Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that halal food is not the default option in (a) his Department, (b) military academies and (c) the armed forces.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

It is current Defence policy that Halal food is not the default option for the Ministry of Defence (MOD), military academies, or the Armed Forces. There are currently no Defence institutions where Halal food is the only option.

Suppliers are required to enable the MOD inclusive Dining Offer by accommodating catering requests for all personnel, irrespective of gender, race, religious beliefs and committed lifestyle choices. Food products used by ethnic groups following traditional dietary practices associated with their cultural background and religious beliefs, shall be sourced, prepared, processed and packaged in accordance with the requirements of the relevant religious law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what monitoring and reporting arrangements are in place to track the immigration and residency status of those admitted under the Gaza injured children scheme after their treatment concludes.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The children medically evacuated to the UK, alongside their immediate family members, have been issued with visas and granted leave to remain for up to two years. These families have the ability to access public funds, including treatment and wraparound support in the UK.

Should these individuals wish to remain in the UK beyond the initial two years, they can apply for further permission to stay under existing routes within the Immigration Rules.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people evacuated from Gaza under the medical treatment scheme have since applied for or been granted (a) asylum, (b) humanitarian protection and (c) leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The children medically evacuated to the UK, alongside their immediate family members, have been issued with visas and granted leave to remain for up to two years. These families have the ability to access public funds, including treatment and wraparound support in the UK.

Should these individuals wish to remain in the UK beyond the initial two years, they can apply for further permission to stay under existing routes within the Immigration Rules.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will extend English language testing requirements to foreign nationals working in (a) private security or (b) enforcement roles contracted by the Department.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Private Security Industry Act (PSIA) 2001 created the Security Industry Authority (SIA) as the regulator of the private security industry.

The SIA sets minimum training standards and issues licenses to applicants who have acquired the correct licence-linked qualifications. Before a learner can take a licence-linked qualification, they must prove they have English language skills to B2 standard on the Home Office list of recommended qualifications. This standard means that the learner has a degree of fluency in English. The SIA reviews training standards every five years to ensure that individuals seeking to work in regulated roles meet refreshed minimum standards, and that skills keep pace with emerging threats to public safety.

Where overseas nationals fill enforcement roles contracted by the Home Office, they require an immigration permission to do so, and they may be subject to English language requirements mandated by the Immigration Rules. For the Skilled Worker immigration route, the required level of English is being increased from B1 to B2 level (effective from 8 January 2026).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to protect properties at risk from coastal erosion in Hemsby before winter 2025-26.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) are the responsible risk management authority for the coast at Hemsby and have been working on erosion management issues at Hemsby for many years.

GYBC is a principal partner of the Resilient Coasts project, delivered and funded as part of the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. Through this project, £1.6 million has been allocated to develop plans to help people living in homes most threatened by erosion to relocate away from areas most at risk via the transfer of planning rights. The innovative approach provides some funding towards relocation for those most affected by coastal erosion.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to legislate to disapply the Human Rights Act 1998 in deportation cases.

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

We set out in our Immigration White Paper our intention to bring forward legislation to allow us to more easily remove foreign national offenders.

Later this year we will set out more detailed reforms and stronger measures to ensure our laws are upheld, including streamlining and speeding up the removals process. That will include establishing new procedures so that the Home Office can more easily take enforcement and removal action and revoke visas in a much wider range of crimes where noncustodial sentences have been given, not just cases which are sent to prison.

The Government is fully committed to complying with international law and the protection of human rights. Work is underway on reviewing the application of Article 3 and Article 8 in immigration cases.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of foreign nationals living in the UK unlawfully who are liable for deportation.

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

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal population, or the number of people who arrive illegally, and so we do not seek to make any official estimates of the illegal population. In June 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a note on ‘measuring illegal migration’, which can be found here: Measuring illegal migration: our current view - Office for National Statistics.

This government has already removed almost 5,200 FNOs in its first year of office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous twelve months (5 July 2024 to 4 July 2025) and we will continue to crack down on any foreign nationals who come to this country and break our rules.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of leaving European Convention on Human Rights on the ability of the UK to deport foreign nationals.

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

We set out in our Immigration White Paper our intention to bring forward legislation to allow us to more easily remove foreign national offenders.

Later this year we will set out more detailed reforms and stronger measures to ensure our laws are upheld, including streamlining and speeding up the removals process. That will include establishing new procedures so that the Home Office can more easily take enforcement and removal action and revoke visas in a much wider range of crimes where noncustodial sentences have been given, not just cases which are sent to prison.

The Government is fully committed to complying with international law and the protection of human rights. Work is underway on reviewing the application of Article 3 and Article 8 in immigration cases.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 74856 on Deportation: Sanctions, what sanctions have been applied under sections 70-74 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 in each year since 2022.

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

Sections 70-74 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 refer to the power to impose visa penalties on countries who, in the opinion of the Home Secretary, are a) uncooperative on the return of any its nationals or citizens, or b), pose a risk to international peace and security.

These provisions have not been used since their introduction in 2022. But we will use all levers available to ensure the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK, including visa penalties where necessary, and will do whatever it takes to secure the UK’s border.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made in establishing the independent commission to oversee the national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a chair has been appointed to lead the national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse; and what the (a) selection process, (b) shortlist and (c) timetable was for that appointment.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the first local areas to be examined by the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse are; and what criteria was used to select them.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the Terms of Reference for the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse to be published.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the condition of coastal defences at Hemsby in Norfolk.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) are the responsible risk management authority for the coast at Hemsby and have been working on erosion management issues at Hemsby for many years.

Earlier this year an independent report commissioned by GYBC detailed how a temporary rock berm, which was installed in 2023, and other materials on the beach are now ineffective at preventing or slowing down erosion and, in some cases, are exacerbating it. GYBC have highlighted there is a risk to public safety from some of the materials on the beach and the Hemsby Stakeholder Group has agreed to look at how some of the assets might be re-purposed and re-used more effectively for the benefit of the community. GYBC have confirmed nothing will be moved until next autumn, to allow time for community input and further stakeholder group meetings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse will have powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 to compel evidence from serving and former (a) police officers, (b) council staff and (c) elected officials; and whether those powers have been formally granted.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that (a) police forces and (b) local authorities are preserving all relevant evidence and records that may be required by the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget allocation is for the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in financial year 2025-26; and how much funding has been committed to date for (a) staffing, (b) legal support and (c) survivor engagement.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to implement the 12 recommendations that were accepted by the Government of the National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what interim reporting schedule has been agreed for the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse; and whether the Inquiry will publish local findings before its final report.

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

I refer the hon. Member to my response to the Urgent Question of 21 October.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of repealing the Human Rights Act 1998 on the efficiency of deportations.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Human Rights Act is an important part of our constitutional arrangements and fundamental to human rights protections in the UK. It will remain part of our law.

As set out in our Immigration White Paper, we will legislate to reform our approach to the application of Article 8 ECHR in the immigration system, and we are also reviewing the application of Article 3 in immigration and extradition cases. This will ensure the correct balance is struck between individual rights and the wider public interest in controlling migration.

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 (a) undertaking an urgent review of all asylum claims approved in the last ten years and (b) removing protection status for all people who entered the UK illegally.

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

We are committed to our international obligations under the Refugee Convention when someone claims asylum in the UK, which provide that we must not penalise an individual on account of their illegal entry or presence, if they come directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened, present themselves without delay to authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.

The Convention establishes the principle of ‘non-refoulement’, which means that refugees must not be removed to a place where “their life or freedom would be threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion”.

Any application for further leave to remain in the UK at the end of a grant of asylum leave is considered on its merits. A review of all asylum grants over the past decade would be disproportionate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total amount of Universal Credit was paid to deceased recipients in each of the last ten financial years.

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

DWP does not hold this information over the requested period. DWP has operational data used to identify and recover UC overpayments from deceased recipients, although this does not cover the full time period requested and is not considered to be of suitable quality to accurately answer the question.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces on maintaining political neutrality whilst on duty.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

All police officers are required by law to act with impartiality in discharging their duties, under the Police Regulations 2003. This is underlined in the oath of attestation that all police officers personally take on appointment and the Policing Protocol is clear that each Chief Constable is accountable for leading their force in a way that is consistent with that duty of impartiality.

The College of Policing sets standards and provides guidance for policing, including an updated Code of Ethics published in 2024 and a complementary statutory Code of Practice for Ethical Policing.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate she has made of the number of farms that could be affected by proposed changes to inheritance tax.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

The Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.

The Government published a tax information and impact note on 21 July 2025 and this is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, How many hotels are being used as contingency accommodation for irregular migrants as at 20 October 2025.

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

The Home Office has been clear that the use of hotels is a temporary and short-term measure to ensure we meet our statutory obligation to accommodate destitute asylum seekers, while we tackle the systemic challenges due to the previous government’s decisions.

Accommodation data is published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels which can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had (a) discussions and (b) correspondence with Oldham Council on the proposed grooming gang inquiry since January 2024; and whether her Department has issued any guidance to local authorities concerning the structure or format of such projects.

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

In June this year, Baroness Casey published her independent audit into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, and the Government accepted every recommendation it made, including establishing a new national inquiry. The national inquiry, equipped with statutory powers under the Inquiries Act 2005, will direct targeted local reviews in specific areas.

The former Home Secretary previously committed in January to provide guidance and establish a £5 million fund which would have supported non-statutory local inquiries. Our new approach of establishing a national statutory inquiry, will be strengthened through its statutory powers – therefore, we have discontinued work related to the previously announced guidance and £5 million fund.

In relation to Oldham specifically, the former Home Secretary made a commitment to support Oldham Council in undertaking their own local inquiry. The Department has been in discussions with Oldham Council about the right approach for Oldham, in light of the Government’s commitment to a new national inquiry. We also intend to consult the prospective chair of the national inquiry once appointed. We therefore intend to confirm the proposed approach for Oldham alongside further details about the national inquiry in due course.

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 creating a cross-party commission to progress the public inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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

The Government is driving forward work to establish the National Inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse under the Inquiries Act 2005. It will be overseen by an Independent Commission with statutory powers to compel evidence and testimony so that institutions can be held to account for current and historic failures.

To further strengthen this work, the Prime Minister has confirmed that Baroness Louise Casey will support the inquiry, bringing her extensive experience to help uncover the truth and drive meaningful change.

Cross-party collaboration is vital in tackling child sexual abuse, including group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse. We are committed to enhancing transparency, public confidence, and progress in this vital area.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was overpaid to Universal Credit recipients in each of the last ten financial years.

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

This information was published earlier this year and can be found via the following link:

Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the employment rate of refugees in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office recently published “Refugee Integration Outcomes (RIO) Insights: Embarks, Economic Activity, and Housing between 2015 and 2021” on GOV.UK. This article presents analysis—including employment rate—from linked Census 2021 and administrative data for asylum and resettled refugees in England and Wales who were granted refugee status between 2015 and 2021.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the initial grant rate of asylum applications by the (a) ethnicity (b) nationality of the decision makers.

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

The Home Office collates and publishes diversity data on staff, this can be accessed via Home Office workforce diversity statistics - GOV.UK.

However, the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many compliance investigations were (a) opened and (b) closed by HM Revenue and Customs on businesses classified under Standard Industrial Classification codes (a) 96020 (hairdressing and barbering) and (b) 96090 (nail and beauty services) in each year since 2020; and what the total (A) number and (b) value was of (1) penalties issued, (2) cash seizures and (3) civil recovery actions taken under the Proceeds of Crime Act in those sectors.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC does not hold specific data showing the number of hairdressers and nail salons investigated for tax non-compliance.

HMRC’s approach to tax compliance includes a range of activities that aim to both detect and tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. HMRC aims to help and support customers to understand their tax obligations and provides clear guidance to make it easy for them to get things right.

HMRC is aware that some workers and businesses in the hairdressing and beauty sector find it hard to understand their tax obligations. To help support these customers, HMRC has worked with trade bodies for this sector to develop new educational material including a YouTube video and has published guidance on GOV.UK to better explain the employment status and tax implications of different business models. Details can be found at: https://youtu.be/5o3au6PyXG8 and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-if-you-work-in-hair-and-beauty

Closing the Tax Gap is one of HMRC’s three priorities. The government is committed to measures which will raise over £7.5 billion additional tax revenue per year by 2029 to 2030. This includes the package to close the tax gap at Autumn Budget 2024 (£6.5 billion) and further messages at Spring Statement 2025 (over £1 billion).

As part of these packages, HMRC will receive extra funding over the next five years to recruit an additional 5,500 compliance staff and to fund 2,400 debt management staff.

HMRC has led multiple operations in the hair and beauty sector, specifically barbers and nail bars. For example, during March 2025, HMRC undertook a series of unannounced visits (including Turkish style barbers) across the West Midlands as part of a three-week operation conducted jointly with the NCA and other agencies. This exercise resulted in Police seizures under Proceeds of Crime provisions of more than £500k in cash and illegal funds.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has undertaken any formal risk assessments which have concluded that the disclosure of meeting records with NGOs on asylum accommodation policy would endanger the safety of (a) NGO staff and (b) Government officials.

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

When engaging with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) and Strategic Engagement Group (SEG), minutes are taken at these meetings. There are no criteria defining ‘constructive dialogue’ with NGOs.

A list of non-governmental organisations who attended NASF and SEG since January 2023 is provided below:

Micro Rainbow

The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)

British Red Cross

Refugee Action

Asylum Matters

Scottish Refugee Council

Refugee Council

Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP)

Freedom from Torture

Rainbow Migration

Helen Bamber Foundation

Migrant Help

Immigration Law Practitioners Network (ILPA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

No formal risk assessment has been undertaken. The disclosure of meeting records is handled in the usual way taking into account the wider Home Office risk assessment framework, disclosure and data protection provisions, and, where applicable, Freedom of Information guidance.

The Home Office publishes Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including the number of times exemptions under sections 36 and 38 of the FOI Act have been applied. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Establishing whether these exemptions were applied for reasons relating to asylum policy or stakeholder engagement could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many freedom of information requests have been refused by her Department under section (a) 36 (b) 38 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on grounds relating to (i) asylum policy and (ii) stakeholder engagement since January 2023.

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

When engaging with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) and Strategic Engagement Group (SEG), minutes are taken at these meetings. There are no criteria defining ‘constructive dialogue’ with NGOs.

A list of non-governmental organisations who attended NASF and SEG since January 2023 is provided below:

Micro Rainbow

The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)

British Red Cross

Refugee Action

Asylum Matters

Scottish Refugee Council

Refugee Council

Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP)

Freedom from Torture

Rainbow Migration

Helen Bamber Foundation

Migrant Help

Immigration Law Practitioners Network (ILPA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

No formal risk assessment has been undertaken. The disclosure of meeting records is handled in the usual way taking into account the wider Home Office risk assessment framework, disclosure and data protection provisions, and, where applicable, Freedom of Information guidance.

The Home Office publishes Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including the number of times exemptions under sections 36 and 38 of the FOI Act have been applied. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Establishing whether these exemptions were applied for reasons relating to asylum policy or stakeholder engagement could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a list of non-governmental organisations who attended meetings of the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum and Strategic Employment Group since January 2023.

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

When engaging with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) and Strategic Engagement Group (SEG), minutes are taken at these meetings. There are no criteria defining ‘constructive dialogue’ with NGOs.

A list of non-governmental organisations who attended NASF and SEG since January 2023 is provided below:

Micro Rainbow

The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)

British Red Cross

Refugee Action

Asylum Matters

Scottish Refugee Council

Refugee Council

Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP)

Freedom from Torture

Rainbow Migration

Helen Bamber Foundation

Migrant Help

Immigration Law Practitioners Network (ILPA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

No formal risk assessment has been undertaken. The disclosure of meeting records is handled in the usual way taking into account the wider Home Office risk assessment framework, disclosure and data protection provisions, and, where applicable, Freedom of Information guidance.

The Home Office publishes Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including the number of times exemptions under sections 36 and 38 of the FOI Act have been applied. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Establishing whether these exemptions were applied for reasons relating to asylum policy or stakeholder engagement could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department keeps formal (a) minutes and (b) other records of meetings of the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum and Strategic Engagement Group.

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

When engaging with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) and Strategic Engagement Group (SEG), minutes are taken at these meetings. There are no criteria defining ‘constructive dialogue’ with NGOs.

A list of non-governmental organisations who attended NASF and SEG since January 2023 is provided below:

Micro Rainbow

The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)

British Red Cross

Refugee Action

Asylum Matters

Scottish Refugee Council

Refugee Council

Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP)

Freedom from Torture

Rainbow Migration

Helen Bamber Foundation

Migrant Help

Immigration Law Practitioners Network (ILPA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

No formal risk assessment has been undertaken. The disclosure of meeting records is handled in the usual way taking into account the wider Home Office risk assessment framework, disclosure and data protection provisions, and, where applicable, Freedom of Information guidance.

The Home Office publishes Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including the number of times exemptions under sections 36 and 38 of the FOI Act have been applied. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Establishing whether these exemptions were applied for reasons relating to asylum policy or stakeholder engagement could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department uses to define constructive dialogue with NGOs in relation to the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum.

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

When engaging with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) and Strategic Engagement Group (SEG), minutes are taken at these meetings. There are no criteria defining ‘constructive dialogue’ with NGOs.

A list of non-governmental organisations who attended NASF and SEG since January 2023 is provided below:

Micro Rainbow

The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)

British Red Cross

Refugee Action

Asylum Matters

Scottish Refugee Council

Refugee Council

Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP)

Freedom from Torture

Rainbow Migration

Helen Bamber Foundation

Migrant Help

Immigration Law Practitioners Network (ILPA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

No formal risk assessment has been undertaken. The disclosure of meeting records is handled in the usual way taking into account the wider Home Office risk assessment framework, disclosure and data protection provisions, and, where applicable, Freedom of Information guidance.

The Home Office publishes Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including the number of times exemptions under sections 36 and 38 of the FOI Act have been applied. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Establishing whether these exemptions were applied for reasons relating to asylum policy or stakeholder engagement could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for HMRC was in the last year.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC telephony performance data, including the average speed of answering a customer’s call, is published on a regular basis and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

The definition of ‘average speed of answering a customer’s call’ is the average time spent waiting in the queue for an adviser. This is from the time that the customer finished listening to HMRC’s automated messages and completed their selection from HMRC’s automated menu to the time when they get to speak to an adviser.

The below table shows the average amount of time people spent on hold with HMRC – this is when a call has been answered by an adviser and the individual has subsequently been put on hold. The data covers the past year, broken down by quarter:

HMRC are taking steps to make sure more of their services are digital, so customers can self-serve online. HMRC online services and the HMRC app are convenient to access and receive high customer satisfaction ratings. As more people use HMRC online services, advisers are freed up to support those with more complex queries and those who are digitally excluded.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has paid to Serco in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided in PQ 15558.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an estimate of reoffending rates for prisoners released under the early release scheme.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We have had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

Whilst this change provided the intended medium-term relief, it was only ever a temporary change to bridge to a more sustainable solution. The Sentencing Bill has now been introduced to ensure we never run out of prison space again.

Our initial operational insights suggested there was not a significant change to the use and application of recall since the implementation of SDS40. We will, however, continue to monitor this.

The requested information cannot be provided because it would form a subset of the data that underpins future versions of these Official Statistics.

Proven reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees there are by nationality.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The information you have requested is published in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK. Data on asylum seekers who have been granted refugee permission at initial decision is published in table Asy_D02 of the asylum detailed datasets. Data on resettled refugees is published in table Res_D02 of the resettlement detailed datasets. The latest data is available up to the end of June 2025 and includes breakdowns by nationality. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many irregular migrants are housed in the Great Yarmouth Borough Council area; what accommodation is used to house those migrants; and what the cost is of housing those migrants.

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

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in different areas is routinely published by the Government in table ASY D_11 here:

Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)

The Home Office does not publish asylum support data disaggregated by method of arrival.

Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential. Therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on translation and interpretation in Jobcentres in the last financial year.

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

The Department carefully monitors the provision of translation and interpretation services for customers. It has not been possible to disaggregate expenditure on services for Jobcentres alone.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Ministry of Defence on the use of surplus military infrastructure for temporary detention and processing.

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

As part of our commitment to close all asylum hotels, we are looking at a range of more appropriate sites including disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites so we can reduce the impact on communities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of Universal Credit payments made to people with refugee status in each of the last ten financial years.

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

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to introduce English language learning as a condition of benefit receipt for foreign nationals.

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

The Department can require that claimants attend English language courses as a work preparation activity if this will make them more likely to find work, or to increase the hours they work. A sanction - which is a reduction in the amount of Universal Credit paid - is applicable where a claimant fails to meet a work preparation requirement without good reason.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department requires (a) Jobcentre staff and (b) benefits advisers to demonstrate English language proficiency as a condition of employment.

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

DWP complies with the requirement of the Immigration Act 2016 in requiring all of its employees in public-facing roles to speak English fluently, as outlined in the Government’s code of practice at www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-language-requirement-for-public-sector-workers-code-of-practice. This includes jobcentre staff and benefits advisers.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the levels of English language proficiency of staff working in local authority (a) housing and (b) social services.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. They are expected to organise their workforce so that it is best placed to meet the needs of their residents.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to local authorities of (a) translation and (b) interpretation services.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. They are expected to organise their workforce so that it is best placed to meet the needs of their residents.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to require local authorities to ensure staff in customer-facing roles are fluent in English.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. They are expected to organise their workforce so that it is best placed to meet the needs of their residents.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to ensure the supremacy of domestic law in all immigration and asylum matters.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

There is no need to do so: the UK’s immigration and asylum system operates within domestic law, over which Parliament is sovereign.

We will legislate to reform our approach to the application of Article 8 ECHR in the immigration system, as set out in the Immigration White Paper. This will ensure the correct balance is struck between individual rights and the wider public interest in controlling migration.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a 25 per cent remittance tax on funds sent to countries that refuse to cooperate with deportations.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK imposes taxes based on individual’s residence status. Individuals who are resident in the UK are taxable on their income and gains that arise worldwide. Remitting funds outside of the UK is not generally considered to be a chargeable event for individuals. It should also be noted that funds being remitted will often have already been subject to UK tax, such as income tax, if funded from earnings.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that the local elections in Norfolk take place on 7 May 2026.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The starting point is for all elections to go ahead, unless there is strong justification. We intend for the mayoral election for the new strategic authority to take place in May 2026, alongside the scheduled elections to Norwich City Council and the County Council elections postponed from May 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of forming an international alliance to coordinate sanctions on countries that refuse to cooperate on the returns.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer he was provided on 31st January 2025 to question 26186.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish a breakdown of her Department's August 2024 individual level analysis of Income Tax brackets by (a) ethnicity and (b) nationality.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC do not publish individual level analysis of Income Tax brackets by (a) ethnicity or (b) nationality.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) teachers and (b) classroom assistants (i) whose first language is not English and (ii) who have not undertaken a recognised English proficiency test.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The requested information on the first language of teachers and classroom assistants is not collected centrally.

Information on the qualifications held by teachers is available in the 'School workforce in England' accredited official statistics publication. This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are claiming Universal Credit by their preferred language.

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

The information is not held. Universal Credit claims can only be made in English and Welsh.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average (a) waiting time for people calling and (b) time spent on hold to the Personal Independence Payment helpline was in the last year.

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

The table below shows the Average Time to Answer and the Average Hold Time, in an hours, minutes and seconds (hh:mm:ss) format, for all people calling Personal Independence Payment lines for each of the last twelve complete reporting months.

DISCLAIMER Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with her French counterpart on (a) distributing leaflets and (b) creating information campaigns for potential irregular migrants to the UK on the consequences of illegal migration to the UK.

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

The Home Secretary regularly meets with her French counterparts to discuss our joint efforts to prevent dangerous small boat crossings. She remains committed to our joint mission and will continue this close working with the new Minister of Interior, Laurent Nuñez, who was appointed on 12 October.

The UK and French Governments have been running joint information campaigns in France since August about the consequences of illegal migration to the UK, including distributing leaflets to potential irregular migrants.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new funding formula for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management will include a specific category for rapidly eroding coastlines.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On 14 October, following consultation, the Government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy.

Under the new rules, projects will be prioritised by their benefit-to-cost ratios to drive value for money, with partnership contributions boosting a project’s prioritisation. Benefits include those of protecting coastal communities.

The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood and coastal erosion projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use Government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of Government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.

On coastal erosion, working with the Environment Agency, we will explore how we can take forward the current Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme. We will build on lessons learned, also recognising the growing source of risk in this area from the latest NCERM data.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish its final response to the consultation on the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management funding formula.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On 14 October, following consultation, the Government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy.

Under the new rules, projects will be prioritised by their benefit-to-cost ratios to drive value for money, with partnership contributions boosting a project’s prioritisation. Benefits include those of protecting coastal communities.

The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood and coastal erosion projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use Government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of Government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.

On coastal erosion, working with the Environment Agency, we will explore how we can take forward the current Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme. We will build on lessons learned, also recognising the growing source of risk in this area from the latest NCERM data.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the (a) financial arrangements, (b) lease durations and (c) landlord incentives offered by (i) Serco and (ii) other contractors under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts since 2020; and whether her Department has undertaken any risk assessments of the use of private rented accommodation for asylum seekers.

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

Since 2022, the Home Office has implemented a Full Dispersal model, which aims to distribute asylum accommodation more fairly and equitably across the UK. The Home Office, via our accommodation providers, has worked within the Private Rented Sector for many years to source accommodation that offers better value for money for the taxpayer. Accommodation providers are responsible for sourcing and securing suitable properties, as well as consulting with local authorities on every dispersed bedspace before it is procured to ensure the impacts on local areas are considered. The details of the contracts are commercially sensitive.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to allow Immigration Enforcement to issue immediate civil fines for non-compliance with Right to Work or Right to Rent requirements.

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

In some areas where access to work, services or benefits is regulated, the measures require a third party to take action such as checking an individual’s eligibility to access work or rent a property. Sanctions exist where these requirements are not complied with.

In 2024 the Right to Rent Order amended the Immigration Act 2014 (the 2014 Act) to increase the maximum penalty that may be imposed on a landlord or agent who contravenes section 22 of that Act. The civil penalty was raised to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier for a first breach, with repeat breaches set at £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier up from £500 and £3,000 respectively. There is no upper limit to the penalty amount, it is calculated on a per-person basis.

The Immigration Act 2016 introduced the criminal offence of leasing a property whilst knowing or having ‘reasonable cause to believe’ the tenant does not have the right to rent’, which supplements the 2014 Act and is aimed at targeting criminally intent landlords who continue to flout the rules.

In tandem, changes also came into force to reflect that the civil penalty for employers, was increased to £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach from £15,000, and up to £60,000 for repeat breaches, from the previous level of £20,000. There is no upper limit to what an employer could be penalised, penalties are imposed on a per-person basis. In criminal cases, a conviction for illegal employing a person carries a sentence of up to 5 years and/or an unlimited fine, for the most serious cases, those exploiting migrants could face criminal conviction for facilitation or trafficking offences and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The Government is leading a UK-wide crackdown on illegal working as part of a whole system approach to tackle illegal migration and to ensure fairness, order and control within the immigration and asylum system. This includes measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to clamp down on illegal working, Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams intensifying operational activity across the UK as well as the recently announced introduction of digital ID by the end of this Parliament.

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 reintroducing a hostile environment policy for people without a legal immigration status in relation to access to public services.

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

In-country controls, introduced over many decades, regulate a migrant's access to public services and deny access to those in the UK with no lawful status. These policies and checks form part of the UK's domestic compliance and enforcement arrangements, aimed at deterring illegal migration, promoting compliance with immigration laws and supporting enforcement whilst protecting vulnerable migrants from exploitation.

Only those ordinarily resident in the UK are eligible for free healthcare. Non-urgent secondary healthcare, unless it has been paid for, is denied to all migrants who are not ordinarily resident or who have not paid the Immigration Health Surcharge. Migrants without lawful status can be charged for treatment. The relevant legislation in England is the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015.

Immigration status data is already shared with the NHS in England and Wales via the Home Office Right to Healthcare Application Programming Interface (API) to enable the determination of who is eligible for free NHS treatment and who is chargeable for treatment.

In some areas where access to services is regulated, the measures require a third party to take action such as checking an individual's eligibility to access work or rent a property. Sanctions exist where these requirements are not complied with.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to require proof of legal immigration status when registering with a GP or dentist.

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

In-country controls, introduced over many decades, regulate a migrant's access to public services and deny access to those in the UK with no lawful status. These policies and checks form part of the UK's domestic compliance and enforcement arrangements, aimed at deterring illegal migration, promoting compliance with immigration laws and supporting enforcement whilst protecting vulnerable migrants from exploitation.

Only those ordinarily resident in the UK are eligible for free healthcare. Non-urgent secondary healthcare, unless it has been paid for, is denied to all migrants who are not ordinarily resident or who have not paid the Immigration Health Surcharge. Migrants without lawful status can be charged for treatment. The relevant legislation in England is the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015.

Immigration status data is already shared with the NHS in England and Wales via the Home Office Right to Healthcare Application Programming Interface (API) to enable the determination of who is eligible for free NHS treatment and who is chargeable for treatment.

In some areas where access to services is regulated, the measures require a third party to take action such as checking an individual's eligibility to access work or rent a property. Sanctions exist where these requirements are not complied with.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make English language proficiency a mandatory condition for (a) police recruits, (b) community support officers and (c) detention custody staff.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is committed to ensuring consistent, high standards for entry into the police, including for police staff. As set out in Regulations, police officers must demonstrate competence in written and spoken English.

We are working closely with the College of Policing to ensure that forces continue to make improvements to all entry routes. As part of this work, the College of Policing is currently consulting police leaders to assess and determine the appropriate English language standard required for all policing roles.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential merits of increasing the range of (a) financial penalties and (b) custodial sentences available to courts for (i) landlords who repeatedly house and (ii) employers who repeatedly employ irregular migrants.

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

In some areas where access to work, services or benefits is regulated, the measures require a third party to take action such as checking an individual’s eligibility to access work or rent a property. Sanctions exist where these requirements are not complied with.

In 2024 the Right to Rent Order amended the Immigration Act 2014 (the 2014 Act) to increase the maximum penalty that may be imposed on a landlord or agent who contravenes section 22 of that Act. The civil penalty was raised to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier for a first breach, with repeat breaches set at £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier up from £500 and £3,000 respectively. There is no upper limit to the penalty amount, it is calculated on a per-person basis.

The Immigration Act 2016 introduced the criminal offence of leasing a property whilst knowing or having ‘reasonable cause to believe’ the tenant does not have the right to rent’, which supplements the 2014 Act and is aimed at targeting criminally intent landlords who continue to flout the rules.

In tandem, changes also came into force to reflect that the civil penalty for employers, was increased to £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach from £15,000, and up to £60,000 for repeat breaches, from the previous level of £20,000. There is no upper limit to what an employer could be penalised, penalties are imposed on a per-person basis. In criminal cases, a conviction for illegal employing a person carries a sentence of up to 5 years and/or an unlimited fine, for the most serious cases, those exploiting migrants could face criminal conviction for facilitation or trafficking offences and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The Government is leading a UK-wide crackdown on illegal working as part of a whole system approach to tackle illegal migration and to ensure fairness, order and control within the immigration and asylum system. This includes measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to clamp down on illegal working, Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams intensifying operational activity across the UK as well as the recently announced introduction of digital ID by the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for her Department was in each of the last five years.

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

The table below shows the Average Time to Answer and the Average Hold Time, in an hours, minutes and seconds (hh:mm:ss) format, for all people calling DWP for the last 5 business years, with 2025 to 2026 being to 12^th Oct’ 2025* only, that being the last date for which data is available.

DISCLAIMER Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered publishing annual performance metrics for local Immigration Compliance and Enforcement teams in the public domain.

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

Since this government came into office we have delivered results: we promised to deliver the highest rate of returns since 2018 and that has been achieved. We will continue to maximise the return of people, at the earliest opportunity, with no right to be in the UK. Those who undermine our border security and risk lives in an attempt to reach the UK should expect to face removal.

The performance metrics for individual ICE teams will not be published. To do so could provide insight into operational practices that could then be used to avoid enforcement action. Further, the publication of any metrics would fail to account for the fast moving nature of the work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average (a) waiting time for people calling and (b) time spent on hold to the Universal Credit helpline was in the last year.

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

The table below shows the Average Time to Answer and the Average Hold Time, in an hours, minutes and seconds (hh:mm:ss) format, for all people calling Universal Credit for each of the last twelve complete reporting months.

DISCLAIMER Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that immigration (a) caseworkers and (b) interpreters meet English language standards.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office recruit using standard Civil Service recruitment processes and all our immigration caseworkers must meet minimum Civil Service recruitment standards. The appropriate level of English is assured through the comprehensive recruitment and onboarding process.

Interpreters are not Home Office employees and undertake freelance work commissioned by the Home Office through contracts for services.

Standards required to apply for an interpreter role are set out in our published ‘Guidance for UKVI freelance interpreters’. This includes a list of accredited qualifications.

Quality is maintained through our comprehensive review strategy. Interviewing officers are issued with Interpreter Management Team monitoring forms, which they are asked to complete if they have any comments on the interpreter used in an assignment (because the interpreter performed particularly well or badly, for example). Interviews may also be monitored for training and security purposes.

Applications for immigration caseworker roles and interpreter roles include a written application and, if appropriate, an interview. The written application and interview are conducted and assessed in English.

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) a national online reporting portal for members of the public to submit intelligence on suspected irregular migrants and (b) an associated reward system.

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

The Home Office has several routes for members of the public to use when reporting information regarding immigration related crime and/or abuse. These routes include digital, telephone and paper options to ensure that reporting routes are easily accessible to everyone. 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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using data-sharing agreements between (a) the NHS, (b) HMRC and (c) Immigration Enforcement to help identify people living in the UK illegally.

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

Data sharing agreements are already in place between Immigration Enforcement and HMRC to increase immigration compliance, including the identification of illegal working. Migrants in the UK without lawful immigration status, are subject to NHS charges for secondary healthcare, with data sharing agreements in place to support the NHS in tackling NHS debtors.

All data sharing arrangements are subject to ongoing review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of animals were slaughtered without being stunned for the production of Halal meat in the UK in each year since 2005.

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

UK data regarding the number or proportion of animals slaughtered using the halal method without prior stunning is not collected.

The Food Standards Agency carries out a periodic slaughter sector survey in England and Wales, which started in 2011.

The latest 2024 survey is available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/farm-animals-slaughter-sector-survey-2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Food Standards Agency have had since January 2023 with (a) the Carbon Trust and (b) major food retailers on the introduction of carbon ratings on (i) food labels, (ii) menus and (iii) product packaging; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on consumers of introducing such a rating system.

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

Eco-labels on food are used by some businesses on a voluntary basis to help consumers make more sustainable choices.

Eco-labels based on robust environmental impact data could support informed consumer choices and business competition based on sustainability. Through the Food Data Transparency Partnership, Defra and the Food Standards Agency have conducted engagement on eco-labelling across the food and drink sector in a range of settings including packaging and menus.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people with refugee status are resident in (a) council and (b) social housing by local authority.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not hold information on people claiming council or social housing who were formally granted refugee status and/or settlement.

Our social housing lettings in England statistical series, which can be found on gov.uk here, includes information on new social lettings only, based on the tenant’s self-reported main reason for leaving their last settled home. It shows that 2.0% of all new social housing lettings in 2023/24 were to households who self-reported as refugees (4,100 households).

Care should be taken when considering figures for new social lettings to refugees. The data is based on specific definitions and there may be overlaps and households missing from the statistics presented above.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department records the (a) nationality and (b) immigration status of tenants who purchase their homes under the Right to Buy scheme; and how many Right to Buy sales have been made by non-British nationals in each of the last five years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not record the nationality or immigration status of tenants who have purchased their homes under the Right to Buy scheme, nor how many Right to Buy sales have been made to non-British nationals.

Eligibility for social housing is already tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Migrants arriving in the UK on student or work visas are not eligible and nor are those who arrive in the country illegally with no leave to remain.

On 2 July, the government announced further reforms to the Right to Buy, including increasing the length of time someone needs to have been a public sector tenant to qualify for Right to Buy from 3 to 10 years. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on that day (HCWS771).

Coastal erosion in Hemsby

Cost of asylum seeker accommodation

Support for pubs

Local government reorganisation

East Tilbury Primary School award

Cancellation of local elections