Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on (a) when and (b) how often they can issue legal stop notices in relation to the housing of asylum seekers in their areas.

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

Planning enforcement action is not a matter for the Home Office.  This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities across the country so that the Home Office continues to meet its statutory obligations while also carefully considering the impact on local areas.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether her Department has had it own ministerial car service since her appointment.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

Since my appointment, the Wales Office has not had its own ministerial car service.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what meetings she has held with the victims and survivors of grooming gangs in Wales since January 2025.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

As the lead department, the Home Office leads on engagement with victims and survivors of grooming gangs across Wales and England. On 16 June 2025, the then Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament confirming that the Government has accepted all of the recommendations made in Baroness Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, including a recommendation to commission a national inquiry.

Baroness Casey specifically recommended that the national police operation and national inquiry should cover England and Wales. The Home Office has been working closely with partners to develop the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry, with early consultation already undertaken with victims and survivors. The National Working Group (NWG) charity has been coordinating the engagement with victims and survivors related to the inquiry set-up, including sessions attended by the Minister for Safeguarding and VAWG.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has allocated to Wealden District Council for each asylum seeker.

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

We are working closely with key stakeholders including local health partnersto minimise the impact on the local community. Total costs will be included inthe Departments Annual Report and Accounts in the normal way.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to help victims of grooming gangs in Wales.

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

The Government is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The police will respond to all allegations of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, ensuring that victims are protected and offenders are brought to justice.

The National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse will cover England and Wales. The Home Secretary has written to the First Minister to confirm this.

We will continue to work closely with law enforcement and safeguarding partners to address ongoing crimes and protect vulnerable children across Wales and the rest of the UK.

We are also providing £2.59 million in 2025-26 for the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund, providing a range of support services with national reach. As part of the fund, this year we have provided £193,515 to Cyfannol Women’s Aid.

The Home Office also launched the invitation-to-tender for the national Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service contract in September 2025, which will expand coverage from two thirds of local authorities in England and Wales to all local authorities in England and Wales.

The service provides specialist modern slavery and child exploitation expertise to ensure child victims are protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation or re-trafficking, and promote the child’s recovery. It supports child victims of sexual exploitation and grooming who have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and the professionals working with them.

The Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) provides specialist support to adult victims of exploitation and trafficking who have been identified through the NRM in England and Wales. This includes adults who experienced sexual exploitation as children.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make (a) an assessment of the potential merits of launching a Wales-wide inquiry into grooming gangs and (b) it her policy to tackle ongoing crimes relating to grooming gangs in Wales.

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

The Government is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The police will respond to all allegations of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, ensuring that victims are protected and offenders are brought to justice.

The National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse will cover England and Wales. The Home Secretary has written to the First Minister to confirm this.

We will continue to work closely with law enforcement and safeguarding partners to address ongoing crimes and protect vulnerable children across Wales and the rest of the UK.

We are also providing £2.59 million in 2025-26 for the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund, providing a range of support services with national reach. As part of the fund, this year we have provided £193,515 to Cyfannol Women’s Aid.

The Home Office also launched the invitation-to-tender for the national Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service contract in September 2025, which will expand coverage from two thirds of local authorities in England and Wales to all local authorities in England and Wales.

The service provides specialist modern slavery and child exploitation expertise to ensure child victims are protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation or re-trafficking, and promote the child’s recovery. It supports child victims of sexual exploitation and grooming who have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and the professionals working with them.

The Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) provides specialist support to adult victims of exploitation and trafficking who have been identified through the NRM in England and Wales. This includes adults who experienced sexual exploitation as children

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has submitted the required information under section 293B(7) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in relation to an application by the Ministry of Defence concerning the use of Crowborough Training Camp for asylum seeker accommodation.

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

Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.

The Home Secretary will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has exercised powers under section 293B(9) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to require the publication of notices in relation to any such application concerning the Crowborough Training Camp and asylum seeker accommodation.

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

Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.

The Home Secretary will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Secretary of State has issued any directions under section 293B(13) to Wealden District Council relating to site notices or other publicity requirements for the Crowborough Training Camp and asylum seeker accommodation application.

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

Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.

The Home Secretary will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has met with, consulted or received submissions from the Ashdown Forest Conservators on the proposed use of the Crowborough Training Camp for asylum seeker accommodation.

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

Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.

The Home Secretary will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.