Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they have issued to police forces in England and Wales regarding how long they may take to process shotgun and firearms licensing renewals; and what assessment they have made of the length of time police forces in England and Wales have taken to process shotgun and firearms licensing renewals in each of the last five years.

The issuing of shotgun and firearms certificates, resourcing of firearms licensing teams and the efficiency of police forces in processing licensing applications are matters for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners.

Firearms licensing fees charged by police forces were increased significantly from 5 February 2025 to provide full cost recovery for police forces, and they were increased again on 6 June this year by the rate of inflation to ensure that the fees keep in line with police costs. The extra income from fees is helping police forces to better resource and train their firearms licensing teams and to improve performance.

The Home Office has not routinely collected data on the time taken to process the time taken to renew shotgun and firearms licences by police forces over the past five years. However, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for firearms licensing now publishes quarterly performance data for firearms licensing in all police forces in England and Wales which includes a new performance target for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of firearm and shotgun certificates within four months of receipt. We welcome this greater transparency and forces making improvements in performance, subject to ensuring public safety remains the priority and suitability checks are carried out properly.