Written questions by Paul.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to the Question 98986 on Police: Workplace Pensions, whether her Department has identified a solution.

I refer the Hon. Member to my answer given to question 98986.

What steps her Department has taken to ensure ongoing independent expert scrutiny of police conduct and the full transparent investigation of this conduct where required.

This Government is currently reforming the statutory systems for investigating allegations of police misconduct (whether these are identified internally or via public complaints).The most serious and sensitive matters including deaths and serious injuries and allegations of serious corruption must be referred immediately to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for assessment and, where IOPC deems it necessary, immediate, independent investigation.The IOPC publishes summaries and reports on its work, wherever it is possible to do so and regularly publishes press releases providing updates on high profile cases. We introduced reforms to these systems via the Policing and Crime Bill and announced further steps in Chapter 4 of the Police Reform White Paper published on 26 January 2026, including working with the IOPC to increase transparency further.

By when her Department expects to complete its ongoing work to to provide a remedy for those members of the Police Pension Scheme who opted out of, and are now left unable to opt back into, the 1987 pension scheme.

The Government recognises concerns that the current legislation does not fully deliver the intended remedy for a small cohort of members who opted out of the police pension scheme and are now unable to return to their original scheme.This is a complex issue and officials in the Home Office and HM Treasury are exploring solutions through the existing McCloud remedy compensation framework and amendments to scheme regulations. The aim is to provide a remedy for the small number of affected members as soon as possible once a suitable solution has been identified.

What recent steps her Department has taken to ensure the security of data submitted by third parties in support of visa applications.

UK Visa and Immigration’s commercial partners provide administrative services on behalf of the UK Government to support in processing visa applications. The UK Government visa decision making systems are entirely separate from commercial partner solutions.Information provided by visa customers in support of their application is captured by UKVI’s commercial partner, and this information is encrypted and securely transmitted to UKVI and subsequently deleted from commercial partner systems.UKVI works closely with its partners to ensure security of personal data and that this is handled in line with UK data protection requirements. UKVI’s Commercial Partners are certified to ISO 27001:2022 and accredited with UKVI Cyber Essentials Plus, ensuring compliance with the highest benchmarks for information protection. UKVI also ensure that its Commercial Partners undertake periodic third-party assessments to provide independent assurance on the security measures implemented.

How many vacancies for full time Border Force roles were being advertised at the point at which the Border Force Seasonal Workforce programme was discontinued.

As of the 1st of April 2024, there were 449 Seasonal Workforce staff in contract. The Seasonal Workforce (SWF) was a temporary staffing resource used to support operational delivery during periods of peak demand and recruited under exemptions from the normal civil service recruitment procedures. In 2024, a decision was taken to cease the use of the SWF, recruited under CSC exemptions, and instead recruit permanent resource Border Force Officers in line with the Civil Service recruitment principles of fair and open recruitment and improved strategic workforce planning. The use of the SWF ended by 31 January 2025. In September 2024, Border Force launched the Alternative Working Campaign, which was introduced in part to replace the use of the SWF and better align staffing to operational peaks. Border Force advertised 67 of these roles nationally. In accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, all recruitment under this scheme is conducted using a sifting process where all identifying information is removed and all appointments were 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.All costs for Border Force staffing are accounted for in the 2024-25 Home Office annual report and accounts at Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

How many Border Force workers were employed on Seasonal Workforce Contracts in 2024.

As of the 1st of April 2024, there were 449 Seasonal Workforce staff in contract. The Seasonal Workforce (SWF) was a temporary staffing resource used to support operational delivery during periods of peak demand and recruited under exemptions from the normal civil service recruitment procedures. In 2024, a decision was taken to cease the use of the SWF, recruited under CSC exemptions, and instead recruit permanent resource Border Force Officers in line with the Civil Service recruitment principles of fair and open recruitment and improved strategic workforce planning. The use of the SWF ended by 31 January 2025. In September 2024, Border Force launched the Alternative Working Campaign, which was introduced in part to replace the use of the SWF and better align staffing to operational peaks. Border Force advertised 67 of these roles nationally. In accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, all recruitment under this scheme is conducted using a sifting process where all identifying information is removed and all appointments were 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.All costs for Border Force staffing are accounted for in the 2024-25 Home Office annual report and accounts at Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

What the cost of the Border Force Seasonal Worker programme was for the last financial year of its operation.

As of the 1st of April 2024, there were 449 Seasonal Workforce staff in contract. The Seasonal Workforce (SWF) was a temporary staffing resource used to support operational delivery during periods of peak demand and recruited under exemptions from the normal civil service recruitment procedures. In 2024, a decision was taken to cease the use of the SWF, recruited under CSC exemptions, and instead recruit permanent resource Border Force Officers in line with the Civil Service recruitment principles of fair and open recruitment and improved strategic workforce planning. The use of the SWF ended by 31 January 2025. In September 2024, Border Force launched the Alternative Working Campaign, which was introduced in part to replace the use of the SWF and better align staffing to operational peaks. Border Force advertised 67 of these roles nationally. In accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, all recruitment under this scheme is conducted using a sifting process where all identifying information is removed and all appointments were 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.All costs for Border Force staffing are accounted for in the 2024-25 Home Office annual report and accounts at Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

How many former Border Force seasonal workers have gone on to be employed by Border Force since the termination of the seasonal workforce programme.

As of the 1st of April 2024, there were 449 Seasonal Workforce staff in contract. The Seasonal Workforce (SWF) was a temporary staffing resource used to support operational delivery during periods of peak demand and recruited under exemptions from the normal civil service recruitment procedures. In 2024, a decision was taken to cease the use of the SWF, recruited under CSC exemptions, and instead recruit permanent resource Border Force Officers in line with the Civil Service recruitment principles of fair and open recruitment and improved strategic workforce planning. The use of the SWF ended by 31 January 2025. In September 2024, Border Force launched the Alternative Working Campaign, which was introduced in part to replace the use of the SWF and better align staffing to operational peaks. Border Force advertised 67 of these roles nationally. In accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, all recruitment under this scheme is conducted using a sifting process where all identifying information is removed and all appointments were 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.All costs for Border Force staffing are accounted for in the 2024-25 Home Office annual report and accounts at Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the system for legally purchasing firearms; and whether her Department plans to improve the (a) licensing, (b) monitoring and (c) enforcement processes.

We keep firearms licensing controls under constant review to safeguard the public against the misuse of licensed firearms. We will shortly be refreshing the Statutory Guidance to tighten the criteria applied by police forces when considering if someone is suitable to have a firearms certificate, including handling of domestic abuse allegations, treatment of violent offences, the impact of dishonesty, and the role and arrangements for referees supporting an application.Firearms licensing fees were increased to enable full cost recovery on 5 February 2025, giving effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto. The extra income from fees will help police forces to better resource and train their firearms licensing teams. Later this year we will also be publishing a new consultation on greater alignment of shotgun and firearms controls and other proposals for making changes to firearms legislation.

How many immigrants are housed in asylum hotels in Reigate constituency.

Quarterly data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).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(opens in a new tab).

What assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of providing hotel accommodation to migrants in Reigate constituency over the last (a) five years, (b) 18 months and (c) nine months.

Quarterly data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).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(opens in a new tab).

When she plans to bring forward the necessary statutory instruments to bring section (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 of the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023 into force.

The Government is committed to halving levels of violence against women and girls in a decade. An important part of this ambition is tackling public sexual harassment which often leaves people, disproportionately women, feeling unsafe. The Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 will make this type of harassment a specific offence and could see perpetrators face a custodial sentence of up to 2 years.As with any new criminal justice legislation, an implementation period is necessary to ensure all processes, systems and guidance are updated - including drawing up the statutory guidance. We will ensure the legislation comes into force as quickly as reasonably possible. We will confirm next steps on implementation of the Act at the earliest opportunity.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18824 on UK Border Force: Seasonal Workers, what steps her Department has taken to mitigate the potential loss of capacity provided by the Border Force seasonal workforce.

Border Force’s seasonal workforce staff were recruited on fixed-term contracts to assist at the UK Border, covering shifts when operationally required, such as during peak periods of travel, and subject to their availability. These contracts utilised an authorised exception for short-term recruitment into the Civil Service.Following an ongoing review of the recruitment process by the Civil Service Commission, Border Force has ceased to use these contracts and now recruits through a regular Civil Service recruitment process. All seasonal workforce staff on existing fixed-term contracts have been invited to apply through this recruitment process.Our operational priority remains the protection of our border security, and this change will not affect the capacity of Border Force to deliver on that priority.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18824 on UK Border Force: Seasonal Workers, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to stand down the Border Force seasonal workforce on the operational capacity of Border Force.

Border Force’s seasonal workforce staff were recruited on fixed-term contracts to assist at the UK Border, covering shifts when operationally required, such as during peak periods of travel, and subject to their availability. These contracts utilised an authorised exception for short-term recruitment into the Civil Service.Following an ongoing review of the recruitment process by the Civil Service Commission, Border Force has ceased to use these contracts and now recruits through a regular Civil Service recruitment process. All seasonal workforce staff on existing fixed-term contracts have been invited to apply through this recruitment process.Our operational priority remains the protection of our border security, and this change will not affect the capacity of Border Force to deliver on that priority.

Whether Border Force plans to continue using its seasonal workforce beyond 31 January 2025.

Border Force will continue to secure the border through effective planning and deployment of its resources, which after 31 January 2025 will not include utilisation of the seasonal workforce.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendation in the report by The Law Commission entitled Hate Crime Laws: Final Report, published on 6 December 2021, HC 942, that hate crime law be reformed to offer greater protections for disabled persons.

As set out in our manifesto, we have committed to changing hate crime legislation to bring parity of protection for disabled people under the aggravated offences. This mirrors one of the recommendations made by the Law Commission in 2021.

What assessment she has made of the scale of commercial sexual exploitation in Reigate.

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 of the levers available to us to deliver this.The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational intensifications to target perpetrators.We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Reigate. However, from January to June 2024, 9 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or wholly) sexual exploitation disclosed that their exploitation occurred in Surrey.