Written questions by Snowden.

What support her Department provides to local police forces to identify and tackle anti-social driving behaviour in known wildlife and animal collision hot spots.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. We are giving police the powers they need to tackle anti-social driving in both rural and urban areas so that they will be able to more easily seize these vehicles from offenders and dispose of them.The Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will enhance police powers to seize nuisance vehicles which are used in an anti-social manner by removing the requirement to first give a warning to the offender and allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.The Government has also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially. The consultation closed on 8 July and the Government response will be published in due course.Combined, these proposals will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and illegally by sending a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2025 to Question 73585 on Asylum: Housing, what her policy is on the administration of asylum accommodation contracts relating to people who both oversee contracts and are licence holders for houses in multiple occupation used for asylum accommodation.

All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 Sep 2025 to Question 73585 on Asylum: Housing, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Government procurement rules are adhered to in the issuing of contracts to provide asylum accommodation; and what steps he is taking to ensure that perceived breaches can be reported.

All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 Sep 2025 to Question 73585 on Asylum: Housing, what mechanisms exist for members of the public to report perceived conflicts of interest in the allocation of contracts to provide asylum accommodation.

All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 Sep 2025 to Question 73585 on Asylum: Housing, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is no conflict of interest when allocating contracts for asylum accommodation.

All commercial contracts are subject to normal government procurement rules.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of police workforce shortages on response times to emergency calls.

The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. We are committed to giving forces the resources they need to keep the public safe.The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement – a significant increase, and more than the increase last year. This equates to a 7.1% cash increase, and 4.6% real terms increase in funding.This includes fully covering the costs for the 2024/25 pay award, the increase in the employer national insurance contributions, £376.8 million for officer maintenance and an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles.It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate all the resources at their disposal to provide responses to emergency calls alongside all the other services and support they provide to communities.

What proportion of the increase in illegal working arrests involved people who had originally entered the UK on work visas.

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK.The specific information requested is not readily available from published statistics and could only be obtained for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September to Question 75385 on Greta Thunberg, whether public expressions of support for the proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action are considered relevant to an assessment under Part 9 of the Immigration Rules for refusal of entry to the UK.

A person does not need to have a criminal conviction to be refused admission on non-conducive grounds. Examples of where a person’s presence may be non-conducive to the public good include where the person is a threat to national security, including involvement in terrorism and membership of proscribed organisation, or where the person has engaged in extremism or other unacceptable behaviour, such as the glorification of terrorism.

How many and what proportion of visa sponsor licence revocations were (a) subsequently overturned and (b) appealed successfully from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The Home Office does publish data on the numbers of sponsor licences that are suspended and revoked each year and can be found under the Sponsorship Transparency Data heading at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK.

How many foreign nationals have been refused entry to the UK on the basis of their support for proscribed terrorist groups since 2020.

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Which countries have had access to UK visas restricted due to non-compliance with migrant return agreements; and what criteria were used in these decisions.

Visa penalties, as outlined in section 70 of Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (Nationality And Borders Act 2022), may be imposed on a country which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, does not cooperate with the UK in relation to the return of its nationals who do not have a legal right to be in the UK.These provisions have not been used since their introduction in 2022. But we will use all levers available to ensure the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK, including visa penalties where necessary, and will do whatever it takes to secure the UK’s border.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of people who have used Snapchat to purchase vape products spiked with the synthetic drug spice.

The National Crime Agency routinely assess the threats to the UK from serious and organised crime, including drugs supply. The Government is determined to tackle the sale of illegal drugs online, including those sold as vapes. We are taking a co-ordinated approach that includes law enforcement activity, stronger engagement with tech companies, better education for users so they understand the risks and harms; as well as requiring internet companies to take responsibility for their content.The Online Safety Act 2023 requires internet companies to implement measures to protect their users and to remove illegal content from their platforms, including that related to the sale of illegal drugs. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is monitoring compliance with the regime. And working with law enforcement, they are seeking to suppress the sale of drugs on the clear web and online platforms through strengthening platform accountability and disrupting online dealer tactics.

If she will have discussions with (a) police forces and (b) rural stakeholders on the potential benefits of a (a) digitised and (b) centralised firearms licensing system.

The Government has no plans to introduce the centralisation of the firearms licensing process.The Firearms Act 1968 places statutory responsibility for firearms licensing on the Chief Officer of Police of each individual force in England, Wales and Scotland.This framework is supported by Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police issued by the Home Secretary in respect of firearms licensing and by Authorised Professional Practice issued by the College of Policing.

Whether her Department has consulted police forces on their capacity to implement changes to shotgun licensing procedures.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to consult on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns.We will be undertaking a public consultation which will launch later this year. We will carefully consider the views put forward through this consultation in due course, which will include the possible impact of any changes on policing.

What technologies are employed by law enforcement agencies to identify vehicles using (a) ghost and (b) cloned licence plates; and what plans her Department has to (i) improve and (ii) expand such capabilities.

Police and law enforcement agencies use the National Automated Numberplate Recognition (ANPR) Capability and associated technologies to detect and respond to criminal use of ghost and cloned licence plates.The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation to tackle crime.

What steps she is taking to ensure that (a) contractors and (b) subcontractors used by her Department publish accounts in line with HMRC requirements.

Contractors under direct contract with agreements over £10k are bound by contract terms to both uphold the laws of the land and to not bring the Secretary of State into disrepute.This includes responsibility for any subcontractors they engage.

If she will prohibit the entry of Greta Thunberg to the UK on the basis of her support for Palestine Action.

It is longstanding Home Office policy not to comment on individual cases.Where a foreign national is seeking to enter or stay in the UK, in order to qualify they will be assessed by UK Visas & Immigration (or Border Force when presenting at the border) against a range of provisions in the current Immigration Rules relating to criminality and other adverse conduct and character prior to their entry to, and any previous time spent in, the UK. Failure to satisfy these criteria may mean their application for a visa, entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay will be refused, depending on the severity of past offences or other factors in their history.Details of these criteria can be found in Part 9 of the Immigration Rules, available on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-part-9-grounds-for-refusal.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the recent arrests for alleged online speech crime on freedom of speech; and if she will make a statement.

The police are operationally independent of Government. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to comment on individual cases.The Government is absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. Our legislation values free speech and enables people who wish to engage in debate to do so. However, freedom of expression is a qualified right and can be restricted in certain situations, including where it is used as an excuse to cause harm or spread hatred.We keep our legislative framework under review to ensure it remains effective in tackling hate crime and protecting communities whilst also upholding the fundamental right to freedom of expression. The Government will always work with policing to ensure that the criminal law supports the common-sense approach we all want to see being taken. The Home Office stands ready to consider the proposals for change currently being developed by the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Whether she plans to conduct a review of (a) hate speech and (b) incitement legislation.

Hate crimes and incitement to violence are inexcusable. We have robust legislation in place to address threatening, abusive, or harassing behaviour, as well as incitement to hatred on the grounds of race, religion, and sexual orientation.The Government is absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. Our legislation values free speech and enables people who wish to engage in debate to do so. However, freedom of expression is a qualified right and can be restricted in certain situations, including where it is used as an excuse to cause harm or spread hatred.We keep this legislative framework under review to ensure it remains effective in tackling hate crime and protecting communities whilst also upholding the fundamental right to freedom of expression. The Government will always work with Policing to ensure that the criminal law supports the common-sense approach we all want to see being taken. The Home Office stands ready to consider the proposals for change currently being developed by the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

What guidance is issued to police forces on deploying armed officers for arrests relating to alleged online speech offences.

The College of Policing issues Authorised Professional Practice guidance around the deployment of armed officers.Decisions around the deployment of armed officers are operational matters for Chief Officers to determine based on a thorough assessment of threats and risks.