Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how B2 requirements will be assessed for 18-year-old BN(O) dependants.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK and is committed to maintaining lawful routes of entry for people from Hong Kong, including the BN(O) route.
BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.
We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation, including any transitional arrangements and exemptions from the mandatory requirements.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
We will also consider the requirements for English language qualifications in nationality applications, and any changes will be announced at a later date.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether mandatory settlement requirements for BN(O) visa holders will be retrospectively changed.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK and is committed to maintaining lawful routes of entry for people from Hong Kong, including the BN(O) route.
BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.
We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation, including any transitional arrangements and exemptions from the mandatory requirements.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
We will also consider the requirements for English language qualifications in nationality applications, and any changes will be announced at a later date.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the size of the processing backlog for firearms licensing applications in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The issuing of firearms certificates, resourcing of firearms licensing teams and the efficiency of police forces, including tackling any backlogs, is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners. Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary, work together on firearms licensing as part of a tripartite arrangement between the forces and reports to each of the relevant Chief Officers.
However, with the agreement of Chief Officers, and in the interests of greater transparency, the National Policing Chiefs Council (NPCC) Lead for Firearms Licensing has since 2025 been publishing quarterly performance data for firearms licensing in all police forces in England and Wales. The data is published on the NPCC website at firearms-licensing-2526-q2-headlines.pdf. This data 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.
There is also an ongoing firearms licensing thematic inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) that will report later this year. The thematic inspection is looking at a number of forces, and this includes the firearms licensing arrangements and performance in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many conditions have been imposed on pro-Palestine protests by police forces in the last 12 months under section 12 or section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986; and in how many cases cumulative disruption was cited as the justification.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on police use of conditions under sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986, including how many public processions and public assemblies have conditions placed on them, the triggers for the conditions, and the type of condition. The latest published data is to March 2024 Home Office – Police protest powers, June 2022 to March 2024, England and Wales – December 2024, and the next release of data is provisionally scheduled for 5 February 2026.
Forces routinely publish where they apply conditions on demonstrations under Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 via their websites and social media.
Decisions on how to police demonstrations are an operational matter for the police, working within the legal framework of the Public Order Act 1986. Under sections 12 and 14 the police can place conditions on demonstrations to manage risks of serious public disorder, serious disruption to the life of the community or serious damage to property. Police can currently take cumulative disruption into account when considering placing conditions on a protest under the 1986 Act.
Through the Crime and Policing Bill we are amending sections 12 and 14 of the 1986 Act to introduce a duty for senior police officers to take cumulative disruption into account when assessing whether the serious disruption to the life of the community threshold is met. This provision will help protect communities from repeated disruption caused by protests and is an important step in ensuring everyone feels safe in this country, while protecting the right to peaceful protest.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many protests have resulted in (a) restrictions and (b) conditions imposed by the police under the doctrine of cumulative disruption since May 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on police use of conditions under sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986, including how many public processions and public assemblies have conditions placed on them, the triggers for the conditions, and the type of condition. The latest published data is to March 2024 Home Office – Police protest powers, June 2022 to March 2024, England and Wales – December 2024, and the next release of data is provisionally scheduled for 5 February 2026.
Forces routinely publish where they apply conditions on demonstrations under Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 via their websites and social media.
Decisions on how to police demonstrations are an operational matter for the police, working within the legal framework of the Public Order Act 1986. Under sections 12 and 14 the police can place conditions on demonstrations to manage risks of serious public disorder, serious disruption to the life of the community or serious damage to property. Police can currently take cumulative disruption into account when considering placing conditions on a protest under the 1986 Act.
Through the Crime and Policing Bill we are amending sections 12 and 14 of the 1986 Act to introduce a duty for senior police officers to take cumulative disruption into account when assessing whether the serious disruption to the life of the community threshold is met. This provision will help protect communities from repeated disruption caused by protests and is an important step in ensuring everyone feels safe in this country, while protecting the right to peaceful protest.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what meetings she has had with expert stakeholders on reviewing the Overseas Domestic Worker visa.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office keeps all policies and immigration routes under review. Ministers regularly meet with internal and external stakeholders, to discuss a wide range of issues, including the Overseas Domestic Worker route.
The Overseas Domestic Worker visa only grants permission for up to six months and cannot be extended. The Home Office publishes statistics relating to individuals who extend their stay here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables. The number of people extending their stay on the Domestic Worker in a Private Household visa is available from Table Exe_D01 of the Extension data tables (listed as “Overseas Domestic Worker”).
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on the interaction between specialist veterinary training pathways and the Skilled Worker visa salary requirements.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office regularly engages across Whitehall departments on the immigration system, including Department for Food and Rural Affairs and the Food Standards Agency, on areas such as salary and broader route requirements.
Those working towards professional registration and qualification can qualify for a reduced salary requirement under the new entrant provision in the Skilled Worker immigration route.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to consult political parties on the methodology for the allocation of Conference Security Grant for 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office will be conducting an internal review of departmental funding for Party Political Conferences, including allocations from the Conference Security Grant, to ensure public funds are used effectively. The Home Office will consult relevant stakeholders on these arrangements.
The UK government’s security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, including disclosure of costs, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect future security operations.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the projected overall financial saving from abolishing the role of Police and Crime Commissioners.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government expects to save at least £100m in this Parliament as a result of abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).
At least £20m per annum will be reinvested back into policing from 28/29, in addition to savings from cancelling future PCC elections which will be retained by the exchequer.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimates her Department has for the number of crimes committed against, or on the grounds of, (a) mosques, (b) synagogues, (c) churches in England and Wales in each year since 2020.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold information on whether police recorded crimes were committed against, or on the grounds, of places of worship.