The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 2,865 tabled · 2,674 answered

Written questions by Holden.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.

Department:All (2,865)Department for Transport (1016)Cabinet Office (760)Treasury (165)Department of Health and Social Care (124)Department for Business and Trade (105)Department for Education (93)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (76)Ministry of Defence (75)Home Office (75)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (74)Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (53)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (41)

Showing 120 of 75 · Home Office

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29 May 2026·Home Office·Pending
Asked

With reference to the answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115864 on Street Trading: Westminster Bridge, whether she has issued guidance to the police on enforcing the law on dangerous parking in areas of decriminalised parking enforcement; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of law enforcement in relation to (a) ice cream vans and (b) pedicabs parked on red lines on Westminster Bridge.

Reply

Awaiting answer.

15 May 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

When she plans to publish her Department's response to the Animals in Science Committee report on non-technical summaries and retrospective assessments.

Reply

The Home Office published the Department’s response to the Animals in Science Committee report on non-technical summaries and retrospective assessments on 8th May 2026. The response can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-technical-summaries-and-retrospective-assessments-response-from-lord-hanson

14 May 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing time spent in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and Ukraine Extension Scheme to count towards eligibility for indefinite leave to remain.

Reply

I refer the Rt Honourable Member to my answer given on 21 April to PQ UIN 126987.

20 Apr 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many people aged 18 and over immigrated to the UK in each year from 2022 to 2025 from (a) Pakistan, (b) Kuwait, (c) Afghanistan, (d) Qatar, (e) the United Arab Emirates, (f) Sudan, (g) Mauritania, (h) Iraq, (i) Yemen, (j) Iran, (k) Saudi Arabia, (l) Libya, (m) Oman, (n) Syria, (o) Bahrain, (p) Egypt, (q) Jordan, (r) Guinea, (s) Lebanon, (t) Sri Lanka, (u) Algeria, (v) Turkey, (w) Tunisia, (x) Nigeria, (y) Morocco, (z) Bangladesh, (aa) Israel and (ab) India by nationality.

Reply

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20th April is attached.

14 Apr 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of equipping all police cars with defibrillators.

Reply

Provision of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in police vehicles is currently an operational matter for police forces to decide at local level. I have had several meetings on the value of equipping all police cars with defibrillators and I am carefully considering next steps.

10 Apr 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed junction 38 closures on emergency service response times in Cumbria.

Reply

Decisions on emergency service responses and traffic management decisions for motorway roadworks are for emergency service responders and National Highways, respectively. They have the expertise to make decisions with regard to responder access, public safety and site constraints, based on individual circumstances.No assessment has been made by the Home Office of the potential impact to emergency service response times from the proposed roadworks at Junction 38 of the M6 Motorway.

25 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

When she plans to respond to Question 119499 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Reply

The Rt Hon Member received a response to PQ UIN 119499 on 20th April 2026.

19 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current processes for handling incidents involving harassment, alarm or distress motivated by homophobia where relevant evidence cannot be admitted or relied upon in court; and what steps she is taking to ensure that such cases are still appropriately investigated and that victims receive adequate protection and support.

Reply

On the 14th February, the government tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to extend existing aggravated offences under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to ensure equal protection across the protected characteristics of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, transgender identity and sex.The police are operationally independent and responsible for investigating alleged offences, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to build cases that meet the evidential and public interest tests. A range of offences may apply depending on the circumstances, including under the Public Order Act 1986 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, and where hostility based on sexual orientation is proven, courts may apply statutory sentencing uplifts.Where particular evidence cannot be admitted or relied upon in court, the police are expected to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry using admissible material, and to seek early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service where appropriate. Where the evidential threshold for a charge is not met, the police can still take steps to protect victims, including the use of bail conditions and other protective measures where the relevant legal tests are satisfied.Victims of hate crime are entitled to support under the Victims’ Code, including being kept informed of progress and signposted to appropriate services. The Government continues to fund local and national victim support services and works closely with policing partners, the Crown Prosecution Service and the College of Policing to promote consistent, evidence-led responses to hate-motivated incidents so that victims are protected and offenders are brought to justice wherever possible.

17 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 116788, if she will make an assessment of the annual cost to police forces of (a) administering roadside drug-impairment tests and (b) drug-driving testing.

Reply

The Home Office has not made an assessment on the costs to police forces for administering roadside drug-impartment tests under section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and drug driving testing under section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

17 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Whether the Government plans to introduce nationally consistent guidance on the interpretation of regulations governing abnormal load movements and police escort requirements.

Reply

There are no current plans by government to introduce national guidance governing the movement of abnormal loads.

10 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111457, how much was allocated from the capital property change budget for infrastructure installation costs related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure in (a) 2024–25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) each year for the rest of the spending review.

Reply

Funding allocated from the Home Office capital property change budget for infrastructure installation costs associated with electric vehicle (EV) charging is as follows:2024–25 (actual): £503,0002025–26 (forecast): £604,0002026–27 (forecast): £1.3 million2027–28 (forecast): £1 million2028–29 (forecast): £1 millionThe allocations for 2027–28 and 2028–29 are currently indicative placeholder figures included within the existing project pipeline and may be subject to change. The current forecast allocation for 2026–27 remains £1.3 million. A review of the longer-term electric vehicle charging infrastructure delivery strategy for the remainder of the Spending Review period is ongoing.The Government has set a target for all vehicles in the central government fleet to be zero-emission by the end of 2027. This transition predominantly impacts operational vehicles used by Immigration Enforcement, Border Force and Border Security Command.To support this transition, Home Office Property Services has been commissioned to install EV charging infrastructure at Home Office buildings to enable the charging of electric fleet vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Charging Project (EVCP) was mobilised to deliver this infrastructure and is currently undertaking a strategic review to set priorities for the remainder of the Spending Review period.The costs covered by this funding include the design and installation of charging points, associated legal fees where landlord agreements are required, and enabling works with local electricity distribution network operators.

2 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What recent estimate she has made of the annual cost to police forces of (a) administering roadside drug-impairment tests and (b) drug-driving testing; what steps she is taking to reduce the per-test cost of such testing for police forces; and what funding and support is available to police forces to help reduce drug-driving without reducing the number of tests carried out.

Reply

The Government’s Road Safety Strategy, launched in January 2026, includes a consultation on a range of motoring offences including the drink and drug driving testing framework. The government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to keep road users safe.The Home Office has not made an assessment on the costs to police forces for administering roadside drug-impartment tests and drug driving testing.Total funding to police forces in 2026-27 will be up to £18.4 billion, an increase of up to £796 million compared to the 2025-26 police funding settlement. It is for PCCs and Chief Constables to determine how to allocate this funding to best support operational requirements.

27 Feb 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107774, if she will publish the specialist advice provided by the National Protective Security Authority and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office on Hostile Vehicle Mitigation.

Reply

Comprehensive advice and guidance relating to Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) is freely available online. It can be accessed via the ProtectUK platform (https://www.protectuk.police.uk/hostile-vehicle-mitigation-hvm) or via the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) website https://www.npsa.gov.uk/specialised-guidance/hostile-vehicle-mitigation-hvmThese pages provide information and guidance regarding vehicle borne threats, the wide range of HVM measures available, and provide detailed information regarding operational and technical considerations to reduce vulnerability from vehicle borne threats.The NPSA website also provides signposting to a suite of HVM products and counter-measures and is kept up to date with best practice advice regarding their deployments and integration into wider protective security considerations.

20 Feb 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What information their Department holds on (a) the proportion of tyres procured that were re-tread tyres for (i) Department-operated and (ii) commercially contracted heavy vehicle fleets, including lorries, buses and refuse vehicles and (b) the volume of tyres procured for those fleets that were single-use imported tyres in the last 12 months; and whether such information is held centrally or by individual contractors.

Reply

The Home Office does not hold or collate the information requested.The Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994, set out requirements for re-treaded tyres, as well as brand new tyres. Consumers can be confident in the safety of any tyre that complies with these requirements.

12 Feb 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 110898, what assessment her Department has made of the economic impact of passenger delays at the UK border on tourism, aviation and wider business activity.

Reply

The Home Office does not undertake analysis of the economic impact of passenger delays. However, as per my response of 12 February 2026 to question 110898, published data for Q3 2025 showed 97.9% of sampled measurements were cleared within service standards.

10 Feb 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

When she plans to introduce a statutory definition of honour-based abuse; what progress she has made on introducing such a definition; and if she will publish a timetable for bringing forward necessary legislation and statutory guidance.

Reply

The VAWG Strategy, published on 18 December, set out clear action to tackle ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) including legislating to introduce multi-agency statutory guidance and an accompanying statutory definition of HBA. The Government will introduce this statutory definition as an amendment in the Crime and Policing Bill at Report Stage in the House of Lords.The Government has engaged extensively with specialist sector charities, statutory safeguarding professionals, and other government departments in the development of this definition and will do the same as we develop the statutory guidance which we will publish as soon as possible.

6 Feb 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 87860, what HOPS Change Budget refers to; and whether the figures provided relate solely to spending on electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the purchase of electric vehicles.

Reply

The change budget is the capital property budget used to fund infrastructure installation costs only.

4 Feb 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104868, what the service standard wait times at passport control are, and what assessment the Department has made of the economic impact of passenger delays at the border.

Reply

Border Force publish data on the percentage of sampled measurements cleared within service standards, with the target of 95%.The service standard is 25 minutes for passengers using eGates or queues where the majority of passengers are GBR/ EEA/ B5JSSK nationalities / 45 minutes for passengers using queues dedicated to other nationalities.The latest published data was Quarter 3 2025 (Jul-Sept) which showed 97.9% of sampled measurements were cleared within service standards.

22 Jan 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the full enforcement of Electronic Travel Authorisation checks on travel disruption for British dual nationals; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure airlines, travel agents and affected British citizens are informed of the requirement to travel with a valid British (a) passport and (b) certificate of entitlement.

Reply

UK nationals are not eligible for an ETA. Under UK immigration legislation, the requirement to obtain an ETA cannot be applied to British citizens (including those with dual nationality). A dual British citizen may only evidence their right of abode in the UK, at the UK border, with a valid British passport or other passport endorsed with a certificate of entitlement (CoE) to the right of abode. The Government has worked extensively with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that this is communicated effectively to carriers, the wider travel sector, and British citizens in ETA-eligible countries. We recognise that this is a significant change for millions of travellers, and that is why we have allowed ample time between ETAs first being introduced in 2023 and the move to enforcement.

22 Jan 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2026 to Question 99931, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of illegal number plates on national security, serious organised crime, terrorism and the effectiveness of ANPR systems.

Reply

Vehicle registration marks are essential for identifying vehicles involved in crime. Individuals engaged in serious and organised crime, terrorism and other high‑harm offending often rely on the UK’s road network to facilitate their criminal activities.We work closely with policing partners, the DVLA and other agencies to understand and mitigate risks posed by illegal or obscured number plates. The Home Office supports efforts to prevent their use and to strengthen ANPR effectiveness through investment and enforcement activity. ANPR remains a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of ANPR use under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest and those engaged in criminal activities.Comprehensive advice and guidance is available via the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), which includes signposting to a suite of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) products and counter-measures. The specialist advice regarding HVM includes up-to-date technical resources and best practice advice regarding their deployment, and is available from these organisations.

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Sources
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