Written questions by Lowe.

Whether (a) current and (b) former (i) civil servants and (ii) politicians will be required to give evidence to the grooming gangs inquiry; what steps her Department is taking to ensure accountability of public officials involved in the handling of grooming gang cases; and whether public officials found to have engaged in wrongdoing will be liable to prosecution.

The National Inquiry will utilise existing legislation in the Inquiries Act 2005 to appoint an independent chair who will determine the conduct and procedure of the inquiry. We will announce further details on the inquiry, including the appointment of an independent chair, in due course.

Whether her Department can compel local authorities to release safeguarding files on group-based child sexual exploitation.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will commit to implementing all recommendations from the grooming gang inquiry within 12 months.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will publish demographic breakdowns of (a) perpetrators and (b) victims by (i) race, (ii) gender, (iii) nationality and (iv) immigration status.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will review the adequacy of data collection by (a) police, (b) councils and (c) government in identifying systemic abuse.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will link (a) police and (b) council data nationally to create map of (a) grooming gang activity and (b) institutional failure.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will appoint a chair with no (a) political affiliation and (b) prior conflict to lead the grooming gang inquiry.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will release historic exploitation data back to the 1960s on a rolling basis.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will include the role of (a) ethnicity, (b) culture and (c) religion in (i) enabling and (ii) concealing group-based child sexual exploitation.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will examine (a) internal police complaints, (b) whistleblower evidence and (c) deleted material on grooming gang investigations.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether whistleblowers who were (a) disciplined, (b) dismissed and (c) ignored for raising concerns on grooming gangs will receive (i) an official apology and (ii) compensation.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will ensure that (a) FOI returns, (b) court transcripts, (c) internal memos, (d) inter-agency communications and (e) other evidence submitted to the grooming gang inquiry is published.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether (a) independent whistleblowers, (b) frontline professionals, (c) survivor-led organisations and (d) journalists will be formally included in the grooming gang inquiry.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether her Department has had discussions with counter-terrorism police on the potential impact of full-face coverings in public settings on national security.

The Home Office has regular and routine discussions with counter-terrorism policing on a wide range of national security issues.The Crime and Policing Bill contains a new criminal offence of wearing, or otherwise using, an item that conceals identity in an area designated by police due to the risk of criminal activity taking place at protests. This will enable the police to put a stop to individuals hiding behind masks to avoid conviction for criminal activity at protests.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of foreign nationals entering the UK as delivery drivers under temporary work schemes.

Under the current Immigration Rules, the UK operates no Temporary Work schemes that enable the recruitment of delivery drivers from overseas.

How many and what proportion of religious institutions in the UK receive funding from foreign governments or entities, broken down by (a) religion and (b) source of funding.

Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across various Government departments and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What proportion of immigration cases involve the use of interpretation services paid for by the state.

Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of full-face coverings on levels of (a) coercion, (b) domestic control and (c) honour-based abuse.

Tackling violence against women and girls, including Coercive or Controlling Behaviour (CCB) and ‘Honour’-Based Abuse (HBA), is a top priority for this Government and our manifesto included a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach, underpinned by a new strategy to be published in the summer.CCB is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse. As made clear in statutory guidance, it can include isolating a person from friends and family, enforcing rules to humiliate, degrade or dehumanise, physical intimidation or taking control over aspects of the victim’s everyday life, such as by dictating what they can and cannot wear.CCB is an offence in the Serious Crime Act (2015). The statutory definition of domestic abuse, contained within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, explicitly recognises controlling or coercive behaviour as a form of domestic abuse.HBA is an umbrella term, covering specific crimes such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, but also other forms of abuse that take place in an 'honour' context. HBA is often hidden in nature. We are focused on preventing these crimes from happening, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice.In 2023, the Home Office commissioned a feasibility study on producing robust prevalence estimates for FGM and forced marriage. The study concluded in March 2024, and we are currently working on our next steps and will provide an update in due course.Building on the progress made in the Community Advocates Project, which took place in early 2024, we are progressing the HBA Campaign. This is a campaign to raise awareness of issues surrounding HBA and signpost where people can seek help. The Home Office also funds Karma Nirvana to operate the national HBA Helpline which supports victims and survivors and advises professionals to improve awareness of HBA.

How many and what proportion of people who entered the UK on student visas since 2015 have not left the UK within six months of their visa expiry.

The latest data available on the ‘Source of asylum claims in 2024’ was published by the Home Office on 30th March 2025.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce levels of self-segregation in (a) housing and (b) schooling in areas with high concentrations of recent immigrants.

The Immigration White Paper, published 12 May, set out proposals in a number of areas, including integration and English language requirements, further details of which will be set out in due course.