Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle homophobia in the Metropolitan Police force.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Any form of discrimination in policing is completely unacceptable.
Since the publication of Louise Casey’s 2023 review the MPS has taken action through its ‘New Met for London Plan’. In December 2025 the MPS and Mayor of London announced an independent review of the force’s progress against Baroness Casey’s 2023 report, chaired by Dr Gillian Fairfield.
The Government also supports the aims of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing’s ‘National policing culture and inclusion strategy’ which aims to tackle discrimination within policing.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help improve safety for the LGBT+ community.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring that LGBT+ people are safe, supported and able to live their lives free from discrimination, prejudice and hate.
As set out in our manifesto, we are expanding the aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 so that crimes motivated by hostility towards a person’s sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability attract tougher penalties, in line with existing aggravated offences for race and religion.
As my Hon. friend Dame Diana Johnson confirmed at Commons Report Stage on 18 June, the Government will implement this through an amendment in the Lords to the Crime and Policing Bill.
Through the Sentencing Act 2020, courts already apply enhanced sentencing where there is evidence of hostility based on sexual orientation or transgender identity. The expansion of aggravated offences will further reinforce the seriousness with which these crimes are treated, ensuring perpetrators face longer sentences and communities are better protected.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether transitional arrangements outlined in the 2025 UK Immigration White Paper include those close to settlement on existing long residence routes.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Transitional arrangements refer to temporary measures or rules put in place to manage the shift from one system, or policy framework, to another. Details of the earned settlement model, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, 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: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that Schengen Area Passport Validity requirements are clearly and effectively communicated by (a) airlines and (b) travel operators.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The EU will be liaising with airlines flying to the Schengen zone on the publication/notification of any requirements.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect British citizens from transnational repression from hostile states.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The first duty of this Government is to keep the country safe. Robust tools and system-wide safeguards are in place to robustly counter the threat of transnational repression (TNR). As set out in my statement to the House on 14 May, following the Defending Democracy Taskforce’s Review of TNR, we have:
Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the police via 101, at a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.
Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will never be tolerated, irrespective of where the threat emanates.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that applications for naturalisation are concluded within a reasonable timeframe and; what progress her Department has made in reducing the backlog of applications for citizenship in Hornsey and Friern Barnet constituency.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The service standard for the processing of a straightforward application for British citizenship is six months.
The most recent Migration Transparency data published in August 2025 shows that 99.36% of straightforward applications were decided within service standard: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that asylum seekers are living in (a) safe and (b) suitable accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is firmly committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure, and appropriate accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity throughout the asylum process. As part of its assurance processes, the Home Office conducts regular inspections and monitoring of asylum accommodation sites to ensure compliance with contractual and safety standards, including security arrangements. Feedback from local authorities and asylum seekers is also considered and informs improvements.
The Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) Requirements (AASC Schedule 2 - Statement of Requirements) gives a detailed breakdown of all the services to be undertaken by Home Office accommodation providers and to the standards expected.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the mobile phone industry on using technology to prevent stolen phones from being re-used.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
Crime Survey for England and Wales data about the level of mobile phone victimisation (drawn from interviews conducted in the year to March 2023) shows a fall of over 70% in the rate (1.7% to 0.4%) and number (752,000 to 196,000) of owners experiencing mobile phone theft, when compared to findings from CSEW interviews conducted in the year to March 2010.
While mobile phone theft has fallen significantly across England and Wales, reports about the scale of phone theft in London are concerning. The Home Office is therefore working closely with police and industry to tackle mobile phone thefts, and will consider evidence suggesting where new action is needed. Recent meetings have taken place.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to (a) assess instances of and (b) help tackle transnational repression.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
The UK will not tolerate transnational repression and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 represents a step change in our ability to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.
We do everything we can to keep citizens safe and the country secure. This involves taking a proactive approach to countering the most acute forms of state-directed threats to individuals. Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce, working across Government, is reviewing the UK’s response to transnational repression to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.
I recently announced new training for frontline officers to increase their understanding of threats that foreign powers present, and enhance their ability to combat these.
We will also be reforming our systems and processes within government to more effectively deal with transnational repression.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that people with indefinite leave to remain that was granted before the digitisation of his Department's records are able to prove their immigration status when travelling.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
As part of our move to a ‘digital by default’ border and immigration system, physical immigration documents are being replaced by fully digital eVisas (an online record of the person’s immigration status).
Customers with indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain (also known as settlement) who currently prove their rights using a physical document such as a wet-ink stamp in their passport or a vignette sticker, are encouraged to make a ‘No Time Limit’ (NTL) application.
If their NTL application is successful, they will get a BRP to prove their rights. They should carry their BRP, along with their passport, when travelling internationally. Once they have a BRP, they will be able to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa later this year. By the end of 2024, ‘No Time Limit’ applicants will receive an eVisa, rather than a BRP. Further updates on this change will be available in due course.
Customers who do not create a UKVI account will be able to use their legacy physical document such as a wet-ink stamp in their passport or a vignette sticker during 2025 when travelling. However, creating a UKVI account will bring a range of benefits to customers. This includes the fact that an eVisa cannot be lost or damaged, like a vignette, and there is no need for a potentially costly replacement. Customers who replace their legacy document with an eVisa will benefit from the automated access that public bodies, including the Department for Work & Pensions and the National Health Service will securely have to their immigration status, which will streamline access to key services. We are also developing technology to enable carriers to check immigration status automatically via systems checks for those with eVisas, reducing the need for carriers to make physical documentation checks and improving the passenger experience.
Further information about eVisas and future updates will be available at www.gov.uk/evisa.