Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that displaced Ukrainians in the United Kingdom have access to long-term residency, education, and employment; how it determines whether return to Ukraine is considered safe; and what measures are in place to ensure that policies affecting displaced Ukrainians are applied fairly and in accordance with human rights obligations, including the best interests of children.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK’s support for Ukraine remains steadfast and, together with our partners and allies, the UK stands in solidarity with Ukraine and condemns the Russian government’s unprovoked and premeditated war. Since the launch of the Ukraine schemes, the UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 310,000 Ukrainians and their families through the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, and the Ukraine Extension Scheme.
The Government has already taken significant steps to extend support for those in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes. Since February 2025, individuals have been able to apply to the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme for a further 18 months’ permission, with continued access to work, benefits, healthcare and education. On 1 September 2025, the Government announced a further 24‑month extension to the scheme, providing additional certainty and stability for Ukrainian guests and reflecting our ongoing commitment to support those displaced by the conflict.
The Government has been clear from the outset that the Ukraine scheme routes are temporary and do not provide a direct path to settlement, in line with the Ukrainian government’s strong desire for its citizens to return home when it is safe to do so.
The Government recognises the importance of providing longer‑term clarity for Ukrainians beyond the lifetime of UPE, and a further statement setting out the long‑term position will be issued in due course. As part of this process, the safety situation in Ukraine will also be considered.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to promote free speech.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Free speech is a fundamental right and a defining value of our open and diverse society. Our legislation reflects this, enabling individuals to engage in robust debate. However, freedom of speech is a qualified right. It does not extend to language that incites violence, hatred, or criminal behaviour.
In November 2025, the Home Secretary announced an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation, led by Lord Macdonald of River Glaven KC. As part of its work, the Review will assess whether existing police powers remain effective, proportionate and used consistently, including in relation to lawful protest, helping to ensure that the legal framework supports the protection of free speech while maintaining public order.
The Home Secretary has also announced that non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) are to be replaced in their current form with a more common-sense approach. The review of NCHIs, led by the College of Policing and the NPCC, includes consideration of how to best protect the fundamental right to freedom of expression. A publication of the findings from the College and NPCC is expected in March 2026.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of historical sex-based discrimination in British nationality law on individuals born to British mothers prior to January 1983.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Legislative reforms made through the British Nationality Act 1981 removed previous sex-based restrictions on the acquisition of British nationality. Further changes made in 2003 and 2022 provide routes for individuals born before 1983 to claim citizenship under sections 4C and 4L of the 1981 Act, where they were previously unable to become British due to historical legislative unfairness.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to Border Force officers on the handling of CITES documentation for musical instruments.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All Border Force officers receive relevant mandatory training on dealing with international trade documentation, which includes CITES permits, to aid the detection of illicit goods linked to the illegal wildlife trade, including musical instruments.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made to help support the end to violence against women and girls, including what steps she took during the 6 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence in 2025.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 18th December 2025, this government published the ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse; a cross-cutting strategy’, setting out our whole-system approach to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
We have already begun implementing measures, such as rolling out Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, embedding domestic abuse specialists in police control rooms through Raneem’s Law, establishing a new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection with £13.1 million of funding, and appointing Richard Wright KC to lead the Stalking Legislation Review ensuring the criminal law on stalking is fit for purpose. This is alongside the work done by Ministers during the Sixteen Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from 25th November to 10th December 2025, to meet with and support a range of stakeholders and events.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on nursing staff working in the adult social care sector of proposals to change the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (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.
As part of this consultation, we are seeking views on the potential impact of the proposed changes on different groups, including those working in sectors such as social care. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation.
The final proposals will also be subject to full economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in the Home Office.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence and therefore, cannot sponsor individuals under the route.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals granted Indefinite Leave to Remain since January 2025 had previously claimed means-tested benefits during their qualifying period of residency.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information requested is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual trawl of case records to retrieve.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish all information it holds on child sexual exploitation committed by illegal migrants.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information you have requested is not available from published statistics and there is no immediate intention to publish them.
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.
In the twelve months between 1 February 2025 and 31 January 2026, over 5,600 foreign national offenders (FNOs) have been returned from the UK under this government, a 12% increase on the previous year, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets
In April 2025, the Home Office announced that it would – for the first time – categorise as a ‘particularly serious crime’ for the purpose of the Refugee Convention any conviction resulting in the offender being made subject to the notification requirements for sex offenders, regardless of the length of sentence they receive, thereby allowing the UK to exclude those individuals from being granted any right to claim asylum protections.
We will build on these reforms across the immigration system, as well as the asylum system, amending our policies and guidance to ensure we are upholding UK laws - taking action to prevent individuals who pose a danger to the British public from being allowed to stay in the UK, and taking much earlier action on a wider range of crimes.
We will set out more detailed reforms and stronger measures to ensure our laws are upheld, including streamlining and speeding up the removals process. That will include establishing new procedures so that the Home Office can more easily take enforcement and removal action and revoke visas in a much wider range of crimes where non-custodial sentences have been given, not just cases which are sent to prison.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which of her Department's officials informed US authorities that they would not observe the interrogation of Omar al Bayoumi in 2001.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments not to comment routinely either on individual cases or intelligence and security matters.
These questions relate to ongoing civil legal proceedings in the United States; this imposes legal and procedural limits on the information that can be disclosed at this stage. The Government is therefore unable to comment further while litigation remains active.