Written questions by Kohler.

What steps she is taking to ensure that deaths connected to sexual violence and abuse, including suicides amongst those who have experienced prolonged abuse, are properly recorded and reflected in Government policy.

Awaiting answer.

What safeguards are in place to ensure (a) lawful and (b) proportionate use of live facial recognition technology by police forces in England and Wales.

Awaiting answer.

What data are collected through the use of live facial recognition technology by police forces in England and Wales, where those data are stored, and how long they are retained.

Awaiting answer.

What guidance her Department has issued on the storage, security, sharing, and deletion of data generated through the use of live facial recognition technology.

Awaiting answer.

What recent steps she has taken to help tackle sexual offences; and what plans she has to update her Department's approach.

Awaiting answer.

How many people without leave to remain were removed from the UK in each of the last five years.

The Home Office publishes data on returns in the ‘Immigration System Statistics quarterly release’. Data on returns can be found in Ret_01 of the ‘Returns summary tables’. This data goes up to September 2025 and includes only individuals who do not have valid leave to remain.

How many asylum cases were awaiting an initial decision in January (a) 2025 and (b) 2026.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the 'Immigration System Statistics' and the ‘Migration Transparency Data’ releases.Data on the number of asylum claims awaiting an initial decision by duration is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum claims and decisions detailed datasets’ and data on the percentage of applications processed within 6 months is published in table ASY_01 of the ‘Immigration and Protection data’. The latest data relates to as at 30 September 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. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

What the average time taken to make an initial decision on an asylum claim was in each of the last five years.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the 'Immigration System Statistics' and the ‘Migration Transparency Data’ releases.Data on the number of asylum claims awaiting an initial decision by duration is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum claims and decisions detailed datasets’ and data on the percentage of applications processed within 6 months is published in table ASY_01 of the ‘Immigration and Protection data’. The latest data relates to as at 30 September 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. Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

How many full-time equivalent police officers there were in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.The latest information on the number of police officers, as at 30 September 2025, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2025.Table 4 of the data tables accompanying the release includes information on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers as at 31 March and 30 September each year from 2007 to 2025.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of police officer retention and morale.

The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. The retention of police officers is an important element of managing the police workforce.Leaver rates for police officers in England and Wales, at 6.0% in the year ending 31 March 2025, have shown a reduction of 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year. Voluntary resignation rates of police officers in England and Wales, have also reduced 0.2 percentage. points, from 3.4% in the year ending 31 March 2024, to 3.2% in the year ending 31 March 2025. This is low compared to other sectors.This Government is clear that police wellbeing must be prioritised to ensure a motivated and thriving workforce. The Police Covenant plays a crucial role in police morale by ensuring officers, staff, volunteers and their families are supported and are not disadvantaged as a result of their service. By formally recognising policing’s unique demands and strengthening support for those who serve, the Covenant plays an important role in building and maintaining morale across the workforce. We continue to keep the Covenant under review to ensure it is as effective as possible and will look to improve the Covenant including, if necessary, through legislation.

How many staff were employed in Border Force in each of the last five years.

The latest published staffing and finance figures for Border Force can be found in the Home Office Annual Report for 2020-2025 at: HO annual report and accounts 2020-25 (Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK)

How many asylum seekers are housed in contingency accommodation; and what assessment she has made of trends in the level of the use of that accommodation.

At its peak, around 400 hotels were in use as contingency accommodation for asylum seekers, at a cost of approximately £9 million per day. The number of hotels in use has since reduced to fewer than 200. The Government remains committed to ending the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.The Home Office publishes data on the number of asylum seekers supported in accommodation, including contingency accommodation such as hotels, broken down by local authority. This information is available in the Asy_D11 table within the most recent Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.The Home Office keeps the asylum accommodation estate under continuous review. Demand for asylum accommodation remains volatile, requiring the Department to respond at pace to meet its statutory duty to support eligible asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.The Department’s assessment is that overall reliance on contingency accommodation, including hotels, has reduced in recent months, reflecting efforts to move towards more sustainable accommodation solutions.

What recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation in the UK; and what additional measures are being taken to strengthen protections for victims and increase successful prosecutions.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this ambition. This is why the recently published Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy includes a series of measures to tackle sexual exploitation and to better support victims and survivors.Victims of sexual exploitation make up a large proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism. The most recent annual statistics show that in 2024, sexual exploitation (either partly or wholly) accounted for 17% (3,266) of all referrals. Of these, the majority of those referred were females (79%; 2,564).The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats and targeting prolific perpetrators. Also, the National Police Lead for modern slavery is leading Project Turnstone, which will develop a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation.To support victims to escape and recover from their exploitation, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of exploitation and trafficking in England and Wales. This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.We recently ran a public Call for Evidence on how the Government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery, including for victims who have been trafficked for sexual exploitation. Following analysis of the responses from this Call for Evidence, we will consider whether any future policy changes are needed.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in preventing the exploitation of vulnerable individuals within large commercial organisations.

The government is committed to tackling modern slavery, ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted.Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report on how they are tackling modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Section 54 has helped bring greater awareness of modern slavery in boardrooms across the country, but it is clear a decade after the Act, the UK’s approach to tackling labour exploitation needs to evolve.The government is currently conducting a review of Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) policy. The RBC review will consider the effectiveness of the current UK regime and alternative means of supporting responsible business practices, including consideration of mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence laws and import controls on goods made by forced labour.The Government is also establishing the Fair Work Agency (FWA). The FWA will bring under one roof multiple agencies and bodies to ensure a more cohesive and streamlined response to exploitation. The FWA will have enhanced powers and resources to identify and address labour exploitation more effectively. It will be a strong, recognisable brand so individuals know where to go for help.

How many prosecutions for modern slavery offences have been brought in the past five years; and what measures are in place to improve victim identification and access to justice.

This Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted.The data on the number of modern slavery prosecutions is published by the Crown Prosecution Service and the available data shows that between 2019 and 2024 there were: 201920202021202220232024Convictions251197332282311353Non-convictions987013412399101Total prosecuted 349267466405410454 The National Police Chief Council Lead for modern slavery is developing a national investigations framework to strengthen police forces’ ability to identify, disrupt and bring to justice the perpetrators behind this crime.The Home Office has also committed to reviewing the modern slavery system in the Restoring Order and Control Statement to ensure that we have the right protections for those who need it. This will build on the responses we received to a Call for Evidence on the victim identification system which closed in October. The Home Office is now analysing the responses received and we will consider the evidence gathered to explore any further changes that could be made to improve the identification of victims.Furthermore, potential victims of modern slavery with a positive Reasonable or Conclusive Grounds decision have access to legal aid, this includes criminal and civil legal aid, legal aid for immigration advice, advice on an asylum claim, employment law advice and for a civil claim of damages.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the ability of police forces to (a) investigate sexual offences, (b) fill gaps in data on violence against women and girls and (c) implement recommendations for improving public safety.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government with a manifesto mission to halve VAWG in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halving VAWG, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy, which we aim to publish as soon as possible.The Home Office has invested £13.1 million this year to establish the new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) to improve the police response to VAWG and child sexual abuse. The NCVPP is continuing to drive forward the transformational work of Operation Soteria ensuring officers build the strongest possible, victim-centred, suspect-focused, context-led cases.The Home Office works closely with police forces on improving the quality of police recorded crime data, including for crimes under the VAWG heading, as well as drawing on data from the Crime Survey for England & Wales (CSEW).The Home Office are also carefully considering the findings and recommendations from the Angiolini Inquiry's Part 2 First Report which has examined the prevention of sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces.

What steps she is taking to address cases where DWP staff meet the annual Skilled Worker Visa salary threshold but are affected by the method used to calculate hourly pay.

When assessing salaries for visa purposes, our approach is consistent with that taken in national minimum wage guidance, which states:‘If you pay a salaried worker their normal salary while they are absent from work and this forms a part of their employment contract, the time of the absence counts towards the worker’s time worked for minimum wage purposes. For example, during rest breaks, lunch breaks, holidays, sickness absence or maternity / paternity / adoption leave.’We do not plan to change our approach, as it could open up inconsistencies with wider employment regulation.A decision on whether to amend employment contracts, so that salaries reflect the actual hours worked, would be for an employer to make.

Whether any dedicated funding has been provided to the Metropolitan Police to support the Ninja Sword Surrender Scheme.

The Ninja Sword Surrender Scheme ran for four weeks between 1 to 31 July 2025. The scheme allowed owners of ninja swords to surrender them at designated police stations in England and Wales and, if they wished, submit a claim for compensation, which was forwarded to the Home Office for consideration.The scheme was directly funded by the Home Office, and no specific funding was given to police forces including the Metropolitan Police.

What criteria will be used in the Home Office English Language Test procurement process to help ensure the (a) integrity, (b) reliability and (c) independent validation of English language assessments, in the context of (i) AI and (ii) remote delivery models.

The Home Office is currently undertaking market engagement to inform the development of contractual requirements for the English Language Test procurement, and will ensure the continued integrity, reliability and independent validation of English language assessments, including considerations for both AI-enabled and remote delivery model.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of fraudulent insurance claims that have been made by people who stage road traffic collisions to gain compensation there have been in the last 12 months.

The Government recognises the harm caused by these types of fraudulent claims. This is why we have launched an Insurance Fraud Charter with key insurance firms to agree a series of voluntary measures to reduce fraud against the sector and consumers.The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau reports that there has been 118 reports of Insurance related Fraud in the past 13 months.