Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Rosindell this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 125 · Home Office
How many investigations are currently underway into potential foreign interference activities linked to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on operational, intelligence or security matters.The verdicts in the recent trial represent the first convictions under the National Security Act related to China and send a...
Pursuant to the written answer to Question 108177 of 3 February 2026 whether any exempt vignettes were granted to family members of consular officers who do not fall into the aforementioned categories.
The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
How many and what proportion of Chevening Scholars have claimed asylum in the United Kingdom since 2019.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of people claiming asylum where the latest leave held prior to claim was a study visa is published in table Asy_D01a of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’. The number of student entry clearance visas issued is published in table Vis_D02 of the 'Entry clearance visas datasets'.The requested information on asylum claims from Chevening scholars is not available from published statistics.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. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.
What discussions she has had with his Haitian counterpart on maritime border issues between that country and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Immigration and border issues are the responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. UK Government officials continue to support our Overseas Territories with their border security, including through funding, training and technical expertise.
If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of (a) beagles, (b) non-human primates, (c) rabbits and (d) other animals that are estimated to be used in scientific procedures in the next three years.
The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in science which contain information on the number of procedures conducted, including break down by species of animals.Animals may be used more than once in certain circumstances. These instances are counted as separate, additional procedures. As a result, the number of procedures is usually slightly higher than the number of animals used.The annual statistics are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics
With reference to project 1 entitled Defining the role of G protein coupled receptors in the brain and the therapeutic potential of targeting these receptors in neurological disease and addiction, in her Department's document entitled Non-technical summaries for project licences granted October – December 2025 that require a retrospective assessment, published in February 2026, what assessment she has made of the scientific relevance to humans of injecting opioids into the veins of mice and then dipping the tail of some mice into hot water .
This project, among other research, sits within the Government’s broader strategy to support research that advances the understanding of major public health challenges – including addiction and neurodegenerative disease.The non-technical summary for this research project is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-technical-summaries-granted-in-2025.The use of mice and the procedures in question were assessed as appropriate and scientifically justified because they allow researchers to study learning, memory, reward-related behaviour and withdrawal symptoms in a way that cannot be replicated using non-animal methods alone.All project licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) are assessed by medically or veterinary qualified inspectors within the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU). Under ASPA, no project can be granted without a harm-benefit analysis, where an ASRU inspector makes a rigorous assessment of the scientific rationale, and must assess that the harms of the proposed project are justified by the likely benefits.The project must also demonstrate full application of the legal requirements of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). This means that animal use cannot be approved if a practicable non-animal alternative method exists, the number of any animals used must be minimised, and the most refined methods must be used for animal testing to minimise harms.
What steps her Department is taking to help provide legal clarity to British nationals who volunteer to serve in Ukraine.
Travel advice for Ukraine, issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, makes clear that if a British national travels to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, their activities may amount to offences under UK legislation.Anyone, regardless of their citizenship, who travels from the UK to take part in conflicts overseas may be investigated by the police on return to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.The UK remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. That commitment has never wavered. Together with our partners and allies, we continue to stand firmly with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 in relation to British nationals serving with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Travel advice for Ukraine, issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, makes clear that if a British national travels to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, their activities may amount to offences under UK legislation.Anyone, regardless of their citizenship, who travels from the UK to take part in conflicts overseas may be investigated by the police on return to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.The UK remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. That commitment has never wavered. Together with our partners and allies, we continue to stand firmly with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression.
Whether the National Police Service's remit will include dealing with illegal tobacco and organized crime.
The National Police Service will lead the operational response to serious and organised crime.We would expect that to include operational activity against illegal tobacco currently carried out by the National Crime Agency and the Regional Organised Crime Units.
Whether her Department has received legal advice on the compliance of new facial recognition technology deployed by police forces with human rights obligations.
The Home Office published its consultation on proposals for a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies on 4 December 2025. This considers how the police could use new facial recognition technology in a way that continues to be compatible with the Human Rights Act 1998.The Department was an interested party in an important court case on this issue, R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police [2020] EWCA Civ 1058. In preparing the consultation, the Department took into account the court’s judgement and received advice on all aspects of the current legal framework for the use of such technology.
What recent steps she has taken with relevant authorities to help tackle crime in town centres across greater London.
The central aim of our police reforms is to protect and revitalise neighbourhood policing. We are lifting national responsibilities off local forces, so they focus on tackling local issues, like fighting town centre crime.Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is already making a difference. For too long, people have not seen police patrolling their streets. We will have 3,000 more neighbourhood officers by March this year. The Metropolitan Police Service’s projected growth over 2025 to 2026 will be 420 police officers (FTE) and 50 Police Community Support Officers (FTE). We are giving them the powers they need, including making it a specific offence to assault retail workers and ending the treatment of theft under the value of £200 as a summary-only offence.We are equipping the police to fight the organised crime gangs that are often responsible for driving shop theft across the country. Our £5m investment into OPAL (a specialist policing unit) will supercharge intelligence-led policing to identify offenders, disrupt the tactics used to target shops, and bring more criminals to justice.We have also delivered on our manifesto pledge: every police force in England and Wales now has a dedicated lead officer for anti-social behaviour, who will work with communities to develop an action plan to tackle ASB. We are also strengthening the powers to tackle ASB. Our new Respect Orders will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless ASB offenders.Through our Summer Initiative police forces and local authorities increased patrols in town centres, tackling retail crime and anti-social behaviour as part of the Government’s Plan for Change to make our streets safer. Our Winter of Action, which ran from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2026, built on this, with an additional focus on repeat offenders and protecting women and girls at night. The full list of locations the Metropolitan Police Service focused on as part of the Winter of Action can be found here: Winter of Action: location list - GOV.UKBuilding from the Winter of Action, we are working with forces and local partners to identify and tackle the most prolific retail offenders - where a few individuals can drive a large proportion of the local crime problem.Together with the police, we are sending a message: crime and anti-social behaviour will be punished.
How many illegally possessed firearms have been seized in (a) Romford constituency and (b) greater London in each year since 1997.
The Home Office does not routinely collect data on the number of firearms seized by police forces as part of their operations to tackle illegally held weapons.
How many exempt vignettes have been granted in the past five years to family members of consular officers who do not fall within the categories of spouses or civil partners or dependent children under the age of 18, as set out in paragraph 2.14 of the Exemption from Immigration Control (non armed forces) Guidance, but who were nonetheless treated as exempt from immigration control.
The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
How many exempt vignettes issued to diplomats posted in the UK were granted between 2020 and 2025; and for what reasons those vignettes were issued.
The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Whether she plans to phase out the use of crustaceans in scientific experimentation.
The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and has published a strategy which sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. The strategy is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methodsThe strategy does not preclude the development of alternatives to the use of animal species not currently covered by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) protections, including decapod crustaceans.The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognised decapod crustaceans as sentient beings. The Government remains committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting welfare standards for decapod crustaceans, both for those caught for human consumption and those used in scientific research.The Home Office is carefully considering next steps, in collaboration with other relevant departments, on whether decapod crustaceans should be brought within the scope of ASPA.
What steps she has taken with police forces to tackle a) physical and b) verbal abuse against retail workers.
Charges for shop theft rose by 25% (up to 107,090 charges) in the year ending June 2025. As this was a higher rate of increase than the rise in shop thefts recorded (13%), this led to an increase in the charge rate from 17.7% to 19.1%.This Government is committed to restoring visible, responsive neighbourhood policing with 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles by spring this year.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.
What steps she has taken with police forces to tackle shoplifting in a) England and b) Romford constituency.
Charges for shop theft rose by 25% (up to 107,090 charges) in the year ending June 2025. As this was a higher rate of increase than the rise in shop thefts recorded (13%), this led to an increase in the charge rate from 17.7% to 19.1%.This Government is committed to restoring visible, responsive neighbourhood policing with 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles by spring this year.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.
With regard to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, what action her Department took against the provider that re-used mice in a second experiment without project licence approval; and what steps her Department is taking to prevent animals from being used in unlicensed experiments.
Regarding the case of non-compliance in question, Inspector advice was issued to the licensee. The licensee was notified on what provision was breached and what is expected in future to prevent recurrence. All cases of non-compliance and actions taken are published and available here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports.All licensed establishments must fully uphold the required standards for animal welfare as set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) and the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) conducts audits to assure establishments’ compliance and takes matters of non-compliance very seriously.ASRU has published its compliance framework (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) which explains how it identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies where non-compliance has been found to occur.
What steps she has taken to help reduce violations of the Firearms Act 1968.
The Government’s priority is public safety, and we look to ensure our controls on firearms are as strong as possible and keep the legislation under active consideration. It is imperative that we do everything we can to stop firearms getting into hands of criminals and those who would misuse them with devastating consequences.The Firearms Act 1968 provides the framework for action to be taken by police forces, and we have seen the number of firearms offences fall to 5,053 from 5,991 over the past 12 months - for the year ending June 2025. We work in partnership with the National Police Chiefs Council, police forces and the National Crime Agency to respond to emerging firearms risks, and for example, we have recently taken action against some types of blank firing firearms which have found to be readily convertible into lethal weapons so they can be removed from circulation.We are also ensuring licensing of firearms, as set out in the Firearms Act 1968, is as effective and robust as possible. Recent measures to support this include the revised Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers issued in August this year, the rollout of new national training to firearms licensing police personnel, and the increase in licensing fees to support full cost recovery.
If she has considered the merits of making it mandatory for DBS checks to be (a) single use and (b) job specific.
The Home Office does not place requirements on how DBS checks are used. It is for individual sectors to decide what, if anything, they want to mandate for their sectors