Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2026 to Question 103530 on Firearms: Licensing, what discussions her Department has had with Hertfordshire Constabulary on reducing the time taken to renew shotgun licences in the tri-force area of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

The issuing of firearms certificates, resourcing of firearms licensing teams and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners. Hertfordshire Constabulary works with Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Bedfordshire Police r as part of a tripartite arrangement intended to provide a firearms licensing service across the three police force areas. The arrangements are led by Hertfordshire Constabulary and report to the Chief Constables of all three forces.

The Chief Constables of the three forces received an accelerated cause of concern notice from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on 9 January 2026 relating to the management of firearms licensing across the three forces. As a result of the notice, the forces have been required to make changes to improve the situation and to report back to HMICFRS. The Government expects to see an improvement in performance.