Home Office

The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure. The Home Office has been at the front line of this endeavour since 1782. As such, the Home Office plays a fundamental role in the security and economic prosperity of the United Kingdom.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Yvette Cooper
Home Secretary

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Conservative
Chris Philp (Con - Croydon South)
Shadow Home Secretary
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Lord Davies of Gower (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Home Office)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Alicia Kearns (Con - Rutland and Stamford)
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Home Office)
Ministers of State
Angela Eagle (Lab - Wallasey)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Diana Johnson (Lab - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Dan Jarvis (Lab - Barnsley North)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (Home Office)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Seema Malhotra (LAB - Feltham and Heston)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Jess Phillips (Lab - Birmingham Yardley)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Monday 14th July 2025
Select Committee Docs
Tuesday 15th July 2025
14:30
Select Committee Inquiry
Thursday 12th June 2025
Harnessing the potential of new digital forms of identification

Digital ID can refer to many different aspects of a person’s identity which can be recorded and stored digitally, including …

Written Answers
Tuesday 15th July 2025
Cannabis
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has any plans to upgrade cannabis to a …
Secondary Legislation
Wednesday 9th July 2025
Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 and the Terrorism Act 2000 (Port Examination Codes of Practice) Regulations 2025
These Regulations bring into operation revised codes of practice that provide guidance to examining officers in the exercise of their …
Bills
Thursday 19th June 2025
Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill 2024-26
A Bill to Make provision about the effect, during an appeal, of an order under section 40 of the British …
Dept. Publications
Tuesday 15th July 2025
14:07

Home Office Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Jul. 07
Oral Questions
Apr. 29
Urgent Questions
Jul. 14
Written Statements
Jul. 10
Westminster Hall
Jul. 09
Adjournment Debate
View All Home Office Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Home Office does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Introduced: 12th September 2024

A Bill to require persons with control of certain premises or events to take steps to reduce the vulnerability of the premises or event to, and the risk of physical harm to individuals arising from, acts of terrorism; to confer related functions on the Security Industry Authority; to limit the disclosure of information about licensed premises that is likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd April 2025 and was enacted into law.

Home Office - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations bring into operation revised codes of practice that provide guidance to examining officers in the exercise of their powers at ports and the Northern Ireland border area in relation to terrorism and hostile state activity.
Sections 89 and 90 of the Data (Use and Access) Act (c. 18) (“the DUAA”) amend the Data Protection Act 2018 (c. 12) (“the DPA”) to enable joint processing between qualifying competent authorities and intelligence services, under Part 4 of the DPA. This enables the controllers, previously unable to process jointly, to process personal data within a single, common regime. The controls and safeguards under Part 4 of the DPA will apply to all such joint processing. Section 89(2) of the DUAA amends section 82 of the DPA, widening the scope of Part 4 of the DPA. Previously, Part 4 of the DPA only applied to processing by or on behalf of the intelligence services. As amended, section 82 also applies Part 4 of the DPA to the processing of personal data by a qualifying competent authority where the processing is the subject of a designation notice. Section 89(2) of the DUAA inserts new subsection (2A) into section 82 of the DPA, which grants a power to the Secretary of State to make regulations to specify and describe which competent authorities (as defined in section 30 of the DPA) are “qualifying competent authorities”, and so able to apply for or be issued with a designation notice.
View All Home Office Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Debates Contributed

As a first step to end animal testing, we want an immediate ban for dogs. They are commercially bred in what we see as bleak and inhumane factory-like conditions. We believe there is evidence suggesting that dogs are left being unattended for extended periods in a Government-licenced establishment.

229,774
Petition Closed
26 May 2025
closed 1 month, 2 weeks ago

We believe our country is facing serious challenges both from legal and illegal migration, and think the only way to deal with this is to suspend all immigration temporarily for 5 years.

View All Home Office Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Home Affairs Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Home Affairs Committee
Karen Bradley Portrait
Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 11th September 2024
Jake Richards Portrait
Jake Richards (Labour - Rother Valley)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Bell Ribeiro-Addy Portrait
Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Joani Reid Portrait
Joani Reid (Labour - East Kilbride and Strathaven)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Connor Rand Portrait
Connor Rand (Labour - Altrincham and Sale West)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Chris Murray Portrait
Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Margaret Mullane Portrait
Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Robbie Moore Portrait
Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Shaun Davies Portrait
Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Ben Maguire Portrait
Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Paul Kohler Portrait
Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Home Affairs Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Home Affairs Committee: Upcoming Events
Home Affairs Committee - Oral evidence
Combatting New Forms of Extremism
15 Jul 2025, 1:45 p.m.
At 2:30pm: Oral evidence
Dr Joe Whittaker - Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Sociology, and Social Policy at Swansea University, and Director at Vox Pol Institute
Dr Daniel Allington - Reader in Social Analytics at King's College London, Senior Associate Fellow, Counter Extremism Group Fellow at London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, and Deputy Editor at Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism
Professor Laura G. E. Smith - Professor of Psychology at Department of Psychology, University of Bath, and Director at Bath Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour
At 3:30pm: Oral evidence
Robin Simcox - Commissioner at Commission for Countering Extremism
Lord Anderson KC, Interim Independent Prevent Commissioner

View calendar - Save to Calendar
Home Affairs Committee: Previous Inquiries
Home Office preparedness for Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Online Harms Gangs and youth crime The work of the Metropolitan Police Child sexual exploitation and the response to localised grooming: follow-up The work of HM Passport Office The work of the Immigration Directorates (2014 Q1) The work of the Border Force Home Affairs Committee - The work of the Home Secretary Radicalisation in schools Police, the media, and high-profile criminal investigations The work of the National Crime Agency 2014 Undercover policing: follow-up The work of the Immigration Directorates (2013 Q2-3) Leadership and standards in the police: follow-up The work of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Of Constabulary Drugs Female Genital Mutilation The work of the Immigration Directorates (2013 Q4) Reform of the Police Federation The work of the National Crime Agency The work of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Police investigations and the role of the CPS The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q2 2015) Countering extremism inquiry Reform of the Police Funding Formula inquiry The work of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration Migration crisis inquiry Psychoactive substances inquiry Counter-radicalisation one-off session Immigration: the situation in Calais one-off session The work of the Home Office The work of the Home Secretary The work of the Metropolitan Police inquiry Immigration: skill shortages inquiry International exchange of criminal records Police National Database inquiry Police bail Policing in London Police Information Notices ("Harassment warnings") The work of the Immigration Directorates (2014 Q3) Counter-terrorism (2015) Female genital mutilation: follow-up The work of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary European Arrest Warrant The work of the Immigration Directorates (2014 Q2) Serious and organised crime The work of the Permanent Secretary Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 College of Policing Out-of-Court Disposals Statutory Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill Police and Crime Commissioners Tobacco smuggling EU Justice and Home Affairs opt-out Policing and mental health Police and Crime Commissioners The work of the Home Office Immigration Cap Firearms Control Policing Immigration Cap - Terms Of Reference Second evidence session on Immigration Caps Specialist Operations Firearms submissions received Unauthorised tapping into or hacking of mobile communications Work of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre Rules governing enforced removals from the UK Extradition Lessons from the American experience of policing Impact of proposed restrictions on Tier 4 migration Government's review of Counter-Terrorism The work of the Home Secretary (2012) New Landscape of Policing Roots of Violent Radicalisation Policing Large Scale Disorder The work of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (2012) The work of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police The work of the UK Visas & Immigration Section E-crime Private Investigators Independent Police Complaints Commission Localised child grooming Leadership and standards in the police service Policing in London Olympics security Asylum The work of the UK Border Agency Human trafficking Counter-terrorism (2014) Hate crime and its violent consequences inquiry Counter-terrorism inquiry Domestic abuse inquiry Serious violence inquiry Windrush Children inquiry Immigration detention inquiry Post-Brexit migration policy inquiry EU policing and security cooperation inquiry Modern slavery inquiry Post Brexit migration inquiry Government preparations for Brexit inquiry Asylum accommodation inquiry Work of the Home Office inquiry Islamophobia inquiry The Macpherson Report: Twenty Years On inquiry English Channel crossings inquiry EU Settlement Scheme inquiry Home Office preparations for Brexit inquiry Police conduct and complaints inquiry Child migrants inquiry EU policing and security issues inquiry Immigration inquiry Brook House Immigration Removal Centre inquiry The work of the Home Secretary inquiry Policing for the future inquiry Home Office delivery of Brexit: immigration inquiry Home Office delivery of Brexit: policing and security cooperation inquiry Harassment and intimidation near abortion clinics Home Office delivery of Brexit: customs operations inquiry Immigration policy: principles for building consensus inquiry Antisemitism inquiry English-language testing inquiry Police diversity inquiry Prostitution inquiry The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q3 2015) inquiry College of Policing inquiry Police and Crime Commissioners inquiry Proceeds of crime inquiry Asylum accommodation The work of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Policing for the future: changing demands and new challenges The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q2 2016) inquiry Female Genital Mutilation inquiry Sharia councils inquiry The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q4 2015) inquiry The work of the Immigration Directorates (Q1 2016) inquiry Implications of the UK's exit from the European Union inquiry Hate crime and its violent consequences inquiry Migration and asylum Policing priorities Channel crossings Human Trafficking Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill Fraud Police and Crime Commissioners: 10 years on Policing of protests Non-contact sexual offences Fire and Rescue Service Summer 2024 disorder Asylum accommodation Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls: Funding Combatting New Forms of Extremism Violence and abuse towards retail workers Harnessing the potential of new digital forms of identification Post-Transition management of the border The UK’s offer of visa and settlement routes for residents of Hong Kong Asylum accommodation Counter-terrorism Domestic abuse English Channel crossings EU policing and security cooperation EU Settlement Scheme Government preparations for Brexit Home Office delivery of Brexit: policing and security cooperation Home Office delivery of Brexit: immigration Home Office preparations for Brexit Immigration detention Immigration policy: principles for building consensus Brook House Immigration Removal Centre The work of the Home Secretary Post Brexit migration Hate crime and its violent consequences Post-Brexit migration policy Islamophobia The Macpherson Report: Twenty Years On Modern slavery Police conduct and complaints Policing for the future Serious violence Windrush Children Work of the Home Office

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Volunteer Police Cadets scheme on improving (a) recruitment from underrepresented ethnic groups and (b) diversity within the police workforce.

The Government is committed to supporting all volunteers in policing, including Volunteer Police Cadets, who bring diverse and valuable skills that complement the roles of regular officers and staff in delivering the best service to the public. Volunteers strengthen the police’s ability to engage with local residents and build trust in communities, which are both crucial pillars of neighbourhood policing. It is essential that a variety of life experiences, skills and knowledge across all communities in England and Wales are brought into police services.

The Home Office does not directly fund individual Volunteer Police Cadet schemes. Decisions on management and funding of each force’s Volunteer Police Cadet scheme is the responsibility of its chief officer and Police and Crime Commissioner.

As part of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistics the Home Office collects and publishes information on Police Support Volunteers, aged 18 and over. This information is available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former Volunteer Police Cadets have joined the police service in each of the last five years for which data is available; and if she will publish a breakdown of the ethnic background of new joiners in each of the last five years.

The Government is committed to supporting all volunteers in policing, including Volunteer Police Cadets, who bring diverse and valuable skills that complement the roles of regular officers and staff in delivering the best service to the public. Volunteers strengthen the police’s ability to engage with local residents and build trust in communities, which are both crucial pillars of neighbourhood policing. It is essential that a variety of life experiences, skills and knowledge across all communities in England and Wales are brought into police services.

The Home Office does not directly fund individual Volunteer Police Cadet schemes. Decisions on management and funding of each force’s Volunteer Police Cadet scheme is the responsibility of its chief officer and Police and Crime Commissioner.

As part of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistics the Home Office collects and publishes information on Police Support Volunteers, aged 18 and over. This information is available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of former Volunteer Police Cadets have gone on to careers in (a) policing, (b) the NHS, (c) the fire and rescue service and (d) youth and community work.

The Government is committed to supporting all volunteers in policing, including Volunteer Police Cadets, who bring diverse and valuable skills that complement the roles of regular officers and staff in delivering the best service to the public. Volunteers strengthen the police’s ability to engage with local residents and build trust in communities, which are both crucial pillars of neighbourhood policing. It is essential that a variety of life experiences, skills and knowledge across all communities in England and Wales are brought into police services.

The Home Office does not directly fund individual Volunteer Police Cadet schemes. Decisions on management and funding of each force’s Volunteer Police Cadet scheme is the responsibility of its chief officer and Police and Crime Commissioner.

As part of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistics the Home Office collects and publishes information on Police Support Volunteers, aged 18 and over. This information is available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding to the Volunteer Police Cadets scheme on (a) police recruitment, (b) youth engagement and (c) community trust in policing.

The Government is committed to supporting all volunteers in policing, including Volunteer Police Cadets, who bring diverse and valuable skills that complement the roles of regular officers and staff in delivering the best service to the public. Volunteers strengthen the police’s ability to engage with local residents and build trust in communities, which are both crucial pillars of neighbourhood policing. It is essential that a variety of life experiences, skills and knowledge across all communities in England and Wales are brought into police services.

The Home Office does not directly fund individual Volunteer Police Cadet schemes. Decisions on management and funding of each force’s Volunteer Police Cadet scheme is the responsibility of its chief officer and Police and Crime Commissioner.

As part of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistics the Home Office collects and publishes information on Police Support Volunteers, aged 18 and over. This information is available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications of a national ID card scheme on levels of (a) public surveillance and (b) personal privacy.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with civil liberties organisations on (a) national security and (b) the right to privacy in relation to Government ID cards.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of ID card systems in other countries on the prevention of (a) crime and (b) terrorism.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) implementing and (b) maintaining a national ID card scheme in each of the next ten years.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential risk of data breaches associated with the centralised storage of ID card information.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to help prevent the misuse of ID card data by (a) public authorities and (b) third-party contractors.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
1st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign national offenders they have attempted to deport since 4 July 2024; and how many of those deportations have been blocked under the European Convention of Human Rights.

Of the total returns since 5 July 2024, 4,436 were of FNOs. This is an increase of 14% compared to the 3,879 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior (FNO returns include both enforced and voluntary returns).

Within the FNO returns, there have been 2,274 early removal scheme (ERS) returns, which is a 11% increase compared to the 2,050 in the same period 12 months prior.

Figures on the number of deportations that did not proceed due to the legal challenges, whether under the ECHR or otherwise, is not currently available from published statistics.

Work is currently underway to improve the quality of information held by the department on FNOs. If this work progresses as planned, the Home Office intend to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of police powers to tackle bike thefts.

As part of this Government’s Plan for Change, our Safer Streets Mission is determined to clamp down on the crime that damages our communities, and affects people’s lives, and tackling theft – including bike theft - is a crucial part of that work.

We are delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, recruiting 13,000 additional police personnel into neighbourhood roles by the end of the Parliament and ensuring every community has named, contactable officers to turn to on local issues.

As a part of this pledge, the Metropolitan Police Service have been allocated £45,639,456 funding in 2025/26 to bolster their neighbourhood policing teams. Based on their funding allocation, the Metropolitan Police Service’s projected growth over 2025 to 2026 will be 420 police officers (FTE) and 50 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).

The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to the House of Lords on 19 June 2025, will amend the Theft Act 1968 to give police new powers. Officers will be able to enter and search premises where stolen items – such as GPS-tracked bicycles – are reasonably believed to have been stolen and located, and where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a court warrant. This will significantly enhance the ability of the police to act swiftly and effectively in recovering stolen property.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of seizures of cocaine at (a) ports and (b) airports on the supply of the drug.

In 2023/24, 28.3 tonnes of powder cocaine was seized by police and Border Force in England and Wales. This was an increase from 18.6 tonnes the previous year and the largest recorded quantity of cocaine seized since the time series began in 1973.

However, serious criminals are constantly developing their approaches to traffic cocaine into the UK in response to our efforts at the border. This includes changing their trafficking routes and evolving their methodologies to evade detection, for example, diversifying importation methods through at-sea-drop-offs.

We therefore recognise that we must continue to adapt our strategy and work more closely with law enforcement partners upstream to stop cocaine trafficking at source and all across the supply chain, targeting the gangs responsible, and bringing them to justice. Officials will continue to assess the impact of global drug trafficking on the UK and implement new approaches to respond to this threat.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has any plans to upgrade cannabis to a class A controlled substance.

The Government has no current plans to review the classification of cannabis.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May to Question 52625 on Travellers: Caravan Sites, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of unauthorised traveller encampments on operational policing, in the context of the High Court judgement of May 2024.

The judgment is being reviewed in detail. Engagement has taken place with the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration officials have been dismissed for committing (a) immigration and (b) bribery offences in each year since 2020, broken down by nationality.

Since 1 January 2020 there have been four immigration officials successfully prosecuted for bribery and immigration offences following a Home Office investigation. Three of these officials were prosecuted for Immigration offences. One was prosecuted for Bribery and Immigration offences. Two individuals were dismissed, one resigned and the final staff member’s contract ended. Three of these were British and one was French.

In the ten proceeding years, there were 27 prosecutions for immigration, and one for bribery.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of immigration officials that have been successfully prosecuted for committing (a) immigration and (b) bribery offences since 2020, broken down by nationality.

Since 1 January 2020 there have been four immigration officials successfully prosecuted for bribery and immigration offences following a Home Office investigation. Three of these officials were prosecuted for Immigration offences. One was prosecuted for Bribery and Immigration offences. Two individuals were dismissed, one resigned and the final staff member’s contract ended. Three of these were British and one was French.

In the ten proceeding years, there were 27 prosecutions for immigration, and one for bribery.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 59362 on Asylum: Housing, if she will place a copy of the template Asylum Accommodation Service Contracts in the Library.
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the information on gov.uk on the support available to asylum seekers.

The Home Office keeps all its information pages under regular review.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 59362 on Asylum: Housing, whether local authorities have a veto on the use of specific properties for asylum accommodation.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 23 June to Question 59362.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of immigration enforcement operations in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

UK wide enforcement of immigration law is critical to a functioning immigration system and effectively implementing the Government’s policies. As the public would expect, we continually review and evolve the different methods we use to prevent illegal migration, ensure compliance and enforce the UK’s immigration laws.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of small boat arrivals were (a) children, (b) babies and (c) women in the most recent period for which data is available.

The Home Office publishes statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on small boat arrivals by age group and sex is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of March 2025.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 60081 on Asylum: Housing, what her policy for housing asylum seekers in hostels which have been converted from hotels via change of use is.

The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its legal obligations, whilst delivering on this Government’s commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels by the end of this Parliament.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her plans to remove asylum seekers from hotel accommodation extends to (a) hostels and (b) other types of communal accommodation.

The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its legal obligations, whilst delivering on this Government’s commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels by the end of this Parliament.

Angela Eagle
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to reach a decision on the immigration status application of children born in the UK whose biometric enrolment has been completed; and what measures are in place to ensure that these children have access to (a) healthcare, (b) child benefits and (c) other essential services.

There are a range of immigration routes through which children who are born in the UK may apply for and obtain Leave to Remain. Information about our service standards for specific immigration routes can be found at:

Customer service standards - GOV.UK.

An application only becomes valid, and the service standard period will only apply, once the application has been submitted, biometric enrolment (facial photograph and fingerprints) has been completed and all required information has been provided.

Access to healthcare, child benefits and other essential services are all matters for other Government Departments. However, the Home Office does facilitate access by departments to our digital immigration records to support their decision-making.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
27th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to introduce service standards for all applications for settlement made under the (a) family and (b) private life route.

Applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain based on Family or Private life will be decided within six months.

Full details of current service standards can be found here:

Settlement: customer service standards - GOV.UK

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered the merits of a Palestinian refugee visa scheme.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 13 March to Question 35970.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
27th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the absence of service standards on all applications under the (a) family and (b) private life routes on applicants accessing (i) work, (ii) healthcare and (c) education.

Family and private life applications based on exceptionality are not subject to a service standard, however we do update GOV.UK with our average processing times and information is available in the published transparency data around consideration times.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) nursing staff and (b) allied health professionals will be exempt from planned changes to the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58153 on Windrush Commissioner: Finance, what budget will be available to the Windrush Commissioner.

On 16 June, we announced that Reverend Clive Foster MBE had been appointed to be the new Windrush Commissioner. He started his role on 30 June.

Given this is a new appointment, we are discussing with the commissioner his priorities, his working arrangements and what he will need to support him in his role. Following these discussions, we will be in a position to produce a detailed budget, and will confirm this in the normal way in due course.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what systems are in place within (a) Border Force and (b) her Department to monitor the international procurement of poisons; and whether those systems are applied consistently across all countries.

We remain committed to stopping dangerous drugs – including poisons – from entering the country. Our Border Force Officers continue to work to stop illegal drugs by making more, higher-quantity seizures than in previous years, using advanced technology, data analytics, and greater intelligence, derived from close working relationships with police, the National Crime Agency, and international partners.

It would not be in the interest of national security to disclose specific systems in place, nor further information regarding intelligence gathering and sharing.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation her Department undertook on the potential impact of changes to the skilled worker route on the supply of (a) dental hygienists and (b) dental nurses.

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. The first set of immigration rules giving effect to the policies in the White Paper was published on 1 July, including raising the skills threshold to RQF 6 and we will publish an impact assessment of this change in due course.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas were issued to citizens of the Russian Federation to visit the UK in each of the last five years.

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by nationality and visa type in the Immigration system statistics publication. Data on visas issued are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the ‘detailed entry clearance dataset’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates up to the end of March 2025.

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

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has she made of the potential risk of cultural exchanges of embassies of hostile states being used as a base for espionage in the United Kingdom.

We continually assess potential threats to the UK and take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and the security of our information extremely seriously.

Anyone seeking to conduct hostile acts against the UK, steal our information for commercial advantage, or interfere in our society covertly is liable to prosecution under the National Security Act 2023.

More broadly, diplomatic activity in the UK is governed through the principles of the Vienna Conventions which allows for legitimate diplomatic activity. Where we find evidence of any activity that goes beyond what is accredited for, this could invalidate the accreditation, and the UK would take appropriate action.

Dan Jarvis
Minister of State (Home Office)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to regulate (a) poisonous and (b) harmful substances procured (i) domestically and (ii) internationally that may be used for suicide.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 6 May to Question 48303.

Dan Jarvis
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce violence against women and girls in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The scale of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. We are going further than ever before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach, which will be underpinned by a new VAWG Strategy later this year.

In May 2025, we announced a £19.9m investment to provide vital support to victims of VAWG and increase awareness to prevent these horrific crimes. This includes over £6 million for national helplines supporting victims of domestic abuse, 'honour'-based abuse, revenge porn and stalking, and £2.5m on prevention and early intervention.

Specifically in Lancashire, we have allocated £442,000 to Lancashire PCC for perpetrator funding. PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet that need.

Lancashire PCC currently receives funding from the Home Office’s Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund. Using this funding, they deliver the Drive Project, which works with high-risk, serial domestic abuse perpetrators who are deemed to cause the most harm, in a few local authority areas.

At the national level, we have embedded domestic abuse specialists and dedicated domestic abuse teams in the first five 999 control rooms under Raneem’s Law, launched the new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts and announced a new package of measures to tackle spiking, including committing to introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and piloting new spiking training for bar staff.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a range of legislative measures to improve the response to sex offender management and stalking. Under the Bill, the police will be given new powers to issue a notice prohibiting registered sex offenders who pose a risk from changing their name without prior authorisation. Other measures include requiring registered sex offenders to provide advance notice before entering premises where children are present, and improving the management of stalkers. This includes statutory guidance for the police in releasing identifying information about online stalking perpetrators to victims as part of the “right to know”.

Jess Phillips
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing police forces with new enforcement powers to seize (a) unsafe and (b) non-compliant e-bikes.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets. Any form of anti-social, dangerous or inconsiderate behaviour involving vehicles is a serious issue.

Our Crime and Policing Bill will give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles, including e-bikes, involved in anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

On 28 May, the Government launched a six-week consultation on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles such as e-bikes, which have been used anti-socially from 14 days to 48 hours. Combined, these proposals will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and illegally by sending a clear message to would be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average response time was to public complaints submitted to her Department in the last 12 months.

Performance against service standards in relation to replies to customer complaints for UKVI, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force (excluding His Majesty’s Passport Office) is available from published data and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 30 May to Question 52709 on Police: Elections and of 2 May to Question 47267 on Cambridgeshire Constabulary: Domestic Visits, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of speeches made by the (a) Home Secretary and (b) Prime Minister at Cambridgeshire Police Headquarters on 10 April 2025 with the National Police Chief’s Council pre-election guidance on impartiality.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council is independent of government, and any assessment of compliance with its guidance on any subject would be for the NPCC to make.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
3rd Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, pursuant to the non-technical summaries of project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 between January and March, what assessment they have made of the restriction of primates' access to food in order to induce them to perform behavioural tasks.

The legal framework in the UK is set up to ensure that animals are only ever used in science where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed, and where the potential harm to animals is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit.

Any application must take into account the replacement of animals with alternatives, the reduction of the number of animals used to the minimum possible and the refinement of any techniques to reduce the harm suffered by the animals to the minimum (known as the 3Rs). All project licence applications are reviewed by the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit to ensure that any harm that may be caused to the animals is justified by the expected benefits for humans, animals or the environment. The Home Office only allows the use of animals if it can be demonstrated that the benefits outweigh the harms and the 3Rs have been fully applied. All licence holders have a responsibility to fully implement the 3Rs and demonstrate this requirement at audit.

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.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
3rd Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, pursuant to the non-technical summaries of project licences granted Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 between January and March, what assessment they have made of the deliberate induction of pain on primates using methods such as heat, high intensity electrical stimulation or the injection of small amounts of high-strength salt solution; and what steps they plan to take to prohibit the use of such practices.

The legal framework in the UK is set up to ensure that animals are only ever used in science where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed, and where the potential harm to animals is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit.

Any application must take into account the replacement of animals with alternatives, the reduction of the number of animals used to the minimum possible and the refinement of any techniques to reduce the harm suffered by the animals to the minimum (known as the 3Rs). All project licence applications are reviewed by the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit to ensure that any harm that may be caused to the animals is justified by the expected benefits for humans, animals or the environment. The Home Office only allows the use of animals if it can be demonstrated that the benefits outweigh the harms and the 3Rs have been fully applied. All licence holders have a responsibility to fully implement the 3Rs and demonstrate this requirement at audit.

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.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
18th Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government how many requests police forces in England and Wales have made in each of the last three years to (1) Meta, (2) X, (3) Google, and (4) TikTok to identify users of those platforms in cases related to unlawful content; and what proportion of those requests were (a) met by the social media platform, (b) met by the social media platform but only after a court order, or (c) not met.

The Home Office does not collect data on the number of requests made by police forces to social media platforms, nor the outcomes of such requests.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
25th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many legal migrants have settled in Upper Bann constituency in the past five years.

The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information would require a manual review of case records, which could only be done for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
26th Jun 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what are the primary countries of origin for legal migrants in Upper Bann constituency in the last five years.

The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information would require a manual review of case records, which could only be done for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Seema Malhotra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
30th Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 21 October 2024 (HL1289), what steps they have taken to work closely with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to strengthen the training for officers on violence against women and girls; where is progress up to; and how they are monitoring this with specific regard to intimate image abuse.

As set out in the written answer of 21 October, the College of Policing set the curriculum for policing which includes educational outcomes on image-based abuse. At present, forces choose how to deliver this training, often by commissioning local experts and support services.

However, to ensure that every force has the right specialist capability to investigate Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) crimes, including Intimate Image Abuse, we have invested £13.1 million into the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, which launched in April 2025. This included a £2 million uplift to support improvements in police training – this work is now under way, beginning with an extensive review of the current approach.

The Home Office will be working closely with the College and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure the training covers all forms of VAWG, including intimate image abuse. In addition, innovative, data-driven and evidence-based police practices is being prioritised through ringfenced funding for academic input into the development of training and guidance.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
30th Jun 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a clear and affordable route for permanent leave to remain in the UK for Ukrainians who (1) hold visas, (2) are established in, and contributing to, their communities, (3) are employed, and (4) have children in education.

The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, provides up to an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK for those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission.

The scheme provides the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare, and education as the existing Ukraine schemes.

This extension represents a generous and meaningful commitment. It aligns with the UK Government’s ongoing support for Ukraine and its people, while also respecting the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for the eventual return of its citizens. It is for this reason that our offer of sanctuary through the Ukraine schemes remains temporary in nature and does not lead to settlement in the UK.

There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements, such as work routes and family routes. These routes are published on GOV.UK at: Work in the UK - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab) and Family in the UK - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).

The UK Government continues to keep both the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under active review.

Lord Hanson of Flint
Minister of State (Home Office)
9th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to establish an independent national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation.

On the 16 June the Home Secretary announced that she had accepted all 12 of Baroness Casey’s recommendations from her National Audit into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

As part of this, and as recommended by Baroness Casey, the Government is moving swiftly to establish an Independent Commission on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation under the Inquiries Act 2005.

We are working closely with partners across government and beyond to develop the Terms of Reference, which will be shaped through engagement with the appointed Chair, victims and survivors, and other key stakeholders.

Following the appointment of the independent Chair and the establishment of the inquiry structure, the Commission will begin considering evidence and data to select the first local areas for targeted investigations.

Further details will be announced in due course.

Jess Phillips
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
4th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle county lines gangs operating in Lancashire.

To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation. That is why we are investing more than £43m this financial year (25/26) in the County Lines Programme, to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade.

While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, West Yorkshire Police and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue which affects all forces.

That is why, through the County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) 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 Lancashire Police.

The NCLCC also regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place 23-29 June 2025 and resulted in 241 lines closed, as well as 1,965 arrests, 1,179 individuals safe-guarded and 501 weapons seized.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)
4th Jul 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58059 on Street Trading: Licensing, what guidance he has given to local authorities on the use of Public Space Protection Orders to ban street stalls by political campaigners engaging in lawful free speech.

The statutory framework for PSPOs sets out clear conditions for their use.

Diana Johnson
Minister of State (Home Office)