Home Office

Spiking is often underreported and this can make analysis of trends difficult.

In order to improve our understanding of trends, from April 2026 offences which involve spiking will be added to the Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement. This is the formal mechanism through which the Home Office collects data from all police forces in England and Wales. This will ensure that the Home Office has access to formal, standardised and regular reporting from the police on offences involving spiking.

The Government have introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill a new criminal offence for spiking, to help police better respond to this crime.

The Home Office has funded specialist spiking training for staff in the hospitality industry to ensure they have the skills to better detect spiking incidents, support victims who have been spiked and support law enforcement with evidence collection.

The Home Office is currently working with the police-led National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) on the development of police guidance across a range of VAWG crimes, including spiking.

It is crucial that all organisations that may be involved in supporting victims of spiking and collecting evidence (including those in the healthcare, hospitality and education sectors) do so in a joined-up way.

The Home Office is currently working with the police-led National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) to assess options for schemes that promote a greater joining up between the police and other stakeholders on the collection of evidence samples from victims.

When using facial recognition technology, all police forces and local authorities must comply with data protection, equalities and human rights laws. They must also comply with the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice.

Police forces are also required to comply with any published policing policies and in the case of live facial recognition, follow the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice.

The government wants to ensure that facial recognition operates on a firm footing, providing maximum confidence to both the public and the police on the use of these tools. To that end, I have been listening carefully to stakeholders and partners and have held a series of roundtables with policing, civil society groups, regulators and others. Formal evaluation work on the impact of the technology is also underway, and we intend to set out our plans in the coming months.

When using facial recognition technology, all police forces and local authorities must comply with data protection, equalities and human rights laws. They must also comply with the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice.

Police forces are also required to comply with any published policing policies and in the case of live facial recognition, follow the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice.

The government wants to ensure that facial recognition operates on a firm footing, providing maximum confidence to both the public and the police on the use of these tools. To that end, I have been listening carefully to stakeholders and partners and have held a series of roundtables with policing, civil society groups, regulators and others. Formal evaluation work on the impact of the technology is also underway, and we intend to set out our plans in the coming months.

The Government is tackling female genital mutilation (FGM) through its landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls. The Government’s approach is focused on preventing these crimes from happening, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice.

The below outlines the annual spending allocated by the Home Office to prevent and tackle FGM in England and Wales in each financial year since 2015. The Home Office does not hold funding information for earlier than 2015/2016. This funding was used for a range of activity to tackle FGM, including victim support helplines, training courses on FGM for frontline personnel, academic research and communication campaigns:

FY 2015-2016: £2,718,000

FY 2016-2017: £1,664,000

FY 2017-2018: £2,358,768

FY 2018-2019: £2,403,768

FY 2019-2020: £1,023,768

FY 2020-2021: £334,234

FY 2021-2022: £211,020

FY 2022-2023: £259,568

FY 2023-2024: £1,170,209

FY 2024-2025: £1,108,599

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood teams by the end of this parliament, including 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by Spring 2026. All forces have agreed their delivery plans, and force-level recruitment projections are published here: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK..

The number of neighbourhood police personnel as of 31 March 2025 will be published in the Home Office’s upcoming biannual ‘Police Workforce Statistics, England and Wales’ publication. This release will provide a comprehensive overview of force-level workforce composition.

We will publish progress against neighbourhood policing force delivery plans in due course.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood teams by the end of this parliament, including 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by Spring 2026. All forces have agreed their delivery plans, and force-level recruitment projections are published here: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK..

The number of neighbourhood police personnel as of 31 March 2025 will be published in the Home Office’s upcoming biannual ‘Police Workforce Statistics, England and Wales’ publication. This release will provide a comprehensive overview of force-level workforce composition.

We will publish progress against neighbourhood policing force delivery plans in due course.

As the directly elected representative for policing in their area, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have an important local role acting as the voice of the public and victims in policing, holding Chief Constables to account and leading local partnerships to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.

In her Written Ministerial Statement of 19 November 2024 (HCWS232), the Home Secretary announced her intention to present a White Paper to Parliament this year on reforms to deliver more effective and efficient policing, to rebuild public confidence and to deliver the Government’s Safer Streets mission. We will consider the role of PCCs in local accountability and preventing crime as part of wider reforms to the policing system and we will set out our plans in due course.

This Government’s Safer Streets mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, halving serious violence and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing and the criminal justice system.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee was developed through close working with the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and other policing leads, and we continue to work closely with them to ensure it is delivered across all police forces in England and Wales.

The Home Office has also worked with the College of Policing and the NPCC to develop a performance framework which outlines to forces and the public the performance measures which are being assessed to monitor the progress of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

The framework is attached at the following link Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee performance framework - GOV.UK

I refer the Hon Member to Paragraphs 244-258 of the Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, which addresses these issues in detail. Further updates will be provided in due course.

British citizens who are also nationals of another country (excluding Ireland), who hold and use a valid British passport for travel and status checks do not need and are not eligible for an eVisa, since they are exempt from UK immigration control.

If someone has dual nationality and neither of those nationalities is British or Irish, they must ensure that they add the passport they will use to travel to their UKVI account. If they have a passport for both nationalities, they can add both to their UKVI account.

Although a person can link more than one ID document to their UKVI account, their eVisa will display a single nationality only. This will be the nationality for the most recent ID document uploaded to their UKVI account and used to log-in to their UKVI account.

If they have already added a second ID document and want their other nationality to appear on their eVisa, they can update this through their UKVI account on GOV.UK. After logging in, they should select ‘Add an identity document’, then choose ‘Yes, my name, nationality or date of birth has changed’, and follow the remaining steps, which include posting their passport to the Home Office. Once the change is approved, the nationality from that ID document will appear on their eVisa and will be used to log in to their UKVI account.

The information requested about the number of people who are dual nationals and have reported issues with their eVisas 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.

British citizens who are also nationals of another country (excluding Ireland), who hold and use a valid British passport for travel and status checks do not need and are not eligible for an eVisa, since they are exempt from UK immigration control.

If someone has dual nationality and neither of those nationalities is British or Irish, they must ensure that they add the passport they will use to travel to their UKVI account. If they have a passport for both nationalities, they can add both to their UKVI account.

Although a person can link more than one ID document to their UKVI account, their eVisa will display a single nationality only. This will be the nationality for the most recent ID document uploaded to their UKVI account and used to log-in to their UKVI account.

If they have already added a second ID document and want their other nationality to appear on their eVisa, they can update this through their UKVI account on GOV.UK. After logging in, they should select ‘Add an identity document’, then choose ‘Yes, my name, nationality or date of birth has changed’, and follow the remaining steps, which include posting their passport to the Home Office. Once the change is approved, the nationality from that ID document will appear on their eVisa and will be used to log in to their UKVI account.

The information requested about the number of people who are dual nationals and have reported issues with their eVisas 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.

On 10 June the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published their independent review of the financial requirements across the family routes. The report is now under review, and the Home Office will respond in due course.

Asylum interviews are conducted in line with the published guidance available here: Conducting asylum interviews: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.

The Guide to Parliamentary Work, which is published online and available here, sets out that there is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold. The current disproportionate cost threshold is £850; the limit does not apply to oral questions.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on 23 June 2025 to UIN 60413.

Available data relating to work visas is routinely published in the Immigration system statistics release.

Sports governing bodies approved by the Home Office are required to abide by the ‘Code of Practice for Sports Governing Bodies’ as part of their role under the International Sportsperson visa route.

The Home Office reserves the right to check the activities of an approved sports governing body’s role at any time, and issues regarding non-compliance will be addressed directly with the relevant body in the first instance. Where an approved body continues to fail to comply with its duties as set out in the ‘Code’, the Home Office will consider changing the approved governing body for that sport at its own discretion, in consultation with DCMS or the relevant home sports councils.

It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment upon specific reports submitted to the department regarding the role of sports governing bodies or provide any details of those reports.

Sports governing bodies approved by the Home Office are required to abide by the ‘Code of Practice for Sports Governing Bodies’ as part of their role under the International Sportsperson visa route.

The Home Office reserves the right to check the activities of an approved sports governing body’s role at any time, and issues regarding non-compliance will be addressed directly with the relevant body in the first instance. Where an approved body continues to fail to comply with its duties as set out in the ‘Code’, the Home Office will consider changing the approved governing body for that sport at its own discretion, in consultation with DCMS or the relevant home sports councils.

It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment upon specific reports submitted to the department regarding the role of sports governing bodies or provide any details of those reports.

In 2025-26, the Home Office are providing c.£1 billion to the National Crime Agency to tackle Serious and Organised Crime.

The Home Office does not allocate Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) specific funding to local police forces as setting annual budgets is the responsibility of chief constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners.

Data provided by police shows that, between 30 July 2020 and 27 June 2025, there have been over 400 “direct actions” claimed by or identified with Palestine Action. Police have made 750 arrests during this period, with 555 separate individuals arrested. Offences have included criminal damage, aggravated burglary, violent disorder, assault on emergency workers, actual bodily harm and gross bodily harm. For many relevant cases, police investigations and court proceedings are ongoing.

Data provided by police shows that, between 30 July 2020 and 27 June 2025, there have been over 400 “direct actions” claimed by or identified with Palestine Action. Police have made 750 arrests during this period, with 555 separate individuals arrested. Offences have included criminal damage, aggravated burglary, violent disorder, assault on emergency workers, actual bodily harm and gross bodily harm. For many relevant cases, police investigations and court proceedings are ongoing.

Data provided by police shows that, between 30 July 2020 and 27 June 2025, there have been over 400 “direct actions” claimed by or identified with Palestine Action. Police have made 750 arrests during this period, with 555 separate individuals arrested. Offences have included criminal damage, aggravated burglary, violent disorder, assault on emergency workers, actual bodily harm and gross bodily harm. For many relevant cases, police investigations and court proceedings are ongoing.

Defence Industry sites are protected under the National Security Act 2023 which provides police additional powers in responding to incidents at these sites.

We also maintain proactive communications with our Defence industry partners, ensuring that they are provided with up-to-date advice and guidance on the protection of their facilities and increasing vigilance of their staff to mitigate potential threats.

Data provided by police shows that, between 30 July 2020 and 27 June 2025, there have been over 400 “direct actions” claimed by or identified with Palestine Action. Police have made 750 arrests during this period, with 555 separate individuals arrested. Offences have included criminal damage, aggravated burglary, violent disorder, assault on emergency workers, actual bodily harm and gross bodily harm. For many relevant cases, police investigations and court proceedings are ongoing.

The report of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is now under review and the Home Office will respond to the review in due course.

The Government recognises that metal theft can cause significant distress and disruption, not only in terms of financial loss to businesses but also to people’s sense of safety and security in their local communities. Police recorded metal theft offences have been falling since the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. This legislation was introduced to reverse what was then a rising trend by strengthening regulation of the metal recycling sector and making it more difficult to dispose of stolen metal.

Whilst these reductions are welcome, the Government is determined to go further. We are driving work with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP), which brings together industry representatives, policing and law enforcement agencies to tackle metal theft. The NICRP promotes intelligence sharing, targeted enforcement, and the implementation of crime prevention strategies across forces. To date, the Partnership has delivered training to 2,000 police officers and facilitates the sharing of data and intelligence among partners to support efforts to identify and disrupt offenders.

There is close cooperation between police, Environment Agency and other enforcement bodies in dealing with facilities such as scrap yards, as there are significant overlaps between environmental, acquisitive, and other types of crime. The Environment Agency is increasingly looking at the financial aspects of offending.

The Government is also prioritising reducing the profitability of acquisitive crime. We will continue to work with the police to better understand the disposal routes used to sell stolen goods and the Home Office will continue to work with other Government departments and online sites such as eBay, Gumtree and Meta (Facebook) to inform what more can be done to tackle the stolen goods market.

Whilst Immigration Enforcement does not have any primary responsibility in the licencing of scrap metal dealing, or in tackling unlicenced scrap metal dealing, it discharges its duties in line with the law.

The Government recognises that metal theft can cause significant distress and disruption, not only in terms of financial loss to businesses but also to people’s sense of safety and security in their local communities. Police recorded metal theft offences have been falling since the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. This legislation was introduced to reverse what was then a rising trend by strengthening regulation of the metal recycling sector and making it more difficult to dispose of stolen metal.

Whilst these reductions are welcome, the Government is determined to go further. We are driving work with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP), which brings together industry representatives, policing and law enforcement agencies to tackle metal theft. The NICRP promotes intelligence sharing, targeted enforcement, and the implementation of crime prevention strategies across forces. To date, the Partnership has delivered training to 2,000 police officers and facilitates the sharing of data and intelligence among partners to support efforts to identify and disrupt offenders.

There is close cooperation between police, Environment Agency and other enforcement bodies in dealing with facilities such as scrap yards, as there are significant overlaps between environmental, acquisitive, and other types of crime. The Environment Agency is increasingly looking at the financial aspects of offending.

The Government is also prioritising reducing the profitability of acquisitive crime. We will continue to work with the police to better understand the disposal routes used to sell stolen goods and the Home Office will continue to work with other Government departments and online sites such as eBay, Gumtree and Meta (Facebook) to inform what more can be done to tackle the stolen goods market.

Whilst Immigration Enforcement does not have any primary responsibility in the licencing of scrap metal dealing, or in tackling unlicenced scrap metal dealing, it discharges its duties in line with the law.

The Government recognises that metal theft can cause significant distress and disruption, not only in terms of financial loss to businesses but also to people’s sense of safety and security in their local communities. Police recorded metal theft offences have been falling since the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. This legislation was introduced to reverse what was then a rising trend by strengthening regulation of the metal recycling sector and making it more difficult to dispose of stolen metal.

Whilst these reductions are welcome, the Government is determined to go further. We are driving work with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP), which brings together industry representatives, policing and law enforcement agencies to tackle metal theft. The NICRP promotes intelligence sharing, targeted enforcement, and the implementation of crime prevention strategies across forces. To date, the Partnership has delivered training to 2,000 police officers and facilitates the sharing of data and intelligence among partners to support efforts to identify and disrupt offenders.

There is close cooperation between police, Environment Agency and other enforcement bodies in dealing with facilities such as scrap yards, as there are significant overlaps between environmental, acquisitive, and other types of crime. The Environment Agency is increasingly looking at the financial aspects of offending.

The Government is also prioritising reducing the profitability of acquisitive crime. We will continue to work with the police to better understand the disposal routes used to sell stolen goods and the Home Office will continue to work with other Government departments and online sites such as eBay, Gumtree and Meta (Facebook) to inform what more can be done to tackle the stolen goods market.

Whilst Immigration Enforcement does not have any primary responsibility in the licencing of scrap metal dealing, or in tackling unlicenced scrap metal dealing, it discharges its duties in line with the law.

The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced a review of our existing refugee sponsorship and resettlement schemes to develop a more cost-effective and sustainable framework which will deliver better outcomes for refugees and the communities in which they live.

Meetings of the Taskforce are attended by Ministers and senior officials from multiple Government departments and have to date taken place in secure Government premises within the Whitehall estate.

There are currently no plans for the Taskforce to meet in Northern Ireland. However, meetings of the Taskforce are complemented by official led engagement with Devolved Governments including Northern Ireland.

Information on the number of people who have received documentation confirming their status and the number of people who have been granted British citizenship under the Windrush Scheme is published as part of the quarterly Transparency Data release. The latest published data, covering the period up to the end of Quarter 1 2025, is available here: Windrush Status Scheme data: Q1 2025.

Information on the number of claims received by the Windrush Compensation Scheme is published as part of the monthly Transparency Data release. The latest published data, covering the period up to the end of May 2025, is available here: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: May 2025 - GOV.UK.

Information on the number of people who have received documentation confirming their status and the number of people who have been granted British citizenship under the Windrush Scheme is published as part of the quarterly Transparency Data release. The latest published data, covering the period up to the end of Quarter 1 2025, is available here: Windrush Status Scheme data: Q1 2025.

Information on the number of claims received by the Windrush Compensation Scheme is published as part of the monthly Transparency Data release. The latest published data, covering the period up to the end of May 2025, is available here: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: May 2025 - GOV.UK.

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) make recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers.

The pay review bodies gather and invite parties to submit evidence to inform their decisions. This includes both written and oral evidence from the Government, police employers and police staff associations. They weigh the evidence, consider independent research, and formulate detailed recommendations.

We are committed to the Pay Review Body process and the Government appreciates and values the independent, expert advice and contribution that the pay review bodies make.

A detailed breakdown of the EU Settlement Scheme statistics is available to the public via GOV.UK. Within the latest published statistics, Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK, a list of data fields sets out what data is collected, as part of the EU Settlement Scheme application.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement. Thames Valley Police will receive up to £627.4 million, an increase of up to £40.8 million from 2024-25.

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) make recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers.

The pay review bodies gather and invite parties to submit evidence to inform their decisions. This includes both written and oral evidence from the Government, police employers and police staff associations. They weigh the evidence, consider independent research, and formulate detailed recommendations.

We are committed to the Pay Review Body process and the Government appreciates and values the independent, expert advice and contribution that the pay review bodies make.

This Government has made a commitment to the long-term goal of phasing out animal testing in science and research. An immediate ban is not presently feasible due to international regulatory requirements for the safety testing of chemicals and medicines. Such tests may include dogs as an appropriate model. The number of Beagles bred is largely determined by the forecast needs of the pharmaceutical industry for safe and effective medicines.

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.

The National Centre for the 3Rs have a project to create a Virtual second species to assess potential toxicity before commencing clinical trials. This is a cutting-edge initiative to develop computational models that simulate dog biology, aiming to ultimately replace the use of dogs in drug safety testing. It brings together pharmaceutical companies and researchers to create more ethical, accurate, and efficient alternatives.

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is engaging with stakeholders to finalise a strategy to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing which is scheduled for publication later this year.

This government will continue to support preventative public health measures to support people to live longer and healthier lives and we are committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug problem can access the help and support they need.

The government has no current plans to facilitate the introduction of drug consumption rooms.

Data provided by police shows that, between 30 July 2020 and 27 June 2025, there have been over 400 “direct actions” claimed by or identified with Palestine Action.

Police have made 750 arrests during this period, with 555 separate individuals arrested. Offences have included criminal damage, aggravated burglary, violent disorder, assault on emergency workers, actual bodily harm and gross bodily harm.

For many relevant cases, police investigations and court proceedings are ongoing.

Data provided by police shows that, between 30 July 2020 and 27 June 2025, there have been over 400 “direct actions” claimed by or identified with Palestine Action.

Police have made 750 arrests during this period, with 555 separate individuals arrested. Offences have included criminal damage, aggravated burglary, violent disorder, assault on emergency workers, actual bodily harm and gross bodily harm.

For many relevant cases, police investigations and court proceedings are ongoing.

The Government keeps police powers under regular review to ensure they remain effective.

The Government keeps police powers under regular review to ensure they remain effective.

The Government is also committed to giving police the resources they need to tackle crime. That is why the Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. This builds on the 25/26 police funding settlement, which provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales and includes an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of putting 13,000 additional police officers and personnel into neighbourhood policing roles. As usual, more detail on force funding allocations will be set out at the provisional police settlement.

It is for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners to make operational decisions, including how to allocate resources based on their local knowledge and experience.

We currently fund an online reporting portal to ensure victims do not have to visit a police station to report any hate crime they experience, and we also fund a National Hub which provides expert advice to police forces across the country on what they can do to tackle the increasing levels of online hate crime.