Written questions by Robertson.

What proportion of Entry Clearance Officer decisions are made by locally-engaged staff who are not British nationals; and what oversight mechanisms apply to those decisions.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the increase in income generated by West Midlands Police from escorting abnormal loads over the past five years; and what guidance her Department provides to police forces on charging haulage operators for such escorts.

West Midlands Police is responsible for how guidance on charging for abnormal roads is implemented in its area. Local variation in the management of abnormal loads may be necessary to account for factors such as geography and road infrastructure.NPCC guidance for police forces on managing abnormal loads, and the charging framework, were updated in March and May 2025 respectively. These seek to promote greater national alignment across forces, where possible, noting the need for variations. The NPCC has committed to review this guidance twelve months after publication to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

With reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, (1) what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of inspectors employed by the Unit's licensing function and (2) what actions her Department will be taking to increase the number of inspectors.

The Government is fully committed to continuous improvement in regulation and strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. As part of this, the Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit to retain confidence and maintain robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).As part of this programme, the number of inspectors will increase from 14.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions at the end of 2017 to 22 FTE positions by March 2026.Audit is based on assessing compliance through organisational governance to encourage greater commitment to compliance. The Regulator’s audit programme for compliance assurance purposes is delivered in accordance with the requirements defined in ASPA.As part of the regulatory reform programme, the Regulator will be updating its audit programme, which is scheduled for release later in 2026.

How many enforcement actions have been taken against providers of HMOs used for asylum accommodation on the Isle of Wight in the last five years.

The Home Office is not currently using HMOs on the Isle of Wight to accommodate asylum accommodation.

How many HMOs on the Isle of Wight are currently licensed for use as asylum accommodation; what the capacity of each is; and how many asylum seekers are currently housed in each property.

The Home Office is not currently using HMOs on the Isle of Wight to accommodate asylum accommodation.

If she will commit to publishing regular, local authority–level data on asylum accommodation in HMOs, including numbers, capacity and duration of use.

For the safety and security of those we accommodate and staff, it is our longstanding policy not to disclose information about sites which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office.The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

What data her Department holds on the location, size and occupancy of HMOs used for asylum accommodation by local authority area.

For the safety and security of those we accommodate and staff, it is our longstanding policy not to disclose information about sites which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office.The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Whether her Department holds data on all Home Office contractors and subcontractors operating HMOs for asylum accommodation on the Isle of Wight.

The Home Office is not currently using HMOs on the Isle of Wight to accommodate asylum accommodation.

With reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, what actions her Department will be taking to increase the number of unannounced inspections of establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The Government is fully committed to continuous improvement in regulation and strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. As part of this, the Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit to retain confidence and maintain robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).As part of this programme, the number of inspectors will increase from 14.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions at the end of 2017 to 22 FTE positions by March 2026.Audit is based on assessing compliance through organisational governance to encourage greater commitment to compliance. The Regulator’s audit programme for compliance assurance purposes is delivered in accordance with the requirements defined in ASPA.As part of the regulatory reform programme, the Regulator will be updating its audit programme, which is scheduled for release later in 2026.

How many Border Force queue samples exceeded published service standards in each month since July 2024, broken down by EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA passengers.

The number of sampled queues cleared within the respective EEA and non-EEA service standards are provided within the published transparency data:Migration transparency data - GOV.UKSpecific figures on how many queue samples fell outside of service standards for EEA and non-EEA are not available in an accessible format.

What the average queue time at passport control was at UK airports in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.

The specific data requested is not available in an accessible format but below are the relevant statistics taken from Border Force’s transparency data.Of the 897,695 queue samples measured across the UK in 2025, 97.9% of queues were within Border Force’s service standards above the 95% target. These service standards are 25 mins EU/EEA and 45 mins non-EU/EEA.For further transparency data, including 2024, please refer to the below GOV.UK link.Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

With reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to replace in vivo skin irritation testing, how many procedures were carried out for this purpose in 2024.

The Home Office is committed to supporting the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing, as outlined in the published strategy: Replacing animals in science’, published on 11 November 2025.The last licence authorising the use of the rabbit pyrogen test was granted in 2017. The most recent reported use of the test was in 2018. No pyrogen testing has been reported since this date.The latest published statistics show that no procedures were reported under the category of ‘skin irritation/corrosion’ tests.In 2024, three procedures were reported under the category of ‘eye irritation/corrosion’ tests.The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures. The statistics can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

With reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to replace the rabbit pyrogen test, when was the last time this test was authorised for use in the UK.

The Home Office is committed to supporting the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing, as outlined in the published strategy: Replacing animals in science’, published on 11 November 2025.The last licence authorising the use of the rabbit pyrogen test was granted in 2017. The most recent reported use of the test was in 2018. No pyrogen testing has been reported since this date.The latest published statistics show that no procedures were reported under the category of ‘skin irritation/corrosion’ tests.In 2024, three procedures were reported under the category of ‘eye irritation/corrosion’ tests.The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures. The statistics can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

With reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to replace animals used for eye irritation testing, how many procedures were carried out for this purpose in 2024.

The Home Office is committed to supporting the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing, as outlined in the published strategy: Replacing animals in science’, published on 11 November 2025.The last licence authorising the use of the rabbit pyrogen test was granted in 2017. The most recent reported use of the test was in 2018. No pyrogen testing has been reported since this date.The latest published statistics show that no procedures were reported under the category of ‘skin irritation/corrosion’ tests.In 2024, three procedures were reported under the category of ‘eye irritation/corrosion’ tests.The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures. The statistics can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

Whether her Department holds information on the proportion of crimes involving Motability vehicles where the vehicle was used (a) by the registered Motability customer, (b) by another person with permission and (c) without the registered customer’s consent.

The Home Office holds data on the number of vehicle related incidents of crime recorded by the police in England and Wales. However, we do not hold data on whether a vehicle was used as part of the incident or the type of vehicle used.

What data her Department holds on the number of recorded criminal incidents involving vehicles registered under the Motability Scheme in each of the last three years.

The Home Office holds data on the number of vehicle related incidents of crime recorded by the police in England and Wales.However, we do not hold data on whether a vehicle was used as part of the incident or the type of vehicle used.

What information her Department holds on the number of recorded crimes in which motability vehicles were identified as being involved, listed by each police force area.

The Home Office holds data on the number of vehicle related incidents of crime recorded by the police in England and Wales.However, we do not hold data on whether a vehicle was used as part of the incident or the type of vehicle used.

What steps her Department has taken to help prevent the misuse of Motability vehicles in criminal activity.

The Home Office has not issued national guidance to police forces on the recording and investigation of criminal activity involving Motability vehicles.Enforcement of the law, including road traffic legislation, is an operational matter for individual police forces to determine in line with resources and local policing plans.The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.

What guidance she has issued to police forces on (a) recording and (b) investigating criminal offences involving Motability vehicles.

The Home Office has not issued national guidance to police forces on the recording and investigation of criminal activity involving Motability vehicles.Enforcement of the law, including road traffic legislation, is an operational matter for individual police forces to determine in line with resources and local policing plans.The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.

What proportion of project licences applied for under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were refused between 1 January and 1 September 2025.

Between 1 January 2021 to 1 January 2025, one application for a project licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 has been refused.The Home Office does not routinely collect information on refused project licences as, due to the structure of the legal framework, this metric is not an indicator for the robustness of the regulatory regime.The Government sets clear expectations of applications through publishing extensive guidance for the regulated sector. Before being submitted to the Regulator for assessment, the regulation requires that applications must be internally reviewed by an establishment’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body and be signed off by the Establishment Licence Holder. Home Office Inspectors in the Regulator will only review applications from establishments that fulfil all requirements of the legislation. Applications received by the Regulator may be returned to the applicant for clarification and/or amendment before being re-assessed. Applicants may also amend or withdraw an application in response to feedback from the regulator. This system means that the number of refusals tends towards zero.