Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of her Department's major contracts are delivered via subcontractors; and what controls exist to ensure accountability for subcontracted delivery.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Where Home Office Commercial use Key Subcontractors to deliver critical services, controls are in place to test their financial health throughout the life of the contract and performance monitored through KPIs.
The Home Office Commercial Assurance Board provides independent assurance for all procurement and Contracts above £10m.
The Commercial Assurance Board undertakes an assessment and approval at key stages of the commercial lifecycle (Strategic Outline case, outline business case and full business case) before the Contract is awarded.
Assurance and assessment of commercial and legal risks, value for money, compliance with regulations and how Social Value will be delivered in the Contracts is completed ahead of Contract Award.
Home Office commercial undertake a robust financial assessment of all Bidders financial health and viability to deliver contracts as part of the financial evaluation in procurements over £50m and these principles apply to all procurements.
For high value and complex contracts, Bidders are requested to provide a competed FVRA (Financial Viability Risk Assessment) which includes profitability ratios, debt ratios, liquidity ratios and solvency ratios. If Bidders are unable to meet the required thresholds, then they are removed from the procurement process.
Other information required would only be available at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether bidders for contracts above £50 million are required to disclose executive pay, profit margins and anticipated rates of return.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Where Home Office Commercial use Key Subcontractors to deliver critical services, controls are in place to test their financial health throughout the life of the contract and performance monitored through KPIs.
The Home Office Commercial Assurance Board provides independent assurance for all procurement and Contracts above £10m.
The Commercial Assurance Board undertakes an assessment and approval at key stages of the commercial lifecycle (Strategic Outline case, outline business case and full business case) before the Contract is awarded.
Assurance and assessment of commercial and legal risks, value for money, compliance with regulations and how Social Value will be delivered in the Contracts is completed ahead of Contract Award.
Home Office commercial undertake a robust financial assessment of all Bidders financial health and viability to deliver contracts as part of the financial evaluation in procurements over £50m and these principles apply to all procurements.
For high value and complex contracts, Bidders are requested to provide a competed FVRA (Financial Viability Risk Assessment) which includes profitability ratios, debt ratios, liquidity ratios and solvency ratios. If Bidders are unable to meet the required thresholds, then they are removed from the procurement process.
Other information required would only be available at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of police officer numbers in the West Midlands Police force area and planned officer numbers for 2026/27 and 2027/28.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. An effective, well-supported police service is central to achieving this.
Published statistics show, as at 30 September 2025, West Midlands Police had 8,027 full-time equivalent police officers.
It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions, to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate and deploy the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.
Chief Constables, PCCs and Mayors with PCC functions will also be able to make decisions on the shape of their overall workforce of officers and staff in response to the 2026/27 Police Funding Settlement and future funding settlements.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review its policy on access to UK e-gates by foreign nationals; and whether consideration has been given to limiting access to nationals of countries that do not offer equivalent facilities to UK passport holders.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government operates the UK border solely in the best interests of the UK, not the principle of reciprocity as this could undermine our security and ability to respond to emerging border pressures or threats.
We recommend all eligible nationals make use of eGates where possible, as they provide a safe, secure and efficient method of entering the UK, however, we continue to keep eGate eligibility under review to ensure we are balancing border security and passenger flow
In May 2025, we published the Immigration White Paper, which stated we are moving to the next phase of our vision to transform the UK border, by using technology to increase the use of automation and make visible changes to security, flow and the passenger experience.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the use of UK e-gates by nationals of countries that do not offer reciprocal access to UK passport holders; and what assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing reciprocity requirements.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government operates the UK border solely in the best interests of the UK, not the principle of reciprocity as this could undermine our security and ability to respond to emerging border pressures or threats.
We recommend all eligible nationals make use of eGates where possible, as they provide a safe, secure and efficient method of entering the UK, however, we continue to keep eGate eligibility under review to ensure we are balancing border security and passenger flow
In May 2025, we published the Immigration White Paper, which stated we are moving to the next phase of our vision to transform the UK border, by using technology to increase the use of automation and make visible changes to security, flow and the passenger experience.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 98794 on Mission Boards, who the internal and external members are of the Safer Streets Mission Board.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Safer Streets Delivery Board hasn’t explicitly been mentioned before as far as we are aware. DG Public Safety Group’s role leading the Safer Streets Mission at an official level is well publicised however. In an FOI in August 2025 there is reference to various teams working on the Safer Streets Mission but it doesn’t go as far as saying there is this Delivery Board.
However the existence of the Delivery Board isn’t contentious and helps us answer this question in the spirit in which it is intended.
The Safer Streets Mission Board is chaired by the Home Secretary. Ministers from relevant government departments are invited to attend meetings based on specific discussion topics, as are external experts where necessary.
The Mission Board is supported by a monthly Safer Streets Delivery Board, which brings officials from government departments together to drive delivery and outcomes under the Safer Streets Mission. The Delivery Board is chaired by the Director General for the Public Safety Group in the Home Office and is attended by senior officials from relevant government departments.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to help ensure that all strip searches of children have an appropriate adult present.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 requires that when a child is strip searched an appropriate adult must be present except in cases where delay would pose a risk of serious harm, or where the child specifically requests otherwise and the appropriate adult agrees. This safeguard is necessary to protect the welfare and dignity of children, whilst also providing the police necessary powers to keep the public safe.
For the year ending March 2025, the Home Office published data for the first time, on whether an appropriate adult was present for the full strip search of a child under stop and search powers (Stop and search, arrests, and mental health detentions, March 2025 - GOV.UK). Analysis of this type of data helps to increase transparency and enable effective oversight of the use of these powers.
The government remains committed to its manifesto commitment to introduce new legal safeguards around strip-searching children and young people.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people living in Home Office supported asylum accommodation have been accused of a crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold data on the number of people in asylum accommodation who have been accused of a crime. Allegations of criminal activity are matters for the police, who are responsible for recording, investigating, and progressing criminal reports.
Home Office accommodation providers and operational staff work closely with local police forces to share relevant safeguarding information and to manage risks within the asylum accommodation estate. Where incidents occur, established processes ensure that appropriate action is taken to protect both asylum seekers and staff, and additional support is deployed where necessary.
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 tackle youth knife crime and serious violence in (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are already making clear progress against our ambition to halve knife crime. In our first year in Government, police-recorded knife crime offences fell by 5%.
We have banned zombie knives and ninja swords and are holding online sellers criminally responsible removing almost 60,000 knives from streets in England and Wales. We are taking a range of action in the Crime and Policing Bill to strengthen legislation on knives.
New crime mapping tools are already allowing us to identify highly specific knife crime concentrations and focus police and community safety resources where they are needed most. Further investment in cutting-edge capabilities, such as knife detection technology, improved data platforms, and live facial recognition will further enhance our ability to target knife crime.
Preventing young people from getting involved in crime is crucial to achieving our ambition. As part of the Young Futures programme, we are piloting new Young Futures Panels. These pilots proactively identify and refer children who may be falling through the gaps, to a range of different support services much earlier. More than 50 panels went operational in October and November, including in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
This financial year (2025/26), we have also allocated £47m to the network of 20 Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) across England and Wales to support their valuable work. VRUs bring together partners to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area. This includes over £1m in VRU grant funding to Leicestershire specifically. We have also allocated £194k to Leicestershire and £1.9m across the East Midlands in grant funding to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of NHS and social care workers impacted by the Immigration White Paper in (a) Poole constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Spring 2025 Impact Assessment (published here: Impact assessments covering migration policy - GOV.UK) provides the Department’s estimates on the volumes of impacted care and senior care workers resulting from the Immigration White Paper proposals. Place-based impacts are estimated at a regional level in the impact assessment.