Written questions by McMurdock.

What information her Department holds on the number of visa applicants whose applications were denied due to criminal records relating to sex offences since 2020.

We take the issue of preventing foreign criminals entering the UK extremely seriously, and we continue to strengthen our borders so that we can prevent crime and protect the public, delivering on this Government’s commitment to tackle foreign criminality. For example, those required to obtain a visa to enter the UK are checked against a range of police, security and immigration databases for details of any UK or overseas criminal record. All applicants are required to provide details of their criminal history. Where it is found that they failed to declare relevant offences/convictions, their application will be refused and they will be subject to a ten-year ban from applying to enter the UK.We do not hold information on the specific offences relating to refused applications.

How many referrals to the Crown Prosecution Service for immigration offences in the last three years were not prosecuted on evidential grounds.

The CPS does not hold the data requested. To establish whether suspects on cases where immigration offences were considered by reviewing lawyers at pre-charge stage, where then a subsequent no prosecution decision on evidential grounds was made in the last three years, would require a manual review of case files and this would be at disproportionate cost.

What measures will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Fair Work Agency in improving compliance with employment law.

The Fair Work Agency (FWA) will build on the data currently collated and published by existing labour market enforcement bodies.The Secretary of State is required to publish annual reports that assess the extent to which enforcement functions have been carried out in line with the three-year enforcement strategies. These will assess levels of non-compliance and set out how the FWA will measure its performance. Both the annual reports and enforcement strategies will be laid before Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly and will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way.

What data the Fair Work Agency will collect and publish on breaches of employment law involving temporary and seasonal workers.

The Fair Work Agency (FWA) will build on the data currently collated and published by existing labour market enforcement bodies.The Secretary of State is required to publish annual reports that assess the extent to which enforcement functions have been carried out in line with the three-year enforcement strategies. These will assess levels of non-compliance and set out how the FWA will measure its performance. Both the annual reports and enforcement strategies will be laid before Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly and will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way.

How many foreign nationals convicted of sexual offences have been removed under the Early Removal Scheme in each year since 2020.

The information requested regarding foreign national offenders (FNOs) convicted of sexual offences removed under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) is not available from published statistics.The Home Office has published figures on FNOs removed under the ERS, from 2010 Q1 up until 2022 Q2, which can be found within ‘FNO_09’, here: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK.The Home Office also recently published figures on FNOs removed under the ERS, from 01 March 2023 up to 31 October 2025, which can be found here: Returns from the UK from 1 March 2023 to 31 October 2025 - GOV.UKData on FNOs removed under ERS between July 2022 and February 2023 is not currently available from published statistics, but work is currently underway 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.

What information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of (i) foreign and (ii) British sex offenders who have claimed ignorance of the law as a defence in each year since 2020.

The Home Office does not hold information on whether foreign or British sex offenders claimed ignorance of the law as a defence.

What proportion of NHS costs provided to EHIC and GHIC holders is not recovered from the patients’ country of residence; and what steps he is taking to reduce that proportion.

The National Health Service recovers the costs of treatments provided to overseas visitors through a range of routes, including Immigration Health Surcharge, direct cost recovery from chargeable patients, and reciprocal healthcare arrangements.Under the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme, visitors, students, and certain workers from the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are entitled to necessary healthcare during their temporary stay in the United Kingdom. The Global Health Insurance Card is issued by the UK to cover costs incurred abroad, so is not used to recover NHS costs.NHS providers request an EHIC from the patient and record details of the care provided. These costs are then submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) who coordinate recovery of costs from the EEA and Switzerland in line with the rules set out in international agreements. Under these agreements, participating countries are obliged to reimburse eligible costs where a valid EHIC card has been presented for state funded medically necessary healthcare.The vast majority of costs submitted under the EHIC scheme are successfully recovered from patients’ country of residence. However, a small number of rejections can occur for a range of reasons, including incomplete or inaccurate details being submitted by the NHS facilities. Digitisation of systems for reporting EHIC claims has helped reduced the incidence of these types of clerical errors. The NHSBSA monitors rejected claims and works closely with NHS providers to improve data quality and maximise recovery.The Department continues to work with NHS to ensure that the NHS recovers all costs it is entitled to under our international agreements.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of cost recovery under the EHIC and GHIC schemes for treatment provided to overseas visitors in the UK.

The National Health Service recovers the costs of treatments provided to overseas visitors through a range of routes, including Immigration Health Surcharge, direct cost recovery from chargeable patients, and reciprocal healthcare arrangements.Under the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme, visitors, students, and certain workers from the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are entitled to necessary healthcare during their temporary stay in the United Kingdom. The Global Health Insurance Card is issued by the UK to cover costs incurred abroad, so is not used to recover NHS costs.NHS providers request an EHIC from the patient and record details of the care provided. These costs are then submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) who coordinate recovery of costs from the EEA and Switzerland in line with the rules set out in international agreements. Under these agreements, participating countries are obliged to reimburse eligible costs where a valid EHIC card has been presented for state funded medically necessary healthcare.The vast majority of costs submitted under the EHIC scheme are successfully recovered from patients’ country of residence. However, a small number of rejections can occur for a range of reasons, including incomplete or inaccurate details being submitted by the NHS facilities. Digitisation of systems for reporting EHIC claims has helped reduced the incidence of these types of clerical errors. The NHSBSA monitors rejected claims and works closely with NHS providers to improve data quality and maximise recovery.The Department continues to work with NHS to ensure that the NHS recovers all costs it is entitled to under our international agreements.

What discussions he has had with Ofcom on the comparative (a) employment practices and (b) delivery of delivery companies excluding Royal Mail; and what plans he has to ensure similar standards to those applied to Royal Mail to improve delivery outcomes.

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the independent regulator for the postal sector. Delivery companies are independent businesses, and the government has no role in their operational decisions. Ofcom does not regulate the employment models of delivery companies. The Government will consult on the topic of employment status generally, as soon as possible in the New Year. Delivery targets covering all postal operators would be a decision for Ofcom to consider as part of its reviews of postal regulation.

Pursuant to Answer of 9th December 2025 to Question 96041, on Reoffenders: Sentencing, what assessment he has made of how frequently courts depart from sentencing guidelines on the basis that it is in the interest of justice to do so.

All sentencing courts in England and Wales must follow any sentencing guidelines which are relevant to the offender’s case, unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so (by virtue of section 59 of the Sentencing Code). Whilst there is a high bar for departing from the guidelines, it is necessary, in the interests of justice, that courts retain the discretion to do so, where the individual case and circumstances warrant it. If a court departs from the guidelines, it must give reasons for doing so. As mentioned in my previous response, the Sentencing Council has a statutory duty to monitor and evaluate all definitive guidelines to assess their impact on sentencing outcomes and ensure they operate as intended. Analysis conducted by the Council between 2010 and 2015 demonstrated that the vast majority of sentences imposed for offences for which there were offence-specific guidelines were within the sentence range set out in the guidelines. The findings are presented in the Council’s annual reports for 2010/11 through 2014/15 which are available on its website. As part of its ongoing monitoring of the use of guidelines, the Council conducts quantitative and qualitative research to determine how the guidelines are being used and the effect they are having on sentencing practice. These evaluations will highlight any issues if departures from guidelines are commonplace for a particular offence(s) or aspect of sentencing.

What plans he has to monitor data on (a) conviction rates, (b) sentencing patterns and (c) appeals arising from cases affected by the removal of the right to elect a jury trial; and whether that data will be published.

We will continue to monitor conviction rates, sentencing outcomes and appeals volumes as part of our ongoing assessments of the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentencing outcomes for a wide range of offences and by defendant characteristics, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. The Department will continue to publish this data quarterly. The Ministry of Justice also publishes data on appeals but does not have access to the reasons for appeal, beyond whether a sentence or verdict has been appealed. Data on appeals volumes can be found as part of the Criminal Courts Statistics release: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK.

How many Employment Tribunal awards remain unpaid in each of the last three years.

The Government does not collect or publish data on the outcomes of employment tribunal enforcement actions; however we do publish data on the value of awards from the Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal and discrimination claims. The Department of Business and Trade will collect additional updated data on payment outcomes through the Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications in 2026.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of administering Employment Tribunal cases in which awards are subsequently not paid.

The information requested is not held centrally by HM Courts and Tribunals service.

What plans she has to amend inheritance tax legislation to ensure that compensation paid to the estates of deceased victims of the Infected Blood scandal is exempt from inheritance tax.

At Budget 2025, the government announced that it would extend the existing relief from inheritance tax for compensation payments made from the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme and the Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payment Scheme (‘infected blood compensation payments’). A Tax Information and Impact Note has been published and can be found here: Inheritance Tax and Infected Blood compensation payments - GOV.UK. Finance Bill 2025-26 contains a power to make changes to the inheritance tax treatment of infected blood compensation schemes in secondary legislation. The government will lay regulations subject to parliamentary approval of the Bill. More information about what this means in practical terms and what action impacted individuals should take ahead of regulations being made were published in this Written Ministerial Statement: Inheritance tax relief for infected blood compensation payments

What assessment he has made of whether the discretion for courts to depart from sentencing guidelines in the interests of justice affects the (a) consistency and (b) effectiveness of sentencing outcomes.

All sentencing courts in England and Wales must follow any sentencing guidelines which are relevant to the offender’s case, unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so (by virtue of section 59 of the Sentencing Code). Whilst there is a high bar for departing from the guidelines, it is necessary, in the interests of justice, that courts retain the discretion to do so, where the individual case and circumstances warrant it. If a court departs from the guidelines, it must give reasons for doing so. As mentioned in my previous response, the Sentencing Council has a statutory duty to monitor and evaluate all definitive guidelines to assess their impact on sentencing outcomes and ensure they operate as intended. Analysis conducted by the Council between 2010 and 2015 demonstrated that the vast majority of sentences imposed for offences for which there were offence-specific guidelines were within the sentence range set out in the guidelines. The findings are presented in the Council’s annual reports for 2010/11 through 2014/15 which are available on its website. As part of its ongoing monitoring of the use of guidelines, the Council conducts quantitative and qualitative research to determine how the guidelines are being used and the effect they are having on sentencing practice. These evaluations will highlight any issues if departures from guidelines are commonplace for a particular offence(s) or aspect of sentencing.

What assessment he has made of the impact of rising demand for ambulance services on Category 2 performance in the east of England.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) has experienced sustained growth in demand in recent years. In the current financial year-to-date, to November 2025, the service has responded to over 640,000 incidents. This represents the highest year-to-date total to November since records began in 2018/19, and an increase of more than 40,000 incidents compared to the same period last year.Despite increased demand, Category 2 performance has improved. In the current financial year to date, to November 2025, the mean Category 2 response time has been 34 minutes 56 seconds.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current mechanisms for enforcing Employment Tribunal awards where employers refuse to pay compensation.

The Government is committed to tackling the issue of unpaid employment tribunal awards. The civil courts in England and Wales offer several different enforcement methods that a judgment creditor may apply for to recover money or property owed on a court order or judgment. These processes are individually designed to address different financial circumstances; and collectively they aim to make it as difficult as possible for judgment debtors to avoid their responsibilities. This also includes the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) and Employment Tribunal Fast Track enforcement scheme whereby a claimant can instruct a High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO) to act on their behalf.We recognise the challenges associated with enforcing employment awards. We are therefore strengthening enforcement options through the Employment Tribunal Penalty scheme which will move to the Fair Work Agency (FWA) once established. The proposed powers of the FWA are set out in the Employment Rights Bill and we are committed to ensuring that it has the appropriate resources to discharge its responsibilities. The FWA will work closely with HMRC, the Insolvency Service and other relevant enforcement bodies to do this as effectively as possible. This will include considering how to use existing powers to tackle misuse of phoenix companies.

What plans he has to publish recordings made of trials heard without a jury; and what safeguards will govern the use of those recordings for (a) scrutiny and (b) appeals.

Transcription services are available for all Crown Court cases. We are exploring the potential use of AI to produce transcripts more quickly and cost effectively.As recommended by Sir Brian Leveson in his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, the Government will introduce audio recording equipment in magistrates’ courts. This measure supports our changes to the appeals process in magistrates’ courts, to mirror the current process in the Crown Court, which will ensure that victims and witnesses are no longer required to go through the trauma of a full re-hearing.

Whether he has had discussions with Ofcom on the application of online advertising regulations for illegal gas work promotions.

The Secretary of State has had no discussions with Ofcom on this matter. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 make it a criminal offence for anyone who is not on the Gas Safe Register to carry out gas work in domestic properties. The Advertising Standards Authority requires all advertising to be legal and socially responsible. It is working with online platforms which have signed up to its Intermediary and Platform Principles to encourage compliance with the advertising codes online. The Online Advertising Taskforce, chaired by the Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts, is also working to improve transparency and accountability in the online advertising supply chain.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) introducing a national inventory registrar for gas‑critical products and parts and (b) restricting access to those items to operatives holding Gas Safe Register accreditation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2025 to Question UIN 89028.