Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportations of foreign national offenders convicted of offences against women in Great Yarmouth in the last five years were delayed or prevented due to legal barriers, including outstanding appeals, asylum claims, human rights challenges, or lack of documentation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are fully committed to making our communities safer by returning those who break our laws. In the period between this government coming to power and January 2026, over 8,700 foreign national offenders (FNOs) have been returned from the UK. This is a 32% increase on the FNO returns recorded in the previous nineteen-month period ending June 2024, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.
The information that you have requested regarding FNOs in Great Yarmouth is not available from published statistics.
Work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time was between conviction and removal from the UK for foreign national offenders convicted of sexual or violent offences against women in Great Yarmouth in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are fully committed to making our communities safer by returning those who break our laws. In the period between this government coming to power and January 2026, over 8,700 foreign national offenders (FNOs) have been returned from the UK. This is a 32% increase on the FNO returns recorded in the previous nineteen-month period ending June 2024, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.
The information that you have requested regarding FNOs in Great Yarmouth is not available from published statistics.
Work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders convicted of sexual or violent offences against women in the Great Yarmouth area in each of the last five years were subject to deportation action, and how many have been removed from the UK.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are fully committed to making our communities safer by returning those who break our laws. In the period between this government coming to power and January 2026, over 8,700 foreign national offenders (FNOs) have been returned from the UK. This is a 32% increase on the FNO returns recorded in the previous nineteen-month period ending June 2024, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.
The information that you have requested regarding FNOs in Great Yarmouth is not available from published statistics.
Work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum claims of Chagossians to the United Kingdom from a) Mauritius and b) the Seychelles since July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
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.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the maritime interdiction of Russian Shadow Fleet vessels in British waters on asylum applications from Russian service personnel.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is working closely with other Government departments in relation to the Russian Shadow Fleet. It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on those discussions or on security matters.
The Home Office monitors impacts of HMG actions, policy changes and world events on our assessment of asylum applications.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle hate crimes in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackle all forms of hate crime wherever in the country it occurs, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.
We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes and work closely with the police to ensure the strongest action is taken against the perpetrators of these appalling offences.
We have taken steps to strengthen this framework, through the Crime and Policing Bill, to extend the aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to cover hostility based on disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity and sex. This will provide parity with existing racially and religiously aggravated offences and strengthen protection for victims across the country.
We are also providing record levels of funding for protective security for faith communities, with up to £73.4 million in funding available in 2026/27.
In addition, we have commissioned an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, led by Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC, to assess whether existing legislation is effective and proportionate, and whether it adequately protects communities from intimidation and hate.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animal research and testing non-technical summaries granted in 2025, October to December, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the number experiments on (a) beagles (b) non-human primates and (c) rabbits on progress towards the Government’s pledge to phase out animal testing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is no impact from the number of experiments on (a) beagles (b) non-human primates and (c) rabbits on progress towards the Government’s alternatives strategy. This is because licences for the use of animals in scientific procedures may only be granted only where there is robust scientific justification, no validated nonanimal alternative exists, and use is fully compliant with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
This Government remains firmly committed to working towards the phasing out of animals in science. The strategy, ‘Replacing animals in science’, sets specific targets to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates by 2030, while ensuring the UK continues to support safe and effective scientific and medical research.
The strategy is clear that while the longterm vision is to replace the use of animals in science wherever possible, some animal use remains necessary at present to develop and test new medicines, advance understanding of biology and disease, and to protect human and animal health and the environment. These activities are integral to the UK’s national health preparedness and resilience, including the ability to respond to emerging health threats. Progress towards the phasing out of animal use must therefore be scienceled and supported by reliable alternative methods.
Accordingly, the Home Office licensing regime is compatible with the strategy; it enables only tightly controlled animal use where it is scientifically justified and no suitable alternative exists.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve levels of confidence in the police amongst minority communities.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government actively supports the aims of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing’s ‘National policing culture and inclusion strategy’ which aims to tackle discrimination within policing, as well as the Police Race Action Plan, which aims to address confidence in policing among black communities.
The Angiolini Inquiry is also examining a range of issues relating to processes and cultures in policing so that the public can have confidence that the police are there to protect them, and we will carefully consider any recommendations it makes.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of poor HGV facilities on the incidence of fuel theft from commercial vehicles; and what steps she is taking to protect UK hauliers and national supply chains.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Fuel theft undermines businesses and their workers. We are equipping the police to fight the organised crime gangs which can drive this theft nationally. Our £5m investment into OPAL, (the police national intelligence unit who focus on serious organised acquisitive crime) will supercharge intelligence-led policing to expand its capability to tackle freight crime, identify offenders, and disrupt the tactics used to in addition to bringing more criminals to justice.
We recognise that fuel theft is often organised, mobile and cross-border in nature. Through police reform this Government will address these challenges, reforming the policing system to ensure crime that operates across force boundaries is met with a strong national and regional response.
Through the creation of a new National Police Service, policing will benefit from stronger national leadership, consistent standards and improved coordination to tackle serious and organised crime. This will strengthen the collective response where criminals operate across multiple police force areas.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps they are taking to increase the amount of UK made steel used in procurement contracts overseen by their Department.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government wants to ensure that public procurement plays its full role in delivering the Industrial Strategy and fostering a resilient economy that supports British businesses and creates good jobs in communities across the country. UK-produced steel has a significant role to play in construction and infrastructure projects.
In June 2025 it published Procurement Policy Note 022 “Procuring Steel in Government Contracts”, which among other things requires departments and prime contractors to consult UK Steel’s Steel Catalogue.
In March 2026 Government published the Steel Strategy, and announced changes to protect the industries that matter most to our national security, including steel.
Departments will have to confirm for the first time whether prime contractors are using UK steel, or explain why not.