Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

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.

What progress has she made on the design and pilot of AI tools to support asylum case working as part of the Asylum Transformation Programme.

The Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) to summarise asylum interview transcripts. The Asylum Policy Search (APS) tool is an AI search assistant that finds and summarises country policy information. The tools were designed as an aid for decision-makers to improve efficiency but do not, and cannot, replace any part of the decision-making process. APS has been rolled out and is accessible to all Asylum decision makers and ACS is in advances stages of development with a full roll out planned in the new year. Further tooling is being worked on including an asylum letter writing assistant for caseworkers.

With reference to the news story entitled ‘Honour’-based abuse crackdown in raft of new measures, published on 26 August 2025, by when she plans to pilot a prevalence study into ‘honour’-based abuse.

'Honour’-based abuse is a serious form of abuse that nobody should have to experience. This is why we are tackling it through our mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.To prevent and respond effectively to forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) it is essential that we understand the prevalence of these crimes.Building on the feasibility study conducted by the University of Birmingham in 2023/24, the Home Office has commissioned a pilot research project to support the development of a national prevalence estimate for forced marriage and female genital mutilation. This work is already underway.

With reference to her Department's news story entitled Honour-based abuse crackdown in raft of new measures, published on the 26 August 2025, how many of the 2,755 honour-based abuse related offences recorded by police in England and Wales related to cases in which (a) men and (b) boys were victims.

'Honour’-based abuse is a serious form of abuse that nobody should have to experience. This is why we are tackling it through our mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.To prevent and respond effectively to forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) it is essential that we understand the prevalence of these crimes.Building on the feasibility study conducted by the University of Birmingham in 2023/24, the Home Office has commissioned a pilot research project to support the development of a national prevalence estimate for forced marriage and female genital mutilation. This work is already underway.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proportion of Pakistani asylum seekers that have arrived via a) visas or b) other leave in the year to June 2025 on the asylum system.

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.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proportion of Bangladeshi asylum seekers that have arrived via a) visas or b) other leave in the year to June 2025 on the asylum system.

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.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the police on the replacement of the Police National Database.

The Home Office established the Public Safety Group Commissioning Board as part of a broader reform programme to strengthen governance and accountability for major technology initiatives and investments. The Board and its sub groups include representatives from the policing sector to provide strategic oversight, ensure value for money, and manage risk across the complex national policing technology portfolio.The purpose of the Commissioning Board is to drive improvements in public safety and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of policing and law enforcement through digital transformation. A key component of this portfolio is the Police National Database, which is regularly discussed given its critical role.

If she will hold discussions with the the College of Policing on its authorised professional practice guidance entitled Media relations, published on 15 August 2025.

On 13 August 2025, the College of Policing published interim guidance for police forces on the disclosure of suspects’ ethnicity and nationality in serious cases. This interim guidance is included in the College’s public consultation of the Media and Communications Authorised Professional Practice (APP), formerly the Media Relations APP which launched on 5 November 2025. The public are invited to share their views on the guidance as part of this consultation, which will conclude in January next year.Guidance on police communications for officers is provided by the College of Policing, which operates independently of government. Forces are responsible for implementing this guidance, and officers are expected to exercise professional judgement in line with the law and operational priorities.Ministers regularly meet with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing as part of their responsibilities to maintain oversight and discuss policing priorities.

How many foreign national offenders are awaiting removal to their home countries under the UK Borders Act 2007.

The information you have requested is not currently available from published statistics.Work is underway to improve the quality of information held by the department on foreign national offenders (FNOs). If this work progresses as planned, the Home Office intend to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.We are committed to delivering justice for victims and safer streets for our communities. Foreign nationals who commit serious crimes will face the full force of the law and be deported at the earliest opportunity.This government has already removed almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year of office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous twelve months (5 July 2024 to 4 July 2025) and we will continue to crack down on any foreign nationals who come to this country and break our rules.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83507 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, whether that figure refers to the number of people prevented from crossing.

9,686 refers to the number of attempts by people prevented from crossing in that time period.

How many people are on the violent harm assessment database by (a) age, (b) nationality and (c) ethnicity.

The Violence Harm Assessment database is an internal tool used by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to identify and risk assess individuals involved in violence in London.The Home Office are not responsible for the database and the MPS publish summary statistics on the demographic background of those individuals on the database, which can be found here: Violence Harm Assessment | Metropolitan Police .

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83494 on Drugs: Organised Crime, how much additional funding to help tackle county lines was provided to Cambridgeshire Constabulary in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

We are investing more than £43m this financial year (25/26) in the County Lines Programme, to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade.Whilst we have prioritised investment in the five police forces with the greatest number of ‘exported’ county lines (Metropolitan Police, Merseyside Police, West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police), the Programme also provides funding for the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response and a dedicated fund which provides local police forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, referred to as the County Lines Programme ‘Surge Fund’.The Surge Fund is allocated to forces through a bidding process, managed by the NCLCC on behalf of the Home Office. Funding is allocated based on NCLCC’s assessment of county lines threat and impact.As one of the top importing areas for county lines, Cambridgeshire Constabulary have consistently received investment from the Surge Fund. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of individual police force allocations due to operational sensitivities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83494 on Drugs: Organised Crime, what the name is of the dedicated fund used to provide additional funding to tackle county lines.

We are investing more than £43m this financial year (25/26) in the County Lines Programme, to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade.Whilst we have prioritised investment in the five police forces with the greatest number of ‘exported’ county lines (Metropolitan Police, Merseyside Police, West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police), the Programme also provides funding for the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response and a dedicated fund which provides local police forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, referred to as the County Lines Programme ‘Surge Fund’.The Surge Fund is allocated to forces through a bidding process, managed by the NCLCC on behalf of the Home Office. Funding is allocated based on NCLCC’s assessment of county lines threat and impact.As one of the top importing areas for county lines, Cambridgeshire Constabulary have consistently received investment from the Surge Fund. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of individual police force allocations due to operational sensitivities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83494 on Drugs: Organised Crime, how the amount of additional funding to tackle county lines was calculated for each police force.

We are investing more than £43m this financial year (25/26) in the County Lines Programme, to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade.Whilst we have prioritised investment in the five police forces with the greatest number of ‘exported’ county lines (Metropolitan Police, Merseyside Police, West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police), the Programme also provides funding for the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response and a dedicated fund which provides local police forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, referred to as the County Lines Programme ‘Surge Fund’.The Surge Fund is allocated to forces through a bidding process, managed by the NCLCC on behalf of the Home Office. Funding is allocated based on NCLCC’s assessment of county lines threat and impact.As one of the top importing areas for county lines, Cambridgeshire Constabulary have consistently received investment from the Surge Fund. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of individual police force allocations due to operational sensitivities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79293 on Offences against Children: Criminal Investigation, how many phases will Operation Beaconport have; and if she will set out the scope of each phase.

A new national police operation into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, Operation BEACONPORT, is now underway and being overseen by the NCA in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other policing partners, as recommended in Baroness Casey’s report. This will identify more perpetrators, give victims the justice they deserve, ensure best practice is shared, and equip the system to deal with complex cases more effectively.This will be done through assistance to live investigations through support and guidance, a review of cases where they were closed with no further action, improving operating models to ensure child sexual exploitation and abuse is treated as serious and organised crime, and ensuring technology is harnessed to identify vulnerable children and safeguard them. It will also identify the prolific perpetrators carrying out these heinous offences.Terms of Reference are being discussed and agreed with policing partners with future budgets subject to the department’s allocation process.The closed case review element will have phases running concurrently. Each phase will build on the last.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79293 on Offences against Children: Criminal Investigation, when she expects phase one of Operation Beaconport to conclude.

A new national police operation into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, Operation BEACONPORT, is now underway and being overseen by the NCA in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other policing partners, as recommended in Baroness Casey’s report. This will identify more perpetrators, give victims the justice they deserve, ensure best practice is shared, and equip the system to deal with complex cases more effectively.This will be done through assistance to live investigations through support and guidance, a review of cases where they were closed with no further action, improving operating models to ensure child sexual exploitation and abuse is treated as serious and organised crime, and ensuring technology is harnessed to identify vulnerable children and safeguard them. It will also identify the prolific perpetrators carrying out these heinous offences.Terms of Reference are being discussed and agreed with policing partners with future budgets subject to the department’s allocation process.The closed case review element will have phases running concurrently. Each phase will build on the last.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79293 on Offences against Children: Criminal Investigation, what her timetable is for setting the terms of reference for Operation Beaconport.

A new national police operation into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, Operation BEACONPORT, is now underway and being overseen by the NCA in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other policing partners, as recommended in Baroness Casey’s report. This will identify more perpetrators, give victims the justice they deserve, ensure best practice is shared, and equip the system to deal with complex cases more effectively.This will be done through assistance to live investigations through support and guidance, a review of cases where they were closed with no further action, improving operating models to ensure child sexual exploitation and abuse is treated as serious and organised crime, and ensuring technology is harnessed to identify vulnerable children and safeguard them. It will also identify the prolific perpetrators carrying out these heinous offences.Terms of Reference are being discussed and agreed with policing partners with future budgets subject to the department’s allocation process.The closed case review element will have phases running concurrently. Each phase will build on the last.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82448 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, what the cost is of (a) charter and (b) regularly scheduled flights to conduct returns under the new UK-France agreement.

I have been clear that we do not comment on costs for scheduledflights or charter flights, and this was made explicit in the answer to the original Question. These are commercially sensitive arrangements that can provide an insight into pricing structure. To do otherwise could deter the private sector from entering into contracts with the Home Office.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 79231 on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme: China, when she plans to make a decision on whether to add China to the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

As set out in the National Security Act 2023, the Secretary of State may make a specification under the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) where they consider it is reasonably necessary to do so to protect the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.On China, no decision has been made in relation to specifying this country on the enhanced tier of FIRS. Any changes to the countries listed will be announced first in Parliament in the usual way.It is a long established precedent that information about the discussions taking place in Cabinet and its Committees is not shared publicly as part of the principle of Cabinet Collective Responsibility.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 79231 on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme: China, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on adding China to the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

As set out in the National Security Act 2023, the Secretary of State may make a specification under the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) where they consider it is reasonably necessary to do so to protect the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.On China, no decision has been made in relation to specifying this country on the enhanced tier of FIRS. Any changes to the countries listed will be announced first in Parliament in the usual way.It is a long established precedent that information about the discussions taking place in Cabinet and its Committees is not shared publicly as part of the principle of Cabinet Collective Responsibility.