Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not resolving the status of children in care before turning 18 on their development.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Secretary set out in the Immigration White Paper published on 12 May that the Home Office will ensure children who have been in the UK for some time, turn 18 and discover they do not have status, are fully supported and able to regularise their status and settle where appropriate. This will also include a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.

Policy development is ongoing, but as part of this, separate targeted engagement will take place with external stakeholders to help us to understand the challenges in this area and develop a policy solution which supports children in care without status while upholding the need to have a robust and coherent migration system. Children who have claimed asylum are dealt with under separate provisions.

A range of reforms are underway across the immigration and asylum system, and the development of a clear pathway to settlement for children in care and care leavers must be considered alongside these changes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what exemptions are permitted for small, not-for-profit operators under the Animal Rights Act to ensure reindeer used to help generate hospice and other charity donations are not destroyed.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Some reindeer displays may be required to be licensed. The type of licence needed will depend on the nature of the display (permanent or temporary) and whether the reindeer are being exhibited as part of a business. There are also licensing requirements for keeping certain species of reindeer regarded as dangerous, where they are kept outside of a licensed zoo or pet shop. Reindeer are also prohibited from being displayed as part of a travelling circus.

Licences are granted by local authorities, who can decide on the most appropriate type of licence or licences depending on the circumstances of each individual collection. Local authorities can also consider whether an exemption or dispensation may be appropriate.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2025 to question 92574, if his Department will support the wider utilisation of UPRNs in the property industry and make them a standard piece of data recorded for property transactions.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 6 October, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.

As part of those consultations, we highlighted our interest in ensuring that data is consistent, trusted, and shareable across the market. We also proposed to explore mandating a standardised core data set for digital logbooks and sales packs linked to the Unique Property Reference Number and Land Registry records.

Both consultations closed on 29 December. We are now reviewing the feedback received and will set out details of next steps later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a police hotline for reporting incidents of political intimidation towards (a) Hong Kongers and (b) others in the UK by the Chinese Communist Party.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The first duty of this Government is to keep the country safe. 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.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce’s review of TNR, carried out with Counter Terrorism Policing, examined how best to encourage reporting and ensure cases are taken seriously and handled appropriately.

Existing reporting functions are efficient, effective, and well recognised, with trained officers and staff handling crime reports 24/7. This enables immediate police deployment in emergencies and provides clear routes to escalate potential state‑linked incidents to Counter Terrorism Policing for expert assessment and victim support.

State threats training is being rolled out across all 45 territorial forces, including upskilling 999 call handlers on TNR, to strengthen frontline identification and response.

Anyone who believes they are a victim of state‑directed activity should report to the police via 101, 999, or at a local station. Allegations of unlawful activity will be handled sensitively, treated seriously, and swiftly investigated in line with UK law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle the use of Royal Mail to transport illegal drugs into the UK.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Illegal drugs have a devastating impact on the health of individuals and communities. Deaths relating to drug misuse in England and Wales rose to 3,736 in 2024, with a total annual cost to society of over £20 billion.

The Home Office and operational partners are working to disrupt the supply chain of illegal drugs across all trafficking modes into the UK. Our disruptive approach to illegal drug smuggling prioritises engagement with international partners, coupled with pursuing the criminals behind drug trafficking, and activity to seize drugs at the border.