Written questions by Snowden.

Which countries have had access to UK visas restricted due to non-compliance with migrant return agreements; and what criteria were used in these decisions.

Visa penalties, as outlined in section 70 of Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (Nationality And Borders Act 2022), may be imposed on a country which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, does not cooperate with the UK in relation to the return of its nationals who do not have a legal right to be in the UK.These provisions have not been used since their introduction in 2022. But we will use all levers available to ensure the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK, including visa penalties where necessary, and will do whatever it takes to secure the UK’s border.

Whether her Department has consulted police forces on their capacity to implement changes to shotgun licensing procedures.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to consult on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns.We will be undertaking a public consultation which will launch later this year. We will carefully consider the views put forward through this consultation in due course, which will include the possible impact of any changes on policing.

If she will have discussions with (a) police forces and (b) rural stakeholders on the potential benefits of a (a) digitised and (b) centralised firearms licensing system.

The Government has no plans to introduce the centralisation of the firearms licensing process.The Firearms Act 1968 places statutory responsibility for firearms licensing on the Chief Officer of Police of each individual force in England, Wales and Scotland.This framework is supported by Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police issued by the Home Secretary in respect of firearms licensing and by Authorised Professional Practice issued by the College of Policing.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of people who have used Snapchat to purchase vape products spiked with the synthetic drug spice.

The National Crime Agency routinely assess the threats to the UK from serious and organised crime, including drugs supply. The Government is determined to tackle the sale of illegal drugs online, including those sold as vapes. We are taking a co-ordinated approach that includes law enforcement activity, stronger engagement with tech companies, better education for users so they understand the risks and harms; as well as requiring internet companies to take responsibility for their content.The Online Safety Act 2023 requires internet companies to implement measures to protect their users and to remove illegal content from their platforms, including that related to the sale of illegal drugs. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is monitoring compliance with the regime. And working with law enforcement, they are seeking to suppress the sale of drugs on the clear web and online platforms through strengthening platform accountability and disrupting online dealer tactics.

What technologies are employed by law enforcement agencies to identify vehicles using (a) ghost and (b) cloned licence plates; and what plans her Department has to (i) improve and (ii) expand such capabilities.

Police and law enforcement agencies use the National Automated Numberplate Recognition (ANPR) Capability and associated technologies to detect and respond to criminal use of ghost and cloned licence plates.The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation to tackle crime.

What steps she is taking to ensure that (a) contractors and (b) subcontractors used by her Department publish accounts in line with HMRC requirements.

Contractors under direct contract with agreements over £10k are bound by contract terms to both uphold the laws of the land and to not bring the Secretary of State into disrepute.This includes responsibility for any subcontractors they engage.

If she will prohibit the entry of Greta Thunberg to the UK on the basis of her support for Palestine Action.

It is longstanding Home Office policy not to comment on individual cases.Where a foreign national is seeking to enter or stay in the UK, in order to qualify they will be assessed by UK Visas & Immigration (or Border Force when presenting at the border) against a range of provisions in the current Immigration Rules relating to criminality and other adverse conduct and character prior to their entry to, and any previous time spent in, the UK. Failure to satisfy these criteria may mean their application for a visa, entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay will be refused, depending on the severity of past offences or other factors in their history.Details of these criteria can be found in Part 9 of the Immigration Rules, available on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-part-9-grounds-for-refusal.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the recent arrests for alleged online speech crime on freedom of speech; and if she will make a statement.

The police are operationally independent of Government. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to comment on individual cases.The Government is absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. Our legislation values free speech and enables people who wish to engage in debate to do so. However, freedom of expression is a qualified right and can be restricted in certain situations, including where it is used as an excuse to cause harm or spread hatred.We keep our legislative framework under review to ensure it remains effective in tackling hate crime and protecting communities whilst also upholding the fundamental right to freedom of expression. The Government will always work with policing to ensure that the criminal law supports the common-sense approach we all want to see being taken. The Home Office stands ready to consider the proposals for change currently being developed by the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

How many arrests were made for online speech offences in the last five years.

The Home Office does not hold the information requested.The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series. The latest data is available here: Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions, March 2024 - GOV.UKHowever, the data is collected by wider offence group e.g. “Public order offences”, and information on specific offences is not held.

What guidance is issued to police forces on deploying armed officers for arrests relating to alleged online speech offences.

The College of Policing issues Authorised Professional Practice guidance around the deployment of armed officers.Decisions around the deployment of armed officers are operational matters for Chief Officers to determine based on a thorough assessment of threats and risks.

Whether she plans to conduct a review of (a) hate speech and (b) incitement legislation.

Hate crimes and incitement to violence are inexcusable. We have robust legislation in place to address threatening, abusive, or harassing behaviour, as well as incitement to hatred on the grounds of race, religion, and sexual orientation.The Government is absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. Our legislation values free speech and enables people who wish to engage in debate to do so. However, freedom of expression is a qualified right and can be restricted in certain situations, including where it is used as an excuse to cause harm or spread hatred.We keep this legislative framework under review to ensure it remains effective in tackling hate crime and protecting communities whilst also upholding the fundamental right to freedom of expression. The Government will always work with Policing to ensure that the criminal law supports the common-sense approach we all want to see being taken. The Home Office stands ready to consider the proposals for change currently being developed by the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Whether her Department has considered reviewing the standard police caution to include a reference to the potential impact of legal advice to remain silent on a defendant’s defence.

A review of the standard police caution is not being considered for the reasons set out in my earlier answer to written question UIN 73157.

What criteria her Department used to allocate the funding for the national expansion of the TOEX Capabilities Environment.

The Home Office is providing the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme with £8.8 million this year to increase law enforcements capability to respond to organised exploitation, including by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.In August 2025, the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls announced an additional £426,000 this year, which will enable all forces in England and Wales to access the cutting-edge digital tools that TOEX have developed to support police in detecting and investigating organised exploitation. This includes child sexual exploitation, alongside other organised exploitation crimes including modern slavery, organised immigration crimes, and criminal exploitation.The additional funding will allow for the expedited roll out of the of the Capabilities Environment, to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to the full array of TOEX’s AI-enabled and time-saving toolsThe TOEX programme has already contacted all forces in England and Wales to provide information on how they can access the TOEX tools. In addition to the 15 police forces which are already utilising TOEX tools, since the Minister’s announcement in August, a further 10 forces are currently onboarding. TOEX will continue to engage with additional forces.TOEX is also a critical component in supporting the delivery of Baroness Casey’s recommendation to establish a new national police operation for group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse (Operation Beaconport).

What the scope of Operation Beaconport is.

Operation BEACONPORT is the name assigned by operational partners to the National Police Operation, overseen by the NCA, as recommended by Baroness Casey in her report that followed her Independent Audit of Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (GBCSEA), published in June this year.The operation will address the elements identified by Baroness Casey in recommendations 2 and 8, by bringing together all the relevant policing partners under one operation, to ensure a swift and specialist law enforcement response to GBCSEA.Further details on Operation BEACONPORT will be provided by operational partners shortly.

By what date she expects all police forces in England and Wales to have full operational access to the TOEX Capabilities Environment.

The Home Office is providing the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme with £8.8 million this year to increase law enforcements capability to respond to organised exploitation, including by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.In August 2025, the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls announced an additional £426,000 this year, which will enable all forces in England and Wales to access the cutting-edge digital tools that TOEX have developed to support police in detecting and investigating organised exploitation. This includes child sexual exploitation, alongside other organised exploitation crimes including modern slavery, organised immigration crimes, and criminal exploitation.The additional funding will allow for the expedited roll out of the of the Capabilities Environment, to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to the full array of TOEX’s AI-enabled and time-saving toolsThe TOEX programme has already contacted all forces in England and Wales to provide information on how they can access the TOEX tools. In addition to the 15 police forces which are already utilising TOEX tools, since the Minister’s announcement in August, a further 10 forces are currently onboarding. TOEX will continue to engage with additional forces.TOEX is also a critical component in supporting the delivery of Baroness Casey’s recommendation to establish a new national police operation for group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse (Operation Beaconport).

Whether her Department has issued guidance to retailers on the use of live facial recognition technology for (a) security and (b) commercial purposes.

The Home Office has not issued guidance to retailers on the use of live facial recognition technology, as systems used privately are entirely separate from law enforcement systems.However, all users of FR must comply with the law and the ICO has provided supporting guidance on the use of video surveillance.

What information her Department holds on (a) employment conditions, (b) levels of pay and (c) training undertaken by staff working for subcontractors in migrant hotels.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Whether her Department requires contractors providing hotel accommodation to asylum seekers to disclose their use of subcontractors.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

What proportion of ongoing contracts for the provision of migrant hotel services were awarded through (a) competitive tender, (b) direct award and (c) emergency procurement.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Which companies held contracts for the provision of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers on 1 September 2025; and what the (a) value and (b) duration is for each of those contracts.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.