Written questions by Lowe.

How many citizenships were granted to refugees in each of the last ten years.

The publicly available immigration statistics for the last 10 years include statistics for naturalisation as a British citizen for all relevant routes of entry. Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January to Question 23582 on Undocumented Migrants, what information her Department holds on the number of irregular migrants defined as absconders.

The requested data is not readily accessible from published statistics, and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at a disproportionate cost.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

What the total cost to the public purse was of penalty payments to people who faced delays in the processing of their immigration case in each of the last five years.

Immigration Enforcement, UK Visas & Immigration and Border Force occasionally make ex-gratia payments to customers, beyond any legal or statutory requirements, as redress for maladministration. These payments are made at the discretion of the Home Office and depend on the individual circumstances of each complaint.Details of these payments are not routinely published and could only be collated for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23578 on Undocumented Migrants, if she will make an estimate of the number of irregular migrants in the UK.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave on 15 January to Question UIN 22990.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating funding to the Vauxhall roundabout project in the context of the potential impact of that project on other infrastructure projects in Great Yarmouth constituency.

The A47 Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Junction scheme was cancelled due to a combination of cost increases and poor value for money. Great Yarmouth is benefiting from the Third River Crossing, a Norfolk Council scheme funded by DfT, and the National Highways scheme to improve Harfrey’s Roundabout. Given the poor value for money for the Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Roundabout scheme, there are no immediate plans for any funding allocation. Where areas are still experiencing issues with congestion, safety and the environment, we will continue to consider these issues in the context of other pressures and priorities for investment as part of future Road Investment Strategies.

How many British citizenships were removed; what other citizenships were held by people impacted; and what the reason was for removal in each of the last five years.

Detail on the numbers of conducive deprivation orders made under Section 40(2) of the 1981 British Nationality Act, are published in the Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and Investigatory Powers. Eight reports have been published to date providing the number of deprivations of citizenship orders made up until the end of 2023 and can be found at the below links:2015 - HM government transparency report 2015: disruptive and investigatory powers2017 - Disruptive and investigatory powers: HM government transparency report - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2018 - Disruptive and investigatory powers: transparency report 2018 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2018/19 - Transparency report: disruptive powers 2018 to 2019 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2020 - Disruptive powers 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2021 - Counter-terrorism disruptive powers report 2021 - GOV.UK2022 - Counter-terrorism disruptive powers report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2023 - Counter-terrorism disruptive powers report 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)More recent data will be published in future publications in relation to deprivation of British citizenship 40(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981.The published data as referenced above does not include information on other citizenships held by those impacted or on the specific reasons for deprivation. To obtain that information would involve a manual interrogation of case files at a disproportionate cost.

With reference to her oral statement on Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of 16 January 2024, Official Report, column 560, how the £10 million will be spent.

The information previously requested by the Rt Hon Member is not held by the Department. The Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce currently holds the best data available on police-recorded child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes, including group-based offending. And the Government has committed to improving our understanding of this offending, including on the data collected and published.The £10million funding announced by the Home Secretary in her 16 January statement to Parliament will contribute to taking forward our strengthened response to child sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as driving change at a local level. We are providing stronger national support for local inquiries, by providing £5million of funding to help local councils set up their own reviews. Funding will be made available to support Oldham and four other areas to pilot new approaches and conduct their own reviews. £2.5m will enable the increase of investigations, including through the Child Sexual Abuse Police Taskforce, and £2.5m will contribute to the implementation of the Home Secretary's other announcements, including the new Victims and Survivor Panel, and the Baroness Casey audit.We will continue to work at pace to prioritise protecting more children, finding more criminals, and getting justice for more victims and survivors.

If she will make an assessment of the potential lessons that could be learned for (a) her Department and (b) other Departments from the policies of the Javier Milei administration in Argentina in the context of trends in the level of (a) economic growth and (b) inflation in that country; and if she will hold discussions with her Argentinian counterpart on economic policy.

The UK Government continually monitors international economic developments and is aware of the domestic reforms that the administration of Javier Milei is undertaking to reduce inflation and restore economic growth. The UK regularly engages with Argentina on international economic issues, both bilaterally and through various multilateral fora including the G20. In the last six months, the Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Business and Trade have met their Argentine counterparts to discuss how to further deepen the trading and investment relationship. UK-Argentina trade was worth £2bn in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2024. The UK will continue to work with the Milei administration to further strengthen our economic relationship in areas of mutual interest.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2024 to Question 23051 on Offences against Children, whether this information is held by her Department.

The information previously requested by the Rt Hon Member is not held by the Department. The Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce currently holds the best data available on police-recorded child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes, including group-based offending. And the Government has committed to improving our understanding of this offending, including on the data collected and published.The £10million funding announced by the Home Secretary in her 16 January statement to Parliament will contribute to taking forward our strengthened response to child sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as driving change at a local level. We are providing stronger national support for local inquiries, by providing £5million of funding to help local councils set up their own reviews. Funding will be made available to support Oldham and four other areas to pilot new approaches and conduct their own reviews. £2.5m will enable the increase of investigations, including through the Child Sexual Abuse Police Taskforce, and £2.5m will contribute to the implementation of the Home Secretary's other announcements, including the new Victims and Survivor Panel, and the Baroness Casey audit.We will continue to work at pace to prioritise protecting more children, finding more criminals, and getting justice for more victims and survivors.

What discussions she has had (a) farmers and (b) relevant stakeholders on the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Government takes into account all representations, and HM Treasury officials and Ministers meet with stakeholders on a regular basis.

What discussions she has had with stakeholders on the potential impact of changes to Business Property Relief.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Government takes into account all representations, and HM Treasury officials and Ministers meet with stakeholders on a regular basis.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Ministerial correspondence of 17 January 2025 with reference MC2024/24342/SB, when the consultation process on the review of the existing funding formula will (a) begin and (b) be announced; and whether stakeholders in Great Yarmouth constituency will be included in the consultation process.

This Government inherited an outdated funding formula for allocating money to proposed flood defences. That’s why we will launch a consultation in the coming months which will include a review of the existing flood funding formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection. The consultation will be open to all stakeholders, including community groups and members of the public in Great Yarmouth constituency.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will list all meetings (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department have had on the transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Negotiations with Mauritius on sovereignty of BIOT / the Chagos Archipelago began in November 2022. Since then, there have been 13 rounds of negotiations, including two rounds under the current UK Government. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the then Mauritian Prime Minister in London on 23 July, and negotiating rounds led to political agreement between the Prime Minister and then Mauritian Prime Minister on 3 October. The then Prime Minister's Special Envoy for BIOT negotiations, Jonathan Powell, and PM Ramgoolam met on 25 November. I and the Attorney General met with the Mauritian Attorney General on 16 January. This engagement has been supplemented by numerous official level meetings, and joint statements from the UK and Mauritian governments were issued on 20 December and 13 January.

What the is value is of (a) Bitcoin and (b) other cryptocurrency held by the Government.

The Government does not hold any cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) contains powers to deprive criminals of their money, or other property connected to criminal activity, and recover the proceeds of crime, including cryptocurrencies. As with all assets, action to seize, recover and manage cryptoassets is for independent law enforcement bodies and the courts to consider.We do not routinely publish the amount recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 by asset type. We publish annual statistics on the amount of proceeds of crime confiscated and recovered as detailed on GOV.UK Asset recovery statistics: financial years ending 2019 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Whether his Department has allocated funding for victims of grooming gangs.

NHS England and the police and crime commissioners jointly commission 48 sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) for victims of sexual assault and abuse. SARCs provide crisis care, medical and forensic examinations, emergency contraception, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. They can also arrange access to an independent sexual assault advisor, as well as referrals to mental health support services.NHS England has established local pathfinder projects for enhanced trauma-informed mental health support for sexual abuse victims and survivors with the most complex needs. There is now dedicated enhanced mental health support in five of the seven commissioning regions. The final two regions are considering delivery model options.

What data her Department collects on child grooming activities online.

The Home Office has access to a variety of data sources on child sexual abuse, which covers grooming both offline and online.ONS publishes information on the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis, which can be accessed here: Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables - Office for National Statistics.Police recorded crime covers a range of offences that are classed as child sexual abuse and exploitation. Child grooming offences could be recorded against several offence codes such as grooming; abuse of children through sexual exploitation; and obscene publications offences which include indecent images of children offences.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking an analysis of the fiscal contribution of migrants by their country of origin.

The OBR produces economic and fiscal forecasts. Box 4.5 of the OBR’s published Economic and Fiscal Outlook in March 2024 sets out estimated impacts of migration on the fiscal forecast. This looks at the fiscal impact of migration scenarios and is a function of four components: specific fees and charges, general taxes, welfare benefits and public services spending.OBR analysis does not break down fiscal implications of migration by nationality.

How data on suspected victims of grooming gangs in schools is (a) collected and (b) shared with (i) law enforcement and (ii) child protection services.

The department can confirm that the statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE), provides clear and robust guidance on how schools and colleges must report all safeguarding concerns.It covers issues such as grooming, sexual abuse, and child sexual exploitation, ensuring that schools and colleges have the tools and guidance needed to manage safeguarding effectively.KCSIE makes clear that all concerns, discussions, decisions made, and the reasons for those decisions must be documented in writing.Where staff have concerns about a child, they must follow their school or college’s child protection policy and report concerns to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) without delay. Ordinarily, it is the DSL who is then responsible for referring these concerns to the relevant local authority children’s social care team and, where appropriate, the police. When such referrals are made into children's social care, and the police, data will be captured and recorded by those agencies.KCSIE is designed to ensure that all concerns are dealt with swiftly, effectively, and in line with local safeguarding protocols. Schools and colleges must also engage with their local safeguarding partners to ensure these processes are consistently implemented.

What role NHS Trusts have in (a) identifying and (b) reporting suspected incidences of child grooming by organised gangs.

Every National Health Service trust has a contractual obligation to adhere to the NHS Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework 2024, which includes the protection of children from abuse, harm, or violence.In addition, every registered health professional working across the NHS has a professional duty of care to protect children from abuse, harm, or violence.The data on reported grooming by gangs is not captured by NHS England but would be held confidentially between each NHS trust and the local police.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a study of the impact of rape gang grooming on the long-term (a) physical and (b) mental health of victims.

We know that children who experience violence or abuse can suffer from a range of physical and mental health issues over the course of their lifetime, and some may go on to become perpetrators themselves.The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). It funds a range of research related to the health and social care needs of survivors of sexual violence and abuse. It also funds the infrastructure of the James Lind Alliance. The alliance works with survivors of sexual abuse as well as health and social care professionals to identify urgent research priorities in the area. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of health and care, including the impact of grooming and sexual exploitation.