Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department provide to people affected by fatal road traffic collisions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government takes road safety extremely seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads and to tackling the behaviours that make our roads less safe. On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce and prevent the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect road users including the victims impacted by road traffic collisions.
Decisions on the support offered by trained police Family Liaison Officers to those affected by fatal road traffic collisions are operational matters for chief officers, supported by guidance from the College of Policing.
The Ministry of Justice provides annual funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission a range of local support services for victims of crime.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee's recommendation in its 32nd Report (HL Paper 157), what progress they have made in reviewing whether police driving standards should be set in legislation; and what further steps they plan to take on this issue.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Police Crime Sentencing and Court Act 2022, introduced new training requirements and a new test for police drivers. Regulations subsequently laid in 2023 and 2025 prescribed police driver training standards.
The College of Policing also introduced licensing for police driving training providers in April 2024.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether migrant workers employed in the social care sector will be subject to the same settlement routes and qualifying periods as counterparts working in the NHS under the Health and Care visa.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation seeks views on the impact proposed changes might have on different groups. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation.
The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of a 15-year baseline qualifying period for settlement on the functioning and long-term sustainability of social care services.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation seeks views on the impact proposed changes might have on different groups. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation.
The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the consultation entitled Earned settlement, published on 20 November 2025, whether it is her policy that the salary scale should apply to British National (Overseas) applicants.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.
BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements which include contributing to the Exchequer.
We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation.
In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that English language immigration requirements are strengthened in the context of proposals to move English language testing for immigration purposes to a remotely proctored system.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The proposals contained within the Immigration White Paper 2025 will be delivered over the course of this Parliament, including new English Language Requirements.
The Home Office is committed to maintaining the highest standards of security and integrity in our immigration system whilst modernising services for legitimate applicants. The new service will enhance existing arrangements via robust and consistent identity management, increased monitoring of test takers and activity that is underpinned by stringent security and cyber security requirements. Detecting and combatting existing and emerging threats is at the centre of this service.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to my letter of the 4th of December 2025, reference LB46770,on the Birmingham pub bombings.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Security Minister will reply in due course.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support Gloucestershire Constabulary to tackle knife crime in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Halving knife crime over the next decade is a priority for Government. Since this Government has been in office, knife homicides have fallen by 18% while knife crime overall has fallen for the first time in 4 years, dropping by 5% in our first year. Our approach to tackling knife-crime is centred around smart, targeted interventions, prevention and enforcement, and a tough legislative landscape to remove dangerous weapons from our streets.
Gloucestershire Constabulary will receive £1 million from the Government’s Hotspot Action Fund for 2025/26 as part of a national £66 million investment to tackle serious violence, knife crime and anti-social behaviour. This funding will support regular, highly visible patrols and targeted problem-solving in 21 identified hotspot locations across Gloucester. In 2025/26, Gloucestershire have also received £330k to support their delivery of the statutory requirements under the Serious Violence Duty.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contracts her Department currently holds with (i) ClearVoice and (ii) other interpretation providers for asylum and migration services.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold any contract with ClearVoice.
The Home Office has a contract above threshold with ‘thebigword’ Group Limited.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support police forces in reducing serious and fatal road traffic collisions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The safety of all road users is a priority for this Government. While the operational enforcement of road traffic laws is a matter for individual police forces, the Home Office is committed to supporting them in reducing serious and fatal collisions.
The Government is strengthening police powers to enforce traffic law, through measures in the Crime and Policing Bill which will enable officers to seize vehicles without having to serve a notice and to tackle dangerous driving more effectively.We support police forces in targeting speeding, drink and drug driving, mobile phone use while driving and failure to wear seatbelts, through enforcement campaigns and educational schemes such as BikeSafe and the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme.
The Home Office is also working closely with the Department for Transport on the recently published Road Safety Strategy which sets an ambitious target to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. This includes measures to strengthen enforcement, improve vehicle safety and enhance collision investigation capability.
Through these combined efforts, we are ensuring that police forces have the tools, powers and partnerships needed to make our roads safer and reduce the tragic toll of serious and fatal collisions.