Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her department holds an estimate of the number of criminals in the UK that arrived in the country by irregular means.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information you have requested regarding the number of foreign criminals in the UK who arrived by irregular means is not available from published statistics.
However, foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will pursue their deportation.
The latest published information shows that in the year-ending October 2025, 5,430 foreign national offenders (FNOs) were returned, which is an increase of 12% compared to the number of FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals have been removed from the UK in each of the last five years for involvement in, incitement of, or support for extremist Islamist ideology.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Serious Fraud Office plans to update (a) operational guidance and (b) case selection criteria for foreign bribery cases.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The SFO’s operational guidance and processes are kept under constant review to ensure they continue to meet operational needs. The SFO’s case selection criteria are established in the Director’s Statement of Principle and ensure that the SFO meets its statutory obligations to investigate and prosecute serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption.
The Law Officers have supervisory oversight of the SFO’s work and regularly assess their operational performance. The SFO’s work is also independently reviewed by the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to ensure that they are following good practice.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to promote public awareness of the foreign bribery indicators published by the Serious Fraud Office and Five Eyes partners, and to encourage reporting of suspected bribery.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
I regularly report on the work of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) publicly and in Parliament. This includes highlighting new guidance and casework updates published by the SFO and encouraging reporting of crime, including bribery.
The SFO promotes cooperation from business, including the benefits of self-reporting, and the Director and his senior team speak directly to businesses. The SFO routinely engages with the media to promote the SFO’s work and raise awareness of new publications, including the International Foreign Bribery Taskforce’s indicators of foreign bribery.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of payments made by the Palestinian Authority under 'pay for slay' schemes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 13 November 2025 in response to Question HL11575, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
In President Abbas' letter to President Macron, dated 9 June 2025, he set out his commitment to the principles of non-violence, the organisation of elections, the development of a school curriculum that is free from incitement, and the implementation of a new social security system, which will revoke so-called prisoner payments, and ensure that any future welfare payments are needs-based and delinked from violent actions. The Palestinian Authority must now ensure that an independent audit is conducted to verify that these reforms have been completed.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the net zero targets for the Department and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Net Zero targets for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and its arm's length bodies are available in the sustainability section of the FCDO annual report and accounts:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687e39109914d1f63267c5e5/FCDO-Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2024-2025.pdf
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much public money has been spent since the start of the 2017–18 financial year on support for Bahrain’s Special Investigations Unit; and what was (1) the source of funding, including funding provided through any UK Government department or fund, and (2) the amount spent in each financial year.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is firmly committed to supporting human rights reforms and strengthening governance worldwide. Programme funding is allocated and deployed in line with this commitment, ensuring that resources are used to promote transparency, accountability, and respect for fundamental rights. The FCDO is mandated to publish programme and project data for all official development assistance (ODA) funded programmes, and aims to be as transparent as possible, whilst not publishing sensitive details that may negatively impact on the security or safety of the programme, our staff and delivery partners and the recipients of the programme. This mandate is not extended to non-ODA programmes. All funding decisions are made in accordance with FCDO's strategic objectives and financial guidelines to deliver maximum impact and value for money.
The majority of UK funding in support of the Bahrain human rights reform agenda has come from the Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) - and its predecessor the Integrated Activity Fund (IAF) before financial year 2019/20. Further information on the GSF programme is available in the Annual Summaries published on Gov.UK.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much public money has been spent since the start of the 2017–18 financial year on support for Bahrain’s Prisoners' and Detainees' Rights Commission; and what was (1) the source of funding, including funding provided through any UK Government department or fund, and (2) the amount spent in each financial year.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is firmly committed to supporting human rights reforms and strengthening governance worldwide. Programme funding is allocated and deployed in line with this commitment, ensuring that resources are used to promote transparency, accountability, and respect for fundamental rights. The FCDO is mandated to publish programme and project data for all official development assistance (ODA) funded programmes, and aims to be as transparent as possible, whilst not publishing sensitive details that may negatively impact on the security or safety of the programme, our staff and delivery partners and the recipients of the programme. This mandate is not extended to non-ODA programmes. All funding decisions are made in accordance with FCDO's strategic objectives and financial guidelines to deliver maximum impact and value for money.
The majority of UK funding in support of the Bahrain human rights reform agenda has come from the Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) - and its predecessor the Integrated Activity Fund (IAF) before financial year 2019/20. Further information on the GSF programme is available in the Annual Summaries published on Gov.UK.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with international partners on coordinated responses to the suppression of protests in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 5 January, where I set out the UK's position in relation to the recent protests in Iran. I will provide further such updates in due course as necessary.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the role of the Iranian security forces in responding to recent protests.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 5 January, where I set out the UK's position in relation to the recent protests in Iran. I will provide further such updates in due course as necessary.