Written questions by Campbell.

What funding her Department provides to hotels contracted to accommodate people seeking asylum for (a) restoration and (b) maintenance of the property upon the termination of the contract.

The Home Office does not comment on commercial arrangements. All commercial contracts are completed and awarded in line with government procurement rules which are designed to ensure the best value for taxpayers.

What living arrangements her Department makes for people seeking asylum when a hotel contract for their accommodation has been terminated.

All those who remain eligible for support are moved to alternative accommodation.

Whether the Defending Democracy Taskforce will meet in each of the UK's (a) nations and (b) regions in 2025.

Defending Democracy must be a whole of UK effort, and the Government works closely with colleagues from the nations and regions on a range of issues relevant to the Defending Democracy Taskforce. This includes long term work to understand threats to our democracy and to share lessons and best practice emerging from the work of the Taskforce.In addition, the Government works closely with partners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to safeguard democratic processes and institutions. This has included the provision of a new cyber security offer to elected representatives in the devolved legislatures as well as dedicated police points of contact for elected officials to liaise with on security matters across all territorial forces in the UK.

How many people have been detected as not having a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation in Northern Ireland since January 2025.

Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) were introduced in October 2023 to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream, and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. They were more recently expanded to eligible non-European nationals (in November 2024) and European nationals (on 5 March this year). Data on the number of people not holding an ETA in Northern Ireland is unavailable. The Home Office will provide regular updates in the months and years ahead on how the ETA requirement is being implemented and enforced.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of police use of live facial recognition technology.

The Government supports the police use of live facial recognition technology and will continue to ensure the right balance is struck between ensuring public safety and safeguarding individuals’ rights.

How many asylum seekers were housed in dispersed accommodation in Northern Ireland on 31 December (a) 2022 and (b) 2024.

Only those individuals claiming asylum in Northern Ireland are accommodated there.Northern Ireland’s asylum population is proportionate to its population when compared to the UK. There were 1,853 asylum seekers in dispersal accommodation in Northern Ireland on 31 December 2022, and 2,285 on 31 December 2024.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation and by local authority is published on a quarterly basis, the most recent statistics release available is for December 2024. Statistics are available on GOV.UK at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

What guidance her Department has issued on (a) ascertaining a court judgement and (b) informing a relevant local authority in cases where someone who (i) is seeking asylum, (ii) is housed in hotel accommodation and (iii) has been convicted of an offence has been given a non-custodial sentence.

No specific guidance has been published for the scenario referenced, but the Home Office works closely with our contracted accommodation providers and law enforcement partners to deal with any cases of concern, and we will always do everything necessary to keep local communities safe.

How many people were identified as not being in possession of a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation in Northern Ireland in the first two months since its introduction.

Electronic travel authorisations were introduced in October 2023 to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream, and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the United Kingdom. They were more recently expanded to eligible non-European nationals (in November 2024) and Europeans (on 5 March this year). The Home Office will provide regular updates in the months and years ahead on how the ETA requirement is being implemented and enforced.

How many (a) Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETA) were issued and (b) persons were identified as having visited the UK without a valid ETA between 8 January and 8 February 2025.

The Home Office publishes data on Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly release’. Data on outcomes of ETAs are published in table ‘ETA_D02’ of the Detailed Electronic Travel Authorisation dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data covers up to the end of 2024.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information for the purpose of answering this question would incur disproportionate cost.

What estimate she has made of how many hotels will be required as temporary accommodation for people seeking asylum in Northern Ireland by the end of 2025.

This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain. We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.Since the General Election, there has been a net increase of six hotels in use across the UK; however, ten are scheduled for closure by the end of March 2025. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in office. Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab). In terms of the accommodation of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland, it remains the case that only those claiming asylum in Northern Ireland are accommodated there.

What estimate she has made of whether the first applications for UK passports under the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 will be available before the summer recess in 2025.

We continue to work on the operational changes for implementation of the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024. The Home Office will notify interested Members once a prospective timeline for commencement has been agreed. Once the Act has commenced, applications for registration will be considered within normal processing times, and successful applicants will be able to apply for a British citizen passport.

If she will have discussions with representatives of the travel industry on the potential impact of electronic travel authorisations on international visitors to Northern Ireland.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided on 14 January to Question UIN 23002.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 14029 on British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024, when the operational changes to implement the new route will be completed.

The British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 will come into force on a date that is set out in future regulations made by the Secretary of State, as allowed for by Clause 2(3) of the Act. We continue to work on the operational changes for implementation, and the Home Office will notify interested Members once a prospective timeline for commencement has been agreed.

How many general aviation reports were submitted by region in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

Home Office records show that approximately 159,768 General Aviation Reports have been submitted nationally in 2023 and 2024.2024North Region -11,413Central Region - 25,691Heathrow Region - 21,298South Region - 16,897South-East Region - 855Total - 76,154 2023North Region -12,237Central Region - 25,689Heathrow Region - 22,403South Region - 17,186South-East Region - 962Total - 78,477

When she expects the first overseas visitors to Northern Ireland arriving via the Republic of Ireland to be impacted by the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme.

We are introducing the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK. The scheme, which already applies to nationals of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, has now being extended to all remaining non-visa nationals (except Europeans) and will be a requirement for this cohort for travel from 8 January 2025.The Government appreciates that the introduction of ETAs represents a substantial change for millions of overseas visitors to the UK (including those intending to cross the land border from Ireland). We are communicating these changes across a range of channels to all those potentially in scope, and there has been regular engagement to that end with officials in the Northern Ireland tourism sector.The application process is quick and simple. Applicants usually get a decision within three working days.

If she will have discussions with the devolved administrations on potential changes to the (a) criteria for and (b) duration of short term deployment of police officers to deal with unexpected civil disorder.

Operational matters – including requests for and provision of Mutual Aid in response to public disorder – are primarily a matter for police forces who are operationally independent of government.

Whether she plans to introduce further pathways under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

We are determined to honour our commitment to those who supported us in Afghanistan and who stood up for freedom and democracy, placing their own lives at risk.As of September 2024, we have brought around 33,400 individuals from Afghanistan - or a third country - to safety in the UK. This includes British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at-risk, such as campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community.Afghan Operational data is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Our priority right now is the relocation of individuals accepted for resettlement through our established schemes, alongside fixing the gaps in our existing routes. That is why this government has already implemented a specific route under the ACRS to reunite Afghan families unintentionally separated during Operation Pitting. The window for referrals was open from 30 July and closed on 30 October. We have already begun to see arrivals and families be reunited.Further information is viewable at: Afghan citizens resettlement scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

How many people who arrived in the UK by small boats since 5 July 2024 are (a) male and (b) female.

The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Quarterly data on detected irregular arrivals by sex and method of entry, including small boat arrivals, is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’. The latest data is up to the end of September 2024, with data up to December 2024 to be published on 27 February 2025.

What guidance her Department has issued on the circumstances in which registered sex offenders can apply to change their name.

Registered sex offenders are required to notify their personal details to the police as an automatic consequence to a conviction or caution for a Schedule 3 offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. They must provide a record of (among other things) their name, address, date of birth, and national insurance number. They must do this annually or whenever their details change. Registered sex offenders must notify the police within three days of their using a new name. This includes names used online. The Home Secretary publishes guidance on Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act, which is the legislative framework for the police’s management of registered sex offenders: Guidance on part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). As part of the King's Speech, the Government has committed to placing restrictions on registered sex offender's ability to change their names.

How many hotels are being used for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland; and if she will make an estimate of the number of hotels that will be required by 31 December 2025.

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.The Home Office does not publish data on the number of hotels in use. However, data published quarterly on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The Home Office keeps its accommodation estate under constant review.