Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of arson in (a) England and (b) Romford.

We are committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to do their vital work and to keep the public safe from fires, including those caused by arson. However, decisions on how resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.As part of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s strategic role across fire and rescue services (FRSs), it supports partnership working to promote the consistent recording and investigation of deliberate fires by the Police and FRSs.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of car theft in (a) England and (b) Romford.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.We also provided £250,000 funding in the last financial year to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.Via the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.In recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.

What assessment she has made of the impact of drug trafficking networks operating in and through Venezuela on the UK and its overseas territories.

Drug misuse can have a devastating impact on the safety, productivity, and health and wellbeing of our communities.The UK takes a global approach to continuously assess the impact of global drug trafficking, working with international partners to try and reduce the flow of drugs to the UK and to ensure we stay flexible and coordinated in our response.Tackling the supply of drugs and drug trafficking remains a priority for this Government and will play a critical role in making our streets safer. We are taking an end-to-end approach, including working with law enforcement partners upstream and at the UK border to tackle the gangs responsible for drug trafficking.

How many incidents of car theft were reported to the Metropolitan Police in the London Borough of Havering in the last six months.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences, including the number of theft of motor vehicles, recorded by the police in England and Wales. This information is published as official statistics each quarter at both the Police Force Area and Community Safety Partnership level, including Havering Crime Safety Partnership area. The latest information, to the year ending September 2024, can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesInformation for the year to December 2024 is due to be published on 24th April 2025.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing physical exit checks at borders.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

If she will make an assessment of the completeness of the data collected under the exit checks programme.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

What steps she is taking to help prevent the export of stolen mobile phones by organised criminals.

Through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will place thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing roles to provide a more visible and effective service to the public, with each neighbourhood having a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues, including the theft of mobile phones, handbags and other personal items.To tackle mobile phone theft specifically, on 6 February the Home Secretary brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, leading tech companies and others to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves. The Summit resulted in clear commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, better understand the role of organised crime networks and identify the most effective means of tackling these crimes. As part of ongoing work on this, the Policing Minister recently met with the National Crime Agency and Border Force to consider how best they may be able to contribute to efforts to tackle this criminality.In addition, the Crime and Policing Bill includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property that has been electronically geo-location tracked to those premises, where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant without seriously prejudicing the entry and search purpose.

What steps she is taking to help increase the charge rate for vehicle thefts in London.

Vehicle theft is a truly distressing crime and this Government recognises the negative impact vehicle thefts have had on individuals, businesses and industry.In our Crime and Policing Bill, we have brought forward two new offences to criminalise the possession, importation, making, adapting, supplying or offering to supply an electronic device (such as a signal jammer) for use in theft of a vehicle or theft of anything in a vehicle.We are committed to restoring and strengthening neighbourhood policing. Through our Safer Streets Mission, our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers, across England and Wales, to speed up response times and build public confidence.

What steps she is taking to prevent illegal street vending in Greater London.

Responsibility for tackling illegal street vending in Greater London is a matter for the relevant local police forces.

What steps she is taking to prevent pedal cycle theft within the Havering London Borough.

Bike theft has a significant impact on individuals and for too long, many victims have felt not enough was being done to prevent their bikes being stolen or track down the thieves responsible.As part of this Government’s Plan for Change, our Safer Streets Mission is determined to clamp down on the crime that damages our communities, and affects people’s lives, and tackling theft is a crucial part of that work.The BTP-led National Cycle Crime Group, working with DfT, have set up Cycle Crime Reduction Partnerships across the country to coordinate regional enforcement activity to disrupt organised cycle theft.We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, recruiting 13,000 police personnel into neighbourhood roles, ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to, and doubling investment to £200 million to kickstart this.

What proportion of invoices from UK suppliers her Department paid within 10 days of receipt between September 2024 and February 2025.

All Government departments publish payment performance on a quarterly basis, showing the percentage of invoices paid in 5 days, the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, and net debt interest liability. This is available on GOV.UK.The Home Office’s payment performance is available at:Home Office prompt payment data 2024 to 2025 (accessible) - GOV.UKThe specific information requested is not readily available, and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What steps she is taking to support victims of human trafficking in Havering London Borough.

The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, ensuring that all victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted.The Government offers support to all adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). Consenting adults who are potential victims of human trafficking can access safe and secure accommodation and financial support where necessary, and a support worker who will facilitate access to other support including medical assistance and mental health support, through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including child victims of modern slavery. The Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) service, which is being piloted in Havering London Borough, also provides support to potential child victims of modern slavery. An ICTG offers direct or indirect support and advocacy to ensure the child is protected from further harm, and promote their child's recovery.

What steps she is taking to tackle money laundering in (a) shops and (b) other services using high street premises.

The Government recognises that cash intensive businesses such as barber shops and nails bars can be exploited by criminals who seek to legitimise their criminal cash, enabling them to profit from their illegal activities. Addressing cash-based money laundering is one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre, which sits within the National Crime Agency, who are currently working with partners to drive an increased operational response to this threat, including money laundering through cash intensive businesses.In parallel, the National Police Chiefs Council economic crime co-ordinators are engaged in the development of Clear Hold Build strategies to help police forces tackle serious and organised crime. Clear Hold Build aims to reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods affected by organised crime and increase public confidence in the police and partner agencies. This includes tackling financial crime on the high street.While businesses such as barber shops are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority they interact with regulated businesses, such as banks, who under the Money Laundering Regulations are required to undertake customer due diligence and under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 submit reports to the National Crime Agency if they suspect money laundering.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 34801 on Asylum: Albania, what steps her Department has taken to ensure the continued reduction in the number of Albanian nationals arriving in the UK by small boat.

Small boat crossings by Albanian nationals have reduced each year since their peak in 2022. This government is committed to working with the Albanian government to further reduce these numbers, including through communications campaigns that demonstrate the dangers of these crossings, and ensuring that Albanian nationals with no right to be in the UK are returned efficiently to Albania.We also continue to work with other international partners to target the people smugglers who exploit migrants for profit. The Home Secretary has convened an international summit focussed on Organised Immigration Crime, bringing together Interior Ministers and law enforcement experts, including from Albania, to develop our combined response to the gangs who facilitate this vile trade in human lives.

What support her Department is providing to the Cayman Islands to help counter illegal migration.

The Home Office is developing plans to deliver Refresher Training and Train the Trainer courses in the Cayman Islands to enable their Customs and Border Control (CBC) officials to deliver asylum training to new staff. This builds on previous bespoke asylum casework training delivered in September 2022 and November 2023, February 2024 and March 2025 to upskill new and existing CBC staff and equip them with the knowledge and skills to consider requests for protection under international law. The Home Office is also delivering a regional asylum training programme aimed at building asylum capability in all of the Overseas Territories (OTs) including the Cayman Islands. As part of the regional programme, an Overseas Territories Asylum Network has been launched which seeks to promote the sharing of expertise and best practice across all OTs and fosters shared learning.

What support her Department is providing to the Overseas Territories to assist with people overstaying visas.

Immigration functions are devolved to the Overseas Territories. Any decisions relating to individuals overstaying their visa are matters for local immigration teams.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing licensing for air guns.

Air weapons are subject to firearms legislation which regulates their possession and use. Air weapons can be lawfully possessed in England and Wales without a firearm certificate if the muzzle energy is not more than six foot pounds for air pistols, and 12 foot pounds for air rifles. An air rifle above this muzzle energy threshold must be held on a firearm certificate and an air pistol above this threshold is a prohibited firearm which can only be held with the authority of the Secretary of State. In July 2023, secondary legislation introduced in Parliament clarified the ‘reasonable precautions’ which air weapons owners must take to safely store air weapons away from children, so that whenever under-18s are present, air weapons must be stored securely, out of sight, and separately from ammunition.The Government keeps all firearms controls under review, and we will not hesitate to take action to further tighten the controls on air weapons where it is deemed appropriate.

How many illegal migrants originating from Albania have been returned to Albania since the signing of the Government’s returns agreement in 2022.

The Home Office publishes data on returns in the “Immigration System Statistics Quarterly release”. Data on numbers of Albanian nationals returned to their home country can be found in Ret_D01 of the “Returns detailed datasets”. The latest data goes to the end of December 2024.

Whether her Department have made an assessment of the efficacy of the Government’s illegal migration returns agreement with Albania.

The UK and Albania have established a close and productive relationship on irregular migration and returns over recent years. 2024 saw 616 Albanian nationals arrive in the UK from Albania by small boat, a reduction from 12,658 in 2022. In the same year, 5,294 Albanian nationals were returned, an increase from 2,035 in 2022.

What progress her Department has made on reducing waiting times of (a) Indefinite Leave to Remain applications and (b) visa applications for cases already over the time limit.

The overwhelming majority of applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain and visas are processed within service standard. Processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK and Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK.Applications that fall outside of these processing times, due to the specifics of the case, are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they can be decided at the earliest opportunity.