Written questions by Lowe.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year.

Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).

Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of departmental procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.

Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder).Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search). Department for Science, Innovation and Technology awarded 95% of its contracts to British Companies.

What proportion of her Department's procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.

Contracts are awarded in compliance with the relevant public procurement regulations to ensure value for money, and most go to UK firms.

What proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year.

The requested information is not held in a reportable format. To provide this information would require a manual review of contract records, which could only be done for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

How many and what proportion of departmental procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.

In the financial year 2024-25, the Department awarded 274 contracts, 239 (87.2%) of which were to UK companies.

Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of departmental procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.

From April 1st 2024, to March 31st 2025, a total of 135 agreements were executed. Out of these, 131 contracts were awarded to British companies, which equates to approximately 97% of contracts.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of departmental procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.

There were 508 contracts awarded by Defra as the contract owner in financial year 2024/25 – 500 are to UK-based suppliers, which equates to 98.43% and excludes purchase orders raised for Defra below threshold. Details of central Government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 including VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier.

What proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year.

Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).

What proportion of his Department's procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year.

In the last financial year, 2024/25, 95.7% of procurement contracts were awarded to suppliers which reported to the Department that their legal entity is registered in the United Kingdom, in the UK Companies House Register.

How many and what proportion of criminal trials were heard before a jury in each of the last five years.

The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on the numbers and proportion of criminal trials heard before a jury. However, the vast majority of criminal cases are heard in the magistrates’ courts without juries – with 90% of all criminal cases being dealt with by magistrates. Of the remaining defendants that do progress to the Crown Court for trial, most plead guilty, meaning their cases do not go before a jury. Therefore, the most accurate proxy available for how many cases are heard by a jury in the Crown Court is the number of defendants who plead not guilty. The table below provides a breakdown of this data over the past five years:Defendants dealt with in trial cases disposed of in the Crown Court, 2020-2024 YearTotal number of defendantsPlea entered: GuiltyPlea entered: Not guiltyGuilty plea rate202050,35334,3417,40472%202163,88440,61312,06967%202261,19337,34011,96464%202370,91742,03914,83862%202476,65344,28815,63861%

How many foreign nationals were arrested for sexual offences in each of the last five years, broken down by nationality.

Available data on the age, ethnicity, gender and region of individuals prosecuted and convicted at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Ministry of Justice Outcomes by Offences data tool, can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page, which is available online here:Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UKHowever, this data is not broken down by nationality or immigration status.

What criteria her Department uses to assess the national security risk posed by migrants from specific countries.

As a matter of longstanding policy, we do not comment on the detail of security and intelligence matters.

How many foreign nationals convicted of sexual offences with a signed deportation order have yet to be deported.

This Government pledged to deliver the highest rate of removals since 2018 and this target has been surpassed, with a surge in returns activity since the election leading to almost 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK being removed before the end of May.Of the total returns since 5 July 2024, 4,436 were of foreign national offenders (FNOs). This is an increase of 14% compared to the 3,879 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.The specific information requested is not currently available from published statistics, but work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.

How many foreign nationals with prior convictions for sexual offences were granted (a) asylum, (b) humanitarian protection and (c) leave to remain in each of the last five years.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 19 May in response to Question 51194.

What proportion of people arrested for sexual offences were foreign nationals in the last 12 months.

Available data on the age, ethnicity, gender and region of individuals prosecuted and convicted at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Ministry of Justice Outcomes by Offences data tool, can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page, which is available online here:Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UKHowever, this data is not broken down by nationality or immigration status.

How many (a) asylum seekers and (b) recent arrivals were charged with (i) rape and (ii) sexual assault in each of the last five years.

Available data on the age, ethnicity, gender and region of individuals prosecuted and convicted at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Ministry of Justice Outcomes by Offences data tool, can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page, which is available online here:Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UKHowever, this data is not broken down by nationality or immigration status.

How many visa applications were rejected on national security grounds in the last five years, broken down by country of origin.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was given on 15 May to Question 51200.

How many countries are designated as high risk for immigration control purposes, and on what basis.

The UK operates a robust and effective visa system, which is an important part of securing the UK border and a vital tool for the UK in reducing illegal immigration, tackling organised crime and protecting national security. A requirement to obtain a visa prior to travelling to the UK means that we can assess whether an individual is a genuine visitor to the UK and will comply with the Immigration Rules on arrival. It allows us to intervene and, where necessary, refuse a visa before the individual travels to the UK.The UK visa system, including the Visa National List, is kept under regular review. Decisions on which countries are required to apply for a visa (known as “visa national” countries) and which are not required to apply for a visa (known as “non-visa national” countries) are taken on the basis of a range of factors including security, compliance and returns arrangements.

If she will make it her policy to automatically deport foreign nationals convicted of sexual offences.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question 47069 on 30 April.

Whether her Department maintains an internal country risk list for (a) immigration and (b) visa purposes.

The UK operates a robust and effective visa system, which is an important part of securing the UK border and a vital tool for the UK in reducing illegal immigration, tackling organised crime and protecting national security. A requirement to obtain a visa prior to travelling to the UK means that we can assess whether an individual is a genuine visitor to the UK and will comply with the Immigration Rules on arrival. It allows us to intervene and, where necessary, refuse a visa before the individual travels to the UK.The UK visa system, including the Visa National List, is kept under regular review. Decisions on which countries are required to apply for a visa (known as “visa national” countries) and which are not required to apply for a visa (known as “non-visa national” countries) are taken on the basis of a range of factors including security, compliance and returns arrangements.