Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Scotland Office has no staff working remotely from a non-UK location.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

A total of 45 Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civil Servants have been permitted international remote working since the temporary concession was introduced in 2021. The vast majority were to accompany their partners/spouses who work in the Armed Forces and are posted abroad to NATO countries. This figure does not include MOD Civil Servants who are posted overseas on Government business.

MOD Civil Servants are not normally allowed to work remotely overseas, unless they have been exceptionally approved for a temporary concession. The criteria for the temporary concession includes accompanying their spouse/civil partner/unmarried cohabiting partner who is a member of the Armed Forces who has been formally posted overseas, or exceptional personal/domestic reasons.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of food served in military catering contracts was sourced from the UK, in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 March 2025 to Question 36360 to the hon. Member for South Holland and the Deepings (Sir John Hayes MP).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury's international remote working policy permits certain staff to work remotely overseas in order to accompany a partner posted abroad on HMG business. There are two members of staff who each have permission to work remotely from a European country. For UK GDPR purposes we are not able to share the countries where staff are located since they are there for personal circumstances.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend, which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We have provided a response based on the number of accepted requests via the Departments Working Remotely Overseas policy. This does not include staff working overseas on official business postings, with the Departments Working Remotely Overseas policy focusing on staff who are assigned to offices within the UK but have sought permission to temporarily work remotely overseas for exceptional reasons. The response to this question also only refers to DfT core, rather than wider group DfT.

On 3rd July 2025, DfTc had 4 members of staff with permission through our Working Remotely Overseas Policy to temporarily work outside of the UK. These members of staff are working from the Netherlands, India, Malawi and the United States of America.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office does not have any employees working remotely from outside the UK. All staff are based within the UK.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not have any staff working permanently outside the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Palestinian nationals have entered the UK under (a) humanitarian and (b) asylum schemes since October 2023.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Data on asylum claims, by nationality, is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions detailed datasets’.

The latest data relates to the year ending March 2025. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

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

The Ministry of Justice uses the term international remote working (IRW) to describe working remotely outside the UK. IRW is defined as when an employee wants to undertake the full responsibilities of their role remotely from abroad, for a short-term and fixed period. Employees may request to work their full responsibilities from abroad in exceptional circumstances e.g. supporting a family member overseas who needs urgent and immediate help, for a maximum of 30 calendar days in a rolling 12-month period.

On 3 July 2025, the Ministry of Justice had 11 employees who had permission to work remotely outside the UK. These are for the following countries:

1. British Virgin Islands
2. Germany
3. Greece
4. Hungary
5. Italy
6. Lithuania
7. Netherlands
8. Poland
9. Republic of Ireland
10. United States of America

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.

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

The amount of expenditure recorded for translation services in the 2023/24 financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March, is £1,699.13.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As at 2 July 2025, 10 DESNZ employees, who are all UK-based, have exceptionally been given permission to work remotely outside of the UK for a limited period. The countries are Thailand, Botswana, Barbados, India, Slovenia, United States of America, France, Belgium and Ireland. Permission is granted for various reasons, including to accompany a partner posted overseas on official government business.

International remote working is separate from and does not include employees who are conducting official business abroad. DESNZ’s international remote working policy allows staff to make an application to work remotely overseas for a short period of time for a number of limited reasons. Approval of such a request is subject to the employee having the legal right to work in the country and the necessary security and other clearances.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Unless undertaking work in an official capacity, the department only permits overseas working in limited circumstances and for short periods of time. The department’s international remote working policy considers any country outside of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as overseas including all British Overseas Territories.

In line with Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office guidance, the department has currently granted temporary permission to 24 staff to work outside the UK in the following countries: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Morocco, Spain, South Africa, and Turkey.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Cabinet Office staff may apply for permission to temporarily work remotely overseas in exceptional circumstances. Examples of this might include when accompanying a Civil Service or Armed Forces partner on an official posting.

There are <5 staff registered on payroll whose permanent working location is abroad. On security and data protection grounds, we are not able to share their location/s.

Separately, there is also a process for staff to request to take their IT overseas with them while on leave, for example if they believe they may need to be contacted during that time.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure women have access to safe spaces when visiting Parliament.

Answered by Nick Smith

Everyone is welcome at UK Parliament and should feel safe being here. We strive to be an organisation which treats all our visitors with respect.

All visitors are reminded of the Parliamentary Behaviour Code, which applies to everyone who visits and works in Parliament. The Behaviour Code requires users of the Estate to treat each other with respect. Visitors who behave in ways that constitute intimidation, bullying or harassment may be asked to leave the Estate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Standard DBT policy is that staff should not normally be allowed to work remotely overseas however the department do permit this under exceptional personal circumstances and following/preceding a period of annual leave when visiting family or friends overseas.

As of 4^th July there are 16 approved applications across DBT to temporarily work overseas for a set period of time. All 16 are contractually are based in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has a clear policy on International Remote Working (IRW), which is only permitted in very limited circumstances, either on compassionate grounds for up to four weeks where an employee has a seriously ill relative abroad, or to enable an employee to accompany their spouse/partner on a Diplomatic or other Government posting abroad. No other IRW is permitted.

Since January 2025 9 employees have been allowed a period of remote working on compassionate grounds. We also have 11 employees currently working remotely while they accompany their spouse/partner on an international posting.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As at 2 July 2025, 7 DSIT employees, who are all UK-based, have exceptionally been given permission to work remotely outside of the UK for a limited period. The countries are: Ghana, United States of America, Italy, Belgium, Sweden and Germany. Permission was granted for various reasons, including to accompany a partner posted overseas on official government business.

International remote working is separate from and does not include employees who are conducting official business abroad. DSIT’s international remote working policy allows staff to make an application to work remotely overseas for a short period of time for a number of limited reasons. Approval of such a request is subject to the employee having the legal right to work in the country and the necessary security and other clearances.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP has no employees who are temporarily working outside the UK.

The DWP policy does not permit overseas homeworking as per our Contractual Homeworking Policy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people subject to Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures entered the UK as asylum seekers or refugees.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The statutory reporting requirements associated with the use of TPIM measures are set out in Section 19(1) of the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of food served in prisons is sourced from British farms; and what plans she has to encourage more prisons to buy British produce.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

As at May 2025, 56.1% of food products sourced via the prisoner food contract and served in prisons is of British origin, however we do not hold a figure for farms specifically.

The sourcing of products is managed through commercial food contracts which are based upon value for money and the quality of the product, with British produce being chosen wherever possible. We continue to review options to source from UK suppliers as part of standard procurement processes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of sourcing British food for hospitals on levels of (a) hospital food quality and (b) patient recovery.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All National Health Service trusts are expected to follow NHS England’s guidance, National standards for healthcare food and drink, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-for-healthcare-food-and-drink/

The guidance promotes the use of healthier, seasonal, and locally sourced food that can cut emissions and the wider environmental impact related to agriculture, transport, storage, and waste across the supply chain and on the NHS estate, while also supporting the local economy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the NHS on increasing procurement from British food producers in its supply chain.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All National Health Service trusts are expected to follow NHS England’s guidance, National standards for healthcare food and drink, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-for-healthcare-food-and-drink/

The guidance promotes the use of healthier, seasonal, and locally sourced food that can cut emissions and the wider environmental impact related to agriculture, transport, storage, and waste across the supply chain and on the NHS estate, while also supporting the local economy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether planned updates to hospital food standards will include a requirement to prioritise British sourcing.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All National Health Service trusts are expected to follow NHS England’s guidance, National standards for healthcare food and drink, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-for-healthcare-food-and-drink/

The guidance promotes the use of healthier, seasonal, and locally sourced food that can cut emissions and the wider environmental impact related to agriculture, transport, storage, and waste across the supply chain and on the NHS estate, while also supporting the local economy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of food served in NHS hospitals was sourced from British farms in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps he is taking to encourage NHS hospitals to buy food sourced from British farms.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All National Health Service trusts are expected to follow NHS England’s guidance, National standards for healthcare food and drink, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-for-healthcare-food-and-drink/

The guidance promotes the use of healthier, seasonal, and locally sourced food that can cut emissions and the wider environmental impact related to agriculture, transport, storage, and waste across the supply chain and on the NHS estate, while also supporting the local economy.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Departments are required to report on the origin of food purchased through public procurement contracts.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Departments are not currently required to report on the origin of food served in their canteens. In January the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced that the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs would be undertaking a review of public sector food procurement to better understand what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. As part of this review, the Government will be reviewing food provenance across all public sector settings, including Government departments.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available for public sector caterers that would like to organise farm visits to help improve local food supply relationships.

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

We are currently considering the policy options available to deliver further on our ambitions for public sector catering, including the potential benefits of developing stronger ties between food producers, caterers, and end consumers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the environmental impact of sourcing food from British producers compared to overseas suppliers for public sector contracts.

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

In 2021, Defra assessed the scientific evidence on the environmental impacts of locally sourced food for public food procurement. This analysis considered the positive and negative environmental impacts of both imported and in country produced food, i.e. British. This analysis identified strong evidence and wide academic consensus that sourcing food locally does not necessarily guarantee a better environmental impact than importing: generally, production has a much greater impact on the environmental footprint of food products than the impacts of transport.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered providing fiscal incentives to local authorities that prioritise British food in their catering contracts.

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

The Government is open to considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. We have already published a new national procurement policy statement. It sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that we think high-quality British producers are well-placed to meet.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of British-grown food procured by the public sector.

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

The Government is open to considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. The new national procurement policy statement sets expectations that government contracts will favour the purchase of food certified to higher environmental standards, which we believe British producers operating to the highest standards will be well-placed to meet.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the (a) number of food miles and (b) level of carbon emissions generated through catering provided by the public sector in the most recent period for which data is available.

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

The Government is currently considering policy options, including how best to demonstrate the beneficial impacts of the new national procurement policy statement, which sets out expectations for Government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will require public bodies to publish annual data on the percentage of British food procured.

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

Public bodies are not required to report on the origin of the food they procure. However, the Government will be reviewing food provenance across the public sector. This will help inform our future approach on public sector food procurement, including any potential considerations for data reporting.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he takes steps to encourage local authorities to support local producers through food contracts for (a) care homes and (b) civic buildings.

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

We recognise the potential benefits of developing stronger ties between local authorities and food producers and support efforts from all parties in strengthening relationships across the supply chains, including into (a) care homes and (b) civic buildings. That is why our national procurement policy statement highlights the role of contracting authorities in driving economic growth and strengthening supply chains by giving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) a fair chance.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department tracks the (a) religious and (b) ideological motivations of terrorist offenders as part of offender rehabilitation and risk assessment.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Information about individuals convicted or in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences, by ideology, is published by the Home Office as part of the ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’ statistics series. The series can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000.

The numbers held in custody are shown on table P.01 of the annual and quarterly tables. As of 31 March 2025 (the most recent data available), 61% of terrorist prisoners were categorised as holding Islamist Extremist views.

Given the sensitive nature of the information, further breakdowns are not published as they may undermine our national security efforts.

Data on all terrorism-related offences is in the published series but not disaggregated by ideology. Table C.03 gives details on the numbers convicted for terrorism-related offences. Information on sentence length is included in table C.04, and the number released by sentence length is provided in table P.05.

All terrorists are managed through a specialist, multi-agency case management process, which includes regular risk assessments and rehabilitative tools to identify, assess and manage an offender’s terrorist risk and needs, including any clear links to an extremist ideology. We have a range of interventions to address and reduce the drivers of radicalisation and move offenders away from harmful ideologies. Our interventions are carried out by qualified staff who receive specialist training. The tracking of religion relies on prisoners’ self-declaration.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people with previous convictions for Islamist terrorism offences have been released.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Information about individuals convicted or in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences, by ideology, is published by the Home Office as part of the ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’ statistics series. The series can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000.

The numbers held in custody are shown on table P.01 of the annual and quarterly tables. As of 31 March 2025 (the most recent data available), 61% of terrorist prisoners were categorised as holding Islamist Extremist views.

Given the sensitive nature of the information, further breakdowns are not published as they may undermine our national security efforts.

Data on all terrorism-related offences is in the published series but not disaggregated by ideology. Table C.03 gives details on the numbers convicted for terrorism-related offences. Information on sentence length is included in table C.04, and the number released by sentence length is provided in table P.05.

All terrorists are managed through a specialist, multi-agency case management process, which includes regular risk assessments and rehabilitative tools to identify, assess and manage an offender’s terrorist risk and needs, including any clear links to an extremist ideology. We have a range of interventions to address and reduce the drivers of radicalisation and move offenders away from harmful ideologies. Our interventions are carried out by qualified staff who receive specialist training. The tracking of religion relies on prisoners’ self-declaration.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average custodial sentence for people convicted of Islamist terror offences is.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Information about individuals convicted or in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences, by ideology, is published by the Home Office as part of the ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’ statistics series. The series can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000.

The numbers held in custody are shown on table P.01 of the annual and quarterly tables. As of 31 March 2025 (the most recent data available), 61% of terrorist prisoners were categorised as holding Islamist Extremist views.

Given the sensitive nature of the information, further breakdowns are not published as they may undermine our national security efforts.

Data on all terrorism-related offences is in the published series but not disaggregated by ideology. Table C.03 gives details on the numbers convicted for terrorism-related offences. Information on sentence length is included in table C.04, and the number released by sentence length is provided in table P.05.

All terrorists are managed through a specialist, multi-agency case management process, which includes regular risk assessments and rehabilitative tools to identify, assess and manage an offender’s terrorist risk and needs, including any clear links to an extremist ideology. We have a range of interventions to address and reduce the drivers of radicalisation and move offenders away from harmful ideologies. Our interventions are carried out by qualified staff who receive specialist training. The tracking of religion relies on prisoners’ self-declaration.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of terrorism-related prisoners in the UK are linked to Islamist ideology.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Information about individuals convicted or in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences, by ideology, is published by the Home Office as part of the ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’ statistics series. The series can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000.

The numbers held in custody are shown on table P.01 of the annual and quarterly tables. As of 31 March 2025 (the most recent data available), 61% of terrorist prisoners were categorised as holding Islamist Extremist views.

Given the sensitive nature of the information, further breakdowns are not published as they may undermine our national security efforts.

Data on all terrorism-related offences is in the published series but not disaggregated by ideology. Table C.03 gives details on the numbers convicted for terrorism-related offences. Information on sentence length is included in table C.04, and the number released by sentence length is provided in table P.05.

All terrorists are managed through a specialist, multi-agency case management process, which includes regular risk assessments and rehabilitative tools to identify, assess and manage an offender’s terrorist risk and needs, including any clear links to an extremist ideology. We have a range of interventions to address and reduce the drivers of radicalisation and move offenders away from harmful ideologies. Our interventions are carried out by qualified staff who receive specialist training. The tracking of religion relies on prisoners’ self-declaration.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted under terrorism legislation for offences linked to Islamist extremism in the past five years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Information about individuals convicted or in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences, by ideology, is published by the Home Office as part of the ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’ statistics series. The series can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000.

The numbers held in custody are shown on table P.01 of the annual and quarterly tables. As of 31 March 2025 (the most recent data available), 61% of terrorist prisoners were categorised as holding Islamist Extremist views.

Given the sensitive nature of the information, further breakdowns are not published as they may undermine our national security efforts.

Data on all terrorism-related offences is in the published series but not disaggregated by ideology. Table C.03 gives details on the numbers convicted for terrorism-related offences. Information on sentence length is included in table C.04, and the number released by sentence length is provided in table P.05.

All terrorists are managed through a specialist, multi-agency case management process, which includes regular risk assessments and rehabilitative tools to identify, assess and manage an offender’s terrorist risk and needs, including any clear links to an extremist ideology. We have a range of interventions to address and reduce the drivers of radicalisation and move offenders away from harmful ideologies. Our interventions are carried out by qualified staff who receive specialist training. The tracking of religion relies on prisoners’ self-declaration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether foreign nationals convicted of Islamist extremist offences are automatically considered for deportation.

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

Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are under surveillance by counter-terrorism police for suspected links to Islamist extremism.

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

As a matter of long-standing policy, we do not comment on the detail of security and intelligence matters. However, we continuously assess potential threats to the UK and, where necessary, deploy the full range of tools available to mitigate them.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many known Islamic extremists reside in the UK.

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

As a matter of long-standing policy, we do not comment on the detail of security and intelligence matters. However, we continuously assess potential threats to the UK and, where necessary, deploy the full range of tools available to mitigate them.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle online Islamist (a) radicalisation and (b) propaganda targeting young people.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 9 July to Question 64852.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Prevent cases resulted in prosecutions for Islamist-related offences during the past year.

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

Prevent seeks to intervene early and provide support to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Prevent is not an investigative tool or a criminal sanction, and prosecution is not the intended outcome.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The total cost incurred by the department in providing translation services, other than British Sign Language and languages native to the UK, is £180.

Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) help prevent radicalisation in (i) mosques, (ii) Islamic schools and (iii) community centres.

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

The Prevent duty was introduced through the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and requires a range of public sector bodies working in local communities to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism as part of their day-to-day work.

The Prevent programme is run locally by experts who understand the risks and issues in their area, and how best to support their communities including working with faith institutions, education and community settings. These experts include local authorities, the Police, charities and community organisations.

In addition, the programme provides training for educators, healthcare professionals and other frontline staff to help them identify and support those susceptible to radicalisation. Prevent also works closely with local partners, policing, and other government departments to disrupt those groups that radicalise others, both online and in communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals to Prevent related to Islamist ideology have been made in the last three years.

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

Information about Prevent referrals and Channel cases can be found on GOV.UK Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme statistics - GOV.UK.

Official statistics on individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent programme for year ending 31 March 2025 will be published later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of visa applications were rejected due to national security concerns related to Islamist extremism in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was given on 15 May to Question 51200.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications were rejected on national security grounds in the last five years, broken down by country of origin.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was given on 15 May to Question 51200.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports have been cancelled due to UK citizens travelling abroad to join Islamist terrorist groups in the last five years.

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

It is the longstanding policy of successive UK governments that we do not comment on operational intelligence or security matters , including the specific details of individuals who have and their passports revoked.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she is providing to local authorities to help them counter radicalisation in areas identified as high risk for Islamist extremism.

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

All Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales receive dedicated support from the Home Office to deliver the Prevent duty effectively and in proportion to the risk and threat.

Whilst Prevent seeks to tackle the threat from a range of ideologies, we expect all local authorities facing a high risk from Islamist extremism to identify this in their risk assessments and delivery plans, working closely with Counter-Terrorism Police.

Currently, the 28 highest threat areas in England and Wales receive Home Office Prevent funding to help them to go above and beyond the requirements of the Prevent duty. This funding supports the provision of dedicated Prevent posts in these local authorities. Some of these local authorities also receive additional funding to support regional working and share their Prevent expertise with other neighbouring local authorities.

All local authorities have access to the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. This supports the delivery of targeted Prevent projects, that aim to identify and mitigate local radicalisation risks, including the risk from Islamist extremism.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been flagged for links to (a) extremist and (b) Islamist networks since 2018.

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

It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on operational intelligence or security matters.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals convicted of sexual offences with a signed deportation order have yet to be deported.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government pledged to deliver the highest rate of removals since 2018 and this target has been surpassed, with a surge in returns activity since the election leading to almost 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK being removed before the end of May.

Of the total returns since 5 July 2024, 4,436 were of foreign national offenders (FNOs). This is an increase of 14% compared to the 3,879 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.

The specific information requested is not currently available from published statistics, but work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to automatically deport foreign nationals convicted of sexual offences.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question 47069 on 30 April.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals with prior convictions for sexual offences were granted (a) asylum, (b) humanitarian protection and (c) leave to remain in each of the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 19 May in response to Question 51194.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil cases tried in court had a jury in each of the last ten years, broken down by case type.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

No central data is recorded on the numbers of juries convened for civil proceedings in England and Wales, nor the breakdown into types of case. Requests are passed to the jury summoning bureau as the need arises.

The use of juries in civil cases is highly exceptional, and the most common examples where a civil jury may still be used would be for claims relating to false imprisonment or malicious prosecution.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of criminal trials were heard before a jury in each of the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on the numbers and proportion of criminal trials heard before a jury. However, the vast majority of criminal cases are heard in the magistrates’ courts without juries – with 90% of all criminal cases being dealt with by magistrates. Of the remaining defendants that do progress to the Crown Court for trial, most plead guilty, meaning their cases do not go before a jury. Therefore, the most accurate proxy available for how many cases are heard by a jury in the Crown Court is the number of defendants who plead not guilty. The table below provides a breakdown of this data over the past five years:

Defendants dealt with in trial cases disposed of in the Crown Court, 2020-2024

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trials by jury on levels of public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Sir Brian Leveson has published the first part of his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, setting out a number of recommendations on the use of jury trials in the Crown Court. Jury trials are a cornerstone of our justice system and will remain in place for the most serious cases. However, we must consider bold action to tackle the rising backlog. There is evidence that significant delays undermine confidence in the system. Over 90% of criminal cases are heard without a jury and deliver swift justice. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response in the autumn.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of his Department's procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Based on available data, in the financial year 2024-25, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) centrally awarded a total of 558 commercial contracts. Of these, 277 contracts-representing approximately 49.6 per cent of awarded contracts-were awarded to companies with their head office registered in the United Kingdom.

The FCDO ensures that its contracts are tendered in accordance with UK procurement legislation, promoting open and fair competition, following a set of standard processes designed to ensure transparency, value for money, and equal opportunity for suppliers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department uses to assess the national security risk posed by migrants from specific countries.

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

As a matter of longstanding policy, we do not comment on the detail of security and intelligence matters.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many countries are designated as high risk for immigration control purposes, and on what basis.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The UK operates a robust and effective visa system, which is an important part of securing the UK border and a vital tool for the UK in reducing illegal immigration, tackling organised crime and protecting national security. A requirement to obtain a visa prior to travelling to the UK means that we can assess whether an individual is a genuine visitor to the UK and will comply with the Immigration Rules on arrival. It allows us to intervene and, where necessary, refuse a visa before the individual travels to the UK.

The UK visa system, including the Visa National List, is kept under regular review. Decisions on which countries are required to apply for a visa (known as “visa national” countries) and which are not required to apply for a visa (known as “non-visa national” countries) are taken on the basis of a range of factors including security, compliance and returns arrangements.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department maintains an internal country risk list for (a) immigration and (b) visa purposes.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The UK operates a robust and effective visa system, which is an important part of securing the UK border and a vital tool for the UK in reducing illegal immigration, tackling organised crime and protecting national security. A requirement to obtain a visa prior to travelling to the UK means that we can assess whether an individual is a genuine visitor to the UK and will comply with the Immigration Rules on arrival. It allows us to intervene and, where necessary, refuse a visa before the individual travels to the UK.

The UK visa system, including the Visa National List, is kept under regular review. Decisions on which countries are required to apply for a visa (known as “visa national” countries) and which are not required to apply for a visa (known as “non-visa national” countries) are taken on the basis of a range of factors including security, compliance and returns arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to amend the guidance entitled School food standards practical guide, published on 13 February 2025, to encourage schools to buy British produce.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on the school food standards to help us understand the challenges around school food.

Schools are responsible for their school meals service and how and where they choose to buy their produce. Schools can voluntarily follow the government's buying standards.

Additionally, the National Procurement Policy Statement, published in February 2025, underscores the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts, which we believe our high quality British producers are well-placed to meet.

Alongside this, the government’s wider food strategy will create a healthier, fairer, and more resilient food system, boosting our food security, improving our health, ensuring economic growth, and delivering environmental sustainability.

As with all aspects of the school food standards review, the department will review our guidance and consider our approaches to procurement of UK-grown produce.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS does not allow any staff to work remotely outside of the UK on a permanent basis.

Staff may be given time-limited permission to work overseas. Short term overseas approval granted from 1st January - 4th July 2025 are as follows:

• Travelling for business reasons: 103 instances

• Accompanying a spouse on an overseas military posting: 0 instances

• On-call during annual leave: 12 instances

• Temporary short term remote working overseas: 9 instances

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to source (a) fresh and (b) seasonal food produced in the UK.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. We are currently engaging with stakeholders on the school food standards to help us understand the challenges around school food.

Schools are responsible for their school meals service and how and where they choose to buy their produce. Schools can voluntarily follow the government's buying standards.

Additionally, the National Procurement Policy Statement, published in February 2025, underscores the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts, which we believe our high quality British producers are well-placed to meet.

Alongside this, the government’s wider food strategy will create a healthier, fairer, and more resilient food system, boosting our food security, improving our health, ensuring economic growth, and delivering environmental sustainability.

As with all aspects of the school food standards review, the department will review our guidance and consider our approaches to procurement of UK-grown produce.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation (excluding Arm’s Length Bodies) £27,611,694.85 ex VAT in FY24/25

Excluding (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting the Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation (excluding Arm’s Length Bodies) £27,596,855.85 ex VAT in FY24/25.

Within Strategic Command, the Permanent Joint Headquarters has an ongoing requirement for interpreters and written translation services to support operational activity overseas and in the UK. Within the contract, over 99% of the value is spent on interpreters who support training and Headquarters activity. Estimated Annual spend against this contract is £30 million.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) recent arrivals were charged with (i) rape and (ii) sexual assault in each of the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Available data on the age, ethnicity, gender and region of individuals prosecuted and convicted at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Ministry of Justice Outcomes by Offences data tool, can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page, which is available online here:

Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK

However, this data is not broken down by nationality or immigration status.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals were arrested for sexual offences in each of the last five years, broken down by nationality.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Available data on the age, ethnicity, gender and region of individuals prosecuted and convicted at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Ministry of Justice Outcomes by Offences data tool, can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page, which is available online here:

Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK

However, this data is not broken down by nationality or immigration status.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people arrested for sexual offences were foreign nationals in the last 12 months.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Available data on the age, ethnicity, gender and region of individuals prosecuted and convicted at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Ministry of Justice Outcomes by Offences data tool, can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page, which is available online here:

Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK

However, this data is not broken down by nationality or immigration status.

35th anniversary of the murder of Ian Gow MP

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Historic County Flags Day 2025

Found: That was about Rupert Lowe. That is the one that remains up. Why does it remain up?

Found: Not called_18 Sir Gavin Williamson John Lamont Jack Rankin Bob Blackman Nick Timothy Rupert Lowe