Every parliamentary written question tabled by Lisa Smart this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 70 · Home Office
Whether she is taking steps to reduce the processing time of up to 18 weeks to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship.
UKVI are constantly seeking to improve efficiency and reduce processing times however, we need to clarify that the 18 weeks is a service level agreement (SLA) not the processing time and the majority of applications are processed well within this SLA.
What assessment she has made of the performance of the Report Fraud service since its launch in December 2025 including of the (a) average response times to fraud reports, (b) proportion of reports resulting in investigation by local police forces and (c) victim satisfaction compared to the previous Action Fraud service.
Report Fraud is the new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cybercrime which replaced the previous Action Fraud service on 4 December 2025.Report Fraud uses the latest technology to enhance the reporting experience and report updates for victims, and to improve the speed and quality of information shared with police, increasing the chances of successful investigations and prosecutions.The City of London Police, who oversee the service, have provided data from the service which shows the following improvements compared to the previous service:In December 2025, eleven thousand more calls were answered compared to December 2024.In January 2026, when reporting cases of fraud, victims had a call satisfaction of 92%, Webchat satisfaction of 100%, and chatbot satisfaction of 90%.The average time to send viable reports to a local force to consider for investigation has dropped to 5.25 days (November 2025-January 2026) from 37.25 days the year prior (November 2024-January 2025).In January 2026, cases sent to police forces were at a higher level than January 2025. However, data is not yet available on the proportion of these cases sent to forces that are being taken forward by forces for investigation.Since Report Fraud has gone live, the service has been able to assist victims in recovering £1.8 million.
Whether she plans to update guidance for police forces on the investigation of (a) false and (b) malicious allegations as potential criminal offences.
Section 5 of the Criminal Law Act 1967 sets out that wasting police time is a criminal offence, which includes by knowingly making a false report.Furthermore, the Common Law offence of perverting the course of justice could also be considered by police and the Crown Prosecution Service when investigating and making a decision on whether an offence has been committed.The Home Office has no plans to amend or update any existing guidance in use by police in relation to these matters.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of gender bias in policing responses to allegations of domestic abuse or related offences; and what steps she is taking to ensure parity of treatment for all parties under investigation.
The government recognises the devastating impact that domestic abuse can have for all victims, of any gender.Domestic abuse is serious, and we expect police to take all allegations seriously from the point of disclosure. Every victim should be treated with dignity and every investigation and prosecution should be conducted thoroughly and professionally.We are investing £13.1 million in a new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, which will transform the way police respond to domestic abuse through strengthened training, support to forces and evidence-based practice.We are committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to all victims of domestic abuse, and we are working closely with the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection to deliver this.The government is absolutely committed to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms and achieving the best possible outcome for all victims.
Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the amount of time taken by police forces to complete digital advice examinations; and what steps her Department is taking to help reduce those times.
We are aware that the amount of time taken by forces to examine digital devices varies considerably, but that urgent requests are always prioritised.Chief Constables, and ultimately Police and Crime Commissioners, are currently responsible for forensics procurement and delivery, with some regional coordination. We are exploring the creation of a specialist national capability for police forensics, within the proposed National Centre for Policing, and have recruited a Director of Forensic Services to stabilise and reform forensics in the meantime.
What steps her Department is taking to help prevent applications being delayed due to administrative errors by HM Passport Office.
His Majesty’s Passport Office is exceeding its performance indicator of 98.5% of standard UK passport applications where no further information is required being processed within three weeks. Performance data can be found in the most recent Transparency Data release at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UKAlongside its delivery of these high standards of performance, HM Passport Office will always endeavour to resolve an error as quickly as possible, and continues to work to identify improvements that will help to meet the needs of its customers.
Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the resources available to (a) Greater Manchester Police and (b) other police forces to seize illegal off-road bikes.
Tackling anti-social behaviour and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. That is why the Government is investing in restoring communities and providing the police with the resources they need.The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement. Greater Manchester will receive up to £871.2 million in 2025/26, an increase of up to £55.6 million when compared to 2024/25. The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles of all types, including off-road bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. And the Government recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.These combined measures will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and will send a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
How many applications for Graduate visas made from within the UK used (a) the standard service, (b) the priority service, and (c) the super-priority service in the last 12 months.
Published data on Graduate visa applications can be found here, Visa, status and immigration data: April to June 2025 including data on standard, priority and super-priority applications. Filter 'Graduate' on the 'VSI_01a" tab
Pursuant to the Answer of (a) 30 April 2025 to Question 46025 and (b) 24 April 2025 to Question 38415, whether her Department has considered aligning the data collection processes of police forces in relation to (i) contacts with individuals experiencing suicidal ideation and (ii) incidents where a suicide is in progress with the equivalent data collection processes used by UK Fire and Rescue Services in order to ensure consistent recording of such incidents across frontline.
The Home Office does not collect data from police on calls about suicidal ideation or where an apparent suicide is in progress and has no current plans to do so.
How much her Department has spent on (a) salaries and (b) other related costs for (i) offices and (ii) staff for Police and Crime Commissioners in each of the last five years.
The Home Office does not provide specific funding for the offices of Police and Crime Commissioners. Core funding for policing is determined annually through the Police Funding Settlement. Total direct funding in 2025-26 is up to £17.6 billion.It is for PCCs to determine the level of support they need to exercise their statutory functions and deliver their objectives. The size and composition of the Office of the PCC and decisions as to salaries are also a matter for PCCs.PCCs are under a duty to publish certain information to ensure transparency in their decision-making and enable the public to hold them to account. This includes information relating to budgets and the composition of their office.
What proportion of illegally modified e-bikes confiscated from minors were initially bought by adults.
The Home Office does not centrally hold data on the number of illegally modified e-bikes that have been confiscated by police in England and Wales.
What steps her Department is taking to help tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the use of e-scooters in (a) town centres and (b) neighbourhoods.
The Home Office does not centrally hold data on the number of illegally modified or off-road bikes that have been seized by police in England and Wales, and could only collate that information for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver additional personnel into neighbourhood policing. This includes ensuring that every force area will have a dedicated lead officer for anti-social behaviour who will work with communities to develop an action plan to reduce and prevent ASB.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles of all types, including e-scooters and off-road and illegally modified bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially.
Whether her Department has provided guidance to police forces following the proscription of Palestine Action on the policing of protests.
The police are operationally independent of government and have significant experience in policing protests and ensuring proscription orders are implemented and in line with legislation while facilitating peaceful and lawful protest.
How many (a) illegally modified and (b) off-road bikes have been seized by (i) Greater Manchester Police and (ii) all police forces in the last 12 months.
The Home Office does not centrally hold data on the number of illegally modified or off-road bikes that have been seized by police in England and Wales, and could only collate that information for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver additional personnel into neighbourhood policing. This includes ensuring that every force area will have a dedicated lead officer for anti-social behaviour who will work with communities to develop an action plan to reduce and prevent ASB.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles of all types, including e-scooters and off-road and illegally modified bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially.
What steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that police officers have the (a) time and (b) resources to seize (i) illegally modified and (ii) off-road bikes.
The Home Office does not centrally hold data on the number of illegally modified or off-road bikes that have been seized by police in England and Wales, and could only collate that information for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver additional personnel into neighbourhood policing. This includes ensuring that every force area will have a dedicated lead officer for anti-social behaviour who will work with communities to develop an action plan to reduce and prevent ASB.The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles of all types, including e-scooters and off-road and illegally modified bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to shotgun licensing on clay pigeon shooting.
The Government intends to have a public consultation later this year seeking views on the alignment of the controls on shotguns with other firearms.
How many former Seasonal Workforce officers for the UK Border Force were successful in gaining employment through regular recruitment processes after their contracts were ended in 2024.
In accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, all recruitment of this nature is conducted using a sifting process where identifying information is removed, and all appointments are made on merit through open and fair competition. As a result, it is not possible to determine whether any candidates were previously part of the seasonal workforce.
If her Department has considered making identity theft a police recordable crime.
At present, identity theft is not a standalone criminal offence, but criminal acts which exploit stolen identities are already covered under existing legislation such as the Fraud Act 2006, Computer Misuse Act 1990, and Data Protection Act 2018. However, we recognise the evolving nature and increasing prevalence of identity-related crime and are taking additional proactive steps to address it. That is why the Independent Review of Fraud Offences will also consider whether a specific offence for identity theft is needed.Alongside this, we will also consider whether to include further initiatives to prevent the misuse of stolen identities and strengthen protections for the public as part of the Government’s upcoming Fraud Strategy.
When the Minister for Migration and Citizenship plans to respond to the correspondence of 2 May 2025 from the hon. Member for Hazel Grove, Ref LS06151.
A response will be sent to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove’s letter (ref LS06151) in due course to reflect the latest position on the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024.As per The British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 (Commencement) Regulations 2025, the Act will come into force on 22 July 2025.
When she plans to respond to the correspondence of 23 May 2025 from the hon. Member for Hazel Grove on evacuation from Gaza.
The Minister for Migration and Citizenship replied on 1 July.