theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made of the potential impact of parking costs on National Health Service staff in Devon. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.

Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. Data on the income from patients and visitors is combined. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that the income received from patients and visitors for parking on NHS hospital sites was £101,812,089. The income received from staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £70,510,110. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24

No data is collected on the income generated by the number of parking fines issued or the amount of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. No data is collected to determine the number of NHS hospitals that use a private parking company.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on private parking companies. NHS trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned date of completion is for all hospitals within Wave 1 of the New Hospital Programme. \p Karin Smyth: The expected completion dates for all schemes will be confirmed following the approval of a Full Business Case as set out in HM Treasury Green Book, as is usual for large infrastructure projects.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the health mission delivery board on the prevention of ill health. \p Karin Smyth: Mission Boards are Cabinet Committees. It is a long-established precedent that information about the proceedings of the Cabinet, or of any committee of the Cabinet, is not normally shared publicly, and this includes mission boards.

The Health Mission, which the Department leads, is focused on shifting towards a more preventative approach to healthcare.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of demand for Ozempic on the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The following table, while not reflecting demand, does provide the total number of Ozempic injections that were dispensed under the National Health Service in England, prescribed each year from January 2019 to November 2024:

Year

Number of injections dispensed

2019

111,388

2020

420,998

2021

747,205

2022

1,155,174

2023

1,174,806

2024

794,729

Total

4,404,302

The Prescription Cost Analysis data release gives items and quantities of each medicine dispensed in the community in England.
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Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on multi-year funding settlements for integrated care boards. \p Karin Smyth: Integrated care board (ICB) allocations for 2025/26 were published on 30 January alongside the 2025/26 NHS Planning Guidance, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/allocations/

The pre-requisite for multi-year settlements for ICBs is a multi-year settlement for the Department, and phase two of the Spending Review is currently underway. There have not yet been discussions with Cabinet colleagues on what the Department’s settlement in the Spending Review will then mean for ICB allocations beyond 2025/26.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to improve access to mental health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS 10-year-plan will include measures on (a) midwifery and (b) neo-natal care. \p Karin Smyth: While there are outstanding examples of maternity and neonatal care, there are also real issues that need to be addressed. We are determined to ensure that all women and their babies receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care, but improvements will take time to implement.

We have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. As we work to develop and finalise the plan, I would encourage those concerned about maternity care to engage with that process so we can identify what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 3035 to Question 26149, if his Department will give direction to integrated care boards to provide new GP surgeries where GP to patient ratios are not keeping track with population growth. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Primary Care Utilisation & Modernisation Fund was announced during the 2024 Spending Review and provides new capital funding of £102 million to support improvements in the primary care estate.

Each general practice (GP) is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients should be assigned to a practice or individual general practitioner, or any set ratio of GP doctors or other practice staff to patients. Practices and commissioners consider how all staff can respond to their communities’ health needs, through both GP doctors and the range of health professionals in GP teams who work in practices and primary care networks.

The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practice, in each local area, with funding and commissioning reflecting population growth and demographic changes. As commissioners of primary care, integrated care boards (ICBs) are best placed to understand the needs of the local population, and we expect them to act if services are not meeting the reasonable needs of their patients. ICBs may consider that setting up a new practice can be patients’ interest, for example where current practices are unlikely to be able to absorb increasing demand and where Care Quality Commission inspections indicate that the quality of services is inadequate.
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Dave Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the steps taken to improve the provision of care in the period in the period since the publication of the Independent review into the death of Clive Treacey, published in December 2021. \p Stephen Kinnock: Following publication of the independent review, organisations directly involved in Clive’s care were invited to reflect on their practice and went on to develop high-level actions in response to its findings. There was an overwhelming commitment from all organisations engaged to address the systemic issues raised in the report. NHS England Midlands set up a group which became known as the Clive Treacey Conscience Group, including Elaine, Clive’s sister, to drive meaningful improvement. In July 2024, the Midlands region published Clive’s Way: A Conscience Manual, which outlines in detail the progress in taking forward the learning from Clive’s review, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/midlands/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2024/07/July-2024-Report-Progress-in-Implementing-Learning-from-Clive-Treacey-Review.pdf

Significant time and resources have been invested in this process, designing the programme and following up on the recommendations in the review, and Clive’s Way remains a thread through the work of the National Health Service regional team. The report was shared with all Learning Disability and Autism Programmes nationwide and integrated care systems were encouraged to draw on its recommendations to appraise the effectiveness of their improvement programmes and look at areas needing further attention.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to protect older people from (a) violence, (b) abuse and (c) neglect. \p Stephen Kinnock: Any form of violence, abuse, or neglect is unacceptable. The Government makes it clear, in the statutory guidance of the Care Act 2014, that local authorities must ensure the adult social care services they commission are safe, effective, and of high quality.

Since April 2023, the Care Quality Commission has had a duty to assess local authorities’ delivery of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.

The Home Office has provided funding to Hourglass to provide enhanced helpline support for older victims of abuse and a focus on reaching older victims across England and Wales by providing more training to staff in their organisation and external agencies.

The Government is also launching an independent commission into adult social care as part

of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will

start a national conversation about what working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of medicine shortages on people with (a) epilepsy and (b) Parkinson’s disease. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made of the potential impact of medicines shortages on people with epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues, including with carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.

We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of May 2025. We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets from one manufacturer with the resupply date to be confirmed. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients and these issues have been communicated to the National Health Service.

The Department is aware of supply constraints with one supplier of amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department have also been notified of a discontinuation of Apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10 millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients and management guidance has been issued to the NHS.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the patient detention provisions in the Mental Health Act 1983. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Mental Health Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983. It will give patients greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights and support, and will ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment. It is important to get the balance right to ensure that people get the support and treatment they need, when necessary, for their own protection, or for that of others.

The bill will make the Mental Health Act fit for the modern world, redressing the balance of power from the system to the patient, and ensuring that people with the most severe mental health conditions get better, more personalised, care.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce NHS dental service waiting lists in (a) Hexham, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East. \p Stephen Kinnock: Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.

It is a contractual requirement for NHS dentists to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. Integrated care boards can review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure websites are up to date.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to meet the health needs of elderly prisoners. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England has the responsibility to provide a full range of healthcare services to meet the needs of the prison population. Every prison will have a health needs assessment undertaken on a regular basis which is then used to locally determine the health needs and requirements of that prison’s population. This includes supporting elderly prisoners on their health needs, such as dementia care. Local authorities also have a duty to support elderly prisoners with their social care needs.

As a signatory to the National Partnership Agreement for Health and Social Care for people in contact with the criminal justice system, the Department is committed to working with the Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency to ensure safe, legal, decent, and effective care that improves health outcomes and reduces health inequalities is provided for all prisoners, including those who are elderly.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of monitoring measures used to prevent people with (a) mental illness and (b) a history of violence and aggression from committing violent crimes. \p Stephen Kinnock: In response to the Care Quality Commission’s review of the care and treatment provided to Valdo Calocane and of the services provided by the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England asked every provider of mental health services to review the care received by people with serious mental illness who require intensive community treatment and follow-up where engagement is a challenge. This highlighted areas of good practice and opportunities to strengthen services and integrated care boards have developed action plans to address any gaps in service provision. To ensure these action plans deliver lasting change they will be assured of progress in July 2025 and January 2026.

NHS England also set out clear, evidence-based national guidance, so providers are clear on the standards of care expected for this patient group. Following the publication of the independent investigation into the care and treatment provided to Valdo Calocane on 5 February, the National Director for Mental Health has written to all mental health trusts in England to ask them to review the investigation’s findings and develop action plans, building on the work so far, to address the issues identified for patients who require intensive and assertive community treatment by 30 June 2025.

NHS England and the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have accepted all of the recommendations in the reports and are responsible for taking forward those recommendations. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked NHS England to provide regular updates on its work in response to the recommendations.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the polices on issuing Penalty Charge Notices for patient transport service vehicles. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made by this Department of the potential merits of reviewing the policies on issuing Penalty Charge notices for patient transport service vehicles.

NHS Trusts are expected to comply with the NHS Car Parking Guidance, from 2022, which covers both NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts. This applies to all NHS Trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press article entitled Mind the gap: supporting prison leavers with mental illness from the University of Manchester, published on 27 March 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure that prison leavers with severe mental health issues receive the necessary support with (a) housing, (b) access to services, and (c) community reintegration. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Health Service’s RECONNECT care after custody service supports prison leavers with an identified health need, including severe mental illness, to transition to community-based services, and starts working with them before they leave prison.

NHS England is piloting Enhanced RECONNECT in four areas to support people leaving prison who are identified as being of high risk of harm to the public and who have complex health needs to access appropriate community services.

NHS England is also piloting new models of care in the community for those with severe mental illness in six neighbourhood areas from this spring. These will provide people and their families with 24/7 support if they are in crisis without needing to book an appointment, as well as provide housing or employment advice to support them to stay well.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for mothers experiencing poor mental health post-partum related to breastfeeding. \p Stephen Kinnock: Whilst the relationship with breastfeeding and postnatal depression is complex, a successful breastfeeding experience may protect against mental health issues such as postnatal depression.

Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the Department is providing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to 75 local authorities in England with high levels of deprivation to improve infant feeding services and provide practical support with breastfeeding. Local authorities are using this investment to put in place a range of specialist support and advice to help parents to meet their infant feeding goals no matter how they choose to feed their baby.

We are also helping the early years workforce to better understand the links between breastfeeding and perinatal mental health. In August 2023, a free e-learning package was launched which has already been taken up by hundreds of staff.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of care available for people with paranoid schizophrenia. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England has made significant progress in expanding community-based services for people with severe mental illness, including paranoid schizophrenia.

In the last 12 months more than 400,000 adults have received help through new models, which aim to give people with serious mental illness better care.

NHS England is also piloting new models of care in the community for those with the most serious illnesses. New mental health centres open in six neighbourhood areas from this spring and will provide people and their families with 24/7 support if they are in crisis without needing to book an appointment, as well as providing housing or employment advice to support them to stay well.

Furthermore, the Mental Health Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983.

Finally, in response to the Care Quality Commission’s review of the care and treatment provided to Valdo Calocane and of services provided by the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England set out clear, evidence-based national guidance, so providers are clear on the standards of care expected for patients who may be at risk of disengaging from services.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of community interest companies that are no longer able to offer free mental health support due to financial constraints on the NHS. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is for individual local commissioners to allocate funding to children and young people’s mental health services to meet the needs of their local populations and this information is not collected centrally. Integrated care boards are expected to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2025/26 by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increase in funding for the year.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to each integrated care board in England to provide for child and adolescent mental services for the next financial year. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is for individual local commissioners to allocate funding to children and young people’s mental health services to meet the needs of their local populations and this information is not collected centrally. Integrated care boards are expected to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2025/26 by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increase in funding for the year.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support young people with mental health issues. \p Stephen Kinnock: Too many young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.

We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community. We are working with our colleagues at NHS England and across Government to consider options to deliver these commitments.
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Steve Yemm:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the length of appraisals conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) under its cost-comparison appraisal process; and whether he has plans for NICE to align the timing of the outcomes of such appraisals with that of granting of marketing authorisations by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aims, wherever possible, to issue recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines should be routinely funded around the time of licensing, to support rapid patient access to clinically and cost-effective new medicines.

The NICE has introduced the cost-comparison process for the appraisal of lower risk treatments where a lighter-touch approach is considered appropriate. The cost-comparison process enables the NICE to make recommendations on medicines within 100 working days compared with 195 days for a standard appraisal, freeing up resources for more complex appraisals. In 2024, the NICE carried out appraisals through its cost-comparison process on average 83 days faster than its standard process.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a list of occupations of people arrested for working illegally in the UK. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office does not hold a comprehensive list of the occupations for which individuals have been arrested for illegal working but the focus of recent enforcement work has included car washes, nail bars, construction sites ad takeaway restaurants.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release entitled G7 countries agree new plan to dismantle migrant smuggling gangs, published on 4 October 2024, if she will publish that plan. \p Dame Angela Eagle: On 4 October 2024, G7 nations agreed a new plan to tackle the smuggling of migrants. This Action Plan will deliver a boost to UK law enforcement by fostering closer cooperation with G7 partners to bolster border security, combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation by migrant smugglers. The Government published the Action Plan priorities and key overarching elements for collaboration on 21 October 2024 on the gov.uk website. (Action Plan to Prevent and Counter the Smuggling of Migrants (accessible) - GOV.UK)
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Border Security Command has taken to improve understanding of the methodologies used to facilitate irregular migration. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 23 January to Question 22404.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the members of the board of Border Security Command are. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 23 January to Question 22404.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average number of people (a) detained, (b) prosecuted and (c) deported per immigration enforcement visit was in 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Information about the average outcomes of Enforcement Visits is not available in our published data. Our published national data on enforcement is available at the following link: Immigration system statistics, year ending September 2024 - GOV.UK
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a breakdown of immigration enforcement visits by local authorities in 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on the 10 February to Question 27935.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost of each deportation is, broken down by expense. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The requested information is not centrally held, and could only be collated and verified at disproportionate cost.
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Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are currently in custody who have exhausted all rights of appeal and have signed deportation orders but have not yet been deported; and what steps her Department is taking to expedite their removal from the United Kingdom. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The number of individuals who simultaneously fall into all these categories cannot be readily obtained from available data, and such a snapshot exercise could only be conducted for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Warinder Juss:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a geographical based income threshold for family visas. \p Seema Malhotra: We must ensure that the Family Immigration Rules maintain the balance between respecting the right to family life and protecting the economic wellbeing of the UK. Any change must be underpinned by a solid evidence base and form part of a system that is fair, clear and consistent. To achieve this the Home Secretary has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules.

The MAC is an independent body and their review will be robust and transparent. It is expected the MAC will issue their report in the Summer. We will carefully consider the MAC's recommendations before making any further changes.

His Majesty's Government is not considering a regional visa scheme.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled An inspection of asylum casework June-October 2023, published on 29 February 2024, whether she has taken steps to (a) identify vulnerable claimants in the asylum work in progress queue and (b) prioritise their claims. \p Dame Angela Eagle: This report deals wholly with the Asylum Casework system under the previous administration.

The Home Office partially accepted the recommendation made in the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration 2024 “ICIBI annual report for 2023-24” to introduce a published service standard for deciding asylum claims.

We are reviewing that recommendation but this is a complex area that needs to balance operational efficiency, the needs of asylum seekers and the integrity of our asylum system, so we cannot provide an immediate answer on the proposed implementation timetable.

The Home Office accepted the recommendation made in the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration 2024 “ICIBI annual report for 2023-24” to (a) identify vulnerable claimants in the asylum work in progress queue and (b) prioritise their claims and we can confirm this work has been completed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_85

Alison Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of extending the duration of visas for Ukrainians with three-year visas that are approaching expiry. \p Seema Malhotra: To provide future certainty, Ukrainians provided with temporary sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes can apply for a further 18 months' permission to remain in the UK through the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open, uncapped and free of charge for Ukrainians in need of sanctuary to apply to come to the UK.

The Government keeps the Ukraine schemes under review and engages, where appropriate, with relevant stakeholders while closely monitoring developments in Ukraine.
wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_86
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_86

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many migrants residing in Mid Leicestershire constituency have committed crimes in each of the last five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The specific data requested is not available from published statistics and could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost. However, nobody should be in any doubt regarding this Government's determination to crack down on crime, including that committed by foreign nationals, and where appropriate - to pursue the deportation of those foreign nationals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_87

Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming spousal visa regulations to (a) reduce the 10-year duration, (b) remove renewals and (c) prevent penalisation due to a partner's benefit claims. \p Seema Malhotra: The Family Immigration Rules provide the requirements to be met for those seeking to establish or maintain their family life in the UK and these rules are kept under regular review to ensure that there are clear incentives to comply with the rules and clear disincentives for failing to do so. Specifically, on 10 September the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules, and we will reflect any recommendations arising from that review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_88

Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made on the potential impact of introducing electronic travel authorisations on British National (overseas) passport holders. \p Seema Malhotra: Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.

ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. But this aspect of the policy remains under review and we will update the House on any changes in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_89

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report 2023, published on 17 December 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's polices of case in which seven birds were caught in bags, accidentally not released and found dead four days later; and what steps she plans to take to help prevent such instances in future. \p Dan Jarvis: The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) has published its compliance framework (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) which explains how it identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies where non-compliance has been found to occur. The Regulator’s published compliance policy aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.

For this particular case, two letters of reprimand were issued to the establishment.

All cases of non-compliance are thoroughly investigated, and the outcomes are published in ASRU’s annual report. No further assessment has been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_90

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting people that have British National Overseas status and hold a UK passport from the Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement. \p Seema Malhotra: Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.

ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. This aspect of the policy remains under review and we will update the House on any changes in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_91

Alex Burghart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their Indefinite Leave to Remain revoked by her Department's status review unit in each of the last five years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: 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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_92

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds (a) written and (b) statistical evidence on how police forces treat different identity groups based on (i) ethnicity, (ii) nationality, (iii) gender and (iv) sexuality. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office collects and publishes regular statistics on the use of police powers. A range of data on different characteristics are collected across the different policing collections. Specifically, on police powers (including stop and search and arrest), data is collected on sex, ethnicity and age.

The collection of statistics, along with other policing statistics such as police misconduct and police workforce, are available at the following link:

Policing statistics - GOV.UK

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_93

Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people who arrive in the UK as a result of being trafficked to apply for asylum. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office is committed to identifying and safeguarding those who are exploited or vulnerable in the United Kingdom. All operational staff complete the required Home Office Modern Slavery First Responders training. This content was developed by the Home Office Modern Slavery Unit and is also used by a number of First Responder Organisations.

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the process by which people who may have been victims of modern slavery are identified, referred, assessed and supported in the United Kingdom. The aim of the NRM is to be the bridge to recovery, providing victims with a short period of intensive support and specialist care and put people in a position where they can begin to rebuild their lives with increase resilience against future exploitation.
wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_94
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_94

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent increases in the cost of Electronic Travel Authorisations on future trends in economic growth over the next five years. \p Seema Malhotra: The published Impact Assessment supporting the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Order provides provisional estimates of economic impacts from increasing ETA fees from current levels to the proposed fee maxima: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/9/pdfs/ukia_20250009_en.pdf
wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_95
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_95

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what service level agreements exist for firearms licensing. \p Dame Diana Johnson: On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.

The fees were previously increased in 2015 and they no longer met the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that the fees provide full cost recovery so that service improvements can be made. The need to increase firearms licensing fees to help address shortcomings in firearms licensing was highlighted by the Senior Coroner in his Preventing Future Deaths reports into the fatal shootings in Plymouth in August 2021.

I have written to all Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to make clear that the income from increased fees must be used to support improvements in the service provided by their firearms licensing teams.

The NPCC Lead on Firearms Licensing is currently developing a new performance framework for firearms licensing teams and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services will later this year be undertaking a thematic inspection of police forces’ arrangements in respect of firearms licensing.

Improvements in police performance will be supported in addition by the introduction of national training, the Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police, and the refreshed Authorised Professional Practice for firearms licensing. We will also be shortly publishing the Government response to the consultation held in 2023 on recommendations for improvements in firearms licensing.
wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_96
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_96

Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who have arrived on small boats since 4 July 2024 have been deported. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes data on small boat returns in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on quarterly enforced and voluntary returns of people who arrived by small boat, by return date, are published in table Irr_02e of the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK summary tables’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the end of September 2024. Data to the end of December 2024 will be published on 27th February.

Deportations are a specific subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The deportation order prohibits the person returning to the UK until such time as it may be revoked. Data on deportations are not published separately.