Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Defending Democracy Taskforce met in Northern Ireland between January 2025 and June 2025.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Meetings of the Taskforce are attended by Ministers and senior officials from multiple government departments, and have to date, all taken place in secure government premises within the Whitehall estate. These meetings, that I chair in my role as Security Minister, are complemented by official led meetings with Devolved Governments including Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of illegally working while awaiting an asylum claim have on the outcome of that claim.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Illegal working is a criminal offence, and it is important for asylum seekers to adhere to the rules on the right to work in the UK. Evidence of illegal working will routinely be taken into account when assessing an asylum seeker's claim.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of establishing and operating the National Age Assessment Board; and if she will divert this expenditure into training social workers in local authorities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Due to the operational nature of the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), the costs are subject to change and are currently not published. The Home Office continues to keep all aspects of the immigration system under review, including the best process for conducting age assessments.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60413 on Asylum: Northern Ireland, whether her Department plans to purchase (a) tower blocks and (b) student accommodation to house those people claiming asylum in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on 23 June 2025 to UIN 60413.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will estimate the number of asylum applicants who have had their initial claims rejected and subsequently made a further application.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Data on initial decisions on asylum claims, including refusals, is published in table Asy_D02 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. Data on the number of further submissions is not available from published statistics.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the No Recourse to Public Funds policy on the mental health of asylum seekers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 29 May to Question 53554.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) charges, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions for unlawful abortion there have been in England and Wales in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to MP Mr Gregory Campbell East of Londonderry, Democratic Unionist Party on 5 June 2025.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people who have no right to work are currently identified and referred within the National Referral Mechanism for modern slavery; and what is the average total annual cost of providing benefits for those who are in the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The requested data is not available form published statistics, and could only be collated for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
The Home Office funds the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), which is contracted to spend £379 million over 5 years to provide specialist and statutorily mandated support to adult victims of exploitation and trafficking, in England and Wales. The MSVCC provides safe accommodation where necessary, financial support, and access to a support worker.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent data her Department holds on the prevalence of intimate partner violence among young people aged 16 to 19.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Acknowledging the complex nature of domestic abuse, the ONS recently revised a question module in the Crime Survey for England and Wales to improve the accuracy and depth of data collected on domestic abuse. According to the new survey module, 18.7% of 16 to 19-year-olds experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024.
The Home Secretary has been clear that teenage relationship abuse is an extremely important issue the government is tackling. Current CPS guidance applies to all cases of domestic abuse, irrespective of the age of the perpetrator or victim, meaning that protective orders such as Restraining Orders can be implemented to protect victims.
In the upcoming VAWG Strategy, we will also outline steps we are taking to respond to teenage relationship abuse - including through prevention and supporting victims further.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the incidence of domestic abuse among 16 to 19 year-olds.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Acknowledging the complex nature of domestic abuse, the ONS recently revised a question module in the Crime Survey for England and Wales to improve the accuracy and depth of data collected on domestic abuse. According to the new survey module, 18.7% of 16 to 19-year-olds experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024.
The Home Secretary has been clear that teenage relationship abuse is an extremely important issue the government is tackling. Current CPS guidance applies to all cases of domestic abuse, irrespective of the age of the perpetrator or victim, meaning that protective orders such as Restraining Orders can be implemented to protect victims.
In the upcoming VAWG Strategy, we will also outline steps we are taking to respond to teenage relationship abuse - including through prevention and supporting victims further.