Every parliamentary written question tabled by Valerie Vaz this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–9 of 9 · Home Office
How many complaints she has received on the new electronic visa system.
The Home Office has received 1888 complaints about the electronic visa system from 1 July 2024 when it first categorised this issue to 31 January 2026.This comprises 1785 Stage 1 and 103 Stage 2 complaints.
How many students have claimed asylum (a) while studying in the UK and (b) after completing their studies in each of the last three years.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of people claiming asylum after holding a study visa as their most recent category of leave prior to claiming asylum is published in table Asy_D01a of the ‘Asylum claims and decisions detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2025. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.There is no published breakdown available on whether an individual claimed asylum before or after their visa expired.
How many visitors from (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Bangladesh and (d) Nepal were refused visas in 2024.
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Visitor visas, and nationality in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visa applications refused are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of September 2025.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
What her policy is on police (a) widows, (b) widowers and (c) surviving partners losing deceased spouse pensions if they (i) remarry and (ii) cohabit.
The 2015 police pension scheme is the scheme currently open to serving police officers. This scheme provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. The introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme meant that all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme with such survivor benefits.Prior to 2006, the 1987 police pension scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner. From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.
What estimate she has made of the level of funding that will be required for policing in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Walsall and Bloxwich constituency in each of the next three years; and how much funding her Department plans to provide for policing in those areas in the same period.
This Government is determined to ensure the police have the resources they need to protect our communities.On 19th November, the Home Secretary announced that government funding for policing will increase by over half a billion pounds; this includes an increase of over £260m in the core grant for police forces, additional funding for neighbourhood policing, the NCA and counter terrorism.Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase two of the Spending Review where we will want to consider police funding in the round. This will include how police funding is allocated to forces.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the distribution of Police Uplift Programme funding on the safety of poorer communities in the West Midlands.
West Midlands Police was allocated a total of £2,547.1m during the period covered by the previous Government’s Police Uplift Programme.By the end of the Police Uplift Programme West Midlands Police recruited 1,376 additional uplift officers (headcount) against a total three-year allocation of 1,218 officers.Forces are operationally independent, and it is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions on how best to use their available resources to meet local needs.
What estimate her Department has made of the number of additional (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) special constables there will be in each police force in each of the next three years.
As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This includes delivering an additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles up and down the country and ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to. Every part of the country needs to benefit from this pledge.We are working closely with policing to implement this commitment and will announce our plans for the delivery of neighbourhood officers shortly.
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the policing funding formula for meeting need in the West Midlands.
This Government is determined to ensure the police have the resources they need to protect our communities.On 19th November, the Home Secretary announced that government funding for policing will increase by over half a billion pounds; this includes an increase of over £260m in the core grant for police forces, additional funding for neighbourhood policing, the NCA and counter terrorism.Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase two of the Spending Review where we will want to consider police funding in the round. This will include how police funding is allocated to forces.
How many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers there were in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas in the West Midlands in each year since 2019; and if she will make an estimate of the number there will be in each of the next three years.
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) specifically in rural and urban areas of West Midlands.The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.The data is collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level only, and information at lower levels of geography is not collected.Information on the number of police officers and PCSOs, broken down by PFA, as at 31 March 2007 to 2024 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669a910da3c2a28abb50d34b/open-data-table-police-workforce-240724.odsData on the police workforce as at 31 March 2025 is due to be published in Summer 2025.The restoration of neighbourhood policing is at the heart of this Government’s plans for police reform. We are working with policing to implement a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which will be supported by delivering an additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles across the country and we will ensure every community has a named officer to turn to.