Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) local authorities and (b) police forces to manage tensions around asylum seeker housing.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office works closely with police, security teams, local authorities and other partners to ensure all accommodation sites are managed safely and securely. These key stakeholders regularly attend Multi-Agency Forums to provide updates and address any concerns raised within local communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have received indefinite leave to remain in 2025.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes statistics relating to indefinite leave to remain in the Immigration system statistics publication. The latest data is available up to the end of June 2025.

Data on grants of settlement can be found in table Se_D02 of the Settlement data tables. A settlement grant provides individuals with indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Data on EUSS grants are available in table EUSS_D02 of the EUSS data tables. Settled status is an indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK, granted under the EUSS, which is available to EU, other EEA, and Swiss citizens who were residing in the UK that was launched in August 2018.

Additionally, data on family visa grants, included those granted immediate settlement are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. You may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain if you have a family member settled in the UK - either as a British citizen or a person with indefinite leave to remain.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what engagement she has had with the Further Education sector in Scotland on the proposals in the Immigration White Paper to increase the standard qualifying period for permanent residence from five to ten years.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The reforms in the Immigration White Paper, including the proposed increase in the standard qualifying period for settlement, were agreed across Government at a Home and Economic Affairs Committee the previous Home Secretary attended prior to publication on 12 May 2025.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Health and Social Care and (b) Work and Pensions on the (i) proposed increase in standard qualifying period for permanent residence and (ii) impact of that increase on workforce planning for their Departments.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The reforms in the Immigration White Paper, including the proposed increase in the standard qualifying period for settlement, were agreed across Government at a Home and Economic Affairs Committee the previous Home Secretary attended prior to publication on 12 May 2025.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered the potential merits of allocating funding to the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The National Vehicle Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) is a national policing unit funded by industry, including finance and leasing companies, insurers and hauliers, to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement. NAVICS undertakes enforcement action at ports which are intelligence-led operations to tackle vehicle crime.

Whilst the Government does not fund NaVCIS, we provided £250,000 last year to other law enforcement partners to help support enforcement at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including additional staff and specialist equipment.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime. We are working with the automotive industry and police, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible. I recently met the previous NPCC vehicle crime lead, ACC Jenny Sims, as well as other law enforcement representatives and representatives from industry, to discuss how we work together to tackle these damaging crimes.

Via the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.

In the Crime and Policing Bill we have banned electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing, importing and supplying them.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to consult on further safeguarding measures following the introduction of the Disclosure and Barring Service new manual ID guidance in April 2025.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent and therefore responsible for its own identity assurance policy.

The recent update cited is part of a broader move towards modernised and more accessible DBS processes and are not linked to any other safeguarding regime issues that may be considered by the Secretary of State.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources allocated to Coroners' Courts for Fatal Accident Inquests.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.

Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve support for bereaved families during Fatal Accident Inquests.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.

Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to commence Fatal Accident Inquests.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.

Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time is for the conclusion of a Fatal Accident Inquest.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.

Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Fatal Accident Inquests are in progress.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Where an investigation into a death requires a public hearing, this takes the form of an inquest in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland.

Responsibility for the death investigation process in Scotland, including any requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in an individual case, lies with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes by technology companies to data protection features available in their products on consumers; and what steps he is taking to protect consumers’ data privacy.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK’s data protection legislation applies to technology companies providing services to people in the UK, if they are processing personal data. The legislation sets out general rules on how such data should be processed and safeguarded. This includes ensuring that any processing is lawful, fair and transparent. Organisations must also carry out a data protection impact assessment, when processing activities involving new technologies that are likely to result in a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms. The legislation is independently regulated by the Information Commissioner's Office. We recently strengthened their powers in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 to help them investigate suspected breaches of the legislation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Scottish government on the potential long-term impact of changes to PIP eligibility on (a) people in Scotland who are in receipt of Adult Disability Payment and (b) the interaction between reserved and devolved systems.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government has launched a comprehensive review of the PIP assessment, to ensure it is fair and fit for the future. I shall lead the review, and it will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard.

We are committed to working closely with the devolved governments throughout the Timms review.

In the course of my stakeholder engagement, I have spoken to disability stakeholders from Scotland, to draw on devolved government perspectives in designing the work of the review. We will continue to engage disability stakeholders from across the UK throughout the review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people in Scotland who transition from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit will be (a) considered as new claimants and (b) subject to the new rules under the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Bill when determining their eligibility for the Universal Credit health element.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are rebalancing Universal Credit (UC) to fix a system which encourages people to claim health benefits and incentivises inactivity. It’s a targeted reform that protects those with the most serious, long-term conditions and existing claimants, while providing work, health and skills support to everyone who is affected by changes to LCWRA.

Both Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and UC are entirely reserved so are assessed in the same way across England, Scotland and Wales. Customers who move to UC from ESA, with no gap between those awards, will not be treated as a new claimant.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether existing claimants of the Universal Credit health element will be considered as new claimants upon (a) periodic reassessment and (b) subsequent (i) appeal and (ii) reapplication.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Existing claimants of the Universal Credit (UC) health element will not be considered new claimants if they are reassessed and are still found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-related Activity (LCWRA). Existing claimants who are not found to have LCWRA at reassessment but successfully appeal this decision would still be eligible for the higher rate.

If a claimant is found not to have LCWRA and then reapplies at a later date, they will be considered a new claimant. From 6 April 2026, new UC Health claimants will receive the lower rate unless they meet the Severe Conditions Criteria or qualify under Special Rules for End of Life.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether any arms export licences held by Elbit Systems UK were suspended on 2 September 2024 following the review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We suspended export licences for Israel where these relate to items for use in military operations in Gaza. This includes licences for components for fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones, naval systems and targeting equipment.

Since the details of individual suspended licences contain sensitive information relevant to the individual exporter companies, the government is not providing further comment on them.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the protection of journalists in conflict zones.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly condemns all violence directed against journalists and media workers. Civilian reporters covering conflicts are afforded protection under international humanitarian law. We are therefore appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a recent joint statement with 28 other countries, we called on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to make every effort to ensure that media workers in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem can conduct their work freely and safely. The statement also called for all attacks against media workers to be investigated and for those responsible to be prosecuted in compliance with national and international law.

The UK has contributed £3 million to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Global Media Defence Fund, benefitting over 9,000 journalists, including time-sensitive emergency support to journalists and media experiencing sudden major crises in Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti. Earlier this year the UK provided funds to UNESCO's Special Fund for Gaza, supporting locally based journalists with vital equipment.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support compliance with International Humanitarian Law by the Israeli Government on the protection of journalists reporting on the conflicts in Gaza and the West Bank.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly condemns all violence directed against journalists and media workers. Civilian reporters covering conflicts are afforded protection under international humanitarian law. We are therefore appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a recent joint statement with 28 other countries, we called on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to make every effort to ensure that media workers in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem can conduct their work freely and safely. The statement also called for all attacks against media workers to be investigated and for those responsible to be prosecuted in compliance with national and international law.

The UK has contributed £3 million to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Global Media Defence Fund, benefitting over 9,000 journalists, including time-sensitive emergency support to journalists and media experiencing sudden major crises in Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti. Earlier this year the UK provided funds to UNESCO's Special Fund for Gaza, supporting locally based journalists with vital equipment.

Barry Winter

Restructure of local government debt

Armed Forces Training Contract and Elbit Systems

Scotland's Premier Independent Curry Event (SPICE) Awards 2025