Written questions by Lowe.

How many foreign-born prisoners are currently serving sentences for knife crime offences.

Statistics of this nature do not currently form part of our published statistics. Our current approach to publication of nationality data is in line with that used during the previous Conservative Government. However, we are monitoring the data that we collect and publish on the prison population and will keep this under review.Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. The Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Since 5 July 2024, more FNOs have been returned than in the same period 12 months prior.

What proportion of people in receipt of childcare support are claiming Universal Credit.

The proportion of people in receipt of childcare support claiming Universal Credit is not available as not all childcare support is the responsibility of this department. The latest statistics for Universal Credit households in receipt of Universal Credit childcare element are published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 9 January 2025 - GOV.UK Universal Credit childcare element statistics, March 2021 to November 2024Universal Credit childcare element statistics, supplementary data tables

What steps he is taking to bring retired NHS staff back into service.

NHS England operates Return to Practice for Nurses, Midwives and Health and Care Professions Council professionals, which is for those wanting to return after their professional registration has lapsed. This includes retired National Health Service staff going back into service.NHS Pension Scheme rules have been changed over recent years to make returning to service and contributing extra hours more attractive.

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.

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.

What estimate he has made of the proportion of adult migrants resident in the UK for over five years who are proficient in (a) spoken and (b) written English.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th June is attached.

How many and what proportion of state-funded schools currently permit the wearing of the (a) niqab and (b) burqa by (i) students and (ii) staff; and whether her Department has issued any guidance on uniform policies and face coverings.

The department has published non-statutory guidance on developing a school uniform policy, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms. The guidance sets out that it is for the governing body of a school to decide rules about appearance and the design of any uniform they choose to have. Schools must have regard to their obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 and need to consider the impact of their policy on pupils who share a protected characteristic.The department does not collect data on individual schools’ uniform policies.

⁠what guidance her Department has provided to (a) police officers and (b) security personnel on interacting with people wearing face coverings that obscure identity in public places.

Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides a power for police officers to demand the removal of disguises in certain circumstances to prevent crime. In addition, if the officer believes that someone is wearing an item for the purpose of concealing identity there is also a power to seize such items.Statutory guidance on the use of this power is set out in Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). The College of Policing is responsible for providing operational guidance to police on the use of their powers.We will also use the Crime and Policing Bill to introduce a new offence to use a face covering to conceal identity in an area the police assess a protest is likely to occur that may involve the commission of offences.

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.

How many and what proportion of people granted (a) refugee and (b) asylum status entered full-time employment within five years of arrival in the last ten years.

The requested information is not currently available from published statistics, and could only be collated for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What information his Department holds on the number and proportion of GP registrations made by people not born in the UK in the last five years, broken down by region.

The Department does not hold data regarding the number and proportion of National Health Service general practice registrations that were for people not born in the United Kingdom.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the outcomes of bans on wearing full face coverings in public spaces in (a) France, (b) Denmark, (c) Austria and (d) other European countries.

Britain has a proud tradition of freedom of speech and religious expression within the confines of the law. There are no current general policies or legislations that ban the wearing of religious and non-religious full-face coverings in public spaces. The government has no intention to introduce any.

What information his Department holds on the number of births in NHS hospitals to mothers not born in the UK in 2023, broken down by the (a) region of the hospital and (b) mother's country of birth.

The Department does not hold data on the number of births in National Health Service hospitals to mothers not born in the United Kingdom.However, the Office for National Statistics publishes statistics on live births in England and Wales in 2023 by parent’s country of birth and area of usual residence. These statistics include live births to the 2.2% of women who did not give birth in an NHS hospital and instead gave birth at home, in a non-NHS establishment, or elsewhere, and are available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/parentscountryofbirthenglandandwales/2023

Whether her Department is taking steps to inform (a) law enforcement, (b) border agencies and (c) local authorities of name changes made by people with insecure immigration status.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him to Question 58407.

Whether asylum seekers are required to provide supporting documentation when requesting a legal name change.

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UKUKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UKThe Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of name changes by asylum seekers on (a) national security, (b) immigration enforcement and (c) criminal justice proceedings.

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UKUKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UKThe Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of regulation on small and medium-sized enterprises since 2010.

Businesses have told us that regulation can be too complex, stifle progress and innovation and the accumulation of poorly designed regulation over decades is a burden to comply with. Our recently published Action Plan for Regulation will aim to reduce these burdens for SMEs, with a commitment to cut administrative costs for business by 25% by the end of this Parliament. The measures announced in the Action Plan will also support the Government's SME Strategy, which aims to provide SME's with the certainty and support they need to succeed.

If she will make an estimate of the number of (a) asylum seekers and (b) failed asylum claimants that have used multiple identities or aliases while in the UK.

All asylum claimants are subject to the Home Office’s mandatory security checks to establish and verify their identity, and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.Applicants who seek to change the information they have provided at any stage of the asylum process – including their name – must submit a request to the Home Office to have their records updated. All such changes are closely scrutinised both to prevent fraud, and assess the credibility of the claimant.Any changes must be formally reported and are logged in official case records. And even when an individual does change their name, their previous identity will remain on their casefile, linked to their new name and to their registered biometrics (facial image and fingerprints), mitigating any risks related to fraud or misidentification.The Home Office has published guidance to explain the documentary evidence individuals (including asylum seekers) need to supply when they request a change of name on any digital and physical documents issued by the Home Office.Use and change of names guidance - GOV.UKUKVI identity standards (accessible) - GOV.UKThe Home Office does not centrally hold information relating to the number of requests for name changes, and could only collate such data at disproportionate costs through the manual review of case files held across multiple systems.

What recent discussions he has had with business organisations on the impact of regulatory compliance costs on (a) profitability and (b) competitiveness.

Last year the Government launched a Call for Evidence on the UK's regulatory landscape to hear directly from business how regulation could be improved. In March we launched our Action Plan for Regulation, committing to cut administrative costs of regulation for business by 25%, giving them essential time back to focus on growing their businesses. The Secretary of State and I held a call with businesses and representative organisations, including Airbus, the British Retail Consortium and UK Space, to hear their feedback on the Action Plan. Officials in my department continue to engage regularly to support our regulatory reform agenda.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on producing an estimate of the number of people living in the UK without legal immigration status.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 30 January to Question 25047.