Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they have issued to police forces in England and Wales regarding how long they may take to process shotgun and firearms licensing renewals; and what assessment they have made of the length of time police forces in England and Wales have taken to process shotgun and firearms licensing renewals in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The issuing of shotgun and firearms certificates, resourcing of firearms licensing teams and the efficiency of police forces in processing licensing applications are matters for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners.
Firearms licensing fees charged by police forces were increased significantly from 5 February 2025 to provide full cost recovery for police forces, and they were increased again on 6 June this year by the rate of inflation to ensure that the fees keep in line with police costs. The extra income from fees is helping police forces to better resource and train their firearms licensing teams and to improve performance.
The Home Office has not routinely collected data on the time taken to process the time taken to renew shotgun and firearms licences by police forces over the past five years. However, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for firearms licensing now publishes quarterly performance data for firearms licensing in all police forces in England and Wales which includes a new performance target for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of firearm and shotgun certificates within four months of receipt. We welcome this greater transparency and forces making improvements in performance, subject to ensuring public safety remains the priority and suitability checks are carried out properly.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to rank police forces in England and Wales on the speed of their processing of shotgun and firearms licensing renewals.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The issuing of shotgun and firearms certificates, resourcing of firearms licensing teams and the efficiency of police forces in processing licensing applications are matters for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners.
Firearms licensing fees charged by police forces were increased significantly from 5 February 2025 to provide full cost recovery for police forces, and they were increased again on 6 June this year by the rate of inflation to ensure that the fees keep in line with police costs. The extra income from fees is helping police forces to better resource and train their firearms licensing teams and to improve performance.
The Home Office has not routinely collected data on the time taken to process the time taken to renew shotgun and firearms licences by police forces over the past five years. However, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for firearms licensing now publishes quarterly performance data for firearms licensing in all police forces in England and Wales which includes a new performance target for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of firearm and shotgun certificates within four months of receipt. We welcome this greater transparency and forces making improvements in performance, subject to ensuring public safety remains the priority and suitability checks are carried out properly.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) expel Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir from the UK following their sentencing on 10 April for involvement in people smuggling, and (2) permanently revoke any rights they have to live in or visit the UK in the future.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s top priority remains the safety and security of the United Kingdom and its citizens.
The Home Secretary has the power to deprive an individual of British citizenship where it was obtained by fraud, or where deprivation is conducive to the public good.
Deprivation on conducive grounds is used only for individuals who pose a threat to the UK or whose conduct is considered to involve very high harm, for example activities relating to national security (including terrorism and espionage), war crimes, serious and organised crime, or extremism and the glorification of terrorism.
The Government does not comment on individual cases or on operational activity however any referrals the Home Office receives relating to serious organised crime are subject to thorough investigation and decisions on deprivation are taken on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the asylum policies of the government of Germany on the number of Afghans seeking asylum in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the isolated impact of stricter asylum policy measures introduced by the German government as part of the ‘migrationswende’ on Afghan asylum claims in the UK.
Afghan asylum claims to the UK are down 8% (September – September) from 2024-2025.
The Government does monitor global migration trends closely, including illegal migration into the UK via Europe. We have enhanced our close cooperation with European partners on this shared challenge, including with Germany via our Joint Action Plan, as members of the Calais Group and via EU agencies such as Europol and Frontex.
On 17 November 2025, the Home Secretary announced new measures in the asylum policy statement to Parliament, with the aim of reducing the pull factors which underpin illegal migration to the UK. Many of these measures are comparable to European counterparts and will restore order and control to the UK asylum system via EU agencies via EU agencies.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been stopped and arrested for attempting to take girls abroad for female genital mutilation in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime, it is child abuse, and it can destroy lives. On Thursday 18 December, we published the VAWG Strategy setting out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the Government’s VAWG ambition, including on FGM.
The Home Office routinely collects and publishes data on police recorded crime that has been flagged as FGM. In the year ending March 2025, there were 109 FGM offences recorded by the police. We do not collect data on whether these cases involve a risk of FGM taking place abroad or within England and Wales. This data also only represents cases reported to and recorded by the police as FGM. For that reason, it does not reflect the true scale of the crime.
FGM is not confined to one group. It affects many communities and is carried out in various forms. That is why improving our understanding of the scale and nature of this horrific crime is essential to ensure there is adequate support available. Building on a feasibility study conducted by the University of Birmingham in 2024, the Home Office has commissioned a study this financial year to test the viability of producing a national prevalence estimate for FGM (and forced marriage).
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which ethnic minorities in the UK are more vulnerable to female genital mutilation.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime, it is child abuse, and it can destroy lives. On Thursday 18 December, we published the VAWG Strategy setting out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the Government’s VAWG ambition, including on FGM.
The Home Office routinely collects and publishes data on police recorded crime that has been flagged as FGM. In the year ending March 2025, there were 109 FGM offences recorded by the police. We do not collect data on whether these cases involve a risk of FGM taking place abroad or within England and Wales. This data also only represents cases reported to and recorded by the police as FGM. For that reason, it does not reflect the true scale of the crime.
FGM is not confined to one group. It affects many communities and is carried out in various forms. That is why improving our understanding of the scale and nature of this horrific crime is essential to ensure there is adequate support available. Building on a feasibility study conducted by the University of Birmingham in 2024, the Home Office has commissioned a study this financial year to test the viability of producing a national prevalence estimate for FGM (and forced marriage).
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government from which rural organisations they received submissions in response to the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act call for evidence.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 18 May 2023, the Home Office launched an eight-week Call for Evidence, targeted at those who may be affected by the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, including manufacturers, dealers, retailers, forensic marking companies, trade associations, tradespeople, law enforcement practitioners and rural organisations.
We made use of a number of different means to encourage as many people as possible to make their views known. The total number of responses received was 218. There was no obligation on respondents to disclose if they were responding on behalf of an organisation, but we do know that the National Farmers’ Union submitted its views.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of rural policing, and what rural lobbying groups they have discussed rural policing with.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why we collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver the renewal of their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was published in November. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they are, including rural communities.
Furthermore, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve, and clearly demonstrate to the public that the police are dealing with local concerns. Every neighbourhood, including in rural areas, now has named and contactable officers, supporting more visible policing and greater public confidence.
I have met with Police and Crime Commissioners at their rural conference to discuss rural policing.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the Romanian government regarding preventing Romanian citizens from coming to the UK to beg.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK remains committed to maintaining constructive and respectful relations with Romania, and any future discussions on migration or related issues would be conducted in accordance with our shared values and international obligations.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the Metropolitan Police regarding the use of anti-gang legislation to investigate and prosecute those controlling Romanian beggars in London.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is the responsibility of law enforcement and statutory partners to work collaboratively to tackle the threat from all forms of Serious and Organised Crime (SOC), maximising the full range of legislative and disruption opportunities available. SOC is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and organised crime groups continue to diversify their tactics in order to exploit the vulnerable and perpetrate harm. The Government is committed to tackling SOC in all its forms and ensuring police have the capabilities they need to protect individuals and communities. We are delivering the Safer Streets mission to create a safer, fairer country for all and have increased funding for policing by more than half a billion pounds this year.