Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to limit anti-social behaviour in parks linked to alcohol in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s police reforms will protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing by freeing local forces from national responsibilities so they can focus on issues that matter most locally, like anti-social behaviour (ASB). Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the general public to implement their individual ASB Action Plans, which were published at the start of April. Further information on the Metropolitan Police ASB action plan can be found here: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/
Through our Crime and Policing Act, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour, including increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of CPNs and PSPOs from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notices, amongst others.
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers, including Public Spaces Protection Orders, that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour. However, the powers in the ‘2014 Act’ are deliberately flexible in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances of each individual case.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to stop individuals or groups committing ASB in a public place. Romford has an existing PSPO in place to restrict alcohol related nuisance and any amendment or new PSPO would require consultation with local authorities, police and relevant local agencies: https://www.havering.gov.uk/community-1/public-space-protection-orders-pspo.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for project licenses involving canines were refused by her Department in the last 12 months on the sole basis that a scientifically satisfactory (a) method and (b) testing strategy was already available.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office regulates the use of animals in science under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). Under ASPA, all project licence applications must comply with the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs), which set out that animals may only be used when no validated non-animal alternative exists, the number of animals is minimised, and any potential harms are minimised.
In the last twelve months, the Home Office has not refused any licences involving canines on the grounds that a scientifically satisfactory non-animal alternative method or testing strategy was available.
The number of formal refusals is not, however, a meaningful indicator of either application of non-animal alternatives or regulatory rigour. All applications go through multiple review stages before reaching the Home Office Regulator, and guidance is available to assist applicants in preparing submissions that meet all legal requirements. Only applications that fully meet the requirements of the legislation may be considered for licensing authorisation.
All establishments licensed to use animals must have an Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB), which reviews proposals before they are submitted to the Regulator. Therefore, establishments’ internal review processes are intended to identify where suitable alternatives are available before applications are progressed to the Home Office.
Applications received by the Home Office are subject to detailed scrutiny, including requests for clarification or amendment where required. Applicants may revise or withdraw an application in response to feedback.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department defines the statutory term scientifically satisfactory under Section 2A of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 as being legally dependent upon formal regulatory (a) validation and (b) acceptance by international bodies.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), the statutory duty in section 2A requires the Secretary of State to ensure compliance with the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (3Rs principles). In relation to the principle of replacement, the statutory framework requires that, wherever possible, a scientifically satisfactory non‑animal method must be used instead of a regulated procedure.
ASPA does not prescribe in detail how “scientifically satisfactory” is to be assessed. That assessment is a matter of scientific and regulatory judgement, exercised in the context of the statutory framework (including consideration of a harm–benefit analysis and the wider 3Rs principles).
All project licence applications are subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis, required under ASPA. The harm-benefit analysis ensures that a project is only granted where a trained Home Office Inspector is satisfied that the likely harms to animals, including pain, suffering, distress and any lasting harm, are justified by the expected benefits for humans, animals or the environment.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to improve animal welfare standards in scientific trials involving animals.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) is the UK’s framework governing the use of animals in research. ASPA enables the limited use of animals in science for societal, environmental or animal benefit. It provides a strict system of controls, rigorously and robustly enforced by the GB Regulator, to ensure animals are only used where necessary and where the expected benefits justify the harms. The Government has also published a Code of Practice to promote good animal welfare through the provision of consistent, high-quality care and accommodation for animals used in science.
The Government undertakes a range of measures to continually enhance protections for animals in science. The responsible Minister regularly commissions the independent Animals in Science Committee (ASC) to provide advice on improving animal protections, and the Government carefully considers and implements the Committee’s recommendations to strengthen the regulatory framework. For example, the Government has recently welcomed ASC advice on the use of non-human primates in science and has accepted its recommendations. The ASC has also provided advice on strengthening the uptake of leading practice in animal protections across the science sector, which the Government is reviewing.
Longer term, the Government is fully committed to replacing the use of animals in science in all but exceptional circumstances. In November 2025, the Government published, Replacing animals in science which sets a programme to accelerate the development, validation, and uptake of alternative methods while maintaining high standards of scientific rigour and public safety.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with his counterpart in the Republic of Ireland regarding onward migration from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security which are discussed regularly.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been housed in Northern Ireland in each year since 2020.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Data on asylum seekers in receipt of Home Office support in Northern Ireland is published by nationality in table Asy_D09 and by local authority in table Asy_D11 of the 'Asylum support detailed datasets’.
The latest data relates to as at 31 March 2026. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her Department’s policy to remove Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion training from police forces in England and Wales.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not issued any guidance to forces on this matter. Policing is operationally independent and the College of Policing is the body responsible for setting clear national standards, including the Code of Ethics, and issuing Authorised Professional Practice. This provides officers and forces with a single, authoritative reference point for what good practice looks like across core areas of policing.
All communities deserve to have trust and confidence in the police, and there is no place for racism or intolerance in policing as we continue to take pride in forces that are truly representative of the communities they serve.
Any instances of racism in policing are wholly unacceptable, and restoring public confidence requires police forces, working with Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and local communities to rebuild trust, uphold the highest standards, and protect everyone from harm, with clear and equal treatment for all, regardless of ethnicity.
It is therefore right that police are properly trained to uphold the Code of Ethics, which requires all police officers and staff to make their decisions free from prejudice: this principle is at the heart of police practice and is the cornerstone of police training.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has given to police forces regarding Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not issued any guidance to forces on this matter. Policing is operationally independent and the College of Policing is the body responsible for setting clear national standards, including the Code of Ethics, and issuing Authorised Professional Practice. This provides officers and forces with a single, authoritative reference point for what good practice looks like across core areas of policing.
All communities deserve to have trust and confidence in the police, and there is no place for racism or intolerance in policing as we continue to take pride in forces that are truly representative of the communities they serve.
Any instances of racism in policing are wholly unacceptable, and restoring public confidence requires police forces, working with Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and local communities to rebuild trust, uphold the highest standards, and protect everyone from harm, with clear and equal treatment for all, regardless of ethnicity.
It is therefore right that police are properly trained to uphold the Code of Ethics, which requires all police officers and staff to make their decisions free from prejudice: this principle is at the heart of police practice and is the cornerstone of police training.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many a) arrests and b) convictions for hate crimes there have been in England and Wales in each year since 1998.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Arrests data
The data is not held by the Home Office.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests in England and Wales as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series, available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK
However, data is collected by broader offence group, for example ‘Violence against the person’ or ‘Public order offences’, therefore data specifically on arrests for hate crimes is not available.
Convictions data
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a large range of offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics
Convictions for selected racial and religiously aggravated crimes can be identified by filtering on the HO offence code. Other offences contained within the Outcomes by Offences data tool may be related to hate crimes, including different strands of hate crimes, but are not identifiable from data held centrally.
CPS performance data which includes convictions data pertaining to hate crime flagged offences is available here CPS data summary Quarter 3 2025-2026 | The Crown Prosecution Service
The published offence-level data reflects the offence wording as set out in legislation. The published volumes will not include all racially or religiously motivated offences. In addition, other aggravating factors which contribute to the commissioning of an offence are not identifiable from the published MOJ convictions data.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her Department’s policy to remove religious exemptions from section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence to have an article with a blade or point in a public place. The law allows for a person found in possession of a bladed article to claim a defence of having a good reason for having the article in public. One of the examples of a good reason listed in the legislation is for religious reasons. A court will then reach a judgement on whether that defence is valid, based on the evidence.
The defence for the carrying of knives for religious use has been a long-standing arrangement, as a way of balancing public safety and religious freedom.
We keep all legislation under review, but we are clear that should any bladed article be used to threaten or harm others, it will be met with the full force of the law.
We will discuss current legislation with the police, the Sikh community and knife crime campaigners.