Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What steps she has taken to help tackle the use of AI in proliferating indecent images of children.

The Government recognises the serious and evolving threat posed by AI being misused to create child sexual abuse material. We know offenders will seek to exploit emerging technologies for their own sexual gratification.AI-generated child sexual abuse is not a victimless crime. The material often includes depictions of real children, escalating the risk of contact abuse. The volume and realism of this material can make it increasingly challenging for safeguarding partners to identify and protect children. Offenders can also use these images to groom and blackmail children.The Government announced in the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy that we will ban nudification apps and other tools designed to create synthetic non-consensual intimate images (NCII) to stop women and girls’ images being tampered with and exploited without their consent.This Government is also introducing specific measures within the Crime and Policing Bill to tackle AI driven child sexual abuse. These include:Criminalising AI models that have been developed to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These optimised models produce hyper-realistic indecent images that often contains the likeness of real children. This offence will carry a sentence of up to five yearsUpdating the existing law criminalising ‘paedophile manuals’ to cover AI as well. Manuals which provide guidance on how to use AI to create CSAM will be punishable by up to three years in prison.A new criminal offence to target moderators and administrators who run sites dedicated to child sexual abuse, including where these horrific images are created or advice is shared using AI. These crimes will now carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.A further amendment to empower authorised bodies- including AI developers and child protection organisations- to scrutinise AI systems to help improve safeguards and prevent them generating harmful content in the first place.These measures are part of this Government’s ongoing efforts to make sure offenders are held accountable for their actions and have no safe place to hide online.UK law is crystal clear: child sexual abuse material is illegal, whether AI generated or not. Producing, storing, sharing or searching for any content depicting child sexual abuse is a criminal offence.

What steps she plans to take to help tackle the use of end-to-end encryption in proliferating indecent images of children.

The implementation of E2EE without safety mitigations has catastrophic consequences. In 2024, tech companies reported 7 million fewer incidents of suspected child sexual abuse exploitation to NCMEC compared to 2023. This decline is linked to reduced detection capabilities due to E2EE and platform design choices. Offenders deliberately migrate to encrypted platforms to evade detection, using E2EE as a safe haven for grooming, sextortion, and CSAM distribution.Technology exists to detect and prevent the abhorrent abuse of children, including in end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Platform design cannot be used as an excuse to avoid detection and reporting obligations. Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must assess and act on risks regardless of their technical architecture – including the risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse on public and private parts of their service. Section 121 of the Act gives Ofcom the power to issue a Technology Notice requiring a service to deploy accredited technology – or use best endeavours to develop or source technology – to detect and remove child sexual exploitation and abuse across public and private parts of the service, including encrypted environments, where necessary and proportionate. Where companies fail to protect users, the regulator, Ofcom, can issue fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company's global revenue, whichever is greater.The Government announced further work to protect children from sexual abuse online in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. Government will work constructively with companies to make it impossible for children in the UK to take, share or view a nude image. This is about prevention. Preventing the harm from happening in the first place whilst avoiding the need for data collection, data sharing or reporting. The technology exists. Now the government wants to work with tech companies to go further.

Which of the 43 police forces in England and Wales do not currently have specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams.

Rape and sexual offences are amongst the most harmful crimes in society and can have a devastating impact on victims, their loved ones and our communities. Therefore, it is essential that every police force has the right specialist capability to properly investigate these crimes and to deliver justice for victims.The Home Office’s assessment is that half of the forces in England and Wales do not have a specialist rape and sexual offence team. However, we are committed to ensuring that by the end of this parliament every police force has one.

What steps does she plan to take to amend the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to reflect the absorption of the Police and Crime Commissioner role into that of metro mayors.

The Government committed in the English Devolution White Paper to transfer Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) functions to mayors of strategic authorities by default, wherever possible.The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions that amend relevant primary legislation, including the Police Reform and Social Responsibility 2011 Act, to achieve this aim. Subject to the Bill receiving Royal Assent, transfers of functions to mayors will take place in areas where the boundaries of the mayoral strategic authority and policing area align, at a date set by the Secretary of State by Order.

When she plans to publish the police reform white paper.

A Police Reform White Paper is being developed in partnership with policing. This is a comprehensive package of reform to policing in England and Wales that will strip out duplication and waste and ensure policing can keep up with the fast-changing nature of crime.This is a once-in-a-generation moment for policing, and it is important that the reforms reflect the Home Secretary’s ambition. We will publish the White Paper in early 2026.

With reference to the Prime Minister’s comment that You will see 3,000 neighbourhood police officers on your streets by March in his speech on 1st December 2025, what recent progress has she made in delivering those additional officers.

We have made £200 million available in 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this parliament, including up to 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by the end of March 2026.The Government has committed to publishing neighbourhood policing numbers every six months to align with the official police workforce statistics, with the next update due at the end of January 2026 setting out the numbers in neighbourhood policing roles as at the end of September 2025.

What is the size of the total absconder pool in the most recent period for which reporting is available.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number and proportion of Bangladeshi asylum seekers who arrived in the UK on a) visas or b) other leave in the year to June 2025.

This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.By changing our protection offer, we are making it fairer for those who comply with the Rules. A person who enters the UK on a visa and continues to qualify will be on a faster route to settlement if they remain on that route, rather than claiming asylum. Claiming asylum will no longer provide the advantages that it does under the current system.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the number and proportion of asylum seekers who previously entered the UK on a) a visa or b) other leave with relevant documentation, including the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK since 2024.

This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.By changing our protection offer, we are making it fairer for those who comply with the Rules. A person who enters the UK on a visa and continues to qualify will be on a faster route to settlement if they remain on that route, rather than claiming asylum. Claiming asylum will no longer provide the advantages that it does under the current system.

What steps her Department took following the approval of the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme Delivery Model Assessment final report by the programme board on 30 June 2025.

Following the Delivery Model Assessment (DMA), the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme has been focussed on the high-level design of an operating model that uses recommendations from the DMA, alongside more recent market engagement. This process has now moved into a detailed design phase, to develop an operating model that is ready for implementation, whilst continuously validating the approach.

What payments to asylum seekers are delivered via the Asylum Support Payments contract.

The Home Office has a legal obligation to meet the essential living needs of destitute asylum seekers. Support is usually provided in the form of accommodation and a weekly allowance, which is reviewed each year to ensure it covers essential living needs.The standard weekly level of allowance for individuals in self-catered accommodation will remain at £49.18. For individuals in catered accommodation, the standard weekly allowance is £9.95.Additional support is also available to pregnant women, young children, and individuals who can show they have exceptional needs.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number and proportion of people claiming asylum who entered the UK on a work visa.

This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.By changing our protection offer, we are making it fairer for those who comply with the Rules. A person who enters the UK on a visa and continues to qualify will be on a faster route to settlement if they remain on that route, rather than claiming asylum. Claiming asylum will no longer provide the advantages that it does under the current system.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the Asylum Support Payments contract as part of the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme.

The Asylum Support Payment (ASP) contract was originally included in the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme (ASAP). However, the ASP contract did not terminate at the same time as ASAP, so a decision was taken to descope it. This does not mean this will not be considered in the future.

Which elements of the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme are a) sustainable and b) scalable.

One of the primary drivers behind the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme is to ensure a new model is both sustainable and scalable, with the flexibility required to respond to changes in demand. The work centred around Future Asylum Contract Transformation (FACT), and the replacement of the current Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC), will ensure that new arrangements meet the requirements for sustainability and scalability.

What progress has she made in implementing the Police National Database programme.

The Police National Database (PND) has been operational for almost 15 years and continues to provide vital intelligence to policing and law enforcement. The replacement of the PND remains a core consideration for the Home Office and policing.The Home Office is currently considering a variety of options for future delivery of the PND transformation programme and further information will be issued once a decision has been taken.

What the Law Enforcement Data Service programme products are.

Further to my answer (20 October 2025) on the delivery progress made on the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS); there are five products within LEDS. There are Person, Vehicles, Drivers, Property and Audit.

With reference to her Department's publication entitled How many people claim asylum in the UK?, published on 21 August 2025, what assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of the number of asylum applications received from people with a study visa.

This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.By changing our protection offer, we are making it fairer for those who comply with the Rules. A person who enters the UK on a visa and continues to qualify will be on a faster route to settlement if they remain on that route, rather than claiming asylum. Claiming asylum will no longer provide the advantages that it does under the current system.

Under the Immigration Platform Technologies programme, what are the three integrated modern technology services that have been delivered.

The three integrated modern technology services that were delivered by IPT are: Access UK – Accessed via GOV.UK, this single online application service for all visa and immigration services allows our customers to complete their application, book an appointment, and pay for their service. It has taken large volumes of paper out of the system and integrates with Atlas, the caseworking system, preventing errors being made in the completion of applications. The Department uses Access to provide application services to all our core immigration routes including building emergency routes for crisis events such as Ukraine or Afghanistan.Atlas – This modern, resilient system is now the core immigration caseworking tool for HO. Atlas supports electronic documents, thereby taking significant amounts of paper out of the system. Because of increased automation, there are reduced handling costs, improved speed of processing and increased reliability of service.Person Identity Product – The Person Identity Product (PIP) is now the unified provider of all person related data services for Immigration Technology, showing the historic case information, co-ordinating the recording of Person & Identity related data, searching for an individual’s details, matching associated data and presenting data back to the end user. Please see 6 September 2022: Immigration Platform Technologies (IPT) Programme Accounting Officer Assessment - GOV.UK for further details.

What recent progress has she made in delivering the Emergency Services Mobile Communications programme.

Following the completion of two major re-procurements, the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) awarded the Mobile Services contract to BT/EE and the User Services contract to IBM in November and December 2024 respectively.The programme has completed a revised Programme Business Case which has been endorsed by the Senior Users of the 3 Emergency Services and those of the devolved nations. The Programme Business Case is expected to complete departmental and treasury approvals in early 2026. Our user community continues to be closely engaged in planning the deployment and rollout of the service and the safe transition from Airwave to ESN. Early adoption of a service ready solution is on track for early 2028 with a further target for complete transition from Airwave by the end of 2029.The main build of ESN masts to provide mobile coverage is largely complete - of a total of the extra 1047 masts due to be built, 987 are completed and operationally live. This is already providing a benefit to the public by enabling over one thousand additional 999 calls every month to be made in areas where previously there was no coverage. Work continues at pace to provide network access in areas where localised coverage is needed; these include densely populated communities, as well as sports stadiums, and shopping centres.The programme’s priority is to achieve the right balance between credible plans that ensures user confidence and the need to deliver ESN as quickly and safely as possible to enable the shutdown of Airwave.

What recent progress she has made in implementing the Asylum Transformation Programme.

The Asylum Transformation Programme is focused on improving the asylum journey by streamlining, simplifying and digitalising processes to speed up decision making and establishing an asylum accommodation system with the right capacity and optimum cost. The programme was formally established in 2022 and since that time has delivered a number of planned initiatives and will continue to deliver until programme closure. Recent Project delivery includes but is not limited to; AI tooling in Asylum case working, a two-way communication portal for legal representatives and the Home Office, improvement to age assessment data management and processes, and tooling that provides greater visibility of asylum accommodation availability across the estate.