theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle county lines drug trafficking in (a) coastal communities and (b) Dorset. \p Dame Diana Johnson: County lines is the most violent and exploitative model of drug distribution nationally, and a harmful form of Child Criminal Exploitation. We committed in our manifesto to go after the gangs who lure young people into violence and crime, and we will deliver a new offence of Child Criminal Exploitation in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill.

While the the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue which affects all forces. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response.

The County Lines Programme taskforces regularly conduct joint operations with other forces, and we have established a dedicated fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Dorset Police.

Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, 500 arrests (including the arrest and charge of over 260 deal line holders) and 800 safeguarding referrals for children and vulnerable people. Over 220 children and young people have also received dedicated specialist support through our county lines support service since July.
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Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department. \p Dame Diana Johnson: No.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Palestinians granted permission to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme will be eligible for indefinite leave to remain. \p Seema Malhotra: No Palestinians have been granted permission to stay in the UK under the Ukrainian Family Scheme. The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.
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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking (a) to protect the right to peaceful protest and (b) to prevent politically motivated prosecutions against peaceful protesters. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Peaceful protest is a vital part of our democracy. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law. This Government is committed to protecting and preserving that right.

The decision to prosecute an individual is a decision for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who are operationally independent of Government.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to (a) prevent and (b) tackle wildlife crime in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.

That is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), a specialist police unit, which plays a vital role in providing intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK.

The NWCU operates nationally; however, its activities include offering specialist support on tackling rural and wildlife crime to local forces, as well as training for frontline police officers.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the efficiency of response times of Fire and Rescue Services in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to do their important work and to keep the public safe. In 2024/25, fire and rescue authorities received around £2.87 billion. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRA) saw an increase in core spending power of £95.4m during 2024/25.

Decisions on how FRA resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet their core functions including crewing and meeting response times, is a matter for each fire and rescue authority, based on risks identified within local Community Risk Management Plans.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the average time taken to process firearm licence applications in rural areas. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The issuing of firearms certificates is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and they are held to account by Police and Crime Commissioners.

However, the performance of forces is being actively monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, who is developing a new performance framework for firearms licensing teams.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle drug-related crime in rural constituencies. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government recognises the considerable impact of drug use and dealing on individuals, families and communities in rural and urban constituencies. Tackling this is a vital part of our missions to deliver safer streets and improve health outcomes, and that is why we are taking a collaborative, cross-government approach to drugs at a national level.

We expect the police to intervene to tackle illicit drug use, recognising the significant harms it causes. We are dedicated to reducing these drug-related harms through prevention and treatment, while acting quickly and decisively to stop the criminals peddling these harmful substances.

County Lines are the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade.

Since July 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.

As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place 25 November to 1 December 2024 and resulted in 261 lines closed, as well as 1,660 arrests, 1,434 individuals safeguarded and 557 weapons seized.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) Greater Manchester Police and (b) other police forces are adequately resourced to manage the increased demand on services resulting from the implementation of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders. \p Jess Phillips: In November, we launched Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in select areas including Greater Manchester. These orders are the first to introduce a robust range of restrictions for perpetrators such as the ability to impose electronic tagging and attendance on behaviour change programmes.

In the short time since these orders have launched, we have seen them being used to protect a range of domestic abuse victims including those experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour, which could not be done previously. I am also very pleased to hear how forces like Greater Manchester Police are dealing with breaches swiftly and that custodial sentences have been obtained in some cases.

The Home Office has commissioned an evaluation on the rollout of DAPOs to understand how they are working in practice. The evaluation will include an assessment of how police are resourcing DAPOs. Early findings will be used to help inform our plans for national rollout.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce levels of rural crime in West Dorset constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why the Government is committed to tackling rural crime.

Under our Safer Streets Mission, rural communities will be better protected, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers, across England and Wales, including in rural areas, to speed up response times and build public confidence.

We are also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to fend off the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police forces are adequately (a) trained and (b) resourced to respond effectively to (a) reports of (i) coercive control and (ii) abuse and (b) breaches of court orders. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government and we will treat it as the national emergency that it is.

In our manifesto, we committed to strengthening training for policing to ensure they have the right knowledge and skills to respond appropriately to victims of violence against women and girls. Coercive and controlling behaviour is covered extensively in the Domestic Abuse Matters training. This was developed by the College of Policing with SafeLives, Women's Aid and Welsh Women's Aid, and has now been delivered to over 80% of police forces in England and Wales. We are working closely with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to explore how we can further strengthen police training on violence against women and girls.

In February, we launched Raneem's Law to embed new external domestic abuse specialists and dedicated teams within 999 control rooms, to support the police response to domestic abuse incidents. The DA specialists will give police access to specialist knowledge and advice on domestic abuse. They can review incoming calls, advise on risk assessments, and facilitate training for police staff.

We expect the police to investigate and respond to breaches of a protective order in a timely manner and this has been made clear in police statutory guidance. The domestic abuse teams under Raneem's Law will provide dedicated resource to support the police, for example to ensure that officers attending an incident are fully informed of any protective orders in place.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of standardising the legal definition of criminal child exploitation for the purposes of having consistent national statistics on criminal child exploitation. \p Jess Phillips: This Government is committed to tackling child criminal exploitation (CCE) and going after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. Data from the Department for Education's Children in Need statistics allow us to estimate there were around 14,500 children that have been identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation in 23/24.

We are delivering on our manifesto commitment to introduce a new offence of child criminal exploitation which was included in the Crime and Policing Bill. The offence will define CCE (in terms of its constituent elements) for the purpose of prosecuting offenders under this offence. A specific new CCE offence will also more clearly identify the volumes of victims and perpetrators of CCE, thus helping to improve the overall data available on this issue.

As part of the CCE offence we will be taking a power for the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance. We intend for this to also provide guidance on the definition of CCE, including illustrative examples of common forms and methods of CCE.
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Ms Stella Creasy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 30613 on British Nationality, whether victims of (a) trafficking and (b) modern slavery who are given leave to remain will have any citizenship application they make affected by whether they entered the UK via an irregular route. \p Seema Malhotra: A person who previously entered the UK illegally, or who arrived without a required valid entry clearance or electronic valid authorisation, having made a dangerous journey, will normally be refused citizenship, regardless of the time that has passed since they entered the UK.

However, when assessing good character, it is normally appropriate to disregard immigration breaches if it is accepted this was outside of the applicant’s control.

Citizenship applications will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis, allowing for mitigating factors to be properly considered, such as where a person is a victim of trafficking or modern slavery. Where it is appropriate, an exceptional grant may be supported.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the No Recourse to Public Funds policy on trends in the level of child poverty. \p Seema Malhotra: Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

The government is working to develop a strategy to drive forward short and long-term actions to reduce child poverty.

The strategy will consider levers to alleviate poverty experienced by all children in the UK, regardless of immigration status, including children either subject to or impacted by the No Recourse to Public Funds policy.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETA) were issued and (b) persons were identified as having visited the UK without a valid ETA between 8 January and 8 February 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office publishes data on Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly release’. Data on outcomes of ETAs are published in table ‘ETA_D02’ of the Detailed Electronic Travel Authorisation dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data covers up to the end of 2024.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information for the purpose of answering this question would incur disproportionate cost.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the 20-hour-per-week work limit for international students during term time. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Honourable Member to my response to the Member for Bournemouth East’s question of 17 October 2024 [09875].
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the finding in the Transnational Repression Origin Country Case Study by Freedom House that an increase in the presence of state employees from the People's Republic of China in a particular country brings an attendant increase in transnational repression; and whether this will be taken into account when considering the application of the People's Republic of China to redevelop Royal Mint Court. \p Dan Jarvis: As set out in a joint letter by the Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary to the Planning Inspector on 14 January, the Home Office has considered the breadth of national security issues in relation to the planning application.

It would not be appropriate to comment in further detail on specific matters relating to national security.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) online fraud and (b) cyber crime. \p Dan Jarvis: Measures to tackle online fraud will be set out in the upcoming fraud strategy. The Chancellor, Home Secretary and Secretary of State for DSIT have already written to the tech sector to request that companies go further and faster to fight fraud.

Cyber crime causes immense damage to people and businesses in the UK and is a top priority for the Government. Our approach to tackling cyber crime is set out in the UK Government’s National Cyber Strategy. We work closely with our international partners and law enforcement agencies such as the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), to reduce the harm caused by cyber attacks and bolster our resilience. This is mostly recently underscored by the Home Office’s current public consultation on legislative proposals to reduce ransomware payments to cyber criminals and increase incident reporting.

The Home Office’s cyber crime programme has boosted investment and expanded training to improve the law enforcement response to deliver improvements to the UK’s cyber resilience. We provide law enforcement with the necessary cyber skills and training at the national, regional, and local levels to ensure they have the capacity and expertise to deal with the perpetrators and provide support to the victims of cyber crime.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to proscribe (a) the English Defence League and (b) other far right groups. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government has robust processes in place for reviewing the list of proscribed organisations. However, the Government does not routinely comment on whether or not an organisation is being considered for proscription.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 29603 on Animal Experiments: Licensing, when her Department plans to begin its internal review into the duration of project licences for animal research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. \p Dan Jarvis: Work is ongoing to conduct an internal review in relation to the duration of project licences for animal research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Home Office intends to report on the review by the end of 2025.

The regulatory framework has a rigorous approach to the application of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) in all applications for programmes of work involving animals. Establishments conducting research must have robust internal governance systems and processes that ensure the regulated activities carried out at the establishment are undertaken in accordance with the principles of the 3Rs. Our application of the 3Rs principles continuously evolves with scientific developments.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent funding reductions to Prevent in Greater Manchester; and what plans she has to review long-term funding allocations for the programme. \p Dan Jarvis: All local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales have a statutory responsibility to deliver the Prevent duty as laid out in the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The duty has been in place for ten years and is well-embedded within local authority structures, including in the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester.

Each year we carefully consider funding for the Prevent programme and lead an annual prioritisation process to determine those local authorities of highest threat and risk. This prioritisation process draws on a range of data sets and insights from national and local partners. In the next financial year, we will provide funding for specialist Prevent posts in the 27 highest risk priority local authority areas to help them to go above and beyond the normal requirements of the Prevent duty. In approximately 90% of local authorities, the Prevent Duty is implemented without that additional funding.

In Greater Manchester, we will provide funding to Manchester City Council for four dedicated Prevent posts as well as funding for project delivery. One of these posts will support the regional delivery of Prevent across Greater Manchester. In addition, access to significant wider funding is available through the centrally managed Preventing Radicalisation Fund for projects that aim to reduce radicalisation risks across the Greater Manchester region. Other support is also available to all local authorities including dedicated training materials and the expertise and guidance of specialist Home Office Prevent advisers based in each region.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to review the strategy for Prevent in the context of (a) the Southport attacks and (b) other recent incidents. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Secretary announced the creation of a new Independent Prevent Commissioner role in a statement to the House on 17 December 2024.

The Commissioner role will help ensure Prevent is working effectively by reviewing its legislation, policies and operations and making sure it is implemented as intended.  It will also oversee and assure implementation of recommendations from reports, reviews, coronial processes, and Prevent Learning Reviews.

Lord David Anderson KC was announced as the interim Commissioner on 21 January, to allow work to begin swiftly. Lord Anderson has been asked to conduct a rapid review of the perpetrators’ Prevent history in the case of the Southport murders and the murder of Sir David Amess. He will examine improvements made to Prevent since 2021 and determine whether they have sufficiently strengthened the Prevent system, and identify any remaining gaps or shortcomings that require further improvement and assure action to address them.

An open competition to recruit the permanent Independent Prevent Commissioner was launched on 14 February.
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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 reviewing plant protection product testing to remove the need to use dogs for testing. \p Dan Jarvis: GB pesticides regulations contain rules that require sharing of tests and studies involving vertebrate animals between pesticide companies to ensure that such testing is minimised. The assimilated regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 requires that testing on vertebrate animals shall be undertaken only where no other methods are available and that duplication of tests and studies on vertebrates undertaken for the purposes of pesticides regulation must be avoided.

It is an offence to carry out animal tests in contravention of the regulations. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) implement and enforce these requirements as the competent authority for these regulations, acting on behalf of the UK and Devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales.

The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations state that approved pesticide active substances are to be regarded as fully registered and therefore there is no occasion for additional testing of pesticides for the purposes of REACH registration.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will undertake a review of the necessity of using dogs in regulatory testing across all sectors. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.

The Home Office assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

Dogs are a specially protected species under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Home Office will only grant a project licence for a programme of work using dogs where the purpose of the programme of work specified in the licence can only be achieved by their use, or where it is not practicable to obtain other suitable animals.
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Lloyd Hatton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the agenda for the meeting with Crown Dependencies on 3 March 2025. \p Dan Jarvis: We publish all Ministerial meetings in our quarterly transparency returns.

We do not routinely publish the agenda or minutes of such meetings. publish the agenda or minutes of such meetings.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) investigated and (b) deported for supporting groups proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the last ten years by proscribed group. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government takes proscription offences very seriously. It is an offence under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for a person to invite support for a proscribed organisation or express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation.

Data on arrests, charges and convictions for the proscription offences in sections 11 to 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 can be found in the quarterly Home Office publication ‘Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’.

The most recent publication was published on 12 December 2024 and includes data up to the year ending September 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/operation-of-police-powers-under-tact-2000-to-september-2024.

Data is not published on investigations or deportations relating to section 12 offences. Data providers are not required to provide further detail on events leading to the arrest. Collecting and verifying the data requested to answer this question could only be done at disproportionate cost to the organisations responsible.
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Irene Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the accredited official statistics entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2023, published on 11 September 2024, for what purposes were procedures carried out on horses; and whether her Department is taking steps to reduce the use of horses in experiments for (a) the routine production of antibodies and (b) other areas. \p Dan Jarvis: The Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2023 provides details on the purposes of procedures using horses in scientific research.

The published statistics show that no horses were used for the routine production of antibodies. The majority of horses are used for the taking of blood that is subsequently used in blood-based products as a supplement in cell culture media.
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Sir Desmond Swayne:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with Apple Inc. on the continuing provision of its advanced data protection system in the UK. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office does not comment on operational matters, including for example confirming or denying the existence of any notices. This has been the longstanding position of successive UK Governments for reasons of national security.

The UK has a longstanding position of protecting people’s privacy whilst also ensuring action can be taken against child sexual abusers and terrorists.
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Rebecca Long Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21609 on Migrant Workers: Civil Servants, how many civil servants are working on graduate visas; how many (a) current and (b) former civil service staff initially employed on graduate visas would not meet the salary threshold requirements for applying for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the salary threshold changes for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship on civil service staff retention (i) since April 2024 and (ii) in the next three years. \p Seema Malhotra: 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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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of people that may be eligible to settle in the UK whose cases are being assessed by UK courts. \p Seema Malhotra: It is not possible to make any such estimate as we cannot predict the outcome of a legal case.

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.

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
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Peter Lamb:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the Chagossian population residing in (a) the UK, (b) Mauritius, (c) the Seychelles and (d) all other countries; and how many Chagossians not residing in the UK have applied for British citizenship through the (i) British Indian Oceans Territory citizenship registration route and (ii) other routes, broken down by the country in which each applicant lived at the time of application. \p Seema Malhotra: The information requested is not held by the Home Office.

However, the overall number of applications for British citizenship including those made through the British Indian Ocean Territory route is available on:

Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on reducing waiting times of (a) Indefinite Leave to Remain applications and (b) visa applications for cases already over the time limit. \p Seema Malhotra: The overwhelming majority of applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain and visas are processed within service standard. Processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK and Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK.

Applications that fall outside of these processing times, due to the specifics of the case, are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they can be decided at the earliest opportunity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will automate the visa extension scheme application process for people applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme. \p Seema Malhotra: The UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their families under the Ukraine Schemes, thanks to the immense generosity of the British public. We are determined to continue to provide stability for those we have welcomed to the UK and who still need our sanctuary.

The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, is intended to allow those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission, who have been living in the UK and who continue to require sanctuary in the UK, to complete an application online for further permission to stay in the UK.

We are not providing automatic extension of existing permission as this would risk inadvertently providing further permission to a person who has now left the UK and is no longer in need of temporary sanctuary in the UK.

Nevertheless, UPE will be one of the first immigration routes to reuse existing biometric records, removing the need for the majority of Ukrainians to attend a UK visa and citizenship application services centre. This will create a faster and more streamlined customer journey. We will roll-out the option to reuse previously submitted biometrics using a phased approach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_277

Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the average time taken for visa applications to be processed for (a) adults and (b) children. \p Seema Malhotra: Visa processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_278

Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Government taking over sponsorship of migrant care staff from employers. \p Seema Malhotra: It is a fundamental principle of sponsorship that those who benefit most directly from employing migrant workers play their part in ensuring the immigration system is not abused, and the Government therefore has no plans to take over sponsorship of migrant care staff from employers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_279

Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to clarify long-term residency options for Ukrainian refugees in the UK beyond December 2026. \p Seema Malhotra: We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes.

This is why the temporary Ukraine Schemes 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.

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 (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_280

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to notify eligible Ukrainians on the Ukrainian Permission Extension scheme. \p Seema Malhotra: To promote and raise awareness of the Ukraine Permission Extention scheme, the Home Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), alongside trusted partners, have run 9 community outreach events in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. The department also engaged directly with stakeholders who have close links to the Ukrainian diaspora in the UK.

This is supported by online guidance published on Gov.uk.

We continue to explore further engagement opportunities where applicable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_281

Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of waiving the written aspect of the English Language Test requirement for the Skilled Worker Visa where the role is manual. \p Seema Malhotra: The English language requirements for the Skilled Worker visa route are not only concerned with the level of English needed to do the job; they are fundamental to successful integration into British society, helping migrants to participate in community, life and work.

In its 2022 annual report, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) emphasised the importance of the English language in helping workers understand their rights and protect themselves against exploitation. The MAC strongly recommend against lowering or removing the English language requirement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_282

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time is for passports for children born outside the UK. \p Seema Malhotra: 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

Where no further information is required, His Majesty's Passport Office advises that British passport applications from the UK will normally take around three weeks. This includes applications for children, whether they were born in the UK or overseas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing international students to reduce skills shortages in key sectors through the Graduate Route visa. \p Seema Malhotra: The Graduate route enables international students who have successfully completed an eligible qualification to stay in the UK and work, or look for work, at any skill level for 2 years, or 3 years for doctoral students. It includes the ability to switch into other routes, such as the Skilled Worker route, if the requirements of such routes are met.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_284

Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money has been allocated to West Mercia Police in special grant funding for financial year 2024-25. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office agreed to provide West Mercia Police with Special Grant funding of up to £1.8m in 2024-25, for Operation Lincoln. The final amount provided will not be known until after the end of the financial year.

The Home Office has not yet received a formal application from West Mercia Police for funding in financial year 2025-26. Special Grant funding is reviewed annually and the Department will consider a request when received.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people waiting for their asylum application to be processed are living in hotels in (a) England and (b) Telford constituency for each year that data is available. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum seekers on support by local authority, including accommodation in hotels, is published in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. This data is not broken down by constituency.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_286

Ben Lake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, upon what evidential basis she will deem it sufficient to lift the temporary pause on the processing of Syrian asylum seeker claims. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office has withdrawn the Country Policy Information Notes and Guidance relating to Syria and has temporarily paused all asylum interviews and decisions for Syrian nationals. However, we continue to register new claims from Syrians in the UK who wish to claim asylum and when there is a clear basis upon which to make decisions on Syrian claims, we will resume the processing of them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_287

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full time equivalent civil servants are employed to work on the asylum backlog. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The requested staffing data is published online: Immigration and protection data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_288

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30351 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of having been sleeping rough between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_289

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025, to Question 28146 on Asylum: Local Government, what the estimated aggregate budget is for (a) Grant 6 and (b) Grant 7 funding to local authorities in (i) England and (ii) the United Kingdom in the 2024-25 financial year. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer he received on 10 February 2025 to UIN 28146.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-03 conversation_290

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 30379 on Europol, whether the Border Security Command is one of the UK agencies that continues to undertake operations with European law enforcement partners. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Border Security Command (BSC) is focused on strategic oversight and system leadership to secure the UK border. As part of that leadership the BSC works closely with a range of UK agency partners who do undertake operations with European law enforcement partners such as Europol.