theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many safety incidents were reported at the British Steel Limited site in Scunthorpe in each quarter of the last year. \p Chris McDonald: Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, British Steel Limited reported 11 cases in Q1 2025, 15 in Q2, 7 in Q3 and 7 to date in Q4, across all of their sites, including Scunthorpe. In the year to date there have been 30 Lost-Time Injuries, and 44 high-potential near misses.

Since the 12 April, to ensure the continued safe operation of the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025, the UK Government has made health and safety a priority, with £8.1 million spent on essential improvements, including structural inspections, safety-critical equipment, and protective workwear. British Steel appointed a new Health, Safety & Environment Director and additional resources have strengthened oversight, supported by external specialists delivering hazard awareness and cultural change programmes. I emphasised the continued importance of health and safety in discussions with British Steel's executive team during my visit to the Scunthorpe site on 6 November.
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Gareth Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans his Department has to monitor the long-term performance of the British Growth Partnership Fund I, including investment returns, regional economic impact, and exit outcomes; and whether his Department intends to publish a formal evaluation within three years of the Fund’s first investments. \p Blair McDougall: The British Growth Partnership Fund I will be evaluated against its objectives by the British Business Bank, which will publish the findings. The evaluation methodology will be consistent with the Bank's approach to assessing its existing programmes. The overall evaluation strategy will include an early impact report within three years of the fund being established, followed by an interim evaluation.

The long-term nature of venture capital investing and the inherent challenges of increasing institutional investment into UK VC mean that the full economic impact will only be known in the long run, around 10 years after the fund has closed.
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Gareth Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the level of private investment that the British Growth Partnership Fund I will leverage from institutional partners; and by what date he expects the Fund to achieve that target. \p Blair McDougall: The British Growth Partnership Fund I is anticipated to achieve a first close of the fund of £200 million by the end of March 2026. This amount will consist predominantly of private investment from UK pension funds.

The Department expects that following the first close, the British Growth Partnership will raise further capital in advance of the final close of the investment vehicle. The level of additional investment from pension funds will depend on market conditions at the time.
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Gareth Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria the British Business Bank will use to identify the high-growth UK companies eligible for investment through the British Growth Partnership Fund I; how many firms are expected to benefit from the first close; and what estimates his Department has made of the number of jobs expected to be created or safeguarded as a result. \p Blair McDougall: The British Growth Partnership Fund I will invest in later-stage, high-growth UK companies identified through the British Business Bank's pipeline, building on the Bank's established track record of backing high-potential science and technology firms. Due to the size of the investments and the nature of portfolio construction, the first close of the fund will benefit a limited number of later-stage venture backed businesses.

There is no employment target for British Growth Partnership Fund I. Previous evaluations of the Bank's venture programmes have demonstrated strong economic impact, including job creation and increased Gross Value Added.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands facing increases in energy and regulatory costs. \p Blair McDougall: The Government is committed to lowering operating costs for all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those in the West Midlands.

Government is helping support businesses to lower their energy costs through energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Recent research from the Willow Review highlights that SMEs adopting sustainability initiatives are reaping the financial rewards.

The Government is also committed to ensuring the allocation of energy costs is fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way. DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.
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Gareth Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that funding provided through the British Growth Partnership Fund I support businesses across all regions and nations of the UK; and what proportion of the £200 million first close is expected to reach firms outside London and the South East. \p Blair McDougall: The British Growth Partnership Fund I is an investment vehicle designed to increase the amount of UK pension fund investment going into UK venture capital. While the fund is UK-focused, its objectives are fully commercial and designed to maximise investment returns to UK pension funds regardless of investment location. Other British Business Bank interventions address disparities in investment within the UK, notably the Nations and Regions Investment Funds and the Regional Angels Programme. In 2024/25, 84% of businesses supported by the Bank were outside London.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the Insolvency Service has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years. \p Blair McDougall: In the last 5 years the Insolvency Service has committed the following expenditure to translation and interpretation services:

Financial year

Spend (£)

20/21

1,665

21/22

2,940

22/23

9,439

23/24

6,811

24/25

9,731
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of organised begging networks operating in England. \p Sarah Jones: The Government has introduced targeted measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to replace the powers in the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824 to ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe, including a new criminal offence of facilitating begging for gain.

This is intended to address organised begging, which is often facilitated by criminal gangs, and exploits vulnerable individuals.

This offence makes it unlawful for anyone to organise others to beg, for example, by driving people to places for them to beg. It will allow the police to tackle the organised crime gangs that use this exploitative technique to obtain cash for illicit activity. Recording these crimes will also allow us to develop an improved picture of prevalence of this activity across the country.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to tackle the illegal sale of cigarettes in (a) England and (b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford. \p Sarah Jones: The Government is committed to reducing the number of illicit tobacco and vaping products on sale nationally.

In January 2024, HMRC and Border Force published their latest illicit tobacco strategy, ‘Stubbing Out the Problem’. This sets out the Governments’ continued commitment to restrict the trade in illicit tobacco with a focus on reducing demand, and to tackle and disrupt organised crime groups. This strategy is supported by £100 million of new smokefree funding allocated over 5 years to boost existing HMRC and Border Force enforcement capability.

HMRC are also working closely with both Trading Standards and Border Force to develop a robust compliance approach for the introduction of Vaping Products Duty (VPD) on 1 October 2026.
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Lincoln Jopp:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the use of catapults as offensive weapons. \p Sarah Jones: The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention chaired a meeting with concerned MPs and the Minister for Biosecurity, Borders and Animals at DEFRA to discuss this issue.

We are clear that catapults should not be used against wildlife, property or people, and we are convening a roundtable to understand the problem better and to identify what more can be done.

We are conducting a round table to consider the matter further.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a statutory Code of Practice on the Sikh articles of faith to prevent discrimination. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office has made no assessment of the potential merits of establishing a statutory Code of Practice on Sikh articles of faith to prevent discrimination as religious discrimination is not a matter for the Home Office.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on ensuring parity of policing resources between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. \p Sarah Jones: Policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, and decisions on the allocation of police funding rests with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Since 2010, the Home Office has had responsibility for police funding only in England and Wales.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending Section 37 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to exclude any part of the Cannabis Sativa L plant with THC of 0.2% or less. \p Sarah Jones: The flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant are controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (‘the 1971 Act’) irrespective of their tetrahydrocannabinol (‘THC’) content. The Government has no plans to review the definition of cannabis for control purposes.

Cannabis is a Class B controlled drug under Part 2 of Schedule 2 the 1971 Act. ‘Cannabis’ is defined in section 37(1) of the MDA 1971 and is, in essence, the plant or any part of the plant with the exception of the mature stalk; fibre produced from the mature stalk; or the seed of any such plant. It is also listed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (‘the 2001 Regulations’) and designated under the Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (England, Wales and Scotland) Order 2015 (2015 Order). As such, it is unlawful to possess, supply, offer to supply, produce, import or export this drug except under a Home Office licence.

THC, as a cannabinol derivative, is separately controlled as Class B drug. It is also an offence to cultivate any plant of the genus Cannabis except under a Home Office licence. Cannabis-based products for medicinal use (‘CBPMs’) are defined separately in the legislation and placed in Schedule 2 to the 2001 Regulations. Specialist clinicians can prescribe unlicensed CBPMs (i.e. CBPMs without a marketing authorisation granted under medicines legislation) where they deem it clinically appropriate and in the best interests of their patients.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of suicide prevention training for staff working in police custody suites in the North East. \p Sarah Jones: The Government is committed to preventing deaths in or following police custody, including suicides both in custody and following release.

The College of Policing sets the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s 'Vulnerability in Custody' training package, launched in 2022, seeks to improve the consistency and quality of custody training, focusing on identifying vulnerability and managing risk.

In addition, the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework teaches officers to assess vulnerability and amend their approach as required, incorporating autism, learning disabilities and mental health.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, in co-operation with the National Police Chief’s Council and College of Policing have recently produced guidance on preventing suicides in and following police custody. Chief Constables, custody officers and other policing leaders should carefully consider this guidance and implement its recommendations where appropriate.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the (a) Mayor of London and (b) British Transport Police on reducing the theft of mobile phone thefts on the London Underground. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Secretary and Policing Minister are determined to take the strongest possible action to reduce the number of phone thefts in London and elsewhere across the country.

This is a crime that causes significant distress to victims and fuels wider criminality. That’s why we are driving greater collaboration between policing leaders, the Metropolitan Police, National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, British Transport Police, leading tech companies and others to break the business model of mobile phone thieves.

All stakeholders must play their part in designing out and disincentivising theft, disrupting the resale of stolen phones, exploring technological solutions to make devices harder to re-register or resell, and helping the public protect themselves and the data and personal information on their devices.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the access to a police front counter for people (a) living, (b) working and (c) learning in Newcastle-under-Lyme. \p Sarah Jones: Decisions regarding the police estate, including the availability of front counters at police stations, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or equivalents. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience.

A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing. As such, all forces including Staffordshire, now have named and contactable neighbourhood officers dedicated to addressing the issues that matter most to their communities. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of abolishing the office of Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall on savings to her Department. \p Sarah Jones: The Government will work with local government and policing to design new Policing and Crime Boards in areas where it is not possible to transfer police governance functions to a mayor at the end of the current term of PCCs in 2028.

The Government estimates that around £100m will be saved in this Parliament by moving to these new arrangements. This includes no longer running separate policing elections and by abolishing Police and Crime Panels. Once delivered, these changes are expected to achieve savings to the Home Office of around £20m a year, enough to fund around 320 extra police constables. Home Office officials will engage with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall and her office on the implications for Devon and Cornwall.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to provide additional support to police officers to tackle drug-related crime .in North West Norfolk constituency. \p Sarah Jones: To deliver on our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the gangs that lure children and young people into crime and run county lines through violence and exploitation. County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, law enforcement activity through the County Lines Programme taskforces has resulted in more than 2,300 deal lines closed, 6,200 arrests (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 1,100 deal line holders), 3,200 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 600 knives seized.

While the majority of county lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police, we recognise that this is a national issue which affects all forces, which is why we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate a national law enforcement response. We also have a dedicated fund to help local police forces, including Norfolk Constabulary, tackle the scourge of county lines.

As part of the Programme, the NCLCC regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in, including Norfolk Constabulary. The most recent of these took place 23-29 June 2025 and resulted in 241 lines closed, as well as 1,965 arrests, 1,179 individuals safeguarded and 501 weapons seized.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to transfer oversight of cannabis-based medicinal products to the Department of Health and Social Care. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office is the lead department for controlled drug legislation. The Department for Health and Social care and its arms’ length bodies, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (‘MHRA’), have responsibility for healthcare and medicines policy.

The Government has no plans to change this. The two departments work together with the MHRA and other agencies on issues related to the use of controlled drugs in healthcare and therefore share responsibility for policy and governance relating to cannabis-based medicinal products.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of current powers available to police officers to address anti-social behaviour in North West Norfolk constituency. \p Sarah Jones: Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, including Norfolk Constabulary, with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour. These powers are kept under review to ensure they remain effective. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour. This includes introducing new Respect Orders to give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most persistent adult anti-social behaviour offenders, and powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, and other vehicles which are being used in an anti-social manner, without having to first give a warning to the offender.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 84267 on the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, what direct financial or in-kind support her Department currently provides to NaVCIS; whether she has assessed the adequacy of its industry-funded model for tackling organised HGV and freight theft; and whether she plans to allocate public funding to support that Service in the 2026-27 financial year. \p Sarah Jones: As noted in response to question 84267, the Government does not fund the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) and has no plans to do so.

NaVCIS is funded by industry to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement. However we have regular discussions with key policing partners, including the NPCC, NaVCIS and Opal, the national policing intelligence unit for organised acquisitive crime, about the best ways to tackle organised freight crime.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to deliver clearer, cheaper and more accountable local police oversight in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire. \p Sarah Jones: The Government announced on 13 November that it plans to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) at the end of their current term of office in May 2028, subject to legislation.

PCC functions will transfer to Mayors of Combined Authorities, where possible, and to elected council leaders where it is not. Where there are no confirmed plans for a Mayor, as is the case in Staffordshire, we will create new Policing and Crime Boards to bring local council leaders together to oversee the force in their area, supported by an appointed day to day Policing and Crime lead.

We estimate that at around £100m will be saved in this Parliament as a result of these governance reforms. Once delivered, we expect they will achieve savings to the Home Office of around £20m a year, enough to fund around 320 extra police constables.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of police staffing levels in Norfolk. \p Sarah Jones: 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.

All members of the police workforce play a vital role in delivering an effective police service to communities across England and Wales. As at 31 March 2025, Norfolk Constabulary had a total paid workforce of 3,193 full-time equivalent (FTE). This includes, a total of 1,911 (FTE) police officers, 1,281 (FTE) police staff and designated officers and 101 (FTE) special constables.

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 the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support police forces in tackling shoplifting in North West Norfolk constituency. \p Sarah Jones: Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. We will not stand for this.

We are ensuring the right powers are in place. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.

Additionally, we are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

Tackling retail crime requires a partnership approach between policing representatives and business. The previous Minister for Crime and Policing launched the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’, which was jointly developed by the police and industry and aims to provide a collaborative and evidence-based approach to preventing retail crime, including organised shop theft.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has allocated to local policing in North West Norfolk in the last 12 months. \p Sarah Jones: Norfolk Police will receive up to £239.2 million in 2025-26, an increase of up to £16.5 million when compared to 2024-25.

In addition to the funding announced at the settlement, the Home Office provided £1.3 million to Norfolk Police to help with the cost of the 2025-26 police pay award.
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Andy MacNae:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the review of standards for Home Office Type Approval of road enforcement technology will be completed. \p Sarah Jones: My officials are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the Home Office Type Approval (HOTA) standard in collaboration with stakeholders, including safety camera manufacturers and suppliers and technical experts from the scientific and standards communities.

The review of the standards will conclude as soon as practicable.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the online sale of devices capable of compromising keyless vehicle security in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Sarah Jones: Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2024 show that 58% of vehicle theft offences involved the offender manipulating the signal from remote locking device.

In the Crime and Policing Bill we are banning the electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing, importing and supplying them.

We are also working with the police and industry, to ensure a strong response to vehicle crime, including keyless car theft.

The National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of, and from, vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the readiness of the West Midlands Combined Authority to assume policing governance responsibilities from the Police and Crime Commissioner; and what estimate she has made of the (a) costs of that transfer and (b) projected long-term annual savings from the merger. \p Sarah Jones: The Government has committed in its English Devolution White Paper to transfer policing functions to Mayors of Strategic Authorities wherever boundaries of the mayoral and policing areas align, by default. Subject to Royal Assent to provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, it is anticipated that the transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner functions to the Mayor of West Midlands would happen by May 2028; the end of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s term of office and at the next election for the Mayor.

There are no costs to the Home Office in transferring PCC functions to the Mayor of an existing Mayoral Combined Authority. As has previously been the case for transfer of policing functions to mayors, the cost of local implementation will be expected to be met locally.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will establish a limit on the proportion of foreign national officers that may be employed by each police force. \p Sarah Jones: Decisions about police recruitment, including how recruitment and selection processes are run, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners and are therefore managed locally by forces. This is done within a national application, assessment and selection framework, in line with national guidance maintained by the College of Policing. Forces are also expected to act lawfully in line with equalities legislation and adhere to best practice in this area when carrying out recruitment.

Police forces that reflect the communities they serve are crucial to tackling crime and maintaining public trust and confidence in a modern diverse society. A person of any nationality may apply to be a police officer in England and Wales, subject to candidates satisfying eligibility and vetting requirements, including meeting relevant residency criteria.
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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of asylum seekers claim to be under the age of 18 once they have reached their assigned hotel or army camp. \p Alex Norris: The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal migrants were apprehended between Stranraer and Belfast in each of the last three years; and how many of those were apprehended during a) daytime and b) evening sailings. \p Alex Norris: To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.

Information about illegal migrants encountered specifically at the Port of Cairnryan and between Stranraer and Belfast is not available in our published data.

Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on irregular migration: Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department is using to determine if a third country is safe to deport migrants. \p Alex Norris: The criteria to designate all, or part, of a country as safe for the purpose of certification of protection or human rights claims as clearly unfounded is set out in s94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002:

(5)The Secretary of State may by order add a State, or part of a State, to the list in subsection (4) if satisfied that—

(a)there is in general in that State or part no serious risk of persecution of persons entitled to reside in that State or part, and

(b)removal to that State or part of persons entitled to reside there will not in general contravene the United Kingdom’s obligations under the Human Rights Convention.

Other countries not designated in this manner may still be considered to be safe in respect of an individual and their personal circumstances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the number of children subject to removal under her plans to remove families from the UK. \p Alex Norris: All families will be offered financial support to enable them to return but, if that support is refused and steps are not taken to comply with the requirement to leave the UK, their return will be enforced. Decisions will continue to be governed by Section 55 duties and the Family Returns Process, with safeguarding and the best interests of the child paramount.

The Department has not published a numerical assessment of the number children who might be subject to removal under the plans announced on 17 November, which will continue to be developed over the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which countries she is discussing hosting return hubs for failed asylum seekers with. \p Alex Norris: To support the UK Government’s commitment to controlled immigration, the Home Office is exploring the use of return hubs for failed asylum seekers with a number of countries.

We are not in a position to share further details that could prejudice discussions at this stage. However, the Government has been clear we will continue to work with international partners to tackle the global migration crisis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the news story entitled ‘Honour’-based abuse crackdown in raft of new measures, published on 26 August 2025, by when she plans to pilot a prevalence study into ‘honour’-based abuse. \p Jess Phillips: 'Honour’-based abuse is a serious form of abuse that nobody should have to experience. This is why we are tackling it through our mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.

To prevent and respond effectively to forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) it is essential that we understand the prevalence of these crimes.

Building on the feasibility study conducted by the University of Birmingham in 2023/24, the Home Office has commissioned a pilot research project to support the development of a national prevalence estimate for forced marriage and female genital mutilation. This work is already underway.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the risk of modern slavery in hand car washes. \p Jess Phillips: The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery across all sectors, including hand car washes.

The Home Office funds the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), which operates a national licensing scheme in certain high-risk sectors to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation. The GLAA has specially trained officers with police-style powers to prevent, detect, and investigate serious labour exploitation across the entire economy in England and Wales.

The Government is improving the enforcement of employment rights by establishing the Fair Work Agency (FWA) through the Employment Rights Bill. The FWA will bring together the GLAA, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and HMRC’s National Minimum Wage Team. This will ensure a more cohesive and streamlined response to exploitation.

The FWA will have strong powers to investigate and take action against a range of labour market abuses, including serious exploitation and modern slavery. This includes new powers to investigate under the Fraud Act 2006.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Police Scotland has had discussions with her Department on its investigation into McClures Solicitors asset protection trusts. \p Sarah Jones: The Public Safety Group has no role in data collection on trustee mismanagement, or in any police investigations which may or may not be going on.

Matters relating to solicitor regulation or misgivings are for Ministry of Justice’s Arms Lengths Bodies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) police misconduct cases and (b) police misconduct cases involving non-UK national police officers since 2020. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office does not hold the requested information.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on cases handled under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 as a part of its published Police Misconduct: England and Wales statistical series:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-misconduct-statistics

This includes information on the protected characteristics of those facing complaint, conduct matter and recordable conduct matter allegations. The Home Office does not collect information on the nationality of those who face allegations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the National Crime Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years. \p Sarah Jones: The National Crime Agency has spent around the following amounts on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five financial years:

These figures include both translation and interpretation costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national officers have failed vetting or re-vetting procedures since 2015. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office does not centrally collect information on the number of police officers who fail vetting or re-vetting procedures. This information is held individually by each of the 43 territorial police forces.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been subject to disciplinary action as a result of (a) poor communication and (b) language comprehension in the last five years. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office does not hold the requested information.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on cases handled under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 as a part of its published Police Misconduct: England and Wales statistical series:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-misconduct-statistics

This includes information on the volume of complaints, internal conduct matters and recordable conduct matters which, if proven, could result in disciplinary action.

Allegations are categorised using the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) allegation types, which includes a category of impolite language/tone. Data on the volume of allegations and action taken, by IOPC allegation type can be found in the misconduct allegations by type open data table, available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-misconduct-open-data-tables

The Home Office does not currently collect information on cases that resulted in disciplinary action for unsatisfactory performance, handled under the Police (Performance) Regulations 2020.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proportion of police officers that are of foreign nationality or non-native English speakers on public confidence in police forces. \p Sarah Jones: Decisions about police recruitment, including how recruitment and selection processes are run, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners and are therefore managed locally by forces. This is done within a national application, assessment and selection framework, in line with national guidance maintained by the College of Policing. We expect all forces to uphold the highest standards in recruitment so that only those fit to serve as police officers are appointed.

The Home Office does not collect data on the nationality of police officers, nor on police officers that have completed English language training. However, all candidates for appointment as a police officer must meet the standards set by the College of Policing.

As set out in Regulations, police officers must demonstrate competence in written and spoken English. We are working closely with the College of Policing to ensure that forces continue to make improvements to all entry routes. As part of this work, the College of Policing is currently consulting police leaders to assess and determine the appropriate English language standard required for all policing roles.

Forces are operationally independent, and decisions about training requirements and the deployment of officers remain an operational matter for Chief Constables.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-26)

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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) fines, (b) community punishments, (c) cautions and (d) custodial sentences have been administered for the illegal possession of nitrous oxide in England since November 2023. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office collects information on the number of notifiable offences, and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales. This includes possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and possession of nitrous oxide with intent to supply.

Information on the number of the Cautions, Community resolutions and Penalty Notices for Disorder for these offences issued between 1st November 2023 and 30th June 2025 are shown in the table below.

Outcomes

November 2023 to June 2025

Caution - adult and youths

100

Community resolution

3,265

Penalty Notices for Disorder

23

Source: Home Office Data Hub, Police Recorded Crime and Outcomes

The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on court sentencing outcomes including for the illegal possession of nitrous oxide in England and Wales. The latest published statistics for the period between 1st December 2023 and the 30th June 2025 are presented in the table below.

Sentence Outcome

December 2023 to June 2025

Fine

139

Community Sentence

20

Immediate Custody

4

Suspended Sentence

3

Source: Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics