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 81–100 of 125 · Home Office
If she will make an assessment of the completeness of the data collected under the exit checks programme.
The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing physical exit checks at borders.
The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
What steps she is taking to tackle money laundering in (a) shops and (b) other services using high street premises.
The Government recognises that cash intensive businesses such as barber shops and nails bars can be exploited by criminals who seek to legitimise their criminal cash, enabling them to profit from their illegal activities. Addressing cash-based money laundering is one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre, which sits within the National Crime Agency, who are currently working with partners to drive an increased operational response to this threat, including money laundering through cash intensive businesses.In parallel, the National Police Chiefs Council economic crime co-ordinators are engaged in the development of Clear Hold Build strategies to help police forces tackle serious and organised crime. Clear Hold Build aims to reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods affected by organised crime and increase public confidence in the police and partner agencies. This includes tackling financial crime on the high street.While businesses such as barber shops are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority they interact with regulated businesses, such as banks, who under the Money Laundering Regulations are required to undertake customer due diligence and under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 submit reports to the National Crime Agency if they suspect money laundering.
What proportion of invoices from UK suppliers her Department paid within 10 days of receipt between September 2024 and February 2025.
All Government departments publish payment performance on a quarterly basis, showing the percentage of invoices paid in 5 days, the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, and net debt interest liability. This is available on GOV.UK.The Home Office’s payment performance is available at:Home Office prompt payment data 2024 to 2025 (accessible) - GOV.UKThe specific information requested is not readily available, and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
What steps she is taking to support victims of human trafficking in Havering London Borough.
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, ensuring that all victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted.The Government offers support to all adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). Consenting adults who are potential victims of human trafficking can access safe and secure accommodation and financial support where necessary, and a support worker who will facilitate access to other support including medical assistance and mental health support, through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including child victims of modern slavery. The Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) service, which is being piloted in Havering London Borough, also provides support to potential child victims of modern slavery. An ICTG offers direct or indirect support and advocacy to ensure the child is protected from further harm, and promote their child's recovery.
What steps she is taking to prevent pedal cycle theft within the Havering London Borough.
Bike theft has a significant impact on individuals and for too long, many victims have felt not enough was being done to prevent their bikes being stolen or track down the thieves responsible.As part of this Government’s Plan for Change, our Safer Streets Mission is determined to clamp down on the crime that damages our communities, and affects people’s lives, and tackling theft is a crucial part of that work.The BTP-led National Cycle Crime Group, working with DfT, have set up Cycle Crime Reduction Partnerships across the country to coordinate regional enforcement activity to disrupt organised cycle theft.We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, recruiting 13,000 police personnel into neighbourhood roles, ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to, and doubling investment to £200 million to kickstart this.
What steps she is taking to prevent illegal street vending in Greater London.
Responsibility for tackling illegal street vending in Greater London is a matter for the relevant local police forces.
Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 34801 on Asylum: Albania, what steps her Department has taken to ensure the continued reduction in the number of Albanian nationals arriving in the UK by small boat.
Small boat crossings by Albanian nationals have reduced each year since their peak in 2022. This government is committed to working with the Albanian government to further reduce these numbers, including through communications campaigns that demonstrate the dangers of these crossings, and ensuring that Albanian nationals with no right to be in the UK are returned efficiently to Albania.We also continue to work with other international partners to target the people smugglers who exploit migrants for profit. The Home Secretary has convened an international summit focussed on Organised Immigration Crime, bringing together Interior Ministers and law enforcement experts, including from Albania, to develop our combined response to the gangs who facilitate this vile trade in human lives.
What support her Department is providing to the Overseas Territories to assist with people overstaying visas.
Immigration functions are devolved to the Overseas Territories. Any decisions relating to individuals overstaying their visa are matters for local immigration teams.
What support her Department is providing to the Cayman Islands to help counter illegal migration.
The Home Office is developing plans to deliver Refresher Training and Train the Trainer courses in the Cayman Islands to enable their Customs and Border Control (CBC) officials to deliver asylum training to new staff. This builds on previous bespoke asylum casework training delivered in September 2022 and November 2023, February 2024 and March 2025 to upskill new and existing CBC staff and equip them with the knowledge and skills to consider requests for protection under international law. The Home Office is also delivering a regional asylum training programme aimed at building asylum capability in all of the Overseas Territories (OTs) including the Cayman Islands. As part of the regional programme, an Overseas Territories Asylum Network has been launched which seeks to promote the sharing of expertise and best practice across all OTs and fosters shared learning.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing licensing for air guns.
Air weapons are subject to firearms legislation which regulates their possession and use. Air weapons can be lawfully possessed in England and Wales without a firearm certificate if the muzzle energy is not more than six foot pounds for air pistols, and 12 foot pounds for air rifles. An air rifle above this muzzle energy threshold must be held on a firearm certificate and an air pistol above this threshold is a prohibited firearm which can only be held with the authority of the Secretary of State. In July 2023, secondary legislation introduced in Parliament clarified the ‘reasonable precautions’ which air weapons owners must take to safely store air weapons away from children, so that whenever under-18s are present, air weapons must be stored securely, out of sight, and separately from ammunition.The Government keeps all firearms controls under review, and we will not hesitate to take action to further tighten the controls on air weapons where it is deemed appropriate.
How many illegal migrants originating from Albania have been returned to Albania since the signing of the Government’s returns agreement in 2022.
The Home Office publishes data on returns in the “Immigration System Statistics Quarterly release”. Data on numbers of Albanian nationals returned to their home country can be found in Ret_D01 of the “Returns detailed datasets”. The latest data goes to the end of December 2024.
Whether her Department have made an assessment of the efficacy of the Government’s illegal migration returns agreement with Albania.
The UK and Albania have established a close and productive relationship on irregular migration and returns over recent years. 2024 saw 616 Albanian nationals arrive in the UK from Albania by small boat, a reduction from 12,658 in 2022. In the same year, 5,294 Albanian nationals were returned, an increase from 2,035 in 2022.
What progress her Department has made on reducing waiting times of (a) Indefinite Leave to Remain applications and (b) visa applications for cases already over the time limit.
The overwhelming majority of applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain and visas are processed within service standard. Processing times are published on the UKVI website at Visa processing times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK and Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK.Applications that fall outside of these processing times, due to the specifics of the case, are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they can be decided at the earliest opportunity.
How many offensive weapons were seized by the Metropolitan Police in Romford constituency in 2024.
The Home Office does not hold the information requested.The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of stop and searches that resulted in an offensive weapon or firearm being found in each Police Force Area, as part of the annual Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions’ statistical publication.The latest data, covering the period up to the end of March 2024, can be found in table SS_45:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f2e4a17da73f17177640ed/stop-search-data-tables-summary-mar24.odsHowever, this dataset only covers weapons found through stop and search, so should not be used to infer the total number of weapons seized by the Metropolitan Police.
What steps she is taking to work with relevant authorities to tackle the illegal (a) sale, (b) distribution and (c) use of fentanyl in England.
The Government takes seriously the threat from potent synthetic drugs, including synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazenes, including protonitazene, and is taking action. Reducing drug harms has important benefits for the Government’s mission to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes and break down barriers to opportunity.The HMG Synthetic Opioids Taskforce is working with partner agencies such as the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council to counter the distribution and use of these dangerous substances.To stem the supply of illicit synthetic opioids to and within the UK, the NCA, Police and Border Force are working together to ensure all lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued. This involves mapping and targeting key offenders, including those operating within dark web markets, as well as training Border Force dogs to detect a range of nitazenes and fentanyl to stop these substances entering the country in the first place.Fentanyl and protonitazene are both listed as Class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA 1971). This means that the supply of these drugs carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, an unlimited fine or both. Possession carries a maximum penalty of up to 7 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.The Government has recently introduced a generic control for nitazenes which is intended to reduce the likelihood that criminals can circumvent existing controls by making minor alterations to the chemical structure of nitazenes that are already controlled as Class A drugs under the MDA 1971. This legislation came into force on 15 January.Additionally, the unlawful sale of controlled drugs online is listed as a priority offence in the Online Safety Act, meaning that under this legislation technology companies must proactively remove this type of content from their platforms and use proportionate systems designed to minimise the risk of users from encountering such content. Law enforcement agencies continue to work with internet service providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences such as sale of illicit substances, this includes those operating on the dark web.Further, to support people with drug dependency who may be at risk of synthetic opioid harm, £267 million has been invested in drug and alcohol treatment this year, improving the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment services in England.
What steps she is taking to tackle the illegal (a) sale, (b) distribution and (c) use of protonitazene.
The Government takes seriously the threat from potent synthetic drugs, including synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazenes, including protonitazene, and is taking action. Reducing drug harms has important benefits for the Government’s mission to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes and break down barriers to opportunity.The HMG Synthetic Opioids Taskforce is working with partner agencies such as the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council to counter the distribution and use of these dangerous substances.To stem the supply of illicit synthetic opioids to and within the UK, the NCA, Police and Border Force are working together to ensure all lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued. This involves mapping and targeting key offenders, including those operating within dark web markets, as well as training Border Force dogs to detect a range of nitazenes and fentanyl to stop these substances entering the country in the first place.Fentanyl and protonitazene are both listed as Class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA 1971). This means that the supply of these drugs carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, an unlimited fine or both. Possession carries a maximum penalty of up to 7 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.The Government has recently introduced a generic control for nitazenes which is intended to reduce the likelihood that criminals can circumvent existing controls by making minor alterations to the chemical structure of nitazenes that are already controlled as Class A drugs under the MDA 1971. This legislation came into force on 15 January.Additionally, the unlawful sale of controlled drugs online is listed as a priority offence in the Online Safety Act, meaning that under this legislation technology companies must proactively remove this type of content from their platforms and use proportionate systems designed to minimise the risk of users from encountering such content. Law enforcement agencies continue to work with internet service providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences such as sale of illicit substances, this includes those operating on the dark web.Further, to support people with drug dependency who may be at risk of synthetic opioid harm, £267 million has been invested in drug and alcohol treatment this year, improving the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment services in England.
If she will make an estimate of the number of assaults on (a) men and (b) boys in 2024; and what steps she is taking to reduce this.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes estimates, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), on the population aged 16 years and over who had been victims of violent crime broken down by the age and sex of victims in its annual nature of violent crime statistical release. The latest information can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/thenatureofviolentcrimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2024The CSEW does not include children aged below 16 years in its main survey from which the headline estimates are derived.This Government has put prevention front and centre of our plans to improve the lives of people across the United Kingdom and is taking ambitious action to reduce violent crime. This includes a commitment to halve national levels of knife crime over the next decade as part of the delivery of our mission to make our streets safer.The Safer Streets Mission is one of five key missions the Government has committed to. It is the vehicle to drive delivery across Government to halve violence against women and girls, halve knife crime, tackle ASB, address the criminal exploitation of children and restore confidence in the policing and justice system.
What steps her Department is taking to tackle shoplifting.
In the last year of the previous government, shop theft soared to a twenty-year high, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this.Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work and the Government is committed to tackling retail crime.We will introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We will also end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods of and under £200. This will remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.We will provide £100k additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics.We will continue to crack down on the organised gangs targeting retailers. We will provide £5 million over the next three years to continue to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime.We will also invest £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.
If she will make an estimate of the number of assaults on pensioners in 2024; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce this.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes estimates, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), on the population aged 16 years and over who had been victims of violent crime broken down by the age and sex of victims in its annual nature of violent crime statistical release. The latest information can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/thenatureofviolentcrimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2024The CSEW does not include children aged below 16 years in its main survey from which the headline estimates are derived.This Government has put prevention front and centre of our plans to improve the lives of people across the United Kingdom and is taking ambitious action to reduce violent crime. This includes a commitment to halve national levels of knife crime over the next decade as part of the delivery of our mission to make our streets safer.The Safer Streets Mission is one of five key missions the Government has committed to. It is the vehicle to drive delivery across Government to halve violence against women and girls, halve knife crime, tackle ASB, address the criminal exploitation of children and restore confidence in the policing and justice system.