Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps she is taking to tackle fraud within the private publishing sector.

We recognise that all businesses, including publishing houses, are a target for fraudsters. Government supports businesses through a number of measures including the Confirmation of Payee checks, which allow customers, including businesses, to confirm the name of a recipient before transferring money to them.We have also helped business to protect themselves against cyber threats, including cyber enabled fraud, through the National Cyber Security Centre and the ten regional resilience centres across England and Wales and the Police Cyber Alarm. The Stop! Think Fraud campaign also included advice for businesses on how to protect themselves from fraud.Further, an Economic Crime Survey is being conducted to find out more about the prevalence and impacts of economic crime (including fraud) against business. We expect the results to be published in mid-2025.

What steps she is taking to increase police officer (a) recruitment and (b) retention within Greater London.

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. We are clear that visible policing is essential to restoring public confidence in the police. As a result, our expectation is that officer numbers must be protected.We expect the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to do all it can to halt the decline in officer numbers and prioritise frontline policing.The Government is supporting the MPS by providing the force with £3.8 billion of funding in the 2025/26 police settlement. This is a £226.9 million increase when compared with the 2024/25 settlement, equating to a 6.4% cash increase and 3.9% real terms. In addition for 2025/26, we have transferred some ringfenced funding to the core grant, of which the MPS will receive its funding formula share.We will work with the MPS and Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to fully understand the force’s recruitment challenges. The MPS must ensure that they are taking every step available to put in place recruitment and retention plans that prevent further reductions in headcount and protect officer numbers.

What steps she is taking to increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of UKBA officers.

Regarding the recruitment of Border Force officers, the latest published staffing and finance figures can be found in the Home Office Annual Reports: Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.However, Border Force workforce planning reflects our evolving requirements and comprises of multiple resourcing options with decisions being assessed against several factors including the potential impacts they may have. As well as having an existing group of highly trained officers, Border Force has run several fair and open competition recruitment campaigns over the last few months – including alternative working options – which were open to anyone interested in working for Border Force.On the issue of retention, we recognise that being a Border Force officer is a demanding role. That is why we have introduced additional mental health support to ensure our officers are supported if needed. Additionally, as a key recommendation of the Alexander Downer Review published in 2022, Border Force recognised the need to build on and improve their learning offer for staff at all levels of the organisation.A comprehensive programme of modernisation and development is currently underway within Border Force L&D in support of delivering these recommendations and wider strategic priorities. Our primary aim is the development of the capabilities required across operational and non-operational areas, and ensuring leaders and managers have the skills required to manage staff and develop their talent.

What steps she is taking to prevent the export of stolen vehicles out of the United Kingdom.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police to ensure our response is as strong as it can be. I met the NPCC Vehicle Crime lead, ACC Jenny Sims, in November and discussed this matter.We are providing £250,000 funding this financial year to help support enforcement at ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including additional staff and specialist equipment.There are also intelligence teams that support work to tackle vehicle crime, including Opal, the police national intelligence unit for serious acquisitive crime, and the National Vehicle Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), a policing unit funded by industry, including finance and leasing companies, insurers and hauliers, to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement.We are continuing to work closely with the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group; through this group a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure forces can share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and better tackle regional issues.In autumn 2024, driven by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership began work, bringing together the police, Home Office and manufacturers.

What steps she is taking to prevent the export of stolen mobile devices out of the United Kingdom.

Set against soaring levels of snatch thefts and pickpocketing, crimes which commonly involve the theft of mobile phones, a series of meetings have already been held, and we will shortly be holding a Home Office Mobile Phone Theft Summit, drawing together representatives from the mobile phone industry, including tech companies, the Metropolitan Police and other law enforcement agencies to see what more can collectively be done to break the business model of mobile phone thieves.As part of our Safer Streets Mission, this government is determined to crack down on theft and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in our communities, including tackling anti-social behaviour and restoring public confidence. We are also committed to strengthening neighbourhood policing and through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, there will be thousands of additional police officers, police community support officers and Special Constables.

What recent steps she has taken to tackle mobile phone theft Greater London.

Set against soaring levels of snatch thefts and pickpocketing, crimes which commonly involve the theft of mobile phones, a series of meetings have already been held, and we will shortly be holding a Home Office Mobile Phone Theft Summit, drawing together representatives from the mobile phone industry, including tech companies, the Metropolitan Police and other law enforcement agencies to see what more can collectively be done to break the business model of mobile phone thieves.As part of our Safer Streets Mission, this government is determined to crack down on theft and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in our communities, including tackling anti-social behaviour and restoring public confidence. We are also committed to strengthening neighbourhood policing and through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, there will be thousands of additional police officers, police community support officers and Special Constables.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of requiring Electronic Travel Authorisation on (a) BN(O) and (b) Hong Kong passport holders seeking sanctuary.

Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. But this aspect of the policy remains under review, and we will update the House on any changes in due course.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Prevent programme.

The Independent Review of Prevent, published on 8 February 2023, was conducted by Sir William Shawcross. 33 of the 34 recommendations have now been implemented. This has included strengthening guidance and training, regionalising Prevent delivery, and imp...

How many and what proportion of people referred to the Prevent programme went on to commit acts of (a) terrorism and (b) violent crime in each of the last five years for which data is available.

The first priority of Government is to keep its citizens safe. Prevent is a vital part of that. We must try and divert people away from radicalisation and violent ideologies.Between 2019 and 2024, there have sadly, been 4 instances where somebody who had ...

What steps she is taking to support the London Fire Brigade with fire prevention activities and operational training.

The Home Office’s Fire Kills campaign promotes fire safety messages at the national level and supports fire prevention activities undertaken by individual fire and rescue services (FRSs). Campaign plans and promotional materials are developed in partnersh...

What steps she is taking to support existing neighbourhood watch organisations.

This Government hugely values the work of local Neighbourhood Watch groups and the role they play in making our communities feel safe.The Home Office has provided funding for Neighbourhood Watch for the last 20 years, including providing £280,000 in fundi...

How much funding her Department has provided to neighbourhood watch organisations in each of the last five years.

This Government hugely values the work of local Neighbourhood Watch groups and the role they play in making our communities feel safe.The Home Office has provided funding for Neighbourhood Watch for the last 20 years, including providing £280,000 in fundi...

What recent discussions she has had with the Metropolitan Police on investigating shoplifting offences where the value of goods stolen is less than £200.

Shoplifting is a damaging crime, which soared under the previous government, and we are determined to remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.To that end, this Government will end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Gove...

What recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on establishing US pre-clearance facilities at London Heathrow Airport.

A decision to explore US pre-clearance is primarily a commercial decision for airport operators. An outline commercial agreement between the airport operator and US authorities would be required before any formal discussions between the UK and US governme...

How many (a) officials from her Department and (b) police officers have visited Pitcairn Island in each of the last 12 months.

I can confirm that no officials from the Home Office or UK police officers have visited Pitcairn Island in the last 12 months.

What steps she is taking to help reduce the number of drug-related deaths.

Drug-related deaths are tragically at record highs and this government is committed to gripping this problem.The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is actively working to reduce the number of drug-related deaths and has invested an additional £2...

How many people of Chagossian descent have applied for (a) British overseas territories and (b) British citizenship in the last five years for which data is available, broken down by the country in wh

We are unable to provide this data as we do not record data relating to an individual’s ancestry.Whilst the BIOT (British Indian Oceans Territory) citizenship registration route was introduced in November 2022, there may be people of Chagossian descent wh...

How many people of Chagossian descent have taken British nationality since 2022.

We are unable to provide this data as we do not record data relating to an individual’s ancestry.Whilst the BIOT (British Indian Oceans Territory) citizenship registration route was introduced in November 2022, there may be people of Chagossian descent wh...

What steps she is taking to help reduce pickpocketing in London.

In the last year of the previous government, we saw a 40% increase in snatch theft. As part of our Safer Streets mission, this government is determined to crack down on pickpocketing, snatch theft, robbery, and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in...

What assessment she has made of the threat of pro-Iranian front groups operating in (a) Parliament and (b) Westminster.

While we do not routinely comment on the detail of specific threats, it is an absolute priority for this Government to protect our democratic and electoral processes from interference by any foreign state, including Iran.The National Security Act 2023 pro...