Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the average cost to the public purse of each immigration detention bed.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office currently operates seven Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) throughout the UK, (six in England and one in Scotland) and three residential Short-Term Holding Facilities (STHFs) (one in Northern Ireland and two in England). Additionally, the Home Office operates one Pre-Departure Accommodation for families (PDA) at Gatwick. As of 1 June, immigration detention capacity is c2,480 beds.

The Home Office are increasing detention spaces to support the Government’s priority to increase returns. This includes reopening and adding initially 290 beds across IRCs at Campsfield and Haslar, with further expansions in the future.

The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the daily cost of detention. This can be found on the gov.uk website at: Immigration Enforcement data: Q1 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration detention beds are available; and what steps she is taking to increase capacity.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office currently operates seven Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) throughout the UK, (six in England and one in Scotland) and three residential Short-Term Holding Facilities (STHFs) (one in Northern Ireland and two in England). Additionally, the Home Office operates one Pre-Departure Accommodation for families (PDA) at Gatwick. As of 1 June, immigration detention capacity is c2,480 beds.

The Home Office are increasing detention spaces to support the Government’s priority to increase returns. This includes reopening and adding initially 290 beds across IRCs at Campsfield and Haslar, with further expansions in the future.

The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the daily cost of detention. This can be found on the gov.uk website at: Immigration Enforcement data: Q1 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the potential merits of taxing remittances to countries that refuse to accept their returned nationals.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

All policy relating to taxation is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the cost of deporting one million illegal migrants under existing rules for deportations.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 6 May in response to Question 47960.

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 introducing a public reporting scheme that offers financial rewards for verified reports of illegal migrants.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office already operates an Immigration Enforcement hotline and provides several other routes for members of the public to report information regarding immigration related crime and/or abuse. Over the past three years we have seen an increase in information received from members of the public – we publish this information on a quarterly basis and it can be found here: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to increase the annual budget for immigration enforcement in line with projected growth in removals activity.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Chancellor of the Exchequer presented her Spending Review 2025 to Parliament on Wednesday 11 June 2025.

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 initiating a (a) cross-Departmental and (b) UK-wide commission into the number of illegal migrants living in the UK.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 30 January to Question 25047.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to require data sharing between NHS Digital and her Department to help identify illegal migrants.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 6 May to Question 47960.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on suspected illegal migrants attempting to access welfare services.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department does not hold data on illegal migrants attempting to access welfare services.

People who are in the UK illegally (that is to say people without a valid UK immigration status) are not permitted access to DWP public funds benefits.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to review the adequacy of legal protections available to homeowners who use force in self-defence against intruders.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice currently has no plans to review or reform the law regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in self-defence.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to simplify workplace health and safety requirements for small businesses while maintaining essential protections for workers.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) began a three-year project in 2024 to review its web guidance portfolio and improve accessibility, quality of content, ease of search and navigation, and declutter outdated materials. Improvements achieved after year-one are helping business find and access improved guidance materially more easily, saving them time and helping them better manage health and safety risk for themselves.

HSE plans to continue this programme of work to modernise its websites and related guidance during 2025/2026 including commitments to design new content and user journeys so businesses can quickly and easily procure HSE services (training, consultancy) and products (digital tools and books).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to review (a) agricultural and (b) environmental regulation for (i) food producers and (ii) small farmers.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra’s ambition is to reform the agricultural and environmental regulatory system so that it is fair, clear and effective for food producers, farmers and landowners. We are working closely with the sector to improve regulation so that it is proportionate, reduces unnecessary burden and improves clarity for farmers through advice and guidance. We welcome Dan Corry’s recent review of Defra’s regulatory landscape and are actively considering all 29 recommendations. Work is already underway on nine key measures with the greatest impact for growth and nature recovery, which are being fast-tracked.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has made an estimate of the number of people working in the informal economy without legal immigration status; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of illegal working on the economy.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to ensuring the UK border is secure and is increasing enforcement of illegal working practices for those without the right to be here. Furthermore, the government is recruiting an additional 5,500 compliance staff over the next five years as part of our ambitious approach to ensure everyone pays the right tax at the right time

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what guidance the Crown Prosecution Service provides to prosecutors when considering whether to charge people who have used force in self-defence within their own home.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Charging decisions in cases regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in England and Wales are made independently by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Reasonable force may be used by homeowners to protect themselves or others if a crime is taking place inside their home. This means individuals can protect themselves ‘in the heat of the moment’ - this includes using an object as a weapon or to stop an intruder running off - for example by tackling them to the ground. There is no specific definition of ‘reasonable force’ as this will depend on each individual circumstance. A homeowner does not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves in their home. If a homeowner has acted in reasonable self-defence and the intruder dies, they will still have acted lawfully.

However, a prosecution could follow if, for example, the attack on an intruder continues after the danger has passed or a trap has been pre-planned for an individual rather than informing and involving the police.

Guidance regarding householders and the use of force against intruders can be found at Householders and the use of force against intruders | The Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants who were homeowners prosecuted for using unreasonable or excessive force to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. To establish whether defendants were homeowners using excessive force against an intruder would require a manual review of case files and with over 440,000 defendants prosecuted by the CPS during 2024, this would be at disproportionate cost.

Data is held from 2015 showing the number offences of murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter charged by way of common law (or the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in respect of attempted murder) in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts. From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024, 12,418 such offences were charged. This figure relates to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many homeowners have been prosecuted for using force against individuals unlawfully present in their homes in the last 10 years.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Charging decisions in cases regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in England and Wales are made independently by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Reasonable force may be used by homeowners to protect themselves or others if a crime is taking place inside their home. This means individuals can protect themselves ‘in the heat of the moment’ - this includes using an object as a weapon or to stop an intruder running off - for example by tackling them to the ground. There is no specific definition of ‘reasonable force’ as this will depend on each individual circumstance. A homeowner does not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves in their home. If a homeowner has acted in reasonable self-defence and the intruder dies, they will still have acted lawfully.

However, a prosecution could follow if, for example, the attack on an intruder continues after the danger has passed or a trap has been pre-planned for an individual rather than informing and involving the police.

Guidance regarding householders and the use of force against intruders can be found at Householders and the use of force against intruders | The Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants who were homeowners prosecuted for using unreasonable or excessive force to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. To establish whether defendants were homeowners using excessive force against an intruder would require a manual review of case files and with over 440,000 defendants prosecuted by the CPS during 2024, this would be at disproportionate cost.

Data is held from 2015 showing the number offences of murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter charged by way of common law (or the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in respect of attempted murder) in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts. From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024, 12,418 such offences were charged. This figure relates to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who act in good faith to protect themselves or others from intruders are not prosecuted.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Charging decisions in cases regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in England and Wales are made independently by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Reasonable force may be used by homeowners to protect themselves or others if a crime is taking place inside their home. This means individuals can protect themselves ‘in the heat of the moment’ - this includes using an object as a weapon or to stop an intruder running off - for example by tackling them to the ground. There is no specific definition of ‘reasonable force’ as this will depend on each individual circumstance. A homeowner does not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves in their home. If a homeowner has acted in reasonable self-defence and the intruder dies, they will still have acted lawfully.

However, a prosecution could follow if, for example, the attack on an intruder continues after the danger has passed or a trap has been pre-planned for an individual rather than informing and involving the police.

Guidance regarding householders and the use of force against intruders can be found at Householders and the use of force against intruders | The Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants who were homeowners prosecuted for using unreasonable or excessive force to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. To establish whether defendants were homeowners using excessive force against an intruder would require a manual review of case files and with over 440,000 defendants prosecuted by the CPS during 2024, this would be at disproportionate cost.

Data is held from 2015 showing the number offences of murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter charged by way of common law (or the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in respect of attempted murder) in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts. From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024, 12,418 such offences were charged. This figure relates to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with business organisations on the impact of regulatory compliance costs on (a) profitability and (b) competitiveness.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Last year the Government launched a Call for Evidence on the UK's regulatory landscape to hear directly from business how regulation could be improved. In March we launched our Action Plan for Regulation, committing to cut administrative costs of regulation for business by 25%, giving them essential time back to focus on growing their businesses. The Secretary of State and I held a call with businesses and representative organisations, including Airbus, the British Retail Consortium and UK Space, to hear their feedback on the Action Plan. Officials in my department continue to engage regularly to support our regulatory reform agenda.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) asylum seekers and (b) failed asylum claimants that have used multiple identities or aliases while in the UK.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.

Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.

Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.

The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.

Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UK

UKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UK

The Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of name changes by asylum seekers on (a) national security, (b) immigration enforcement and (c) criminal justice proceedings.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.

Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.

Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.

The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.

Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UK

UKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UK

The Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) record and (b) verify name changes made by asylum seekers (i) during and (ii) after the asylum application process.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.

Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.

Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.

The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.

Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UK

UKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UK

The Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether asylum seekers are required to provide supporting documentation when requesting a legal name change.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.

Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.

Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.

The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.

Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UK

UKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UK

The Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have formally changed name since 2015; and how her Department monitors that data.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.

Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.

Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.

The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.

Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UK

UKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UK

The Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the Office for National Statistics on developing a reliable estimate of the irregular migrant population using available (a) administrative and (b) survey data.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 30 January to Question 25047.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the merits of commissioning an independent study to produce an updated estimate of the number of illegal migrants in the UK.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 30 January to Question 25047.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how she calculates the number of people without legal immigration status.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 30 January to Question 25047.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a one-in, two-out approach to new business regulations; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that approach on (a) innovation and (b) growth.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

On 17 March 2025 the government published an Action Plan setting out its approach to regulation and regulators, which made a firm commitment to cut the administrative costs of regulation for business by 25% by the end of the Parliament. This commitment will require deregulation of the existing stock of regulations and control the flow of new regulations to reduce costs.

The Department for Business & Trade, in collaboration with HM Treasury and departments across government, is working to establish the mechanisms needed to achieve this commitment and report on progress. The government will make a further announcement in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of regulation on small and medium-sized enterprises since 2010.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Businesses have told us that regulation can be too complex, stifle progress and innovation and the accumulation of poorly designed regulation over decades is a burden to comply with. Our recently published Action Plan for Regulation will aim to reduce these burdens for SMEs, with a commitment to cut administrative costs for business by 25% by the end of this Parliament. The measures announced in the Action Plan will also support the Government's SME Strategy, which aims to provide SME's with the certainty and support they need to succeed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people without legal status living in (a) temporary and (b) informal accommodation; and what discussions she has had with local authorities on understanding the scale of irregular migration.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 30 January to Question 25047.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on producing an estimate of the number of people living in the UK without legal immigration status.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 30 January to Question 25047.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average time was to obtain a UK driving test in each region in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and what percentage of applicants were foreign nationals.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test by driving test centre regions, for the financial year 2024/25. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not collect any data regarding the customer's nationality when they book, or attend, their car practical driving test.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had discussions with counter-terrorism police on the potential impact of full-face coverings in public settings on national security.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has regular and routine discussions with counter-terrorism policing on a wide range of national security issues.

The Crime and Policing Bill contains a new criminal offence of wearing, or otherwise using, an item that conceals identity in an area designated by police due to the risk of criminal activity taking place at protests. This will enable the police to put a stop to individuals hiding behind masks to avoid conviction for criminal activity at protests.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of individuals accessing NHS services who do not have lawful residency status in the UK; and whether such data is used to inform other estimates of immigration.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold or collect the information requested.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to inform (a) law enforcement, (b) border agencies and (c) local authorities of name changes made by people with insecure immigration status.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him to Question 58407.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will introduce a minimum 5-year mandatory sentence for adults convicted of carrying a knife.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Tackling knife crime is a priority and this Government is determined to do all it can to break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families, and communities. It is important that those who commit violent crimes receive appropriate, proportionate and robust sentences.

Minimum sentences are rare in England and Wales. It is the function of the independent courts to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any relevant Sentencing Guidelines published by the Sentencing Council. We have a robust legal framework in place to respond to knife crimes with the maximum penalty for carrying a knife or threatening with an offensive weapon being 4 years imprisonment.

In recognition of the seriousness of offences related to knives, the law already provides for minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession and offences that involve threatening with a weapon. Adults face a minimum of 6 months of imprisonment whilst young people aged 16 or 17 face a four-month Detention and Training Order. Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that the offender may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, up to life imprisonment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of state-funded schools currently permit the wearing of the (a) niqab and (b) burqa by (i) students and (ii) staff; and whether her Department has issued any guidance on uniform policies and face coverings.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department has published non-statutory guidance on developing a school uniform policy, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms. The guidance sets out that it is for the governing body of a school to decide rules about appearance and the design of any uniform they choose to have. Schools must have regard to their obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 and need to consider the impact of their policy on pupils who share a protected characteristic.

The department does not collect data on individual schools’ uniform policies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people without lawful immigration status who have come into contact with the police in the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who entered the UK on student visas since 2015 have not left the UK within six months of their visa expiry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The latest data available on the ‘Source of asylum claims in 2024’ was published by the Home Office on 30^th March 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people granted (a) refugee and (b) asylum status entered full-time employment within five years of arrival in the last ten years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The requested information is not currently available from published statistics, and could only be collated for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce levels of self-segregation in (a) housing and (b) schooling in areas with high concentrations of recent immigrants.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Immigration White Paper, published 12 May, set out proposals in a number of areas, including integration and English language requirements, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the proportion of adult migrants resident in the UK for over five years who are proficient in (a) spoken and (b) written English.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th June is attached.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, ⁠what guidance her Department has provided to (a) police officers and (b) security personnel on interacting with people wearing face coverings that obscure identity in public places.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides a power for police officers to demand the removal of disguises in certain circumstances to prevent crime. In addition, if the officer believes that someone is wearing an item for the purpose of concealing identity there is also a power to seize such items.

Statutory guidance on the use of this power is set out in Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). The College of Policing is responsible for providing operational guidance to police on the use of their powers.

We will also use the Crime and Policing Bill to introduce a new offence to use a face covering to conceal identity in an area the police assess a protest is likely to occur that may involve the commission of offences.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of full-face coverings on levels of (a) coercion, (b) domestic control and (c) honour-based abuse.

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

Tackling violence against women and girls, including Coercive or Controlling Behaviour (CCB) and ‘Honour’-Based Abuse (HBA), is a top priority for this Government and our manifesto included a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach, underpinned by a new strategy to be published in the summer.

CCB is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse. As made clear in statutory guidance, it can include isolating a person from friends and family, enforcing rules to humiliate, degrade or dehumanise, physical intimidation or taking control over aspects of the victim’s everyday life, such as by dictating what they can and cannot wear.

CCB is an offence in the Serious Crime Act (2015). The statutory definition of domestic abuse, contained within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, explicitly recognises controlling or coercive behaviour as a form of domestic abuse.

HBA is an umbrella term, covering specific crimes such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, but also other forms of abuse that take place in an 'honour' context. HBA is often hidden in nature. We are focused on preventing these crimes from happening, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice.

In 2023, the Home Office commissioned a feasibility study on producing robust prevalence estimates for FGM and forced marriage. The study concluded in March 2024, and we are currently working on our next steps and will provide an update in due course.

Building on the progress made in the Community Advocates Project, which took place in early 2024, we are progressing the HBA Campaign. This is a campaign to raise awareness of issues surrounding HBA and signpost where people can seek help. The Home Office also funds Karma Nirvana to operate the national HBA Helpline which supports victims and survivors and advises professionals to improve awareness of HBA.

Mandatory data collection of child sexual offenders

Ban on full face coverings in public spaces

Maintaining institutional neutrality of publicly funded buildings and spaces

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has updated guidance on the use of single-sex facilities in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2025 to Question 47442 to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Mr Rupert Lowe).

Found: Clifton-Brown Richard Fuller Sir John Whittingdale Martin Vickers Greg Smith Jack Rankin Rupert Lowe

Found: Clifton-Brown Richard Fuller Sir John Whittingdale Martin Vickers Greg Smith Jack Rankin Rupert Lowe

Found: Lincoln Jopp Gregory Stafford Alison Bennett Ellie Chowns Dame Karen Bradley Blake Stephenson Rupert Lowe

Found: Lincoln Jopp Gregory Stafford Alison Bennett Ellie Chowns Dame Karen Bradley Blake Stephenson Rupert Lowe

Found: Victoria Atkins Jim Shannon Bradley Thomas Ellie Chowns Dame Karen Bradley Blake Stephenson Rupert Lowe

Found: Mims Davies Victoria Atkins Jim Shannon Ellie Chowns Dame Karen Bradley Blake Stephenson Rupert Lowe

Found: Chambers Wendy Morton Peter Prinsley Katie Lam Ellie Chowns Dame Karen Bradley Blake Stephenson Rupert Lowe

Found: Dinenage Lewis Cocking Dr Danny Chambers Ellie Chowns Dame Karen Bradley Blake Stephenson Rupert Lowe

University APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: APP UG WEEKLY UPDATE 12 Education: Freedom of Expression Rupert Lowe (Reform UK): To ask the Secretary