Written questions by Prinsley.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of rapid alcohol delivery services on the level of alcohol dependency and alcohol-related harm; and whether she plans to review existing licensing and age-verification regulations to access such services.

The Licensing Act 2003 regulates the sale and supply of alcohol. The Government recognises that consumer purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in alcohol sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services.The Department for Health and Social Care, which has responsibility for policy on health harms, and the Home Office are looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services and monitoring emerging evidence on the impact they may be having on people’s health. I am clear that we will act where necessary to protect public safety.To this end, I will shortly hold a roundtable jointly with the Minister for Public Health and Prevention to consider solutions with healthcare professionals and experts in the field.

With reference to the Written Statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, HCWS1373, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of promoting a named community sponsorship scheme to facilitate the closure of asylum hotels.

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, published on 21 November 2025, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.The Home Office assesses that launching new safe and legal routes, including community sponsorship, supports the Government’s overall objectives of reducing dangerous journeys and ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers. The new routes in isolation will not lead to the closure of asylum hotels, however, they form part of the broader package of measures set out in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement to support sustainable exit from hotel accommodation.

What action is the Home Secretary taking to implement the recommendations of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration report on age assessments to ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are properly safeguarded.

The Home Office accepted all eight of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) age assessment recommendations which were designed to improve training, guidance, assurance, resources and communication.Initial age decisions were a primary focus of the report and, to date, the Home Office has:Implemented minimum quality standards and clear operating procedures to ensure a consistent and fair approach at first encounterPublished updated guidance on the age admit process so individuals are informed of what they are being asked to sign, the implications of doing so, and how this information may be usedCompleted the first part of an evaluation into initial age decision training to ensure it is meeting requirementsStarted work to improve the overall process and experience through assurance frameworks and feedback mechanismsThe National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) was also a key focus of the inspection and improvements have been made to assurance frameworks to further ensure age assessments are conducted consistently, robustly and in line with both legislative requirements and best practice.We have also focused on improving our use of technology. The NAAB online referral portal will also be going live in the next few months which will improve access for local authorities by providing a new, streamlined route for referring age assessment cases to the NAAB. This new technology will deliver operational efficiencies and enable referrals to be made more easily and quickly.The Home Office has improved the quality of age assessment data. To strengthen transparency, the publication of age assessment official statistics will resume as part of the Immigration Statistical Release scheduled for 21 May 2026. This release will include new disaggregated data on the outcomes of age disputes. Over time, this will provide a more complete national picture, make clearer distinctions between stages of the process and allow improved monitoring.We continue to develop proposals on how we can share more information with local authorities, where appropriate to support effective planning and safeguarding. We are also engaging directly with stakeholders on progress made against the recommendations to ensure they are delivered in a way that continues to strengthen protections for children.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of reinstating family reunion visa routes for Iranians.

The family reunion route was suspended to ease the pressures that local authorities and public services have been placed under due to the recent significant increase in people arriving under this route in recent years. Other family routes remain available including Appendix FM, and cases lodged before the suspension continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis.Currently, Iranian nationals who wish to come to the UK can do so via the existing range of routes available. Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules.Immediate family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes.There are also routes available for dependents of those who are in the UK on most work routes or certain postgraduate student routes.

What steps she is taking to help implement the recommendations of the Cranston inquiry to help prevent avoidable deaths in the channel.

The loss of life from the fatal incident of 23/24 November 2021 was an appalling tragedy, and our thoughts remain with the survivors, the victims and loved ones who suffered as a result.The response to the Cranston Inquiry report is being led by the Department for Transport (DfT). The Home Office is engaging with the DfT on the response to those recommendations which are pertinent to its area of policy.

What consultation her Department undertook on the potential impact of changes to the skilled worker route on the supply of (a) dental hygienists and (b) dental nurses.

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. The first set of immigration rules giving effect to the policies in the White Paper was published on 1 July, including raising the skills threshold to RQF 6 and we will publish an impact assessment of this change in due course.