Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people expected to travel to the United Kingdom under the newly announced resettlement routes for Afghan and Palestinian refugees.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As announced by the Home Secretary on 28 September, the Home Office has started receiving new referrals for the United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) in 26/27. The Government expects a quarter of UKRS referrals to be Afghan women and girls, and Palestinians.
The Government expects the total arrivals across the UKRS and the 3 new community sponsorship routes to number in the low hundreds at first.
The Home Office works closely with the local authorities that volunteer to participate in the UKRS, and arrival is contingent on local authorities providing accommodation and agreeing to support a refugee family. The number of individuals resettled through the UKRS in any given year will depend on a range of factors, including the capacity of local authorities to welcome, accommodate and integrate refugees.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans she has made to support farmers in Runcorn and Helsby given that demand for Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 exceeded the available budget.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the disappointment of farmers who were unable to submit an application before funding was allocated. The window remained open until sufficient applications had been received to allocate the available funding and regular budget updates were published during the day. Eligible farmers who did not obtain an SFI26 agreement will have another opportunity to apply in 2027. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier remains available through its expression-of-interest process for appropriate land and activities. Defra is also exploring improvements for SFI27, including alternatives to first-come, first-served allocation.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support will be available to farmers in Runcorn and Helsby whose Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier or Higher Tier agreements expire in December 2026 and who were unable to secure a Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 agreement.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Approximately 8,800 Window 2 applicants, around 72% of the total, had a Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship or SFI agreement due to expire on or before 28 February 2027. SFI26 introduced functionality allowing eligible businesses to apply early for actions on land covered by an expiring agreement. Eligible farmers who did not obtain an SFI26 agreement will have another opportunity to apply in 2027. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier remains available through its expression-of-interest process for appropriate land and activities. Defra is working to bring forward the 2027 SFI offer as early as possible.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department made before 22 September 2026 of the total value of applications to be made to Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 Window 2.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra expected strong initial demand and made clear before the window opened that its duration would depend on the rate of applications. Ministers allocated an additional £50 million before opening and subsequently added a further £20 million, bringing Window 2 funding to £253 million. Around 12,200 applications were submitted in Window 2.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what completed but unpublished research and analysis reports her Department currently holds; and what research and analysis reports are in progress.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is currently collating the answers to these questions in response to a Freedom of Information request (FOI2026/13664) received on 1st October 2026. We will communicate the answers to you once this work is complete
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders are in receipt of support under section 94 or section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information you have requested regarding the number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) in receipt of support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 is not published.
We make every effort to ensure that an FNO's removal coincides, as far as possible, with their release from prison on completion of their sentence. However, in some cases while their asylum claims are being considered under our international obligations, they may be granted support under section 95 and placed in asylum accommodation, to avoid them becoming destitute and, therefore, challenging to monitor while their asylum claim is progressed.
Earlier this year, the Home Office changed the law to revoke the statutory legal duty to provide asylum seekers with support and accommodation. This allows the Home Office to operate a more flexible approach to providing accommodation.
Any FNO granted section 95 support would still need to meet their specific immigration bail requirements and, while they remain subject to licence conditions, have their accommodation approved by probation before they move in. The accommodation would go through a risk management process to ensure the communities they reside in are safeguarded from harm.
Furthermore, if an FNO breaches the conditions of their support, they are no longer destitute, or their asylum claim has been concluded or withdrawn, their eligibility for support would be reassessed.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to seek agreements with additional safe countries for the return of people who arrive in the United Kingdom by small boat.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The availability of alternative dispute resolution arrangements depends on the regulatory framework under which a transport service operates.
Demand responsive transport (DRT) is a broad term, and DRT services can be operated in different ways. Where a DRT service is registered and operated as a local service (as defined in the Transport Act 1985), passengers should have access to the same complaints and dispute resolution arrangements as other passengers of local services. Where DRT services operate under different regulatory arrangements, the dispute resolution mechanisms available may differ.
The Department encourages operators to have clear and accessible complaints procedures and to ensure passengers are aware of the routes available for escalating complaints where they remain unresolved.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reports the Rural Payments Agency received from farm businesses in Runcorn and Helsby of technical problems when applying to Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 Window 2.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency is currently reviewing all reported technical issues relating to SFI 2026 Window 2 applications. We do not hold this data by constituency.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the level of risk of assaults on prison officers during duties requiring close contact with prisoners.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Prison officers receive training to manage and de-escalate potentially violent situations, including those involving close contact with prisoners. Risk assessments are conducted and kept under review, with prisons implementing appropriate controls to protect staff. Staff in the adult male estate have access to Body-Worn Video Cameras, batons, rigid-bar handcuffs and synthetic pepper spray, and we are investing around £15 million in protective equipment, including protective body armour prioritised for higher-risk environments.
HMPPS assesses the risk of assaults on prison officers through established risk assessment and violence monitoring processes, including consideration of risks associated with activities involving close contact with prisoners.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of agreements with France in reducing small boat crossings.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps the effectiveness of its cooperation with France under constant review. The UK-France Border Security Partnership agreed in April 2026 significantly increases law enforcement activity, intelligence sharing and maritime disruption to tackle organised immigration crime. Joint action is already delivering results, with French law enforcement having prevented more than 48,000 attempted crossings since the election. French authorities report that 61% of crossing events were prevented between 27 April and 2 August, an increase of 5% on the same period last year. In four separate weeks, every attempted crossing event was prevented. The agreement includes robust monitoring and evaluation arrangements, with funding linked to performance and a focus on delivering measurable reductions in illegal migration.