Written questions by Spencer.

Whether her Department has evaluated the cost to local police constabulary of changes to licensing requirements around shotgun ownership.

The Government is intending to consult on strengthening shotgun controls in due course. The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published in February 2025, included a commitment to having a consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns, in the interests of public safety.We will also provide an impact assessment in relation to any changes that we bring forward after the consultation, including in relation to the police, in the normal way.

Whether she has had any meetings with BASC, has any future meetings with BASC and any other organisations planned, on the issue of combining section 1 and 2 licenses for shotguns.

Home Office Ministers and officials meet with a range of stakeholders with an interest in firearms related issues, including the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), from time to time and will continue to do so.I had a meeting with BASC on 12 November 2025 to discuss firearms issues.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of combining section 1 and 2 licenses on public safety.

The Government is intending to consult on strengthening shotgun controls in due course. The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published in February 2025, included a commitment to having a consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns, in the interests of public safety.We will also provide an impact assessment in relation to any changes that we bring forward after the consultation, in the normal way.

What his timetable is for the consultation on Section 1 and Section 2 licensing of shotguns and firearms.

The Government has committed to having a new public consultation on changes to the licensing controls on shotguns.We will publish the consultation in due course.

What discussions she has had with Suffolk County Council on the (a) social and (b) economic impact of housing (i) refugees and (ii) asylum seekers on the local area.

The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider local authority obligations and plans.The Home Office has delivered various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.

What assessment she has made of the impact of housing (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers in Ipswich on social cohesion.

We have a set of Asylum Accommodation Plans which take an evidence-based approach to the procurement and occupancy of Dispersal Accommodation; ensuring we are finding suitable accommodation to fulfil our statutory duty, while considering the impacts on local areas.The Home Office continues to work with local government to allocate asylum seekers based on a range of evidence, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion.Whatever decisions are made regarding specific locations, we are clear that the impact on communities must be minimised.

What estimate has been made of the economic impact of housing (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers in Ipswich.

The Home Office works closely with local authorities and takes into account the pressures associated with providing asylum accommodation. We continue to engage with local authorities to manage these impacts, including on their wider statutory responsibilities and local plans. To support this work, the Home Office administers a range of grants to help local authorities meet the costs of accommodating asylum seekers.Costs associated with asylum accommodation and support are reported at a national level in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Whether she has had discussions with the (a) farming, (b) rural and (c) game sports industries on changes to shotgun licensing.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February 2025, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. We intend to publish this consultation shortly.No decisions have yet been made on whether and what changes might be necessary. Our approach will be informed by the public consultation, and we will consider the views put forward before deciding on what further action to take. We will then provide an assessment of the impact of any changes that the Government intends to bring forward.

When she intends to publish the consultation into licensing controls for shotguns.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February 2025, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. We intend to publish this consultation shortly.No decisions have yet been made on whether and what changes might be necessary. Our approach will be informed by the public consultation, and we will consider the views put forward before deciding on what further action to take. We will then provide an assessment of the impact of any changes that the Government intends to bring forward.

How many outstanding asylum claims there are; and what the average time taken is for those claims to reach a final decision.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘asylum detailed datasets’ as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.Data on the number of claims awaiting an initial decision, broken down by duration, is published in table Asy_D03. The latest data relates to the year ending June 2025. For further information on the data, see the notes pages of the tables.Data on the average processing times of claims is not currently published.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of unresolved asylum claims on local (a) councils and (b) services in Suffolk; and what additional resources she is providing to Suffolk Council to help mitigate that impact.

The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider local authority obligations and plans.The Home Office has delivered various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.

What is the estimated annual cost of providing (a) healthcare, (b) education, and (a) welfare support to illegal migrants in (i) the UK and (b) in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.However the Home Office publishes all available information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).

How many failed asylum seekers are residing in Suffolk.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum seekers in receipt of support, by support type and by local authority, is published in table Asy_D11 of the ‘Asylum support detailed datasets’.Individuals receiving Section 4 support have had their asylum claim refused but they are destitute and there are reasons that temporarily prevent them from leaving the UK. Please note that Section 95 support data includes some failed asylum seekers who had children in their household when their appeal rights were exhausted.The latest data relates to as at 30 June 2025. Data for as at 30 September 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

If she will list the countries with which the Government is conducting negotiations for the return of illegal migrants. started.

Listing the countries with which the Government is conducting negotiations relating to the return of illegal migrants, either to their country of origin or a country through which they travelled to the UK, would be unhelpful in fostering and building on relations which are vital in supporting the tackling of illegal migration and targeting the gangs that prey on the vulnerable.Bilateral returns agreements are one of many tools that facilitate returns and support international returns co-operation.

What her priorities are to tackle illegal immigration; and how these differ from her immediate predecessor.

As the Home Secretary has set out, she will do whatever it takes to secure our borders; working to restore order to the asylum system, ensuring that the rules are properly respected and enforced, and working upstream to tackle those facilitating illegal migration.The now embedded Border Security Command (BSC) is leading the national response to preventing small boats crossing the English Channel. The BSC work closely with the National Crime Agency, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, and overseas counterparts in countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and Iraq. This collaborative approach has already led to widely publicised raids, arrests, and new bilateral agreements that will further strengthen enforcement and intelligence-sharing over the coming months.To ensure we restore order to the asylum system, we are committed to meaningful reform of our current immigration system and processes. We will legislate to reform our approach to the application of Article 8 in the immigration system. Alongside this we will also pursue international reform, working closely with our partners in the Council of Europe. These reforms will restore the correct balance between individual rights and the wider public interest of controlling migration.

If she will make an estimate of the cost of housing asylum seekers in (a) hotels, (b) private rental accommodation and (c) council housing in each of the last five financial years.

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 she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of small boat crossings since 4 July 2024.

The Border Security Command was established to provide strategic leadership in tackling small boats, ensuring our approach is informed by a single and shared understanding of the threat through the integrated use of intelligence, assessments, data and evidence. The Command has an established process for monitoring and evaluating work underway, including assessing delivery and monitoring trends in arrivals. The Government keeps all options to tackle small boat crossings, and the Organised Crime Groups behind them, under constant review.

How her Department calculates the number of police officers required per 100,000 of the population in (a) Suffolk, (b) Kent, (c) Norfolk and (d) England.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Table 11 of the data tables accompanying the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales: 30 September 2024’ release includes data on the number of police officers per 100,000 resident population, both nationally and at a police force area level.Data on the number of police officers per 100,000 resident population is provided for comparative purposes and is not used as a measure of a required rate.

What estimate she has made of the cost of the increase to employers National Insurance contributions for Suffolk Constabulary in the 2025-26 financial year; and how much additional funding her Department plans to provide to Suffolk Constabulary for this purpose in the same period.

Suffolk Police’s funding will be up to £171.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £1.5m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.The Home Secretary has already announced over half a billion of additional central government funding for policing in 2025-26 and has confirmed that police forces will be fully compensated for the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. Further funding and detail will be set out in the police funding settlement in the normal way.Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26, including funding for employers National Insurance Contributions, will also be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.

On what grounds she decided the level of funding for Suffolk Constabulary; and if she will review that funding.

Suffolk Police’s funding will be up to £171.5m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £1.5m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.The Home Secretary has already announced over half a billion of additional central government funding for policing in 2025-26 and has confirmed that police forces will be fully compensated for the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. Further funding and detail will be set out in the police funding settlement in the normal way.Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26, including funding for employers National Insurance Contributions, will also be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.