Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of Ukrainian Government’s decision of 8 May 2026 to add the United Kingdom to its list of permitted second citizenship.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
One of the core requirements for naturalisation is that the applicant must be settled in the United Kingdom.
The Ukrainian Government have been clear that their wish is for the return of their citizens, when it is safe to do so, and their position on this is unchanged. As a result, the Ukraine Schemes remain temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement, nor does time spent in the UK under the schemes count towards the Long Residence route.
The Government is actively considering the future position of the Ukraine Schemes, drawing on evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement, including the Ukrainian Government. We will respond in a responsible and considered manner and intend to make a further statement in due course.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how (a) Homes for Ukraine and (b) UPE visas may be translated into UK citizenship.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
From the outset, the Government has been clear that the Ukraine schemes are temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement. Time spent in the UK under the Ukraine schemes does not count towards the Long Residence route. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s wishes for His Majesty’s Government to offer temporary sanctuary, due to the Ukrainian Government's strong desire for the eventual return of its citizens to Ukraine once it is safe to do so.
The Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK, including pressures relating to housing, employment and education. The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty, including extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and widening the application window.
One of the core requirements for naturalisation is that the applicant must be settled in the United Kingdom.
The Government is considering the future position drawing on evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement. The Government will respond in a responsible and considered manner and intends to make a further statement in due course.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her department is taking to, a) reduce the number of children that go missing, and b) find children who have gone missing, in Devon.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government remains firmly committed to working across government and with safeguarding partners, including the police and voluntary sector, to ensure a robust response to when people go missing anywhere across the country. This includes ensuring that their families receive the best possible protection and support.
I am reassured that the police, working with other safeguarding partners, are driving forward robust action to ensure best practice approaches are taken to prevent missing incidents, provide immediate response when children go missing, and address the underlying harms that lead to these situations.
This includes working in line with the Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice (APP), issued by the College of Policing, which sets out best practice for all missing person investigations for police forces in England and Wales in order to prevent missing incidents as well as ensure that all safeguarding partners play a role in an investigation. Provisions being implemented from the Children Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, including requiring all local safeguarding partners to establish multi-agency child protection teams, will be another crucial step towards a more joined-up approach to protecting all children from harm, including those who go missing across the UK. The new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection will also improve the response to missing children by developing best practices and delivering training to officers across a range of vulnerabilities.
This work is aimed at driving improvements in the response to people going missing across all areas of the country, including Devon.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support victims of coercive control.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse and I recognise the long-term emotional and psychological distress it can cause victims. We know that more can be done to improve the response to and support for victims of CCB and the steps we are taking are outlined below.
Statutory guidance on CCB has been issued to the police and other agencies. As part of the recently published Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy the government has committed to updating the guidance by the end of 2026. This will reflect the latest policy and practice, as well as new and emerging issues, to improve how agencies respond to CCB victims.
In April 2025, the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) launched to provide national leadership on VAWG within policing. Backed by £13.9 million funding this year, the Centre will improve the response to violence against women and girls, driving a change in policing attitudes to ensure that officers respond effectively to VAWG crimes, including CCB, and offer victims better support and consistent protection.
As of 3rd February 2025, offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour, and sentenced to 12 months or longer, are now automatically managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Recognising the significant harm this kind of offending can cause by putting controlling or coercive behaviour on par with other forms of domestic abuse, giving greater protection to victims of CCB.
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) were launched in selected police forces and courts in November 2024, and for the first time, victims of all forms of domestic abuse including coercive and controlling behaviour and economic abuse are being protected through DAPOs. In the VAWG strategy, the government has committed to rollout DAPOs nationally across England and Wales.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Sentencing Act 2020 to record crimes motivated by misogyny as hate crimes.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has no current plans to extend the Sentencing Act 2020 to include sex as an aggravating factor in the enhanced sentencing regime.
However, an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill has added sex to the list of protected characteristics under the aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. When this provision has been implemented – offences listed in the Act motivated by hostility against someone’s sex or presumed sex can be charged as an aggravated offence and the courts will be able to impose a longer sentence on conviction beyond those provided for in the Sentencing Act 2020.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect the right to peaceful protest in Devon.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to protecting the right to peaceful protest, while ensuring public order legislation balances freedom of expression with protecting the public from serious disruption or harm.
Under the Public Order Act 1986, the police have the necessary powers to manage protests, and it is for individual forces to determine the most appropriate approach based on the specific context.
The Government is taking the Crime and Policing Bill through Parliament to equip police with targeted powers to manage evolving protest tactics while safeguarding public safety and the right to protest. The measures aim to protect the right to protest while keeping public spaces safe and accessible.
The Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October 2025. It will ensure police powers remain fit for purpose, are used consistently, and strike the right balance between protecting the public and upholding the right to lawful protest. Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC is leading the review and is expected to report its findings to the Home Secretary by the end of May.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been waiting more than 4 months for UPE phase 1 extension.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
A range of processing data including case outcomes on Ukraine visa applications, can be found at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK and Migration transparency data - GOV.UK
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on 3 June 2025, HC 523, whether her Department plans to pilot enhanced device‑blocking and cross‑platform verification tools with the Metropolitan Police and other police forces.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Mobile phone theft causes significant distress to victims and fuels wider criminality, and the Government is determined to reduce it. We recognise the important role that technical solutions, such as options aimed at preventing stolen devices from accessing cloud services, can play in reducing the market value of a stolen device.
The Metropolitan Police Service is currently leading collaboration with technology partners, including mobile operating system providers, to explore the quickest and most effective ways of achieving this. The Home Office is supporting this important collaboration between law enforcement and technology partners.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on 3 June 2025, HC 523, what steps her Department has taken with mobile operating system providers to prevent stolen devices from accessing cloud services internationally.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Mobile phone theft causes significant distress to victims and fuels wider criminality, and the Government is determined to reduce it. We recognise the important role that technical solutions, such as options aimed at preventing stolen devices from accessing cloud services, can play in reducing the market value of a stolen device.
The Metropolitan Police Service is currently leading collaboration with technology partners, including mobile operating system providers, to explore the quickest and most effective ways of achieving this. The Home Office is supporting this important collaboration between law enforcement and technology partners.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role her Department has in providing oversight and assurance where public confidence in policing has been undermined by media reporting and documentary evidence; and whether there are existing independent bodies and review mechanisms to which such concerns should appropriately be directed.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Department supports the police and is clear that public confidence is crucial to our model of policing by consent. We hold our police to the highest of standards and expect action to be taken where this confidence is undermined. There are a number of measures in place to help ensure this.
The Home Secretary has powers to direct targeted inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) where there are specific concerns. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) oversees the police complaints system under which the public can raise concerns directly with the Professional Standards Department in their local police force or via the IOPC. The most serious and sensitive matters, including deaths or serious injuries involving the police, must be sent immediately by forces to the IOPC and the IOPC determines if it is necessary for such matters to be independently investigated. The IOPC, which has a statutory duty to maintain public confidence in the system, also has powers to “call in” a referral or to investigate such matters that have come to its attention on its own initiative, without waiting for a referral.
We set out plans for policing reform in the recent White Paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” on 26 January, including reforms to increase accountability and standards.
Finally, the independent Angiolini Inquiry is currently examining a range of issues in policing such as vetting, recruitment and culture in policing and the Home Office will carefully consider its findings when available.