Written questions by Forster.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Hikvision cameras being used a) in the UK and b) by local authorities on data protection and security.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has reviewed the average wait time for an Ankara Agreement (ECAA settlement) extension application.

A higher than forecast intake on the ECAA route over the period from approximately April 2025 to March 2026 led to delays in the processing of applications. To address this additional resource has been assigned to this route and the Home Office expect to ...

What steps is she taking to reduce the backlog for Ankara Agreement (ECAA settlement) extension applications.

A higher than forecast intake on the ECAA route over the period from approximately April 2025 to March 2026 led to delays in the processing of applications. To address this additional resource has been assigned to this route and the Home Office expect to ...

What discussions has she had with the Secretary of State for Justice about the potential merits of implementing a Domestic Abuse and Stalkers Register.

In the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy we committed to improving the criminal justice system response to ensure perpetrators are managed robustly across all criminal justice agencies to stop future harm.In the Sentencing Act 2026, the Government...

Whether her Department has assessed potential barriers to completing the relocation of eligible people under the Afghan Resettlement Programme to the UK and moving them out of transitional accommodati

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) is delivered through close cross-government collaboration, with the Home Office working alongside the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities a...

When her Department will (a) set the programme plan and key performance indicators and (b) establish a single source of cross-department management information for the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) is delivered through close cross-government collaboration, with the Home Office working alongside the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities a...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the nine-month limit for transitional accommodation on those supported by the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) is delivered through close cross-government collaboration, with the Home Office working alongside the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities a...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to visa sponsorship costs and salary thresholds on small to medium-sized enterprises.

Where changes to fee legislation are made, impact assessments are produced which identify potential impacts resulting from the changes. This includes a recent published impact assessment covering the impact of changes to fees, including those for sponsor ...

Whether her Department plans to extend the minimum notice period given before introducing changes to the Immigration Rules.

It is our usual practice to observe the recommended minimum 21 day convention between laying and implementation of Immigration Rules changes and we have no plans to change this. There may be times where adherence to the 21 day convention is not appropriat...

How her Department plans to integrate lessons learned from the Afghan Resettlement Programme into the design and operation of future resettlement schemes.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) is delivered through close cross-government collaboration, with the Home Office working alongside the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities a...

Whether her Department has identified examples of successful integration of people supported by the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) is delivered through close cross-government collaboration, with the Home Office working alongside the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities a...

If her Department will continue to fund Surrey’s Step to Change Hub after 2026/27.

In the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, we have committed to expanding access to tailored interventions for domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators across England and Wales.We will deliver this through a fair and open competition available to a...

How her Department defines deliberate in relation to the Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

The amendments form part of the 5 March policy announcements, which replace the statutory duty to support with a power, and making it a condition of support not to illegally work. The aim of these measures is to reduce misuse of support, not to make peopl...

Whether her Department has considered rolling out the support provided by Surrey’s Step to Change Hub across the country.

In the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, we have committed to expanding access to tailored interventions for domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators across England and Wales.We will deliver this through a fair and open competition available to a...

Whether her department will be exempting victims of human trafficking from the Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

The amendments form part of the 5 March policy announcements, which replace the statutory duty to support with a power, and making it a condition of support not to illegally work. The aim of these measures is to reduce misuse of support, not to make peopl...

Whether her Department has considered the potential merits of conducting an Equalities Impact Assessment on the Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

The amendments form part of the 5 March policy announcements, which replace the statutory duty to support with a power, and making it a condition of support not to illegally work. The aim of these measures is to reduce misuse of support, not to make peopl...

What estimate she has made of the total cost to police forces in England and Wales of policing protests and public demonstrations in each financial year since 2019-20.

The Home Office does not routinely collect information on the costs of police operations. It is a local decision for elected Police and Crime Commissioners and their equivalents, working with their chief officers, to determine how best to allocate resourc...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting families with children from the reduction in the move-on period for refugees in accommodation from 56 days to 28 days.

The Home Office has not reduced the move on period. In December 2024, the Home Office began piloting an extended 56-day grace period. In September 2025, the pilot was paused for single adults and came to an end for all cohorts on 8 March 2026.From the 9 M...

Whether an equality impact assessment was conducted on the decision to reduce the move-on period for refugees in accommodation from 56 days to 28 days.

The Home Office has not reduced the move on period. In December 2024, the Home Office began piloting an extended 56-day grace period. In September 2025, the pilot was paused for single adults and came to an end for all cohorts on 8 March 2026.From the 9 M...

How many people from Afghanistan claimed asylum in the UK from 2021 to 2025; how many of those people were women and girls; and how many of those people were granted asylum.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of asylum claims and grants, broken down by nationality, age, and sex, is published in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum claims and initi...