Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of women and girls who have been victims of crimes committed by asylum seekers in each of the last five years, broken down by age of victim and type of offence.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not centrally hold data on the number of women and girls who have been victims of crimes committed by asylum seekers, broken down by the age of the victim and type of offence.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of violence against women and girls among crimes committed by people who are in the UK without legal immigration status.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers who engage in antisocial or criminal behaviour will be subject to the same legal consequences as any other individual residing in the country and will have their immigration status reviewed, if convicted.
No one in the UK, including foreign nationals, asylum seekers or refugees, is above the law. Asylum seekers are clearly advised of the expectations the Home Office and accommodation providers have for them to behave responsibly while they are accommodated in Home Office properties and not to engage in any form of criminal or anti-social activity.
Tacking Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a top priority for the Government. Our mission is to halve the levels of these crimes within a decade, using every lever available to us. “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data is collected on the immigration status of alleged perpetrators of violence against women and girls, and whether she plans to publish such data by offence and age of victim.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Immigration Enforcement records immigration status information for individuals referred to it by the police for operational purposes.
This does not represent all alleged perpetrators of violence against women and girls and is not routinely collated by VAWG offence type or the age of the victim.
There are currently no plans to publish the data in this format.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether the age profile of female victims of crimes allegedly committed by asylum seekers differs from that of female victims of comparable offences committed by the wider population.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not made an assessment of whether the age profile of female victims of crimes allegedly committed by asylum seekers differs from that of female victims of comparable offences committed by the wider population.
All criminal offences are investigated by the police and prosecuted independently where appropriate.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of women and girls who have been victims of violence or sexual offences allegedly committed by people who entered the UK illegally in small boats in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not centrally hold data that would enable an estimate to be made of the number of women and girls who have been victims of sexual offences allegedly committed by people who entered the UK illegally by small boat.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female victims of sexual offences in each of the last five years were under the age of 18, where the alleged perpetrator was an asylum seeker.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Data regarding the age of the victim is not held by the Ministry of Justice, except where it is specifically defined in statute (for example, where the offence is a sexual offence against a child). In addition, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the asylum status of offenders.
The removal of Foreign National Offenders is a priority for this Government and within its first two years (July 2024 to June 2026), this Government has increased returns of FNOs by 41% compared to the last two years of the previous Government.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of means testing PIP to ensure targeted support.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The purpose of the Timms Review is to ensure PIP is fair and fit for the future. As set out in the Terms of Reference for the Review, this government is committed to ensuring that PIP is a non-means tested cash benefit which is there for people in and out of work, now and into the future, because anyone can be impacted by a long-term condition or disability.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make representations to Thames Water to continue to deliver (a) the Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works upgrades and (b) other upgrades they have committed to.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has been clear there is no excuse for poor performance, and we will not look the other way while companies routinely fail to meet agreed standards. Water companies must take seriously their role in meeting the public and regulators’ expectations. Thames Water, along with the rest of the sector, must step up to deliver infrastructure improvements.
The Government has set out its new vision for water through a White Paper published on 20 January 2026. In the meantime, we will continue to work with water sector regulators to hold companies to account for poor performance and drive improvements that benefit customers and the environment during the transition to a single regulator.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance is issued to Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers on ensuring neutrality between parents in family court proceedings.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Cafcass provides learning for all colleagues on recognising and reflecting on bias as part of its wider approach to equality, diversity and inclusion. All colleagues are required to complete mandatory Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) e‑learning, alongside training entitled Exploring the Impact of Bias, which supports reflection on how personal assumptions and bias can affect professional judgement in work with children and families.
As with all considerations within the Family Court, Cafcass’s primary focus is the best interests and welfare of the child, rather than the interests or viewpoints of parents. Cafcass guidance and practice therefore focuses on assessing what is safe and promotes a child’s welfare, rather than balancing parental rights or perspectives or seeking neutrality between parents.
Cafcass works through a relationship‑based practice framework, Together with Children and Families, which prioritises and values the development of trusting relationships to enable sensitive and complex work with children and families. The framework encourages listening, understanding, clear reasoning, respect and integrity.
In all advice to the Family Court, Family Court Advisers are required to observe Cafcass’s statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in family proceedings. This includes assessing children’s safety, understanding the harm they have experienced and the risk of further harm in existing and future contact arrangements. The advice provided to the court and the report that is filed are based on this assessment and what is safe and in the best interests of the child.
Asked by: Joy Morrissey (Conservative - Beaconsfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is provided to staff of CAFCASS on unconscious bias, with particular reference to fathers in family court proceedings.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Cafcass provides learning for all colleagues on recognising and reflecting on bias as part of its wider approach to equality, diversity and inclusion. All colleagues are required to complete mandatory Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) e‑learning, alongside training entitled Exploring the Impact of Bias, which supports reflection on how personal assumptions and bias can affect professional judgement in work with children and families.
As with all considerations within the Family Court, Cafcass’s primary focus is the best interests and welfare of the child, rather than the interests or viewpoints of parents. Cafcass guidance and practice therefore focuses on assessing what is safe and promotes a child’s welfare, rather than balancing parental rights or perspectives or seeking neutrality between parents.
Cafcass works through a relationship‑based practice framework, Together with Children and Families, which prioritises and values the development of trusting relationships to enable sensitive and complex work with children and families. The framework encourages listening, understanding, clear reasoning, respect and integrity.
In all advice to the Family Court, Family Court Advisers are required to observe Cafcass’s statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in family proceedings. This includes assessing children’s safety, understanding the harm they have experienced and the risk of further harm in existing and future contact arrangements. The advice provided to the court and the report that is filed are based on this assessment and what is safe and in the best interests of the child.