Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities, police forces and licensed premises on the operation of Pubwatch schemes.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Pubwatch schemes are voluntary, licensee-led local partnerships that operate independently of Government. Advice and practical resources for such schemes are provided by the National Pubwatch charity, which supports local groups across the country.
Separately, the Home Secretary issues statutory section 182 guidance under the Licensing Act 2003 to licensing authorities in England and Wales on the discharge of their functions. Licensing authorities must have regard to this guidance, which supports partnership working between licensing authorities, the police and industry to promote the four licensing objectives.
The section 182 guidance does not set operational requirements for Pubwatch schemes but does recognise and support industry led schemes such as Pubwatch as examples of good practice in promoting safer, well run licensed premises.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of 7 January 2026 to Question HL13000 on Police and Crime Commissioners, whether those savings include the operational costs of PCC functions being transferred to the offices of elected combined authority mayors.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
As set out in the government’s answer to Question HL13000, we expect to be able to save at least £20m per annum from 2028/29 as a result of aligning back office and support arrangements for policing governance with wider local government functions.
This includes savings as a result of transferring PCC functions to combined authority mayors.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending to county councils the provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 on issuing closure notices in cases of illegal trading of tobacco and vaping products on the high street.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The closure power, under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, enables police or local councils - including county councils where there is no district council - to close premises quickly which are being used to commit nuisance or disorder.
The closure power, along with all the powers in the 2014 Act, is deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether its use is appropriate and meets the legal test in the specific circumstances.
The global supply of illicit tobacco is significant and the high profit margins continue to attract organised criminal networks. HMRC are fully aware of this threat and take robust, coordinated action in response. Working in close partnership across government, we target production at its source, intercept illicit products at the border and in retail environments, and pursue and prosecute those involved in the illicit tobacco trade.
Stubbing out the problem: A new strategy to tackle illicit tobacco - GOV.UK sets out how HMRC, Border Force and partner agencies tackle illicit tobacco. It seeks to target loopholes at all stages of the supply chain, to keep ahead of the criminals. The strategy:
National Trading Standards plays a key part in tackling illicit tobacco at a local level. It provides both a visible and tangible deterrent that organised criminality and anti-social behaviour surrounding the supply of illicit tobacco will not be tolerated. HMRC values the close working partnership it has with National Trading Standards through Operation CeCe and is committed to building on its success by increasing the level of funding available to Trading Standards. This means that we can have an even greater impact in tackling the illicit tobacco trade, undertaking more visits, creating more disruption, detecting and seizing more illicit product, tackling underage sales and reducing community harm.
HMRC is progressing preparations for the 1 October 2026 introduction of Vaping Products Duty with a strong focus on compliance readiness and illicit market risk.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for July to September 2025, published on 25 December 2025, what the Key Performance Indicators are for the (a) Digitise Delivery Support contract with DELOITTE MCS LTD and (b) QAT74 End to End Testing contract with LA International Computer Consultants Limited.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
For Digitise Delivery Support contract with DELOITTE MCS LTD performance is managed through Balanced score card performance process by the Migration Border Tech Portfolio business. Performance assessed the supplier against themes :
- Performance to pay process
- Service requests and onboarding
- Delivery of the outcome of the various roles; project management, partnering behaviours and value add services and social value.
For QAT74 End to End Testing contract with LA International Computer Consultants Limited, the KPIs are :
- Partnering Behaviours
- Delivery
- Value Add
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, pursuant to her Department publishing an open opportunity contract on 6 January 2026 entitled Home Office Returns Reintegration Programme (HORRP) - Phase 3 - 2026 – 2028, whether the funding to support legal migration pathways and recruitment in third countries will include migration to Europe.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Support provided by the HO Returns Reintegration Programme is only in relation to potentially migrating to a third country and not back to the UK.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for July to September 2025, published on 25 December 2025, how customer satisfaction with cultural sensitivity is monitored for the Security Guarding Services contract with MITIE SECURITY LIMITED.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Security Guarding Services contract KPI relating to cultural sensitivity is a qualitative KPI and is measured through a Customer Satisfaction evaluation survey completed on a quarterly basis. The KPI is monitored and reported through the contract management meetings held with Mitie Security Limited.
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, pursuant to her Department publishing an open opportunity contract on 6 January 2026 entitled Home Office Returns Reintegration Programme (HORRP) - Phase 3 - 2026 – 2028, whether her Department plans to issue similar contracts to support deportations to other countries.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This programme plays a crucial part in negotiating returns arrangements with other countries, which is essential to making returns of their citizens effective and sustainable, so we will continue working with countries worldwide to achieve this.
Asked by: Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to give Ukrainians who have come to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme clarity on their future immigration status.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Those who have been granted sanctuary in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, are able to apply for further permission to stay through the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE).
On 1 September, the Government announced in parliament that the UPE Scheme would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE.
Individuals who currently have permission under the UPE scheme will be able to apply for the extension online, in advance of their current permission expiring. More detail on the application process will follow in due course.
The UPE extension reflects a generous and meaningful commitment to support those displaced by the conflict, while also respecting the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for the future return of its citizens when it is safe to do so. The Government will continue to monitor developments in Ukraine closely and act responsibly in its response.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what formal process has been followed regarding the change of use of the Cameron Barracks.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, NHS, Police, and other local partners – via an Operational Working Group in addition to bi-lateral conversations.
Safety and security of residents, staff and the neighbouring community will remain central to any decisions. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate, and compliant with planning regulations.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what oversight her Department has of consultation processes undertaken by private asylum accommodation providers when proposing new accommodation sites; and what minimum standards are required to ensure engagement with local communities.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office remain committed to ensuring that any impact on local communities is kept to a minimum. Consultation with local authority officials forms a vital part of procurement of asylum accommodation. The Home Office and its accommodation providers operate a robust consultation process, which not only ensures that local authorities are aware of all ongoing procurement activity of Dispersed Accommodation in their respective areas but also allows them to share local expertise and intelligence at the earliest opportunity to inform procurement. However, to protect the safety and security of those being housed in Dispersal Accommodation (DA), we do not consult with local residents or publish details of DA address in the public domain.
Our accommodation providers ensure that consultation with local authorities is carried out in accordance with the requirements and standards set out in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. We work closely with statutory partners throughout the process to ensure effective coordination and oversight.