Written questions by Wilkinson.

How many staff are currently engaged in the management and oversight of asylum accommodation contracts, broken down by (a) directly employed departmental staff and (b) external contractors and consultancy personnel; and what the total annual cost is of (i) directly employed staff, including salaries, employer National Insurance contributions and pension costs, and (ii) external contracts for consultancy or contract management services.

We do not report on data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office Annual Reports and Accounts - GOV.UK.

If they will list the total number of performance failures recorded under each of the seven regional Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) in each year from 2019 to 2024; and what the total value of the financial penalties levied in response was in each of those years.

The full set of contractual KPIs for each AASC region has been published online and can be accessed via Contracts Finder at the following links:AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts FinderPerformance results for the AASC contracts are commercially sensitive. Releasing detailed, supplier level performance data could undermine the Department’s ability to manage and assure the delivery of these live contracts effectively. For this reason, the Home Office does not publish individual supplier performance results.

If they will list the total number of performance failures recorded under each of the seven regional Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) in each year from 2019 to 2024; and what the total value of the financial penalties levied in response was in each of those years.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps they have taken to reform the performance management regime for the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC); and when they expect substantive changes to that regime to be implemented.

The Home Office has undertaken a period of engagement with its contracted Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract Providers regarding the performance management arrangements under these contracts. Discussions and a review of the performance management regime have now concluded. The Home Office and the providers were unable to reach agreement on proposed changes to the regime. As the Home Office cannot unilaterally amend the contractual terms without the agreement of the relevant providers, the existing performance management regime remains in full force and effect.Excess profits of £45.9m have been returned to the Department since 2019 in relation to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract’s profit share provisions. A further breakdown of this figure cannot be provided at this time.

If they will list the excess profits recorded under each of the seven regional Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) for each year from 2019 to 2024; and how much has been returned to the Department by the respective contract providers for each of those years.

The Home Office has undertaken a period of engagement with its contracted Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract Providers regarding the performance management arrangements under these contracts. Discussions and a review of the performance management regime have now concluded. The Home Office and the providers were unable to reach agreement on proposed changes to the regime. As the Home Office cannot unilaterally amend the contractual terms without the agreement of the relevant providers, the existing performance management regime remains in full force and effect.Excess profits of £45.9m have been returned to the Department since 2019 in relation to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract’s profit share provisions. A further breakdown of this figure cannot be provided at this time.

How many staff are currently engaged in the management and oversight of asylum accommodation contracts, broken down by (a) directly employed departmental staff and (b) external contractors and consultancy personnel; and what the total annual cost is of (i) directly employed staff, including salaries, employer National Insurance contributions and pension costs, and (ii) external contracts for consultancy or contract management services.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Whether the payment of (a) PAYE income tax and (b) National Insurance contributions in respect of UK-based employees is considered as evidence that an organisation is operating in the UK.

In relation to the licensing of businesses for the purposes of Sponsoring overseas employers, the evidential options to demonstrate that they have a UK footprint and trading presence are set out in Appendix A of the Sponsor guidance.This can be found at: Sponsor guidance appendix A: supporting documents for sponsor applications - GOV.UK

What assessment has her Department made of the adequacy of the capacity of local government to resource Trading Standards teams to tackle counterfeit goods sales from high street shops.

In the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Government allocated £10 million per year for three years to tackle high street illegality. This funding includes the creation of the High Streets Illegality Taskforce, enhancements to Trading Standards capabilities and support for at least 45 additional law enforcement officers.The Government does not have control over how local authorities plan their enforcement activities or apportion staff/resource to tackling harms. Local authorities are independent of central government and make their own workforce and enforcement decisions based on local need.

Will her department make an updated assessment of the annual cost to the UK economy of serious and organised crime.

The Home Office has an updated assessment of the cost of Serious and Organised Crime. Officials are currently reviewing the findings and considering the appropriate next steps, including options and timing for publication.In the interim, the department continues to draw on a range of evidence, including previous official estimates, which underline the significant harm serious and organised crime causes to the UK economy.The most recent published assessment of the social and economic costs of organised crime to the UK is the estimate presented in the previous Government’s SOC strategy 2023-2028 Serious and organised crime strategy 2023 to 2028 - GOV.UK, which places the cost at approximately £47 billion in 2023/24 prices. This figure is derived from the last underlying assessment conducted for FY 2015 to 2016, which estimated costs at around £37 billion based on Home Office ‘Understanding Organised Crime Estimating the scale and the social and economic costs’, and was subsequently inflated using the November 2023 HMT GDP Deflator. We continue to keep this area under active review, including how best to reflect improvements in evidence and methodology across threat areas.Since the most recent publication, the Home Office has been actively developing and refining cost methodologies across key threats, including contact child sexual abuse (The economic and social cost of contact child sexual abuse), modern slavery (Economic and social costs of modern slavery - GOV.UK), drugs (Dame Carol Black's Independent Drugs Review) and fraud, (Economic and social cost of fraud 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK). These updated methodologies have strengthened the evidence base and improved the accuracy of our cost estimates for individual threats.

What progress her Department has made in implementing the Injury on Duty Award Scheme.

I have met with those leading the campaign for a new award and I am working on proposals. Ultimately, any official award is a gift from the Government on behalf of His Majesty The King.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of bans on e-scooters and e-bikes riding in pedestrian areas.

The police have a suite of powers under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Police Reform Act 2002 to seize e-scooters and e‑bikes being used illegally or antisocially, including ‑for offences such as riding on the pavement and in pedestrian areas.We are strengthening enforcement through the Crime and Policing Bill, by removing the requirement for police to issue a warning before seizing vehicles used antisocially. We have also consulted on measures to allow police to dispose of seized vehicles, including e-scooters and e-bikes, more quickly, helping to tackle dangerous and anti-social behaviour impacting communities.Enforcement of road traffic law is an operational matter for Chief Officers, who decide how to deploy resources in line with local policing priorities.

If she will publish a list of stakeholders that ministers have met to develop a best practice guidance for the use of Live Facial Recognition technology by the police.

Police use of live facial recognition (LFR) is governed by data protection legislation, which requires that any processing of biometric data is lawful, fair, proportionate and subject to appropriate safeguards.The Home Office does not collect or store data generated through police use of LFR. Police forces act as data controllers for the operational use of the technology and are responsible for ensuring that data is stored and handled securely, in line with data protection law and established policing standards.LFR systems used by the police must be procured and operated in accordance with UK law and national security requirements. Police procurement decisions are subject to procurement legislation and Cabinet Office guidance on supply‑chain and national security risk. This includes having regard to cyber security standards and advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, which supports public sector organisations in protecting systems and sensitive data from cyber threats, including risks associated with third‑party suppliers and foreign access.Operational guidance on the use of LFR is set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice (APP). The APP is national guidance developed and maintained by the College, following engagement with policing practitioners and relevant stakeholders. It sets out best practice and legal standards for police forces, making clear that any use of LFR must be lawful, necessary and proportionate, and must comply with data protection, equality and human rights legislation.The APP sits alongside the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, issued by the Home Secretary, which provides statutory guidance on the responsible and transparent use of surveillance cameras including facial recognition.

What steps her Department plans to take to ensure that data collected by live facial recognition will be stored safely.

Police use of live facial recognition (LFR) is governed by data protection legislation, which requires that any processing of biometric data is lawful, fair, proportionate and subject to appropriate safeguards.The Home Office does not collect or store data generated through police use of LFR. Police forces act as data controllers for the operational use of the technology and are responsible for ensuring that data is stored and handled securely, in line with data protection law and established policing standards.LFR systems used by the police must be procured and operated in accordance with UK law and national security requirements. Police procurement decisions are subject to procurement legislation and Cabinet Office guidance on supply‑chain and national security risk. This includes having regard to cyber security standards and advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, which supports public sector organisations in protecting systems and sensitive data from cyber threats, including risks associated with third‑party suppliers and foreign access.Operational guidance on the use of LFR is set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice (APP). The APP is national guidance developed and maintained by the College, following engagement with policing practitioners and relevant stakeholders. It sets out best practice and legal standards for police forces, making clear that any use of LFR must be lawful, necessary and proportionate, and must comply with data protection, equality and human rights legislation.The APP sits alongside the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, issued by the Home Secretary, which provides statutory guidance on the responsible and transparent use of surveillance cameras including facial recognition.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that data collected by live facial recognition technology cannot be accessed by foreign states.

Police use of live facial recognition (LFR) is governed by data protection legislation, which requires that any processing of biometric data is lawful, fair, proportionate and subject to appropriate safeguards.The Home Office does not collect or store data generated through police use of LFR. Police forces act as data controllers for the operational use of the technology and are responsible for ensuring that data is stored and handled securely, in line with data protection law and established policing standards.LFR systems used by the police must be procured and operated in accordance with UK law and national security requirements. Police procurement decisions are subject to procurement legislation and Cabinet Office guidance on supply‑chain and national security risk. This includes having regard to cyber security standards and advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, which supports public sector organisations in protecting systems and sensitive data from cyber threats, including risks associated with third‑party suppliers and foreign access.Operational guidance on the use of LFR is set out in the College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice (APP). The APP is national guidance developed and maintained by the College, following engagement with policing practitioners and relevant stakeholders. It sets out best practice and legal standards for police forces, making clear that any use of LFR must be lawful, necessary and proportionate, and must comply with data protection, equality and human rights legislation.The APP sits alongside the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, issued by the Home Secretary, which provides statutory guidance on the responsible and transparent use of surveillance cameras including facial recognition.

How much funding has been allocated to Opal in the National Policing Intelligence Unit in each year since 2021.

Opal is the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime. In 2023/4 and 2024/5, the Home Office provided £30,000 each year to help set up and run Pegasus which provides for a retail crime desk within Opal.The Home Office is providing £5 million over the three financial years from 2025/6 to continue to fund Opal’s work with retailers and police forces to identify and dismantle organised crime groups and prolific offenders.

With reference to her Department's White Paper entitled From local to national: a new model for policing, published on 26 January 2026, whether the funding announced for Opal is an yearly increase on past and current funding.

Opal is the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime. In 2023/4 and 2024/5, the Home Office provided £30,000 each year to help set up and run Pegasus which provides for a retail crime desk within Opal.The Home Office is providing £5 million over the three financial years from 2025/6 to continue to fund Opal’s work with retailers and police forces to identify and dismantle organised crime groups and prolific offenders.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations in the report Externalised asylum and migration policies and human rights law, published by the Council of Europe.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to protecting those in need, in line with our international obligations. All asylum claims that are lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, are given full and careful consideration. We have noted the Council of Europe’s report, and we will never remove anyone to a country where they would face persecution or serious harm. We remain firmly committed to this principle.As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, Home Office officials consider equality impacts throughout the policy development process. Protecting children and vulnerable people is and will remain a priority.The reforms set out in the Asylum Policy Statement (Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy - GOV.UK) introduce a comprehensive package of measures designed to restore order, control, fairness, and public confidence in the system. These reforms are fully compliant with our international obligations.Further policy development is needed on the details of these reforms. We are in the process of consulting meaningfully with affected stakeholders and will carefully assess equalities impacts.

With reference to Section 22 of the Department's White Paper entitled From local to national: a new model for policing, published on 26 January 2026, how does her Department define dangerous behaviour; and what criteria do they use to identify it.

There is no one specific definition of ‘dangerous behaviour’ or any exhaustive list of the criteria for identifying it, as this changes as crime changes and evolves. However, the College of Policing (CoP) provide a non-statutory definition of Potentially Dangerous Persons (PDPs) which states that:'A PDP is a person who is not currently managed under one of the three Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) categories, but reasonable grounds exist for believing that there is a risk of them committing an offence or offences that will cause serious harm.’The MAPPA categories are explained Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) | College of Policing

With reference to Part 3 of her Department's White paper entitled From local to national: a new model for policing White Paper, published on 26 January 2026, how many (a) strategic authority mayors and (bi) council leaders will be placed on a Policing and Crime Board.

Policing and Crime Boards will be made up of upper-tier local authority leaders, and where they are present in the force area, Strategic Authority Mayors. This will ensure that the whole force area is represented by elected individuals. The exact number will be influenced by the number of upper-tier local authorities and Strategic Authorities in that area; we anticipate Policing and Crime Boards will be between 5 to 11 members.Policing and Crime Boards will also include two independent members, to bring unique skills and expertise. They will be required to be supported by a Policing and Crime Lead, who will exercise many of the functions of the Board on their behalf, ensuring that there is a dedicated lead for policing on a day-to-day basis.

What are the current boundaries of operational independence for police forces.

Operational independence of the police is a longstanding fundamental principle of British policing. This ensures that Chief Constables maintain direction and control over their police force so that they can perform their role without fear or favour.There is no statutory definition of operational independence or its boundaries. However, the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and the Policing Protocol Order 2023 set an expectation that Chief Constables, their officers, and staff exercise professional judgement free from improper political or operational interference.The Government’s recently published White Paper ‘From Local to National: A New Model for Policing’ announced plans to clarify the boundaries of operational independence to provide policing with direction and support to drive improvement where necessary.