Written questions by Kearns.

What discussions her Department has had with external organisations while developing the local grooming gang inquiries.

Our focus is to deliver meaningful change for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including by grooming gangs. That means protecting more children, getting justice for victims and pursuing and punishing the perpetrators of these abominable crimes.On 8 April I made a statement to Parliament setting out a detailed update on Government action to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as a progress update on the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. This included an update on our work to develop a new best practice framework, backed by additional funding, to support local authorities that want to undertake local inquiries or other related activities, including the independent local inquiry commissioned by Oldham Council, for which we have already announced our support.To develop this framework, we have engaged with a range of experts, victims and survivors, drawing on the lessons from local independent inquiries like Telford, Rotherham and Greater Manchester. We are now in the process of testing the framework with stakeholders, including local areas, to ensure it will effectively facilitate work improve local responses to grooming gangs offending. We will publish the details of the framework and the national fund next month.The Home Secretary also wrote to all local authorities in the country last month to update them on the actions we have taken in this area, and ask them to review their own local progress in tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation, and investigating historic cases of those crimes.

What areas will local grooming gang inquiries be conducted in.

Our focus is to deliver meaningful change for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including by grooming gangs. That means protecting more children, getting justice for victims and pursuing and punishing the perpetrators of these abominable crimes.On 8 April I made a statement to Parliament setting out a detailed update on Government action to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as a progress update on the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. This included an update on our work to develop a new best practice framework, backed by additional funding, to support local authorities that want to undertake local inquiries or other related activities, including the independent local inquiry commissioned by Oldham Council, for which we have already announced our support.To develop this framework, we have engaged with a range of experts, victims and survivors, drawing on the lessons from local independent inquiries like Telford, Rotherham and Greater Manchester. We are now in the process of testing the framework with stakeholders, including local areas, to ensure it will effectively facilitate work improve local responses to grooming gangs offending. We will publish the details of the framework and the national fund next month.The Home Secretary also wrote to all local authorities in the country last month to update them on the actions we have taken in this area, and ask them to review their own local progress in tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation, and investigating historic cases of those crimes.

When she expects the national framework for local grooming gang inquiries to be published.

Our focus is to deliver meaningful change for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including by grooming gangs. That means protecting more children, getting justice for victims and pursuing and punishing the perpetrators of these abominable crimes.On 8 April I made a statement to Parliament setting out a detailed update on Government action to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as a progress update on the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. This included an update on our work to develop a new best practice framework, backed by additional funding, to support local authorities that want to undertake local inquiries or other related activities, including the independent local inquiry commissioned by Oldham Council, for which we have already announced our support.To develop this framework, we have engaged with a range of experts, victims and survivors, drawing on the lessons from local independent inquiries like Telford, Rotherham and Greater Manchester. We are now in the process of testing the framework with stakeholders, including local areas, to ensure it will effectively facilitate work improve local responses to grooming gangs offending. We will publish the details of the framework and the national fund next month.The Home Secretary also wrote to all local authorities in the country last month to update them on the actions we have taken in this area, and ask them to review their own local progress in tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation, and investigating historic cases of those crimes.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation on British National (Overseas) Passport holders without UK visas.

Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. But this aspect of the policy remains under review, and we will update the House on any changes in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting people that have British National Overseas status and hold a UK passport from the Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement.

Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. This aspect of the policy remains under review and we will update the House on any changes in due course.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use by officials in her Department of the DeepSeek artificial intelligence model.

The Government has a robust set of security policies in place to oversee how information is handled, within our buildings, on our IT and by our staff.We keep these policies under constant review to ensure they are applicable to new technologies.The Government's Generative AI framework outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process HMG information. Everyone who works with government has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share, and all government departments are required to meet a range of mandatory security standards.

If she will publish any correspondence between her Department and the (a) Planning Inspectorate and (b) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in relation to the application to build a new Chinese Embassy.

The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this quasi-judicial decision independent from the rest of Government.The Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary submitted written representations to the Planning Inspector on 14 January. That letter is publicly available and it explains the factors the Home Office have considered.We have no plans to publish any further information relating to these.

Whether her Department has rejected any applications for UK visas by British National (Overseas) Hong Kong citizens due to confessions given in criminal trials in Hong Kong.

The Home Office considers all applications for UK visas on their individual merits. Suitability requirements apply to all routes and must be met in addition to validity and eligibility requirements. The Immigration Rules part 9: grounds for refusal (Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules part 9: grounds for refusal - Guidance - GOV.UK) has further detail as to when an application for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay must be refused on criminality grounds. In addition, further information on how overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK are considered for applications submitted specifically under the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route can be found in the published casework guidance - Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route. Guidance for caseworkers provides flexibility to ensure that overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK do not result in the automatic refusal of a HK BN(O) route application.

Whether criminal convictions given to Hong Kongers in Hong Kong courts under the National Security Act can be used to deny UK visas.

The Home Office considers all applications for UK visas on their individual merits. Suitability requirements apply to all routes and must be met in addition to validity and eligibility requirements. The Immigration Rules part 9: grounds for refusal (Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules part 9: grounds for refusal - Guidance - GOV.UK) has further detail as to when an application for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay must be refused on criminality grounds. In addition, further information on how overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK are considered for applications submitted specifically under the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route can be found in the published casework guidance - Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route. Guidance for caseworkers provides flexibility to ensure that overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK do not result in the automatic refusal of a HK BN(O) route application.

When her Department will publish the ethnicity data on grooming gangs collected by the police.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January 2025, in which she announced the appointment of Baroness Louise Casey to lead a rapid three-month audit into these issues. The audit will examine all the currently available data and evidence to help us to better understand the nature, scale and profile of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation being dealt with by police forces in the UK today, including ethnicity; to identify gaps in existing knowledge; and to make recommendations that can then be applied at local level.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21677 on Offences Against Children, whether her Department plans to reform the collection of data on grooming gangs.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January 2025, in which she announced the appointment of Baroness Louise Casey to lead a rapid three-month audit into these issues. The audit will examine all the currently available data and evidence to help us to better understand the nature, scale and profile of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation being dealt with by police forces in the UK today, including ethnicity; to identify gaps in existing knowledge; and to make recommendations that can then be applied at local level.

Whether all immediate choice officer pensions will be remedied by 1 April 2025.

While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces.It is for each Chief Constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable, including when remedy payments will be distributed.The Home Office is actively collaborating with policing to support the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected individuals.

Whether her Department considers the Muslim Brotherhood and its international offshoots to be extremist entities.

The Government does not routinely comment on individual groups or cases and Home Office officials continually seek to build and refresh their knowledge of the threat from extremism, as the landscape is constantly evolving. This includes disrupting the activities of those who seek to radicalise others but operate – often intentionally – below legal thresholds.While the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations in the UK under review, we do not routinely comment on whether or not an organisation is under consideration for proscription.

Whether her Department considers the Muslim Association of Britain an extremist entity.

The Government does not routinely comment on individual groups or cases and Home Office officials continually seek to build and refresh their knowledge of the threat from extremism, as the landscape is constantly evolving. This includes disrupting the activities of those who seek to radicalise others but operate – often intentionally – below legal thresholds.While the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations in the UK under review, we do not routinely comment on whether or not an organisation is under consideration for proscription.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the United Arab Emirates proscribing (a) Cambridge Education and Training Centre Ltd, (b) IMA6INE Ltd, (c) Wembley Tree Ltd, (d) Waslaforall, (e) Future Graduates Ltd, (f) Yas for Investment and Real Estate, (g) Holdco UK Properties Limited and (h) Nafel Capital as terror groups.

The Government does not routinely comment on individual groups or cases and Home Office officials continually seek to build and refresh their knowledge of the threat from extremism, as the landscape is constantly evolving. This includes disrupting the activities of those who seek to radicalise others but operate – often intentionally – below legal thresholds.While the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations in the UK under review, we do not routinely comment on whether or not an organisation is under consideration for proscription.

What steps her Department is taking to prevent neglect of monkeys used for medical research.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides protections for animals in the UK used in scientific procedures. All establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals, in Great Britain under ASPA must comply with the Code of Practice which sets out standards for the appropriate care and accommodation of animals, including for non-human primates (monkeys). The Regulator conducts regular on-site audits to assess compliance. Non-human primates are afforded ‘specially protected species’ status in the law, which necessitates greater oversight by the Regulator.

Whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of making cuckooing a crime.

Cuckooing is an appalling practice associated with violence, exploitation and anti-social behaviour.The Government’s Safer Streets Mission aims to tackle these issues and we will make further announcements in the normal way in due course.

What criteria she will use to measure the success of the ambition to halve violence against women and girls.

We are undertaking a programme of work to bring together suitable data and metrics to measure progress against the ambition to halve VAWG in a decade. We are working closely with The Office for National Statistics and other stakeholders in producing the metrics underpinning how the government will measure success. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

If she will launch an inquiry into grooming and rape gangs.

The Government's priority is to take action on delivering against the recommendations of the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). The Home Secretary announced on 6th January that we will be bringing in mandatory reporting, making grooming an aggravating factor in CSA cases, and setting up a new panel to ensure victims' and survivors' voices are prioritised in future policy making.The Government will continue to support further inquiries that are needed, which can expose failings and wrongdoings in local areas and institutions. It is right that these take place at a localised level so that those are responsible for delivering services work to ensure lessons are learnt and that local partners are doing all they can to improve their response. We support local areas like Oldham Council, who have confirmed that work to set up a further local inquiry is already underway.The Government invest in the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce (or 'Grooming Gangs Taskforce') which provides practical, expert, on the ground support for local forces investigating complex, group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, with a focus on grooming gangs.The Taskforce collect and report on data on group-based offending quarterly. 'Group-based' offending in this context includes any offence with two or more perpetrators. This will include - but is not limited to - 'grooming gang' type offending; other 'group-based' offending includes intra-familial and peer-on-peer abuse, for example.In November 2024, the Taskforce published 2023 data on group-based offending (available here: https://www.hydrantprogramme.co.uk/publications/hydrant-publications#LatestNews) which includes data on ethnicity. However, it is important to note that ethnicity data is limited and should be treated with caution. The Government will be working with the Taskforce to improve data collection, including dealing with the issues around ethnicity.

If she will (a) collect and (b) publish the ethnicity of (i) abusers and (ii) victims of grooming gangs.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January 2025, in which she announced the appointment of Baroness Louise Casey to lead a rapid three-month audit into these issues. The audit will examine all the currently available data and evidence to help us to better understand the nature, scale and profile of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation being dealt with by police forces in the UK today, including ethnicity; to identify gaps in existing knowledge; and to make recommendations that can then be applied at local level.