Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many families and children are directly restricted by No Recourse to Public Funds.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition applies to the vast majority of adult temporary migrants in the UK and those without legal status, many of whom may not be in touch with the Home Office.
Data on the children within migrant families is not routinely collected. However, the Home Office regularly engages with stakeholders via the NRPF forum which provides a platform to raise concerns and share experiences of those affected by the policy.
Data on the number of applications from those wishing to have their NRPF condition lifted is published.
The Home Office has committed to working with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop questions on No Recourse to Public Funds for inclusion in the Family Resources survey 2026/2027, a household survey undertaken annually to explore living standards in the UK.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has consulted local authorities on forthcoming guidance on No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) families; and whether the guidance will include measures to monitor and report how it will reduce child poverty among NRPF families, improve access to essential services, and deliver measurable improvements in children’s welfare, education, and health outcomes.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The new guidance being produced by the Home Office is designed to assist local authorities in supporting families with NRPF, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. Local authorities will be consulted prior to publication. The guidance will provide clarity around statutory duties and key safeguards for local authorities, ensuring a clear and consistent approach.
The guidance does not alter the eligibility criteria for any current schemes or benefits. While the guidance is for local authorities in England, Home Office officials meet regularly with the Scottish government to discuss NRPF and other topics relating to the wider immigration system and will discuss the guidance as part of its development to draw in wider expertise and interests.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether forthcoming guidance on local authority duties towards No Recourse to Public Funds families will include advice relevant to Scottish legislation; and whether she has had discussions with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) COSLA to ensure consistency of practice across the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The new guidance being produced by the Home Office is designed to assist local authorities in supporting families with NRPF, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. Local authorities will be consulted prior to publication. The guidance will provide clarity around statutory duties and key safeguards for local authorities, ensuring a clear and consistent approach.
The guidance does not alter the eligibility criteria for any current schemes or benefits. While the guidance is for local authorities in England, Home Office officials meet regularly with the Scottish government to discuss NRPF and other topics relating to the wider immigration system and will discuss the guidance as part of its development to draw in wider expertise and interests.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current estimated waiting time is for an application for security under the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme; and what steps are being taken to reduce the waiting time.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.
Global and domestic events have heightened security concerns within Muslim communities, which has led to a significant increase in demand for the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme since its launch.
Additionally, following the violent disorder last year, we set up rapid security services to safeguard mosques and other places of worship. Delivering this support to a large number of mosques has unfortunately contributed to delays in processing applications for longer-term security measures.
I can assure you the Home Office is working as quickly as it can to process applications to the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the additional £10 million announced on 23 October 2025 to protect Mosques and Muslim faith centres is a permanent increase in annual funding or a one-off increase for 2025-26.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
In 2025/26, up to £70.9 million is available to protect faith communities. This includes £29.4 million through the Protective Security for Mosques scheme and for security at Muslim faith schools. In addition, up to £10 million of emergency funding has been made available for Muslim communities to further strengthen security measures at their places of worship and other community sites.
This additional funding is available for financial year 2025/26 only.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government was first advised by the Office for National Statistics that the information provided by coroners on death registrations relating to drug deaths could lack detail on the specific drugs involved.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government plans to respond to the publication entitled Your Right to Decide, published by the Scottish Government on 4 September 2025.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The UK Government’s priority is delivering for people in Scotland. The Scottish Government should be focussed on working collaboratively with us on our Plan for Change - to grow the economy, improve our public services, and put more money in people’s pockets. That is what people in Scotland want to see.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Immigration Officers are were employed in the operational arm of the Foreign National Offender Returns Command Immigration Prison Team on 29 August 2025; which prisons those officers are based in; and whether they are located (a) within the prison estate, (b) in embedded hubs or (c) in other facilities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office does not hold central data on the number of visits conducted by immigration officers in UK prisons.
However, as of 29 August 2025, there were 77 Immigration Officers employed by Foreign National Offender Returns Command. These officers are located within the Immigration Prison Team (IPT), which covers all prisons in the UK. Most of the IPT’s officers are based in prisons. Some are located in Home Office premises, from where they conduct prison visits.
The number of Immigration Officers embedded in a hub and the prisons they cover are:
Embedded Hub | Prisons Covered | Number of IOs (some of which will be part-time) |
HMPs Pentonville and The Mount | HMPs Pentonville & The Mount Feltham YOI HMP Ford HMP Lewes | 7 |
HMP The Verne | HMP The Verne HMP Ashfield HMP Bristol HMP Cardiff HMP Channings Wood HMP Eastwood Park HMP Erlestoke HMP Exeter HMP Guys Marsh HMP Leyhill HMP Parc HMP Swansea HMP Usk HMP Prescoed | 4 |
HMP Highpoint | HMP Highpoint HMP Bure HMP Chelmsford HMP Hollesley Bay HMP LIttlehey HMP Norwich HMP Peterborough (Female) HMP Warren Hill HMP Wayland HMP Whiteland | 5 |
HMP Hewell | HMP Hewell HMP Birmingham HMP Brinsford HMP Dovegate HMP Drake Hall HMP Featherstone HMP Foston Hall HMP Long Lartin HMP Oakwood HMP Onley HMP Rye Hill HMP Stafford HMP Stoke Heath HMP Sudbury HMP Swinfen Hall | 9 |
HMP Risley | HMP Risley HMP Altcourse HMP Berwyn HMP Buckley Hall HMP Forest Bank HMP Garth HMP Haverigg HMP Hindley HMP Kirkham HMP Lancaster Farms HMP Liverpool HMP Manchester HMP Preston HMP Styal HMP Thorn Cross HMP Wymott | 6 |
HMP Moorland | HMP Moorland HMP Fosse Way HMP Gartree HMP Hatfield HMP Hull HMP Humber HMP Leicester HMP Lindholme HMP Nottingham HMP Whatton HMP Ranby | 6 |
HMP Maidstone | HMP Maidstone HMP Cookham Wood HMP East Sutton Park HMP Elmley HMP Rochester HMP Standford Hill HMP Swaleside | 5 |
HMP Huntercombe | HMP Aylesbury HMP Bullingdon HMP Bedford HMP Five Wells HMP Grendon HMP Spring Hill HMP Woodhill | 5 |
HMP Wormwood Scrubs | HMP Wormwood Scrubs HMP Bronzefield HMP Winchester | 4 |
HMP Wandsworth | HMP Wandsworth HMP Brixton HMP Highdown | 4 |
HMP Morton Hall | HMP Morton Hall HMP Lincoln HMP Stocken HMP Lowdham Grange HMP North Sea Camp HMP Peterborough (Male) | 5 |
HMP Barlinnie | HMP Barlinnie HMP Addiewell HMP Castle HMP Huntly HMP Cornton Vale & YOI HMP Dumfries HMP Edinburgh HMP Glenochil HMP Greenock HMP Kilmarnock HMP Low Moss HMP Perth & YOI HMP Shotts HMP Stirling Polmont YOI N Ireland HMP Hydebank Wood HMP Maghaberry HMP Magilligan | 4 |
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visits by Immigration Officers have taken place in each Scottish prison in each year since 2015.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office does not hold central data on the number of visits conducted by immigration officers in UK prisons.
However, as of 29 August 2025, there were 77 Immigration Officers employed by Foreign National Offender Returns Command. These officers are located within the Immigration Prison Team (IPT), which covers all prisons in the UK. Most of the IPT’s officers are based in prisons. Some are located in Home Office premises, from where they conduct prison visits.
The number of Immigration Officers embedded in a hub and the prisons they cover are:
Embedded Hub | Prisons Covered | Number of IOs (some of which will be part-time) |
HMPs Pentonville and The Mount | HMPs Pentonville & The Mount Feltham YOI HMP Ford HMP Lewes | 7 |
HMP The Verne | HMP The Verne HMP Ashfield HMP Bristol HMP Cardiff HMP Channings Wood HMP Eastwood Park HMP Erlestoke HMP Exeter HMP Guys Marsh HMP Leyhill HMP Parc HMP Swansea HMP Usk HMP Prescoed | 4 |
HMP Highpoint | HMP Highpoint HMP Bure HMP Chelmsford HMP Hollesley Bay HMP LIttlehey HMP Norwich HMP Peterborough (Female) HMP Warren Hill HMP Wayland HMP Whiteland | 5 |
HMP Hewell | HMP Hewell HMP Birmingham HMP Brinsford HMP Dovegate HMP Drake Hall HMP Featherstone HMP Foston Hall HMP Long Lartin HMP Oakwood HMP Onley HMP Rye Hill HMP Stafford HMP Stoke Heath HMP Sudbury HMP Swinfen Hall | 9 |
HMP Risley | HMP Risley HMP Altcourse HMP Berwyn HMP Buckley Hall HMP Forest Bank HMP Garth HMP Haverigg HMP Hindley HMP Kirkham HMP Lancaster Farms HMP Liverpool HMP Manchester HMP Preston HMP Styal HMP Thorn Cross HMP Wymott | 6 |
HMP Moorland | HMP Moorland HMP Fosse Way HMP Gartree HMP Hatfield HMP Hull HMP Humber HMP Leicester HMP Lindholme HMP Nottingham HMP Whatton HMP Ranby | 6 |
HMP Maidstone | HMP Maidstone HMP Cookham Wood HMP East Sutton Park HMP Elmley HMP Rochester HMP Standford Hill HMP Swaleside | 5 |
HMP Huntercombe | HMP Aylesbury HMP Bullingdon HMP Bedford HMP Five Wells HMP Grendon HMP Spring Hill HMP Woodhill | 5 |
HMP Wormwood Scrubs | HMP Wormwood Scrubs HMP Bronzefield HMP Winchester | 4 |
HMP Wandsworth | HMP Wandsworth HMP Brixton HMP Highdown | 4 |
HMP Morton Hall | HMP Morton Hall HMP Lincoln HMP Stocken HMP Lowdham Grange HMP North Sea Camp HMP Peterborough (Male) | 5 |
HMP Barlinnie | HMP Barlinnie HMP Addiewell HMP Castle HMP Huntly HMP Cornton Vale & YOI HMP Dumfries HMP Edinburgh HMP Glenochil HMP Greenock HMP Kilmarnock HMP Low Moss HMP Perth & YOI HMP Shotts HMP Stirling Polmont YOI N Ireland HMP Hydebank Wood HMP Maghaberry HMP Magilligan | 4 |
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, where the embedded hubs for the Immigration Prison Teams are located; which prisons are included in each hub; and how many Immigration Officers are employed in each hub.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office does not hold central data on the number of visits conducted by immigration officers in UK prisons.
However, as of 29 August 2025, there were 77 Immigration Officers employed by Foreign National Offender Returns Command. These officers are located within the Immigration Prison Team (IPT), which covers all prisons in the UK. Most of the IPT’s officers are based in prisons. Some are located in Home Office premises, from where they conduct prison visits.
The number of Immigration Officers embedded in a hub and the prisons they cover are:
Embedded Hub | Prisons Covered | Number of IOs (some of which will be part-time) |
HMPs Pentonville and The Mount | HMPs Pentonville & The Mount Feltham YOI HMP Ford HMP Lewes | 7 |
HMP The Verne | HMP The Verne HMP Ashfield HMP Bristol HMP Cardiff HMP Channings Wood HMP Eastwood Park HMP Erlestoke HMP Exeter HMP Guys Marsh HMP Leyhill HMP Parc HMP Swansea HMP Usk HMP Prescoed | 4 |
HMP Highpoint | HMP Highpoint HMP Bure HMP Chelmsford HMP Hollesley Bay HMP LIttlehey HMP Norwich HMP Peterborough (Female) HMP Warren Hill HMP Wayland HMP Whiteland | 5 |
HMP Hewell | HMP Hewell HMP Birmingham HMP Brinsford HMP Dovegate HMP Drake Hall HMP Featherstone HMP Foston Hall HMP Long Lartin HMP Oakwood HMP Onley HMP Rye Hill HMP Stafford HMP Stoke Heath HMP Sudbury HMP Swinfen Hall | 9 |
HMP Risley | HMP Risley HMP Altcourse HMP Berwyn HMP Buckley Hall HMP Forest Bank HMP Garth HMP Haverigg HMP Hindley HMP Kirkham HMP Lancaster Farms HMP Liverpool HMP Manchester HMP Preston HMP Styal HMP Thorn Cross HMP Wymott | 6 |
HMP Moorland | HMP Moorland HMP Fosse Way HMP Gartree HMP Hatfield HMP Hull HMP Humber HMP Leicester HMP Lindholme HMP Nottingham HMP Whatton HMP Ranby | 6 |
HMP Maidstone | HMP Maidstone HMP Cookham Wood HMP East Sutton Park HMP Elmley HMP Rochester HMP Standford Hill HMP Swaleside | 5 |
HMP Huntercombe | HMP Aylesbury HMP Bullingdon HMP Bedford HMP Five Wells HMP Grendon HMP Spring Hill HMP Woodhill | 5 |
HMP Wormwood Scrubs | HMP Wormwood Scrubs HMP Bronzefield HMP Winchester | 4 |
HMP Wandsworth | HMP Wandsworth HMP Brixton HMP Highdown | 4 |
HMP Morton Hall | HMP Morton Hall HMP Lincoln HMP Stocken HMP Lowdham Grange HMP North Sea Camp HMP Peterborough (Male) | 5 |
HMP Barlinnie | HMP Barlinnie HMP Addiewell HMP Castle HMP Huntly HMP Cornton Vale & YOI HMP Dumfries HMP Edinburgh HMP Glenochil HMP Greenock HMP Kilmarnock HMP Low Moss HMP Perth & YOI HMP Shotts HMP Stirling Polmont YOI N Ireland HMP Hydebank Wood HMP Maghaberry HMP Magilligan | 4 |