The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 254 tabled · 219 answered

Written questions by Smith.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Greg Smith this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.

Department:All (254)Department for Transport (114)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (30)Treasury (21)Department of Health and Social Care (17)Department for Business and Trade (11)Home Office (10)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (10)Department for Culture, Media and Sport (9)Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (8)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (6)Department for Education (6)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (6)

Showing 110 of 10 · Home Office

18 May 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

If the Government will make it their policy to introduce nationally consistent guidance on the interpretation of regulations governing abnormal load movements and police escort requirements.

Reply

The National Police Chiefs’ Council issued national guidance to police forces on the management of abnormal loads which was last updated in May 2025. The guidance sets out consistent principles to guide police force’s decisions and promote national alignment where possible, while incorporating the need for variations according to local conditions. The National Police Chiefs Council is currently reviewing the guidance in line with a commitment to do so after 12 months.

2 Sept 2025·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many firearms enquiry officers are employed across police forces in England and Wales.

Reply

The Government does not currently collect data regarding the staffing of firearms licensing departments in police forces. The level of staffing and use of warranted police officers in such departments is a matter for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

2 Sept 2025·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many and what proportion of the firearms enquiry officers employed across police forces in England and Wales are warranted police officers.

Reply

The Government does not currently collect data regarding the staffing of firearms licensing departments in police forces. The level of staffing and use of warranted police officers in such departments is a matter for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

1 Jul 2025·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What steps she is taking to tackle expressions of support for (a) Hamas and (b) Hezbollah at universities.

Reply

I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave to the Rt Hon Member for Fareham and Waterlooville on 7 May in response to Question 48984.

26 Jun 2025·Home Office·Answered
Asked

With reference to her Oral Statement of 19 May 2025 on National Security Act 2023: Charges, Official Report, columns 759-771, when she will take legislative steps to allow proscription of (a) the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and (b) other state threats.

Reply

The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under constant review, as we seek to protect the UK from the threats that we face. However, as a matter of longstanding policy we do not comment on whether or not an organisation is being considered for proscription.The UK has a strong record of responding robustly to state threats, including through implementation of the National Security Act 2023, which makes the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts. In March, we announced that the whole of the Iranian state - including the IRGC and MOIS - will be placed on the Enhanced Tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme which will go live on 1 July.As the Home Secretary set out in her Oral Statement on 19 May 2025, we are committed to taking forward Jonathan Hall KC’s recommendations in his review of State Threats legislation, including the creation of a new State Threats Proscription-like Tool. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

13 Dec 2024·Home Office·Answered
Asked

If she will take steps to extend the deadline for registering for an e-Visa.

Reply

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

13 Dec 2024·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What proportion of people with the right to remain in the UK have registered for an e-Visa.

Reply

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

13 Dec 2024·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many complaints her Department has received on systems for registering for an e-Visa.

Reply

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

13 Dec 2024·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many registrations for an e-Visa have (a) failed to complete the process and (b) experienced technical difficulties.

Reply

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

13 Dec 2024·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What proportion of people with the right to remain in the UK have reported issues registering for an e-Visa.

Reply

There is no deadline for registering for a UKVI account to access an eVisa. Most BRPs expire on 31 December and we encourage all BRP holders to create a UKVI account before their BRP expires. If a person has not created an account by 31 December 2024, they will still be able to do so in 2025, using their expired BRP if needed.eVisas are a key part of our Border Transformation and have been successfully used by over 6 million people in recent years.The rollout of eVisas does not affect a person’s immigration status. Even where someone has not yet created a UKVI account, their eVisa is already available and employers and landlords can digitally check a person’s right to work status using the ‘Check a job applicant’s right to work’ and ‘Check a tenant’s right to rent in England’ services.It is not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of people who have failed to complete the UKVI account registration process. These failures can be due to a number of reasons, including the user choosing to pause the process. Similarly, it is not possible to identify the proportion of people who may have experienced technical difficulties with the eVisa system itself rather than for another reason.There have been 441 complaints relating to eVisas received by our Customer Complaints Team between 28 August 2024 and 15 December 2024, which is the most recent reporting period available. This number refers to all complaints relating to eVisas rather than just in relation to registering for a UKVI account.Over 3.1 million people, mostly with BRPs, have successfully made the transition to eVisas from March to November this year. There are still a proportion of customers who have not yet signed up, and we would strongly encourage them to do so. We publish monthly statistics on the number of people who have created a UKVI account, the latest edition of which can be found at Online immigration status (eVisa): UKVI account creation data - GOV.UK.

Sources
SourceUK Parliament Members API
MethodQuestion and answer text as published. Question preamble (“To ask the…”) trimmed for readability; answers shown in full.