Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider Syria a 'safe' country for immigration purposes.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims from Syrian nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits. Each individual assessment is made by considering any relevant extant caselaw and the latest available country information. Country Policy and Information Notes (Syria: country policy and information notes - GOV.UK) outline conditions in Syria and provide guidance to asylum decision-makers.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what compensation is available to people whose property is damaged as a result of policing operations at neighbouring properties; or properties where suspects are not the legal owners.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Where police have caused damage to property, for example by forcing entry, individuals may be able to claim compensation by raising a complaint or claim with the police force concerned, who will assess the claim in accordance with force policy.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded offences involving the use of VoIP services there have been in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales which have been identified as having an online element. Offences involving the use of VoIP services are included but are not separately identifiable in the data held centrally.
This data can be found in table C5 of the Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables here: Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables - Office for National Statistics.
The definition of online crime within this data collection was revised in April 2024 to state that offences involving the use of VoIP services should be flagged to improve clarity and consistency in recording.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the letter from Chief Constable Craig Guildford to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, published on14 January 2026, in relation to his appearances before the Committee on the 1 December 2025 and 6 January 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) reported on 14 January 2026 on its inspection into West Midlands Police’s match assessment and the advice provided to Birmingham City Council’s Safety Advisory Group ahead of the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv UEFA Europa League match played on 6 November 2025. The report referenced West Midlands Police’s use of AI in generating fictitious data used within their intelligence documents.
The Home Secretary made an oral statement to Parliament on 14 January, setting out the government’s response to HMICFRS’s findings. HMICFRS’s findings have been shared with the Home Affairs Select Committee, with copies placed in the libraries of both Houses. They have also been published in full: Inspection of police forces’ contributions to safety advisory groups: West Midlands Police
We know that AI can be a powerful tool to support investigations and to free up officer time to get them back on our streets. But of course, any use of AI must be used responsibly and ethically, and its output should be thoroughly sense checked by officers before use. Responsible use of AI will be an important part of our upcoming Police Reform White Paper.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026, to question 101929 on Police and Crime Commissioners, what is the composition of the £100m the Government expects to save in this Parliament as a result of abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government expects to save at least £100m from abolishing the PCC model this Parliament. This includes savings from cancelling future PCC elections, with the last elections in 2024 costing approximately £87m.
In addition, we expect to generate efficiency savings of at least £20m per annum from office support arrangements which can be reinvested in frontline policing.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's news story entitled Illegal working raids reach highest level in UK history, published on 13 January 2026, how much of the £5 million additional funding for Immigration Enforcement has been allocated to operations in the North West.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The £5 million additional funding for Immigration Enforcement was provided to increase Illegal Working activity nationally and was not allocated regionally.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many business owners employing those arrested in illegal working raids since 1 July 2024 are being (a) investigated and (b) have been prosecuted under modern slavery offences.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office take the issues of illegal working and modern slavery seriously and continues to take robust enforcement action against those who breach immigration and modern slavery laws.
The Home Office does not hold data in a format that identifies how many business owners employing individuals arrested during illegal working enforcement operations since 1 July 2024 are being investigated or have been prosecuted under offences in the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Our enforcement approach prioritises administrative sanctions as the most effective means of tackling illegal working and ensuring compliance. Where evidence of criminality, including modern slavery, is identified during enforcement activity, cases are referred to the appropriate authorities for investigation and prosecution.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect police officers from being attacked whilst on duty in a) Leicester, b) The East Midlands, and c) the UK.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Assaults on emergency workers are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Our police officers and staff perform vital roles in serving and protecting the public, often under challenging and dangerous circumstances and they should be protected in return.
The Government is committed to supporting Chief Constables in meeting their responsibilities for the health and safety of those who work in policing. We are determined that the Police Covenant makes a tangible difference and have provided ongoing funding for the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The NPWS ensures police officers and staff have access to the health and wellbeing support they need, including providing personal and family support for those who have been victims of assault.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the technical difficulties affecting Ukrainian Visa Extension scheme applications will be resolved.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UKVI is not aware of any current technical issues impacting the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. In rare circumstances, applications submitted to UKVI may encounter technical difficulties, which are not related to one specific area. Once identified, UKVI strives to resolve these issues as quickly as possible, however, timescales depend on each application’s individual issues.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many incidents relating to the group Bash Back have been recorded by (1) the Metropolitan Police, and (2) other police forces, in each year from 2023 to 2026.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government upholds the democratic right that people must be free to peacefully express their views, but they must do so within the bounds of the law.
Where the activity of protestors breaks the law, the police have the powers they need to respond.
It would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene in those operational decisions, but we continue to work closely with policing to ensure they have the right capabilities and support in place to keep the public safe and uphold the law.
There are a number of ongoing police investigations and court proceedings relating to potential criminal behaviour of individuals associated with the protest group, Bash Back. However, this process is independent of government and the Home Office does not hold complete data for arrests, charges, convictions or criminal justice outcomes.