Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK crackdown on vile scam centres steps up with sanctions on illicit crypto network, published 26 March 2026, what cooperation has taken place with authorities in host countries to trace and recover proceeds of fraud linked to scam centres.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Fraud is increasingly industrialised, transnational and technologically advanced. Methods used to contact and target victims in the UK also include measures to obscure offenders’ true identities and locations. This represents significant challenges for law enforcement in disrupting and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Scam centre activities typically involve actors, infrastructure, victims and financial flows across several jurisdictions. Proceeds of crime are also often transferred and laundered through multiple countries. This creates operational complexity which can prolong investigations.
The NCA, through the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), works with international partners to identify and recover the proceeds of fraud affecting victims in the UK and overseas. For example, recent collaboration between the NCA and the Ghanaian authorities resulted in Ghana’s first cryptocurrency seizure, valued at approximately US$15 million.
The UK has also announced support for INTERPOL’s Global Fraud Task Force (Operation Shadow Storm), aimed at strengthening international coordination against scam centres and associated criminal finance
As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, the UK neither confirms nor denies that an extradition request has been made or received where no arrest has taken place, however the government attaches significant importance to ensuring that our extradition arrangements provide a path to justice for victims of crime and their families.
The decision to make a request for extradition is taken by the prosecuting authorities in each UK jurisdiction.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK crackdown on vile scam centres steps up with sanctions on illicit crypto network, published 26 March 2026, whether the UK has sought the extradition of any individuals linked to scam centres targeted by the sanctions.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Fraud is increasingly industrialised, transnational and technologically advanced. Methods used to contact and target victims in the UK also include measures to obscure offenders’ true identities and locations. This represents significant challenges for law enforcement in disrupting and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Scam centre activities typically involve actors, infrastructure, victims and financial flows across several jurisdictions. Proceeds of crime are also often transferred and laundered through multiple countries. This creates operational complexity which can prolong investigations.
The NCA, through the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), works with international partners to identify and recover the proceeds of fraud affecting victims in the UK and overseas. For example, recent collaboration between the NCA and the Ghanaian authorities resulted in Ghana’s first cryptocurrency seizure, valued at approximately US$15 million.
The UK has also announced support for INTERPOL’s Global Fraud Task Force (Operation Shadow Storm), aimed at strengthening international coordination against scam centres and associated criminal finance
As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, the UK neither confirms nor denies that an extradition request has been made or received where no arrest has taken place, however the government attaches significant importance to ensuring that our extradition arrangements provide a path to justice for victims of crime and their families.
The decision to make a request for extradition is taken by the prosecuting authorities in each UK jurisdiction.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK crackdown on vile scam centres steps up with sanctions on illicit crypto network, published 26 March 2026, what barriers exist to prosecuting individuals involved in scam centres operating overseas.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Fraud is increasingly industrialised, transnational and technologically advanced. Methods used to contact and target victims in the UK also include measures to obscure offenders’ true identities and locations. This represents significant challenges for law enforcement in disrupting and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Scam centre activities typically involve actors, infrastructure, victims and financial flows across several jurisdictions. Proceeds of crime are also often transferred and laundered through multiple countries. This creates operational complexity which can prolong investigations.
The NCA, through the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), works with international partners to identify and recover the proceeds of fraud affecting victims in the UK and overseas. For example, recent collaboration between the NCA and the Ghanaian authorities resulted in Ghana’s first cryptocurrency seizure, valued at approximately US$15 million.
The UK has also announced support for INTERPOL’s Global Fraud Task Force (Operation Shadow Storm), aimed at strengthening international coordination against scam centres and associated criminal finance
As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, the UK neither confirms nor denies that an extradition request has been made or received where no arrest has taken place, however the government attaches significant importance to ensuring that our extradition arrangements provide a path to justice for victims of crime and their families.
The decision to make a request for extradition is taken by the prosecuting authorities in each UK jurisdiction.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK crackdown on vile scam centres steps up with sanctions on illicit crypto network, published 26 March 2026, how many joint investigations since 2020 have been conducted with international partners into scam centres linked to fraud affecting UK citizens.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Fraud is increasingly industrialised, transnational and technologically advanced. Methods used to contact and target victims in the UK also include measures to obscure offenders’ true identities and locations. This represents significant challenges for law enforcement in disrupting and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Scam centre activities typically involve actors, infrastructure, victims and financial flows across several jurisdictions. Proceeds of crime are also often transferred and laundered through multiple countries. This creates operational complexity which can prolong investigations.
The NCA, through the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), works with international partners to identify and recover the proceeds of fraud affecting victims in the UK and overseas. For example, recent collaboration between the NCA and the Ghanaian authorities resulted in Ghana’s first cryptocurrency seizure, valued at approximately US$15 million.
The UK has also announced support for INTERPOL’s Global Fraud Task Force (Operation Shadow Storm), aimed at strengthening international coordination against scam centres and associated criminal finance
As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, the UK neither confirms nor denies that an extradition request has been made or received where no arrest has taken place, however the government attaches significant importance to ensuring that our extradition arrangements provide a path to justice for victims of crime and their families.
The decision to make a request for extradition is taken by the prosecuting authorities in each UK jurisdiction.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many ECAA Indefinite Leave to Remain applications are pending.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Leave granted under the European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) allows people, largely Turkish nationals, to work or establish businesses in the UK.
The Home Office does not publish information specifically relating to the volume of applications pending or volume of applications decided under the ECAA route. However, from the immigration statistics published for the calendar year ending December 2025, it was noted that the published data on grants of Settlement under the Work Permit holder category largely relates to persons granted leave under the ECAA route.
The latest statistics show that there were 6,367 Settlement grants for Work Permit holders, an increase of 72% on the previous 12 months.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, to which budgets the ‘net positive benefit to the public purse’ of the new Home Office English Language Test will be attributed to.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, today's Secure English Language Testing concessions collect all applicants' fees with no return to the Department to cover the costs of managing and overseeing delivery. The new Home Office English Language Test service will deliver a net positive benefit to the public purse by changing that financial arrangement.
The Department has not made a separate published assessment of the net financial benefit of a model combining digital and in-person security measures compared to the model being tendered. The procurement specification sets out the security and integrity requirements that any delivery model must meet, and cost is assessed alongside those requirements as part of the evaluation process. The overall value for money assessment will be made in the context of the full evaluation.
A specific estimate of the net positive benefit has not been published, as the procurement process is ongoing and the financial arrangements will be determined at contract award.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 26 March (HL15813), how many licences they granted for the use of (1) beagles, and (2) non-human primates, in scientific procedures in 2025.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025, a total of 12 project licences were granted that included the use of beagles and/or non-human primates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: 4 authorising the use of beagles; 4 authorising the use of non-human primates; and, 4 authorising the use of both beagles and non-human primates.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the written statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the timeline for establishing a Named Community Sponsorship scheme.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, published on 21 November 2025, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.
The delivery of the new named sponsorship scheme will support the Government’s overall objective of providing an orderly and controlled system of safe and legal routes that is aligned with community capacity to welcome refugees.
Work is underway to deliver the named community sponsorship route. Further details, including timeframes for the launch of the route, will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, if the lower cost of the Home Office English Language Test will be passed on to test takers.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The fee structure for the Home Office English Language Test has not yet been set, as the procurement process is ongoing. The Department is committed to ensuring the test is accessible to those required to take it. The final fee to test takers will be determined as part of the contract and will be subject to the approval of Parliament. The Department will provide further information on fees in due course. Any income the Home Office receives from these fees will play an essential role in supporting the sustainable funding of the migration and borders system.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the average length of time taken to complete security and background checks on border force applicants.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
BPSS (Baseline Personnel Security Standard) checks are required for Home Office roles. Checks for external applicants include the following:
Due to the highly contextual, case-by-case nature of recruitment, it would be neither feasible nor instructive to provide an average timespan.