Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they propose to prevent migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is pursing a strategic shift in Border Security, focusing on long-term systemic improvements, smarter, intelligence-led interventions and stronger partnerships across agencies and with countries upstream to target the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings.
The Border Security Command, created in July 2024, and is leading the national response to prevent small boats crossing the English Channel. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give it statutory authority to coordinate across government and law enforcement.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will also enhance powers for the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement, and police, enable earlier intervention in smuggling operations and improve the ability to detect, prevent, and prosecute smugglers.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the number of illegal immigrants in the UK has increased or decreased since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal migrant population in the UK, and so the Home Office under successive governments has not been able to publish any official estimates of that population.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many hotels are being used to accommodate migrants; how many migrants are being housed in hotels across the United Kingdom; and whether those numbers have increased or decreased since July 2024.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
According to the latest official data, published on 22 May 2025, there were 32,345 individuals staying in hotel accommodation as of 31 March 2025.
The current number of hotels in use is lower than it was at the time of the election, and significantly lower than the peak of 400 in use in autumn 2023.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce knife crime among young people.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government's Safer Streets mission and we are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition and keep young people safe.
We have already implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes approved by Parliament in April. The ban came in to force on 24 September 2024 and it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons. We are now going further, and on 13 November we launched a consultation on a ban of ninja swords, which has recently concluded.
We also know that more needs to be done to tackle the sale of knives online which is why last October, the Home Secretary commissioned Commander Stephen Clayman, as the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for knife crime, to carry out a full review into the online sale and delivery of knives. The report was received at the end of January and will be published imminently, but as a first step the Home Secretary has announced that the Government intends to strengthen age verification controls and checks for all online sellers of knives at the point of purchase and on delivery, to prevent lethal blades from ending up in the wrong hands.
We have set up a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce, which brings together Ministers, Chief Constables and others working across criminal justice to take immediate action to tackle the fastest rising type of knife crime.
And finally, we have also created a new Young Futures programme, which will include the establishment of Young Futures Prevention Partnerships across England and Wales, bringing partners together to intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most.
These are just some of the first steps we are taking to tackle the scourge of serious youth violence on our streets.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reopen hotels to house migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The accommodation estate is under constant review, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of hotels and ensure better use of public money, whilst maintaining sufficient accommodation to meet demand.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many migrants have entered the UK in small boats since the general election; and how many entered the UK in small boats in the five months up to the general election.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
From 5 July 2024 until 17 October 2024, a total of 13,983 migrants arrived in the UK having crossed the Channel in small boats. Between 5 February 2024 (five months before the election) and 4 July, the total was 12,239.
It has been the normal pattern since the start of the small boat crossing in 2018 for arrivals in the summer months to exceed those in the earlier part of the year.
The table below provides the equivalent figures for the same time periods in prior years.
Year | Arrivals 5 Feb – 4 July | Arrivals 5 July – 17 October |
2023 | 10,035 | 14,683 |
2022 | 11,561 | 24,199 |
2021 | 6,370 | 12,686 |
2020 | 2,399 | 4,802 |
2019 | 547 | 784 |
2018 | 4 | 17 |
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of reported burglaries have resulted in a suspect being taken to court in England and Wales in the last year, and how this compares with the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of burglary offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes, including the number of charge/summons. This information is published on a quarterly basis, and can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of suspects taken to court. Statistics on prosecutions and convictions in England and Wales, including burglary, are published by the Ministry of Justice, in the release Criminal Justice System Statistics Quarterly, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly
Scotland have a different method of counting burglary offences to England and Wales but information on crimes and offences recorded by the police, including clear ups of crimes, can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/
Information on crimes and offences recorded by the police in Northern Ireland, including investigative outcomes, can be accessed here:
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to stop dangerous and illegal Channel crossings and to ensure criminal gangs can no longer assist illegal immigration into the UK, and when they expect such crossings to end.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Government continues to work closely with domestic and international partners to reduce the incidence of these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings, and to prosecute those who profit from them.
Crossing attempts have decreased by a third this year, and large numbers of suspected facilitators have been arrested. Violence is now being increasingly employed by migrants and facilitators when crossing attempts are disrupted by French law enforcement, suggesting that these efforts are having an impact on criminals.
The Illegal Migration Act, enacted in July this year, marks a vital step forward in ending these crossings by removing the incentives for using these dangerous, illegal, and unnecessary routes.
A timescale for the ending of these crossings cannot currently be given, but in 2023 for the first time we have seen a reduction in arrivals.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what new counter-terrorist measures are being proposed to deal with the threat from IS and al-Qaeda against the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
On Tuesday 18 July, the Home Office published an updated version of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST.
This strategy identifies the persistent and evolving threat from Islamist terrorist groups overseas, and sets out our response to it working closely with international allies and partners. The document is available at gov.uk
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to provide protection for Christians who are running for public office.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all those participating in the democratic process, including those who decide to stand for election. This commitment extends to individuals of all faiths (or none). Any particular added protection for individuals or groups would be determined on a threat-led basis. The physical security of those taking part in elections is organised at the local level.