Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of delaying citizenship for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa holders from five to ten years on the economy.

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

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.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement and earned citizenship schemes later this year and further details of the proposed schemes will be provided then.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to pilot (a) short video interviews, (b) biometric ID checks and (c) other live identity verification for the personal applications of wills.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

HMCTS staff are trained in processing and verifying probate applications, with systems established to identify and escalate cases that present certain features of concern. These procedures are regularly reviewed to ensure they address emerging issues appropriately.

The Department is reviewing how personal applicants are identified for probate, as part of a wider examination of non-contentious probate rules: https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/working-group-members/.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the temporary removal of the Unclaimed Estates list from GOV.UK, how many newly referred estates are awaiting advertisement; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of the list from GOV.UK on entitled heirs; and if she will reinstate the list with (a) verified named‑user access, (b) no bulk downloads, (c) access logging and (d) other enhanced safeguards.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

As of 24 September 2025, up to 153 estates await possible advertising since the temporary removal of the Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates list on 7 July 2025.

The future publication of the list is currently under review.

Estates administered as bona vacantia continue to be published in The Gazette.

Found: Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Rebecca Paul (Conservative; Reigate) Rachel Taylor

Found: Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Rebecca Paul (Conservative; Reigate) Rachel Taylor

Found: Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Rebecca Paul (Conservative; Reigate) Rachel Taylor

Found: ; David Burton-Sampson; Kirith Entwistle; Christine Jardine; Samantha Niblett; Rebecca Paul; Rachel Taylor

Found: Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Rebecca Paul (Conservative; Reigate) Rachel Taylor

Found: Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Rebecca Paul (Conservative; Reigate) Rachel Taylor

Found: Entwistle; Natalie Fleet; Catherine Fookes; Christine Jardine; Samantha Niblett; Rebecca Paul; Rachel Taylor

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle increasing levels of freight crime; and if she will meet with (a) the Road Haulage Association and (b) other relevant stakeholders to increase awareness of the danger of unsafe parking.

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

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime has on businesses and drivers and we are aware of worrying increases in its frequency.

We work closely cross-Government to tackle the problem. The Minister for Police and Crime Prevention recently met with Rachel Taylor MP, and Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads at the Department for Transport (DfT) to discuss this very matter. Parking for HGVs is led by the Department of Transport. The DfT also hosts the Freight Council; this group regularly discusses crime against freight companies, and the Home Office works closely with DfT to engage with the sector on this issue through the Freight Council.

There are strong links between freight crime and serious organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.

This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms. We work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.

We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and other invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it.

Found: A similar amendment by Rachel Taylor (Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth) was tabled during