Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107739, if he will clarify what productivity and effectiveness service improvements are used with the assistance of AI.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used across a number of Home Office services to support productivity, improve effectiveness, and enhance service delivery. In immigration operations, we have developed bespoke tools for specific teams to improve the asylum decision making process, with the pilot suggesting that up to an hour can be saved per case when reviewing interview transcripts and searching for country policy information.
AI is also used in other business areas to support productivity and effectiveness, as set out in the response to UIN 73677.
The Home Office continues to introduce AI-enabled tools, including the rollout of Microsoft Copilot to assist in routine administrative tasks, help summarise information, and improve search and analysis. We will continue to explore the appropriate and responsible use of AI to enhance effectiveness and strengthen the delivery of our services.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department uses artificial intelligence for decision making on immigration applications.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Where appropriate, we use AI to improve productivity and effectiveness in our public services. All applications made under the Immigration Rules are considered and decided by trained human decision-makers.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her statement, entitled A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, of 20 November, if she will explain the impact of the changes on pathways to settlement on the children of British National (Overseas) visa holders.
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. Children of BN(O) visa holders will also remain on the 5-year path to settlement in line with their parents.
We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, including on how dependants should be accommodated within an earned settlement system, 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: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Settlement Pathway announced on 20 November 2025, if she will define the requirement for indefinite leave to remain applicants to have no debt in the UK, specifically in relation to mortgages, student loans and business loans.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, the statement accompanying our current public consultation on earned settlement, sets out that applicants seeking to settle in the UK should have no current litigation, NHS, tax or other government debt.
Further detail on the earned settlement model will be finalised following the conclusion of that public consultation.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department had with the Mayor of London on the planned closure of front counters in police stations in London.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Decisions regarding the management of local police resourcing and estates, including police stations, is a matter for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents).
They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with regards to her Department's White Paper on Restoring control over the immigration system, published 12 May, if she will publish further information on how changes to the (a) standard qualifying period for settlement to 10 years will affect people already in the UK, (b) pathway to settlement will affect non-UK dependants and (c) qualifying period base on Points-Based contributions will affect applicants.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will reform our settlement and citizenship rules by expanding the Points-Based System and increasing the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years.
Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement and citizenship based on contributions to the UK economy and society.
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.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's White paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, on British National (0verseas) Visa holders.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route was launched on 31 January 2021 in response to China’s passing of the National Security Law. The route reflects the UK’s historic and moral commitment to those people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK by taking up BN(O) status at the point of Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997.
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.
Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course, and where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) police and (b) independent schools can share data in relation to (i) Operation Encompass and (ii) the implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 introduced a duty on all 43 police forces to make Operation Encompass notifications to schools after attending a domestic abuse incident in a child’s home before the start of the next school day.
The Home Office is currently planning the commencement of the duty. This will include considering what guidance or training police forces may require to ensure a consistent approach with all schools.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review and strengthen crossbow regulation.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Home Office conducted a call for evidence on strengthening controls on crossbows on public safety grounds, between 14 February to 9 April 2024.
The responses have been reviewed and we will shortly publish the Government’s response, which will include what action we intend to take alongside a summary of the responses received.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average police response times were to reported incidents in the SW13 postcode area in Barnes in each year since 2010.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on police response time at a national or local level.
Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
The Home Secretary set out in her announcement of major police reforms her intentions for a dedicated government unit to improve performance across policing and make our streets safer. This new unit will monitor performance, including police response times, a key issue for the public that is currently not consistently monitored and managed.