Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current estimated waiting time is for an application for security under the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme; and what steps are being taken to reduce the waiting time.
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 Muslim communities, which has led to a significant increase in demand for the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme since its launch.
Additionally, following the violent disorder last year, we set up rapid security services to safeguard mosques and other places of worship. Delivering this support to a large number of mosques has unfortunately 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 to the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum applications have been (1) made, and (2) accepted over the last 10 years, in total and in each of those years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Please find the figures in the table below.
Table 1: Number of Asylum Claims and Number of Grants of Protection or Other Leave at Initial Decision (October 2015 – September 2025)
Period | Asylum Claims | Grants of Protection or Other Leave (at initial decision) |
October 2015-September 2016 | 41,981 | 10,556 |
October 2016-September 2017 | 34,645 | 9,279 |
October 2017-September 2018 | 36,717 | 9,186 |
October 2018-September 2019 | 44,145 | 13,867 |
October 2019-September 2020 | 39,979 | 10,697 |
October 2020-September 2021 | 45,535 | 11,897 |
October 2021-September 2022 | 88,213 | 15,533 |
October 2022-September 2023 | 94,132 | 38,098 |
October 2023-September 2024 | 97,091 | 52,742 |
October 2024-September 2025 | 110,051 | 58,148 |
Total | 632,489 | 230,003 |
Source: Asy_D01- Asylum Claims and Asy_D02 Asylum Initial Decisions of the ‘Asylum claim and initial decisions detailed datasets’, as part of Home Office’s ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Figures include both main applicants and dependants. Grant figures reflect outcomes at the initial decision stage only.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider the potential merits of offering fast track UK citizenship to asylum seekers who report (i) the preparation of acts of terror, (ii) serious organised crime and (iii) approaches by a hostile state to undermine the UK's national security and community cohesion.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The requirements to become a British citizen are set out in the British Nationality Act 1981 and apply equally to everyone. The Act does not allow the government to reduce residential periods for those who report crimes.
The Government has recently launched a consultation, which runs until 12 February 2026, on proposals to reform arrangements for granting settlement in the UK, and under which applicants will be able to earn a reduction in the qualifying period if they meet criteria linked to suitability, integration, contribution and residence.
Any changes to the statutory requirements for citizenship will require an amendment to the British Nationality Act 1981 which will go through the usual parliamentary process.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria determined the order in which asylum accommodation hotels were prioritised for contract termination since 2023.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to closing all hotels accommodating asylum seekers and will do so in a controlled, managed and orderly manner. A range of factors are considered when selecting hotels for closure including contractual arrangements, geographical considerations and operational deliverability.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the National Crime Agency is taking to investigate organised financial crime networks coordinating fraud schemes involving overseas equities and UK-based victims; and whether she is making additional enforcement resources available to support those investigations.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The National Crime Agency (NCA) continuously assesses the origin of organised financial networks targeting UK based victims from overseas and does so through in-depth analysis of intelligence from across the public and private sectors.
This analysis enables the identification of key jurisdictions of risk which in-turn determines the prioritisation of resources and enrichment of partnerships with international law enforcement, the latter being afforded by the NCA’s niche capability of an international network comprising officers deployed in 50 countries worldwide.
Through these relationships, the NCA seek to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups using various tools including protracted joint investigations, capacity building and information sharing. Efforts this year, have resulted in a significant uplift on executive action being undertaken in source countries which have specifically targeted UK victims through high-harm fraud threats types.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has been (a) informed of, (b) consulted on and (c) involved in EU-funded projects for migrant (i) accommodation and (ii) reception facilities in (A) France, (B) the Western Balkans, (C) north Africa and (D) Türkiye since 2022.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since EU Exit, the UK is not a participant in EU funding programmes that cover third country compliance with UN standards on reception facilities and migrant accommodation.
We have not had specific discussions with the EU or member countries about EU-funded migrant accommodation or reception centres in France, Türkiye, North African or Western Balkan nations. That would be an internal matter for those countries.
However, the Home Office works closely with international partners to address the shared challenge of irregular migration and as such we continue to engage on wider migration management with the EU and member countries.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for people arrested for upskirting.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We recognise the devastating impact of non-contact sexual offences, such as upskirting, have on victims and are committed to ensuring more perpetrators are bought to justice.
The Home Office has supported the development of new training for police on these crimes which was made available to all police forces in February. The training will help ensure officers use the principles from Operation Soteria when responding to or investigating these offences and understand how to identify risk factors to safeguard victims and disrupt offending.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information on the number of cases of trustee mismanagement of asset protection trusts that were investigated in each of the last three years by (a) Merseyside Police, (b) Metropolitan Police, (c) Suffolk Police, (d) the National Crime Agency and (e) the Serious Fraud Office; and what discussions she has had with Police Scotland on this matter.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Public Safety Group has no role in data collection on trustee mismanagement, or in any police investigations which may or may not be going on.
Matters relating to solicitor regulation or misgivings are for Ministry of Justice's Arms Lengths Bodies.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with police forces about the handling of antisocial behaviour cases where responsibility is deferred to housing management companies.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour. The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances.
It is right that all relevant agencies have the right tools to tackle anti-social behaviour quickly and effectively. That is why, through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are enhancing the powers available to the police and other local agencies under the 2014 Act. This includes extending the power to issue closure notices to registered social housing providers. Currently only local authorities and police can issue closure notices. This is despite registered social housing providers often being the first agency to be aware of the ASB in question. Extending this power to social housing providers will help to save police and local authorities time as housing providers will be able to make applications directly.
The Home Office regularly engages with police forces on a range of issues, including the handling of antisocial behaviour. This measure in the Crime and Policing Bill followed a consultation in 2023, which included responses from the police, and suggested several changes to the powers that could improve their application and effectiveness.
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 recent discussions she has had with police forces on trends in reported incidents involving trespassers attempting to enter residential properties.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is important that the police have the power to tackle trespassing where there is intent to commit an offence.
On 10th June, the Government announced its intention to repeal the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824.
We have introduced targeted replacement measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe, including a criminal offence of trespassing with intent to commit a criminal offence, an offence which was previously provided for under the 1824 Act, and for which the police have told us is useful to retain.
As is currently the case in the 1824 Act, it will be an offence for a person to trespass on any premises, meaning any building, part of a building or enclosed area, with the intention to commit an offence.