Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Mutual Legal Assistance requests the UK Central Authority received in 2025; what the average speed was at which these requests are responded to; and what the longest amount of time was between a MLA request and a response in 2025.

In 2025 the UK Central Authority (UKCA) received 8,309 requests for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) from other countries.

Please note that these figures are taken from a live operational system and are subject to change as records in that system are updated as cases progress.

Publishable data on the average time to respond to MLA requests is not currently held by the Home Office.

The UKCA aims to acknowledge receipt of a new MLA request within a few days of receipt, and aims to respond to requests promptly. Requests concerning the most serious offences are treated as a high priority to ensure justice is done and that the UK maintains its reputation as a high-quality criminal justice partner.