Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential link between (a) organised crime groups facilitating illegal migration across the Channel, (b) organised crime groups engaged in the UK's illegal drug trade, and (c) organised crime groups engaged in the UK’s illicit tobacco trade.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Organised Immigration Crime differs from other forms of organised crime as we often see loose affiliations of criminal networks, sometimes working together when it suits, enabling various stages of people’s journeys.
The National Crime Agency’s (NCA) 2025 National Strategic Assessment does note that a core characteristic of Serious Organised Crime (SOC) in 2024 was the continued diversification of criminal activity beyond previous understandings of the SOC threat. This is the result of the emergence of new groups of offenders with a broader range of motivations, diversification of methodologies, and more crossovers between different SOC threats.
A key trend in 2024 was for offenders to broaden their criminal activity across multiple threat areas, enabled by online connectivity, use of new technology, and reliance on the specialist services offered by ‘crime as a service’ providers. It is becoming increasingly easier for SOC offenders to connect with other offenders or to enter new criminal marketplaces.
The NCA continues to lead the UK law enforcement system to tackle the harms posed by serious and organised crime and protect the public.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps she has taken to disrupt organised crime groups engaged in the supply of illicit tobacco products.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The actions we are taking to tackle illicit tobacco are set out in the illicit tobacco strategy. Our recent results can be found here, including criminal and civil sanctions as well as seizures.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, from which countries the House of Commons sources the paper for its (a) official headed stationery and (b) other printed parliamentary materials.
Answered by Nick Smith
Official headed stationery is sourced from the following locations:
All overprinting of paper envelopes is carried out in the UK, including embossing and phosphor band print. Overprinting of letterheaded paper is carried out in the UK.
Business papers (the Order Paper, bills etc) are printed on paper which has been manufactured in Germany and France. These are bought through a UK-based paper merchant.
Under current legislation and guidance, specifying the origin of goods or services is only permitted if it is necessary to do so in order for our requirements to be understood. The legislation expressly provides that any requirement specifying the origin must allow for equivalents where these exist. Parliament endeavours to purchase British goods and support domestic supply chains where it is possible and appropriate to do so.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what guidance the House has issued to encourage the procurement of British-made (a) office products and (b) stationery by (i) Members and (ii) their staff.
Answered by Nick Smith
Under current legislation and guidance, specifying the origin of goods or services is only permitted if it is necessary to do so in order for the requirements to be understood. The legislation expressly provides that any requirement specifying the origin must allow for equivalents where these exist. In respect of Members and their Staff it is a decision for each individual Member and their office to determine how they use their budget to purchase office products and stationery in accordance with IPSA guidelines.