Written questions by Raja.

What data her Department holds on the use of UK e-gates by nationals of countries that do not offer reciprocal access to UK passport holders; and what assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing reciprocity requirements.

The Government operates the UK border solely in the best interests of the UK, not the principle of reciprocity as this could undermine our security and ability to respond to emerging border pressures or threats. We recommend all eligible nationals make use of eGates where possible, as they provide a safe, secure and efficient method of entering the UK, however, we continue to keep eGate eligibility under review to ensure we are balancing border security and passenger flow In May 2025, we published the Immigration White Paper, which stated we are moving to the next phase of our vision to transform the UK border, by using technology to increase the use of automation and make visible changes to security, flow and the passenger experience.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle youth knife crime and serious violence in (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands.

We are already making clear progress against our ambition to halve knife crime. In our first year in Government, police-recorded knife crime offences fell by 5%.We have banned zombie knives and ninja swords and are holding online sellers criminally responsible removing almost 60,000 knives from streets in England and Wales. We are taking a range of action in the Crime and Policing Bill to strengthen legislation on knives.New crime mapping tools are already allowing us to identify highly specific knife crime concentrations and focus police and community safety resources where they are needed most. Further investment in cutting-edge capabilities, such as knife detection technology, improved data platforms, and live facial recognition will further enhance our ability to target knife crime.Preventing young people from getting involved in crime is crucial to achieving our ambition. As part of the Young Futures programme, we are piloting new Young Futures Panels. These pilots proactively identify and refer children who may be falling through the gaps, to a range of different support services much earlier. More than 50 panels went operational in October and November, including in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.This financial year (2025/26), we have also allocated £47m to the network of 20 Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) across England and Wales to support their valuable work. VRUs bring together partners to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area. This includes over £1m in VRU grant funding to Leicestershire specifically. We have also allocated £194k to Leicestershire and £1.9m across the East Midlands in grant funding to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.

What steps her Department is taking to protect police officers from being attacked whilst on duty in a) Leicester, b) The East Midlands, and c) the UK.

Assaults on emergency workers are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Our police officers and staff perform vital roles in serving and protecting the public, often under challenging and dangerous circumstances and they should be protected in return.The Government is committed to supporting Chief Constables in meeting their responsibilities for the health and safety of those who work in policing. We are determined that the Police Covenant makes a tangible difference and have provided ongoing funding for the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The NPWS ensures police officers and staff have access to the health and wellbeing support they need, including providing personal and family support for those who have been victims of assault.

For what reason the Schedule documents associated with the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts were removed from public view on the Contracts Finder website; and if she will take steps to make those documents available again.

We confirm the award notices Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts are already published and available on Contracts Finder as follows:Wales AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)South AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)North West AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Midlands & Eastern England AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)North East Yorks & Humber AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Scotland AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Northern Ireland AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Due to changes in Contract management software Schedules are temporarily unavailable. This will be corrected shortly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32327 on Asylum: Hotels and the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 63118 on Asylum: Housing, whether her Department retains data on (a) occupancy levels and (b) property capacity in relation to asylum accommodation.

Occupancy and Capacity are not terms defined within asylum accommodation contracts. Data on the number of individuals occupying asylum accommodation is published in the quarterly migration statistics.

If her Department will publish the (a) occupancy level and (b) property capacity data discussed at (i) monthly contract management meetings and (ii) quarterly boards under the asylum accommodation and support services contracts.

Occupancy and Capacity are not terms defined within asylum accommodation contracts. Data on the number of individuals occupying asylum accommodation is published in the quarterly migration statistics.

What data on (a) occupancy levels and (b) property capacity is provided to her Department by accommodation providers under Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts.

Occupancy and Capacity are not terms defined within asylum accommodation contracts. Data on the number of individuals occupying asylum accommodation is published in the quarterly migration statistics.

Whether her Department has used (a) occupancy level and (b) property capacity data to assess the cost-effectiveness of asylum accommodation contracts in the last 12 months.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 08 July 2025 to Question 63118.

What definition her Department uses for (a) occupancy levels and (b) property capacity in the management of asylum accommodation contracts.

Occupancy and Capacity are not terms defined within asylum accommodation contracts. Data on the number of individuals occupying asylum accommodation is published in the quarterly migration statistics.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2025 to Question 54068 on Housing: Contracts, what guidance her Department has issued to contractors on Bed Space Size in relation to accommodation contracts.

None.

What metrics are used by her Department to assess whether asylum accommodation contracts represent value for money.

The Home Office monitors the AASC suppliers’ performance against a range of Key Performance Indicators ensuring performance is driven to deliver maximum value for money for the taxpayer.

Whether her Department considers (a) occupancy levels and (b) property capacity when assessing the cost-effectiveness of asylum accommodation contracts.

The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC contracts) were procured by the previous government through a competitive tender exercise that adhered to the Public Contracts Regulation 2015. The bid evaluation process identified the most economically advantageous tender, assessing the quality and cost of bid proposals, to ensure best value to the UK taxpayer.For any new requirements introduced to these contracts following contract award, suppliers are asked to provide priced proposals. These proposals are assessed, challenged and negotiated by Home Office representatives; ensuring that best pricing is achieved.Occupancy levels and property capacity are both key considerations when identifying accommodation to fulfil our statutory obligation.The contracts require the establishment and operation of governance structures and regular reporting enabling the Home Office to effectively manage the suppliers and hold them to account. These include a monthly contract management meeting, and quarterly strategic and executive boards where operational and commercial priorities are addressed and discussed, including occupancy and capacity.

Whether her Department plans to create a statutory definition of honour-based abuse.

The Government is tackling ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) through its landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. Key to this is ensuring that HBA is well understood by frontline professionals, Government agencies, and impacted communities.Currently there is a definition of HBA used by the criminal justice system, but we recognise there is more that can be done to raise the level of consistency of understanding regarding HBA in Government and across statutory services.The Home Office is considering this alongside other measures to prevent HBA from happening, support victims and bring perpetrators to justice. More detail will be set out in our forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2025 to Question 54068 on Housing: Contracts, what her definition her Department uses for the terms (a) Bed Space and (b) Bed Space Size in the context of the Accommodation Contracts.

There is no definition of those within current accommodation contracts.

How many complaints her Department has received relating to the passport photograph software cropping or rejecting images of individuals wearing (a) turbans and (b) other religious head coverings in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the photograph software used for passport applications; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the software does not discriminate against people wearing (a) turbans and (b) other religious head coverings.

The initial check to guide if a photo meets the internationally agreed standards for passports utilises an algorithm provided by a leading technology provider.The testing of the photo checker was extensive and included wearers of religious headwear to optimise the algorithm for passport purposes. However, feedback is welcomed from across the approximately seven million people who apply online for a passport each year, and their experiences continue to help inform further refinement to best meet the needs of HM Passport Office and all of its customers.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of including retail home delivery drivers within the definition of assaults on retail workers.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response given to UIN 38705 on 24 March 2025.

Whether she has considered expanding the definition of assault of a retail worker to include retail home delivery drivers.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, sending a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. The Bill is making its way through Parliament and had its Second Reading on 10 March.As introduced, the definition of a ‘retail worker’ does not include delivery drivers. Keeping a tight definition provides legal clarity and ensures there is less ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Workers whose roles are not included are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH).That said, the whole purpose of the parliamentary process is to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and we will, of course, consider carefully any amendments and supporting evidence.

How many hotel rooms her Department has currently contracted for the purpose of accommodating asylum seekers.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer she received on the 3 March 2025 to UIN 32327.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32327 on Asylum: Accommodation, if she will publish (a) the total capacity of (i) rooms and (ii) bed spaces used in each hotel to accommodate asylum seekers on 1 July 2024 and (b) the total capacity of each hotel currently in use for that purpose.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer she received on the 3 March 2025 to UIN 32327.