Written questions by Hayes.

How many businesses were found guilty of employing illegal workers, and how much were they fined in 2025.

Information on illegal working civil penalty statistics has been published since 2016 as part of the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Transparency Data. This can be found at immigration-enforcement-data-oct-dec-2025 on tab CP02.This publication covers the period up to 31 December 2025 and includes both limited companies and sole traders.

Whether murder victims are posthumously (a) drug and (b) alcohol tested as a matter of routine.

Forensic post-mortems follow the Code of Practice issued by the Home Office, the Royal College of Pathologists and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland, which requires toxicology samples to be taken and preserved where necessary. If samples are not taken and an issue later arises (for example, at trial), it may be difficult to obtain usable material. Whether samples are submitted for analysis depends on the circumstances of the case and local police and coroner policies and decisions. Drug and alcohol testing is usually commissioned where it may help establish the cause of death or support the investigation.

What steps she has taken to to tackle county lines gangs targeting children to act as drug runners.

The Government is committed to halving knife crime and tackling violent and exploitative county lines gangs is crucial to achieving this. That is why we are investing more than £34 million in 26/27 in the County Lines Programme, to pursue violent line holders and safeguard children and vulnerable people.The success and impact of the County Lines Programme is clear. Since July 2024, the Programme has resulted in more than 3,000 deal lines closed, 8,200 arrests, (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 1,600 deal line holders), 4,300 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 900 knives seized. More than 620 children and young people have also received dedicated specialist support through our county lines support service in the same period.Independent evaluation of the Programme has shown it is having a significant impact, reducing hospitalisations due to knife stabbings by 25% and drug misuse hospitalisations by 29% in the Programme taskforce areas. The latest Strategic Assessment by the National County Lines Coordination Centre also shows that the number of children involved in county lines has reduced by 17% since 22/23.As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we have also introduced a new offence of criminal exploitation of children in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring young people into violence and crime. As part of this legislation, we are delivering new civil preventative orders to disrupt and prevent child criminal exploitation from occurring or re-occurring.

Whether her Department has paid for followers on social media platforms it uses.

The Home Office does not, and has not paid for followers on its social media platforms.

What assessment she has made of the risks of remote testing in her Department's English Language Test.

The Home Office has carefully considered the risks of a remote delivery model as part of the procurement to replace current Secure English Language Testing arrangements.The key risks centre on maintaining the integrity and security of the immigration system, including identity assurance, protection against impersonation, and confidence in the reliability of test results. The Home Office has engaged the market to understand what capability is available to maintain high standards of security and integrity and has developed a robust security schedule and solution requirements to ensure this remains at the heart of the digital by default solution.Following rounds of pre-market engagement, the ongoing procurement is explicitly designed to test bidders' ability to meet these standards, and the Department will adopt only those solutions that demonstrably maintain the high level of assurance required.

How much her Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The Home Office does not publish details of spending on special severance payments separately.The Home Office does publish overall special payments spending and details of this for the previous three financial years can be found through the links below.Pages 190-191 (pages 198-199 on the reader)Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025Pages 190-191 (pages 194-195 on the reader)Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2023 to 2024Pages195-196Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

If she will publish a list of serving police officers by nationality for each of the last ten years.

The Home Office does not collect information on the nationality of police officers.

How many people aged 17 have applied to join the police in each of the last ten years.

The Home Office does not collect information on the number of individuals aged 17 years old who have applied to join the police service.

With reference to her Department’s report entitled The independent review into the application of sharia law in England and Wales of February 2018, if she will take steps to conduct an assessment into the number of sharia councils operating in the UK.

The independent review into the application of sharia law in England and Wales was published under the 2016 to 2018 May Conservative government.The Government is clear: Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales. Regardless of religious belief, we are all equal before the law. The Government has no intention of changing this position.Religious communities, including Muslim communities, can operate arbitration councils and boards which seek to resolve disputes. The overriding principle is that they must operate within the rule of law.The Government doesn’t prevent individuals from seeking to regulate their lives through religious beliefs and nothing in law prevents people abiding by Sharia principles, provided their actions don’t conflict with the law. If they do, rule of law prevails.The decisions of Sharia councils are not binding in law – they are not part of the court system in this country.

If she will take steps to ensure that forced marriages do not take place in Sharia councils in the UK.

The joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), provides support and advice to victims, those at risk, and professionals.

Whether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

Civil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.The Home Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.

How many staff within her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

As of 01 March 2026, the Home Office had 186 employees with a visa type which allows them time limited right to work in the UK.

Whether it is her Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

The primary guidance that ministers and officials should follow is the Non-Corporate Communications Channels (NCCCs).Guidance issued by the Government Digital Service: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business

If she will make it her policy to revoke pensions from police officers convicted of violent crimes.

A police officer’s pension may be forfeited where an individual has been convicted of a criminal offence committed in connection with their service as a police officer, which the Secretary of State has certified as either gravely injurious to the interests of the State, or liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence.Decisions on whether to forfeit a police officer’s pension and, if so, to what extent, are a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) of the relevant force. Whilst a PCC cannot forfeit a pension in these circumstances without a certificate from the Secretary of State, the issuance of such a certificate does not oblige them to proceed with forfeiture. Such decisions are made independently of government, and on a case-by-case basis.It is not possible for the Secretary of State to proactively seek an application for a pension forfeiture certificate, or to issue such a certificate, without an application first being made by the relevant PCC. There are no current plans to amend these regulatory arrangements.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle organised acquisitive rural crime.

We are improving the protections for rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft. This financial year the Home Office will be providing the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000).The National Wildlife Crime Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes including serious organised crime. This includes disrupting organised crime groups. Funding the National Rural Crime Unit enables it to continue to increase collaboration across police forces, harnessing the latest technology and data to target the serious organised crime groups involved in crimes like equipment theft from farms.Through the Crime and Policing Bill we are introducing a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court.Additionally, we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act and fully support its intentions to tackle the theft and re-sale of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), quad bikes and GPS systems.There can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why we have worked closely with the NPCC to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2028. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.

What information her Department holds on the number of occasions the police has (a) investigated and (b) charged abortion practitioners in relation to abortions suspected to have taken place on the basis of sex in each of the last ten years.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences and their investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales. This includes the number of offences of procuring illegal abortion and intentional destruction of a viable unborn child. This information is published as official statistics each quarter and the latest information, to the year ending June 2025, can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tablesInformation is not held on whether the abortion took place on the basis of sex or the status of the individual charged.

How many police officers hired in the last ten years in England underwent standard vetting procedures prior to their hiring.

The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the vetting of new recruits over the last ten years. This information is held by each individual police force.Following the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) Operation Jorica review, the Home Secretary has commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to inspect them on their recruitment and vetting practices and asked them to provide an assessment in relation to other forces in England and Wales.

Whether people deemed to be from under-represented groups are subject to different vetting procedures as part of the hiring process for police officers in England.

All applicants joining the police as officers or staff are subject to the same rigorous checks and vetting procedures to ensure that only the most suitable candidates are selected. This is set out in the College of Policing’s vetting code of practice and its vetting authorised professional practice (APP).The Home Secretary has commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to inspect the MPS on their recruitment and vetting practices and asked them to provide an assessment in relation to other forces in England and Wales.

How many police officers retired due to ill health in each of the last ten years.

The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service and their reasons for leaving, including medical retirements, as at 31 March each year, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Information on the number of police officers leaving the police service by reason for leaving, including medical retirements, between the years ending 31 March 2007 and 2025 can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a364d312ee8a5f0806b7c/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-230725.ods

How many and what proportion of individuals referred to the Prevent programme in the last three years were found to not be at risk of radicalisation.

The table below provides the number and proportion of individuals referred to the Prevent programme over the last three years who were assessed as ‘requiring no further action’.Table 1: Proportion of individuals found to not be at risk of radicalisation by year 2022/232023/242024/25Prevent Referrals6,8176,9228,778Prevent Referrals requiring no further action, Total1,1721,3392,636Proportion of individuals found to not be at risk of radicalisation17%19%30%Note: The proportion of individuals assessed as not at risk of radicalisation is calculated as the number of Prevent referrals requiring no further action divided by the total number of Prevent referrals.