Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her department is using to decide which police forces to allocate the proposed additional 13,000 officers to.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
All 43 forces in England and Wales are supporting delivery of the Government’s commitment to provide 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of this Parliament.
As at 31 March 2026, we have delivered 3,814 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles. This exceeded the Year 1 target of 3,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel compared to March 2025.
Further details on neighbourhood policing workforce growth can be found here:
Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2026 - GOV.UK
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers were employed by Lincolnshire Constabulary in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
Information on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers, by police force area, as at 31 March 2007 to 2026 is available in the ‘Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a58d48c7eb057103bd945ba/open-data-table-police-workforce-220726.ods.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of small boat crossings have travelled from Belgium in each of the past five years.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
In 2024, we assess that 2 small boats successfully reached the UK after departing from Belgium, making up 0.3% of the total number of small boat crossings that year. In 2026, we assess that there have been 27 small boats that have successfully reached the UK after departing from Belgium, which is 9% of the total number of small boat crossings this year.
We understand that there were zero crossings departing from Belgium that reached the UK in 2025, 2023 and 2022.
While this shows a relatively low number of crossings, we are closely monitoring the situation. We will continue to work with our international partners to disrupt and prevent these dangerous journeys.
We are working closely with Belgium to prevent small boat launches, including through real-time information sharing, strengthened coastal enforcement and joint action to disrupt the organised criminal gangs and supply chains facilitating crossings. We are deepening that cooperation through a new UK-Belgium law enforcement agreement, which will enable faster police-to-police intelligence sharing and strengthen joint investigations and operational activity.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department keeps a regularly updated central register of names of asylum seekers temporarily housed in hotels.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office maintains central records of individuals receiving asylum accommodation and support. Accommodation Service Providers also maintain records of individuals accommodated in the properties they manage. Information held by the Home Office and Accommodation Service Providers is regularly updated and cross-checked as part of operational activity.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered age restrictions on the sale of catapults and slingshots.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government shares the concern about the use of catapults against wildlife, people or property. We are aware of catapults being an issue in some areas of the country, and there are a range of laws in place that can be used against individuals who use catapults in this way.
Where a catapult is used to harm animals, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 provide the police with powers to deal with deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife. It is also an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal any unnecessary suffering.
Under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953, if a person carries an offensive weapon in a public place or threatens a person with an offensive weapon, they may face up to four years in prison. The definition of an ‘offensive weapon’ may include a catapult depending on the circumstances of the case.
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 also provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour including that involving catapults. This includes Community Protection Warnings and Notices (CPWs and CPNs), and Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) which can be used to prevent behaviour that is having, or likely to have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we have increased the upper limit for a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for breaches of a PSPO or a CPN from £100 to £500 and this will come into force from 26 October 2026.
A roundtable was held in June this year with Members of Parliament and stakeholders to discuss the misuse of catapults. The Government is now working with the police to ensure that existing legislation is used consistently and effectively. We have noted the proposals for new restrictions, including age restrictions on the sale of catapults, and we are actively considering what more might be done around enforcement.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the Disclosure and Barring Service spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Over the four years in question, the Disclosure & Barring Service spent £89,916.02 on interpreters and related translation services (including British Sign Language interpretation and translation plus other deafness support).
This breaks down as £16,413.69 in 2022; £24,730.10 in 2023; £21,093.70 in 2024; and £27,678.53 in 2025.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the Immigration Advice Authority spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This information is published annually on the Immigration Advice Authority’s website, as part of their Annual Report and Accounts. The expenditure for the years in question was £2,079.69 (2022/23); £8,144.40 (2023/24); and £2,284.90 (2024/25).
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether asylum seekers temporarily housed in hotels are required to sign in and out when leaving and entering the premises.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provides accommodation and support to destitute asylum seekers under statutory provisions such as Sections 95 and 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The accommodation is non‑detained, and asylum seekers are free to leave, and return to their accommodation.
There is no Home Office requirement for asylum seekers accommodated in hotels to sign in and out whenever they leave or enter the premises. However, accommodation providers are required to report concerns about prolonged or unexplained absences from accommodation to the Home Office, which may be investigated where appropriate.
Some individuals may also be subject to immigration bail conditions requiring them to reside at a particular address or report to the Home Office.
There is a difference between Asylum Seekers who leave Home Office provided accommodation while their claim is pending and an absconder. Those who leave accommodation may be deemed as missing from that particular location but are not automatically considered as ‘absconders’ as they may remain in contact with the Home Office whilst their claim is processed.
Absconders are individuals who have breached one or more conditions of their immigration bail and all efforts to contact the person have been exhausted.
With regard to the number of asylum seekers temporarily housed in hotels that have absconded in each of the past five years, the information requested is not currently available from published statistics.
Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers temporarily housed in hotels have absconded in each of the past five years.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provides accommodation and support to destitute asylum seekers under statutory provisions such as Sections 95 and 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The accommodation is non‑detained, and asylum seekers are free to leave, and return to their accommodation.
There is no Home Office requirement for asylum seekers accommodated in hotels to sign in and out whenever they leave or enter the premises. However, accommodation providers are required to report concerns about prolonged or unexplained absences from accommodation to the Home Office, which may be investigated where appropriate.
Some individuals may also be subject to immigration bail conditions requiring them to reside at a particular address or report to the Home Office.
There is a difference between Asylum Seekers who leave Home Office provided accommodation while their claim is pending and an absconder. Those who leave accommodation may be deemed as missing from that particular location but are not automatically considered as ‘absconders’ as they may remain in contact with the Home Office whilst their claim is processed.
Absconders are individuals who have breached one or more conditions of their immigration bail and all efforts to contact the person have been exhausted.
With regard to the number of asylum seekers temporarily housed in hotels that have absconded in each of the past five years, the information requested is not currently available from published statistics.
Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is issued to police forces regarding protesters wearing (a) balaclavas, (b) niqabs and (c) burkas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing issues guidance to police forces on the use of a broad range of public order powers. This includes guidance on the use of face coverings at protests.
Police decide when to use their powers, based on their assessment of the operational threats and risks for each situation they encounter.
Guidance is published online here: https://www.college.police.uk/app/public-order-public-safety and National protest operational advice