theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with civil society in Northern Ireland on the work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. \p Hilary Benn: As part of its commitment to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Government has committed to introducing primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, including to fundamentally reform and strengthen the independent Commission established by the Act to ensure it is fully human rights compliant and can command public confidence.

The Government continues to engage with all interested parties at ministerial and official level in a spirit of openness regarding an appropriate way forward, including members of civil society. I and my officials have regularly met victims groups, groups representing veterans, human rights organisations, and others including academics as part of this process.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department. \p Hilary Benn: The Northern Ireland Office remains committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government’s commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.

Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.

As a department, the Northern Ireland Office annually recruits a Communication Apprentice through the Government Communications Service.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what resources she could make available to the (a) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (b) Police Service of Northern Ireland and (c) Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service in the event of a major wildfire outbreak in Northern Ireland. \p Hilary Benn: I pay tribute to all those who work to tackle and support recovery from major wildfire outbreaks like those seen recently in the Mourne area.

This Government has provided the Northern Ireland Executive with a record £18.2 billion settlement for 2025-26. That translates into over £1.5 billion more in 2025-26 and the largest settlement in the history of devolution.

It is for the Executive to allocate the funding in line with its priorities and to address emerging challenges.
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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that employers are providing support for women in the workplace with flexible working. \p Justin Madders: The Government knows how important flexible working can be to help women with caring responsibilities manage their work and personal commitments. It can also be equally important for carers of vulnerable adults as well as employees with long-term physical or mental health conditions.

That is why the Government, through the Employment Rights Bill, is increasing access to flexible working by making it the default except where not reasonably feasible. These measures will support all employees, including women, to access flexible working. The changes in the Bill will require employers to accept flexible working requests where it is reasonably feasible to do so.
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Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of competition for North Channel ferry crossings on economic growth in Northern Ireland. \p Justin Madders: The Competition and Markets Authority, the “CMA”, is responsible for competition investigations and enforcement within the UK, including Northern Ireland. It is therefore not appropriate for Government to make assessments on the impacts of conduct on competition.

As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act to ensure markets remain competitive, and consumers are protected from unfair or exploitative market practices.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help tackle the sale of illegal electric conversion kits for bicycles. \p Justin Madders: Under UK product safety laws, businesses must ensure any electric conversion kits they place on the UK market are safe.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards and Local Authority Trading Standards have powers to tackle the supply of unsafe or non-compliant consumer products, including electric bike conversion kits, and to remove them from the market. The enforcement of converted bicycles that travel above legal speed limits is a matter for the police.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with (a) fish and chip and (b) other commercial food providers on pressures faced by SMEs due to (i) taxation, (ii) the price of fish and (iii) the expense of full electrification. \p Gareth Thomas: Fish and chip shops are integral to our high streets, communities and culture. Commercial food providers more broadly play a key role in supporting economic growth in every corner of the UK.

I recognise that these businesses are being challenged by rising costs, but we are protecting the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance and creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street.

The Government remains committed to supporting electrification and addressing the barriers to investment in electric technology. This includes further development of policy options to address the high cost of electricity relative to natural gas, and the implementation of planning reforms to speed up infrastructure development and unblock issues on grid connection delays.
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Andrew Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of acrylate exposure from cosmetic nail treatments on (a) long-term health of people exposed and (b) NHS services. \p Justin Madders: Legislation is clear that cosmetics must be safe. To demonstrate that a product is compliant with the requirements in the Cosmetic Regulation, a safety assessment must be completed by a qualified safety assessor. This includes examining the systemic exposure to individual ingredients used. The safety assessor must be satisfied that the product is safe before it can be sold.

As the regulator for product safety, OPSS is responsible for ensuring that consumer products are safe. We will take effective action where non-compliant products are identified. However, as a department we do not hold information regarding impacts to NHS services.
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Andrew Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of regulation on (a) products containing acrylates linked to serious allergic reactions and (b) other aspects of the operation of nail salons. \p Justin Madders: Cosmetics sold in the UK must meet some of the strictest safety requirements in the world. For products not covered by the Cosmetic Regulation, the General Product Safety Regulations provide a baseline of safety, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be sold.

Nail salons are required to comply with various legislation including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act. This requires operators to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees and that their clients are not exposed to risks to their health and safety.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support business confidence in Wales. \p Gareth Thomas: Businesses can access complementary, comprehensive support services from both the Department for Business and Trade and the Welsh Government. We work closely with Welsh Government counterparts to improve trading conditions. My department will host a flagship export roadshow in Cardiff on 13 June, focused on the technology sector to help businesses grow.

Our landmark deals with the United States and India will improve Welsh business access to important markets. Our new agreement with the European Union will support businesses, backing British jobs. Welsh businesses will benefit significantly from this deal, given 61% of all Welsh goods exports went to EU destinations in 2024.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade what assessment he has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on availability of jobs in the (a) legal and (b) financial sectors; and what steps he is taking to support workers transitioning to new roles. \p Gareth Thomas: In November 2023, the Department for Education published a report showing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on areas within the UK labour market and education The impact of AI on UK jobs and training - GOV.UK. The report noted that professional occupations are more exposed to AI, particularly those associated with more clerical work and across finance, law and business management roles.

The government is committed to ensuring both learners and employers have access to crucial digital and artificial intelligence skills that have the potential to increase productivity and create new high value jobs in the UK economy. To achieve this, the government is reforming the skills system. The government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs.

AI has the potential to bring significant benefits to legal professionals by automating routine work, allowing them to focus on matters of higher value and interest. AI and lawtech is also creating new jobs within the profession, such as legal technologists and tech developers.

Supporting the safe adoption of AI in legal services is essential to ensuring the sector remains world leading. The Ministry of Justice does this via LawtechUK, a grant funded industry led programme created to support the development of lawtech. Across the past year LawtechUK has hosted a series on Generative AI, brining experts in law, technology, and regulation to explore the benefits of AI and how to mitigate any risks.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data his Department holds on the proportion of British Business Bank-backed loans which include personal guarantee requirements from borrowers. \p Gareth Thomas: The British Business Bank utilises accredited delivery partners to deliver its schemes. Under the Growth Guarantee Scheme (formerly the Recovery Loan Scheme), delivery partners are required to apply personal guarantees where they would in the course of their normal commercial lending. Under GGS and RLS 3, approximately 70% of facilities have been recorded by the lender as having a personal guarantee attached.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of SMEs in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes that have secured angel investment in the last 24 months. \p Gareth Thomas: Business angels are a significant source of equity investment for start-up and early-stage businesses. Angel investments are typically private arrangements and therefore there is no requirement for them to be publicly reported.

The British Business Bank supports angel investment through its Regional Angels Programme, which helps reduce regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance for smaller businesses across the UK. As at March 2024 the Regional Angels Programme has committed £219m and supported 593 businesses.

In late June the British Business Bank will publish its annual Small Business Equity Tracker 2025. The report will include an analysis of the UK Business Angel Market and will also provide detail on equity deals in the South East region.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many SMEs located in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes in receipt of British Business Bank support in the last 12 months also sought finance from high street banks. \p Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business and Trade does not hold data relating to businesses also seeking finance from high street banks.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many companies in the scale-up category have accessed British Business Bank-backed debt finance in the last 24 months. \p Gareth Thomas: The British Business Bank publishes performance data on the Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) on a quarterly basis. Up to 31 December 2024, GGS has been utilised by accredited lenders to enable 13,447 scheme facilities, totalling £2.11 billion. The data is broken down by facility status, lender, nation and region, sector, facility type and size, company size, turnover and age of business, but does not define facilities by scale-up category.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to publish a green paper on the long-term future of the Post Office. \p Gareth Thomas: We aim to publish a Green Paper later this year which will set out several proposals for discussion on the future direction of the Post Office. As part of this work, Government will be carefully considering what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office network.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress he has made on payments through compensation schemes for postmasters impacted by failures in the Horizon system. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government continues to make significant progress in delivering redress to affected postmasters. From July 2024 to 30 April 2025, more than 4,000 victims have received compensation for the first time. An additional £728 million has been paid in redress during this same time period. This means that the total amount of redress paid to victims has increased by more than four times with £964 million having now been paid to over 6,800 claimants across all schemes.

We however recognise there is a lot more still to do, and we remain committed to improving the pace at which full and fair redress is paid to the victims of the Horizon scandal.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) manufactured components and (b) raw materials imported from China for the domestic production of electric vehicles in the last five years. \p Sarah Jones: Over the last five years the UK has, on average, annually imported China-origin goods worth a) £1.9bn of components (automotive parts, batteries, and motors) and b) £9.7m of minerals that are typically used for batteries and traction motors. These imports may have been used for non automotive uses. The Department does not have the precise value that went into UK automotive production. This information is commercial and therefore can only be provided by individual companies.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Government's priorities for the Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in June 2025. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: Officials from the Department for Business and Trade and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are continuing to work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat and other Commonwealth members to strengthen intra-Commonwealth trade and investment, ahead of the Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in June. I’m presently planning to travel to Namibia for the Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting.

This will be an opportunity for Commonwealth partners to strengthen cooperation on both intra-Commonwealth trade issues, including trade digitalisation and inward investment, as well as our shared support for the rules-based international trading system ahead of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference next year.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she monitors the (a) work and (b) activities of the Chinese United Front Work Department on foreign interference. \p Dan Jarvis: We keep all potential threats to the UK under constant review, and when we encounter foreign interference or espionage, we are swift in using all available tools, including prosecutions, exclusions, sanctions and diplomacy, to keep our country safe.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect British consumers against fraud. \p Dan Jarvis: We committed in our manifesto to introduce an expanded Fraud Strategy. Development of the Strategy has begun and details of the government’s approach to tackling fraud will be set out in due course.

Work continues to ensure that the public are better equipped to spot and avoid frauds, through our Stop! Think Fraud campaign. Furthermore, as of March 2025, the Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties are now enforceable by Ofcom. This will cut off key online vectors by which criminals are able to identify and communicate with potential victims, such as fraudulent advertising. We are also banning SIM farms, technical devices that allow criminals to send thousands of scam texts and calls at once, as part of the ongoing passage of the Crime and Policing Bill.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle car-related crimes in Slough. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.

We also provided £250,000 funding in the last financial year to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.

Via the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we 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.

In recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using drones in police searches. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Decisions on operational equipment are made independently by police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public.

The wider adoption of drones by police forces is developing at a rapid pace. Therefore, in FY 24/25, the Home Office allocated over £4m to national police-led programmes of work to support police use of drones and explore the benefits that future drones’ capabilities may provide to police operations – including, standardising police operations, trailing innovative use of drones to improve police productivity, and supporting the progression of a future operating model for police aviation that considers both crewed and uncrewed aircraft.

We are currently finalising the funding arrangements for these police-led drones programmes in FY25/26 to continue supporting the use of drones by police forces.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an estimate of the potential impact of her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, on the number of student visas issued. \p Seema Malhotra: Provisional estimates on the potential impact on future student visa demand are published in the Technical Annex accompanying the Immigration White Paper: restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex.pdf
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of drug seizures across the UK in the last 12 months. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office latest published data on the number of drug seizures made by the police and Border Force for England and Wales covers the period April 2023-March 2024, and it can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2024

In the year ending March 2024, the latest published statistics show that a total of 217,644 drug seizures were made by police forces and Border Force.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people on the Skilled Worker visa have had their employment extended beyond their 26th birthday with pay meeting the standard salary threshold for the most recent year for which data is available. \p Seema Malhotra: The information requested is not available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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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 reduce instances of car theft in (a) England and (b) Romford. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.

We also provided £250,000 funding in the last financial year to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.

Via the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we 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.

In recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.
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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Restoring Control Over the Immigration System: White paper, published on 12 May 2025, whether the changes to the qualifying period for settlement from five to 10 years will impact people on the skilled worker route who are already in the UK. \p Seema Malhotra: We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and will provide further details at that stage.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against police officers in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Our police officers and staff perform vital roles every day in serving and protecting the public, often in challenging and dangerous circumstances, we will not tolerate them facing violence and abuse.

The Government is committed to supporting Chief Constables in meeting their responsibilities to protect their officers and staff. We are determined that the Police Covenant makes a tangible difference and have provided ongoing funding for the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The NPWS ensures police officers and staff have access to the health and wellbeing support they need, including providing personal and familial support for those who have been victims of assault.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 46900 on Asylum: Housing, if she will provide a national figure. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on the 30 April 2025 to UIN 46900.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are housed in houses of multiple occupancy. \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 disproportionate cost.
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Dr Danny Chambers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether proposals of increasing the indefinite leave to remain qualifying period will apply only to new visa applicants. \p Seema Malhotra: We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and will provide further details at that stage.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how Serco performed against the key performance indicators at the most recent performance review on their Asylum Accommodation Services contract. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the Answer she received on the 16 May 2025 to UIN 50918.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51305 on Asylum: Housing, what proportion of alternative accommodation was (a) another hotel, (b) domestic properties and (c) other dispersed accommodation in 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Available data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can be broken down by accommodation type. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) quantity and (b) estimated street value of drugs retrieved from flotation devices at sea have been seized by Border Force in 2025; and what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of those devices for illegal activity. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Border Force has made one seizure of drugs so far in the calendar year 2025 that was packaged as an At Sea Drop-Off (ASDOs). The total seizure was 1464kg (Net) Cocaine and would have a street value of approximately £58,560,000 (£40,000 per kg). This was not directly retrieved from a flotation device as Border Force detected and seized before it entered the sea.

Border Force works around the clock to disrupt drug supply chains and will continue working closely with national and overseas partners to identify and prevent the new methods criminals take to smuggling illegal drugs. The collective response in dismantling drug smuggling operations from Police, the National Crime Agency and Border Force is helping the government deliver its safer streets mission by smashing organised crime gangs and saving lives.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, whether changes to English language requirements from B1 to B2 level will apply to holders of pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme intending to apply for (a) settled status and (b) British citizenship. \p Seema Malhotra: Further details of all the measures announced in the White Paper will be set out in due course, and where necessary, subject to consultation.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 49818 on Neighbourhood Policing: Staff, when she had discussions with police forces on guaranteeing that neighbourhood queries will be responded to within 72 hours from July. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee was developed through close working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other policing leads including the commitment that neighbourhood queries will be responded to within 72 hours.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to English language and family migration requirements on the ability of (a) BN(O) visa holders and (b) people hold full British citizenship to bring dependents to live with them in the UK. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office will publish all relevant assessments relating to measures announced in the Immigration White Paper when further details of those measures are set out in due course.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the barriers to employment faced by people with temporary immigration status under the Ukraine schemes. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given on 8 May 2025 to PQ UIN 49746.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the amount of funding that has been allocated for equality, diversity and inclusion roles in each police force in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The requested information is not centrally collated by the Home Office.

Decisions on how funding and resources are utilised are an operational matter for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing British citizens to transmit their citizenship to their children born abroad. \p Seema Malhotra: There are already provisions in sections 2 and 3 of the British Nationality Act 1981 for children born abroad to British citizens to acquire citizenship, either automatically, or by registration where the child or parent can demonstrate a connection to the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of her Department's publication entitled Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, published on 12 May 2025, on the Government's commitment to supporting Ukrainian refugees to resettle in the UK. \p Seema Malhotra: Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK has offered sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their families, thanks to the generosity of the British public. We have always been clear that the Ukraine Schemes are temporary and do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.

We keep the Ukraine schemes under continuous review in line with the ongoing conflict and the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine.

Ukrainians in the UK under one of the Ukraine Schemes can apply to extend their permission by up to an additional 18 months through the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025. The scheme provides the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as the current Ukraine schemes.

There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of police widows who lose access to their survivor's pension when they cohabit or remarry. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The 2015 police pension scheme is the scheme currently open to serving police officers. This scheme provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. The introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme meant that all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme with such survivor benefits.

Prior to 2006, the 1987 police pension scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner.

From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation. When the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended from 1 April 2015 by the previous government, estimates of the cost were made. There are no plans at this time to make any further estimates or undertake comparative assessments that might lead to changes to benefits accrued in the 1987 police scheme.

Policing is a devolved matter in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Decisions of the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive should not form a precedent without due consideration of the Government’s continuing duty to ensure that public services are affordable, sustainable and fair in England and Wales.

A justification was made under the previous government for allowing all surviving partners of Armed Forces pension scheme members to retain their survivor’s pension for life, relating to the combination of factors that apply specifically to members of the Armed Forces and their families.
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Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, on the status of British Nationals Overseas visa holders. \p Seema Malhotra: The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future. The reforms set out in the White Paper will be delivered across this Parliament. Some measures will require primary legislation and further consultation, while others will be brought in more swiftly. There will be consultation on new earned settlement and citizenship rules later this year
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that the concerns of the Hongkonger community in Sutton are considered during the implementation of new immigration proposals. \p Seema Malhotra: Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to require the introduction of traceable labels on nitrous oxide canisters to track the point of sale. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I refer the Hon Member to the updated response issued to PQ 49048.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in her Department. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.

Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.

In addition, in the Home Department we have recently launched a new Apprenticeship Strategy designed to accelerate progress in embedding apprenticeships across the department. This strategy is aimed at significantly expanding access to high-quality apprenticeship opportunities across all areas of our workforce, with a ‘think apprenticeship first’ approach.

As part of this strategy, we have set an ambitious target: at least 5% of our staff will be undertaking an apprenticeship at any given time. This target reflects our strong commitment to developing talent, supporting career progression, and addressing skills gaps within the Department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide compensation to survivors of child sexual abuse. \p Jess Phillips: The Government is making reforms to better support victims of child sexual abuse and prioritise their rights, including making it easier for victims to pursue claims in the civil court.

The Government has committed to remove the three-year time limit for victims to bring civil personal injury child sexual abuse claims, so that claims do not need to be brought within three years of turning 18. This change is significant because we know that it can take decades for survivors to disclose sexual abuse. Now, victims can come forward when they feel ready to do so, without fear of having their claims rejected due to the time limit.

Furthermore, the burden of proof that currently rests on victims' shoulders, who must prove it is possible to hold a fair trial for one to go ahead, has been lifted. Now it is up to the defendant to demonstrate that a fair trial cannot proceed if they intend to challenge one. This will enable cases to be heard more easily, and protect victims from having to relive their trauma any more than is necessary.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is part of a package of Government-funded general and specialist support available to victims of crime. It is a Scheme of last resort where eligible victims cannot claim compensation from elsewhere. Victims, including children, who suffer a serious physical or mental injury as a direct result of a violent crime such as physical and sexual abuse, may be able to access compensation under the Scheme. Payments under the Scheme are an expression of public sympathy and are intended to be an acknowledgment of the harm that eligible applicants have experienced.

The Government recognises the specific challenges faced by victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in applying to the Scheme. Given that it takes between 24 and 27 years, on average, for child sexual abuse victims to report their experiences, we understand that this will affect their ability to comply with some of the Scheme's requirements. The Scheme already allows discretion to extend the time limits for applying in exceptional circumstances, and evidence suggests that discretion is being used effectively. In addition, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) has worked to improve its service for compensation applicants, including providing its staff with specific training on the impact of psychological and emotional trauma in sexual abuse cases, and guidance on applying the exceptional circumstances discretion to sexual abuse cases - particularly child sexual abuse.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce traceable labels on nitrous oxide canisters to allow the authorities to know the point of sale. \p Dame Diana Johnson: With apologies for the previous answer, nitrous oxide is controlled as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and it is an offence to produce, supply, offer to supply, possess, possess with intent to supply, import and export nitrous oxide, where the intention is for it to be used for its psychoactive effects.

The Home Office is not responsible for labelling or tracking nitrous oxide in the many contexts in which its use is legitimate. This would fall to government departments and regulators for the relevant sectors.