the “pull factors” attracting migrants to enter the United Kingdom illegally’. [Illegal Migration: Pull Factors. Volume 848: debated on Tuesday 22 July 2025]
On 22 July 2025, I stated that, ‘35,000 failed asylum seekers who came on small boats were removed last year, which is 13% more than in the 12 months previous, when his Government were in charge. There has been a 51% increase in the number of people who have been arrested and prosecuted on illegal working visits.’
The correct information should have been, ‘35,000 people were returned last year, which is 13% more than in the 12 months previous, when his Government were in charge. There has been a 51% increase in the number of people who have been arrested on illegal working visits.’
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many returns of people who arrived by small boat there have been in each month since July 2023, broken down by nationality.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on returns in the Immigration System Statistics quarterly release. Quarterly data on enforced and voluntary returns of small boat arrivals can be found in Ret_06 of the ‘Returns summary tables’. This dataset covers the period 2018 to March 2025, with data up to June 2025 to be published on 21 August. Additionally, you can find more information on these returns in section 6.1 of the ‘How many people are returned from the UK?’ chapter of the Immigration System Statistics quarterly release.
Enforced and voluntary returns of small boat arrivals by quarter:
Date of return | Returns | Of which, Albanian nationals |
2018 Q1 | 0 | 0 |
2018 Q2 | 0 | 0 |
2018 Q3 | 4 | 0 |
2018 Q4 | 5 | 5 |
2018 Total | 9 | 5 |
2019 Q1 | 21 | 0 |
2019 Q2 | 25 | 0 |
2019 Q3 | 44 | 1 |
2019 Q4 | 38 | 0 |
2019 Total | 128 | 1 |
2020 Q1 | 21 | 0 |
2020 Q2 | 1 | 0 |
2020 Q3 | 76 | 0 |
2020 Q4 | 49 | 0 |
2020 Total | 147 | 0 |
2021 Q1 | 3 | 1 |
2021 Q2 | 6 | 0 |
2021 Q3 | 4 | 0 |
2021 Q4 | 16 | 2 |
2021 Total | 29 | 3 |
2022 Q1 | 36 | 5 |
2022 Q2 | 60 | 13 |
2022 Q3 | 86 | 45 |
2022 Q4 | 203 | 161 |
2022 Total | 385 | 224 |
2023 Q1 | 309 | 252 |
2023 Q2 | 460 | 390 |
2023 Q3 | 589 | 522 |
2023 Q4 | 695 | 624 |
2023 Total | 2,053 | 1,788 |
2024 Q1 | 572 | 512 |
2024 Q2 | 629 | 531 |
2024 Q3 | 571 | 470 |
2024 Q4 | 558 | 443 |
2024 Total | 2,330 | 1,956 |
2025 Q1 | 482 | 356 |
2025 Jan-Mar | 482 | 356 |
Note: This table is a combination of data from Ret_06 and the chart found in section 6.1 of the ‘How many people are returned from the UK?’ chapter of the ‘Immigration System Statistics quarterly release’.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue with the immigration reforms introduced by the Home Secretary as part of the Plan for Change.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May, set out proposed reforms to restore order, control and fairness to the legal migration system, reduce net migration, and promote economic growth.
On 1 July changes to the Immigration Rules were set out to deliver the first set of reforms:
Work is underway to deliver the wider measures announced in the White Paper with further updates to follow in due course. We will set out further measures around asylum and border security later this year.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the effective implementation of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme released on 1 July.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 1 July 2025, FIRS was officially launched. To ensure effective implementation, the Home Office has a Case Management Team recruited and trained to administer the scheme, a web portal that is fully operational and detailed published guidance available online. The Government is also continuing to engage with those who may need to register to ensure they understand the requirements during the grace period which ends on 1 October.
There will also be an annual report laid before Parliament on the operation of FIRS. This will include the number of registrations under the scheme, together with the number of people charged and prosecuted for failing to comply with the scheme’s requirements.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have conducted on whether the current visa system is incentivising employers to recruit from overseas rather than invest in training UK-based workers.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office’s Immigration White Paper, published 12 May, looked in depth at the flaws in the previous Government’s visa system that had incentivised employers to recruit from overseas rather than investing in training UK-based workers and set out proposals for extensive reform of that system.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many incidents of shoplifting were recorded in each of the past five years; and how many resulted in a charge or summons.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences and their outcomes.
The table below show the volume of the shop theft offences outcomes recorded by the police in the years from 2020 to 2024 and how many of those resulted in a charge or summons.
Table 1: Shoplifting offences recorded by the police from 2020 to 2024, and those resulting in charge/summons, England and Wales [Note: 1] | |||
Calendar year (offence recorded) | Shoplifting offences | Charged/Summonsed | % |
2020 | 254,547 | 44,969 | 18% |
2021 | 256,198 | 39,353 | 15% |
2022 | 315,052 | 48,268 | 15% |
2023 | 429,873 | 72,144 | 17% |
2024 | 516,971 | 93,156 | 18% |
1. Figures for the period January to March 2020 exclude Greater Manchester police (GMP) | |||
as they were unable to provide full data to the Home Office Data Hub (HODH) in this period. | |||