Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to reduce the time taken for decisions to be made on applications for the (a) Protective Security for Mosques Scheme and (b) Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer.
Global and domestic events have heightened security concerns within faith communities, which has led to a significant increase in demand for protective security schemes offered by the Home Office. Additionally, following the violent disorder last year, the Home Office set up rapid security services to safeguard mosques and other places of worship. Delivering this support to a large number of places of worship has unfortunately also contributed to delays in processing applications for longer-term security measures.
I can assure you the Home Office is working as quickly as it can to process applications.
Asked by: Lord Pickles (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assess whether students arriving in the United Kingdom from Gaza have expressed support for Hamas or any other proscribed organisation operating in the Gaza Strip.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All visa applicants are required to provide their biographic and biometric data to enable a range of security checks to be completed, including criminality checks.
Robust security checks are being undertaken on all individuals who enter the UK through the process to support eligible students to exit Gaza. Biometrics are collected as part of the visa application process and prior to travel to the UK.
The Home Office uses various tools to detect and disrupt travel by terrorists, by criminals and by individuals excluded from the UK; previously deported from the UK; or using lost, stolen or revoked documents and visas. This includes the use of domestic and international watchlists. The Home Office works with both law enforcement and wider government partners to ensure appropriate action is taken before travel or at the border when individuals of concern are identified. It would not be appropriate to provide further information about the nature and scope of security checks.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of animals involved in LD50 tests by type of animal; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those tests.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office publishes detailed annual statistics on the use of animals in science, including procedures for acute and sub-toxicity testing methods such as LD50 (Lethal Dose 50) and LC50 (Lethal Concentration 50). According to the latest published figures for 2024, there were 11,992 procedures in this category, and the statistics include a breakdown by species.
All testing using protected animals, including the LD50 and LC50 tests, are subject to strict regulation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
These particular tests are internationally recognised methods for assessing toxicity and are required under guidelines set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations overseen by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Some authorised medicines in the UK necessitate quality control tests which require the use of animals, conducted to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of specific medicines. The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and has published a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption. The strategy is available at:
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with ecommerce sites on the online sale of human remains.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the urgent correspondence from the hon. Member for Torbay dated 12 November 2025 on the potential closure of the custody suite in Torbay.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
A response to this letter has been sent.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to stop the sale of human remains on ecommerce sites.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the level of prosecutions for immigration-related offences.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Prosecutions themselves are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 provides an array of new and stronger powers for law enforcement agencies to prevent organised immigration crime and bring further prosecutions against immigration related offences. These powers will, for example, make it a criminal offence to put lives in danger during a small boat crossing and will allow law enforcement to intercept smuggling gangs’ criminal activity earlier on in the investigations process. The Crown Prosecution Service has welcomed the package of new offences as it equips prosecutors with another tool to fight organised immigration crime, especially those involving dangerous Channel crossings.
The full Act can be found at legislation.co.uk: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/31/part/3/enacted and part 3 provides for ‘Offences relating to things for use in serious crime’.
Statistics published last week show there has been a 33% surge in smuggling arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets over the last 12 months. More information on this can be read at What is being done to stop organised immigration crime? - GOV.UK
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the current level of conviction and sentencing patterns for immigration offences on immigration enforcement policy.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Statistics published last week show there has been a 33% surge in smuggling arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets over the last 12 months. What is being done to stop organised immigration crime? - GOV.UK
To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication. Information about convictions of immigration offences is not available in our published data. Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on detected irregular arrivals to the UK Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to deter small boat crossings in the English Channel.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration. We are committed to tackling illegal migration and the criminal networks behind it.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 has now received Royal Assent and the overarching impact assessment for this can be found here:
The Government is continuously monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of our measures in place to tackle small boats. As stated in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the Border Security Command will be publishing an annual report, which must state the Commander’s views on the performance in the financial year of the border security system. This is set out in the Act here:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/31/section/4/enacted
Border security is fundamental to both our national security and economic security and evaluating our approach is a critical part of that.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of real human remains being advertised for sale on ecommerce sites.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.