Written questions by Snowden.

How many arrests were made for online speech offences in the last five years.

The Home Office does not hold the information requested.The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series. The latest data is available here: Stop and search, arrests and mental health detentions, March 2024 - GOV.UKHowever, the data is collected by wider offence group e.g. “Public order offences”, and information on specific offences is not held.

Whether her Department has considered reviewing the standard police caution to include a reference to the potential impact of legal advice to remain silent on a defendant’s defence.

A review of the standard police caution is not being considered for the reasons set out in my earlier answer to written question UIN 73157.

What criteria her Department used to allocate the funding for the national expansion of the TOEX Capabilities Environment.

The Home Office is providing the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme with £8.8 million this year to increase law enforcements capability to respond to organised exploitation, including by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.In August 2025, the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls announced an additional £426,000 this year, which will enable all forces in England and Wales to access the cutting-edge digital tools that TOEX have developed to support police in detecting and investigating organised exploitation. This includes child sexual exploitation, alongside other organised exploitation crimes including modern slavery, organised immigration crimes, and criminal exploitation.The additional funding will allow for the expedited roll out of the of the Capabilities Environment, to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to the full array of TOEX’s AI-enabled and time-saving toolsThe TOEX programme has already contacted all forces in England and Wales to provide information on how they can access the TOEX tools. In addition to the 15 police forces which are already utilising TOEX tools, since the Minister’s announcement in August, a further 10 forces are currently onboarding. TOEX will continue to engage with additional forces.TOEX is also a critical component in supporting the delivery of Baroness Casey’s recommendation to establish a new national police operation for group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse (Operation Beaconport).

By what date she expects all police forces in England and Wales to have full operational access to the TOEX Capabilities Environment.

The Home Office is providing the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme with £8.8 million this year to increase law enforcements capability to respond to organised exploitation, including by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.In August 2025, the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls announced an additional £426,000 this year, which will enable all forces in England and Wales to access the cutting-edge digital tools that TOEX have developed to support police in detecting and investigating organised exploitation. This includes child sexual exploitation, alongside other organised exploitation crimes including modern slavery, organised immigration crimes, and criminal exploitation.The additional funding will allow for the expedited roll out of the of the Capabilities Environment, to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to the full array of TOEX’s AI-enabled and time-saving toolsThe TOEX programme has already contacted all forces in England and Wales to provide information on how they can access the TOEX tools. In addition to the 15 police forces which are already utilising TOEX tools, since the Minister’s announcement in August, a further 10 forces are currently onboarding. TOEX will continue to engage with additional forces.TOEX is also a critical component in supporting the delivery of Baroness Casey’s recommendation to establish a new national police operation for group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse (Operation Beaconport).

What the scope of Operation Beaconport is.

Operation BEACONPORT is the name assigned by operational partners to the National Police Operation, overseen by the NCA, as recommended by Baroness Casey in her report that followed her Independent Audit of Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (GBCSEA), published in June this year.The operation will address the elements identified by Baroness Casey in recommendations 2 and 8, by bringing together all the relevant policing partners under one operation, to ensure a swift and specialist law enforcement response to GBCSEA.Further details on Operation BEACONPORT will be provided by operational partners shortly.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to retailers on the use of live facial recognition technology for (a) security and (b) commercial purposes.

The Home Office has not issued guidance to retailers on the use of live facial recognition technology, as systems used privately are entirely separate from law enforcement systems.However, all users of FR must comply with the law and the ICO has provided supporting guidance on the use of video surveillance.

What information her Department holds on (a) employment conditions, (b) levels of pay and (c) training undertaken by staff working for subcontractors in migrant hotels.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Whether her Department requires contractors providing hotel accommodation to asylum seekers to disclose their use of subcontractors.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Whether her Department holds information on any (a) complaints and (b) concerns received from people housed in migrant hotels on the (i) conduct and (ii) quality of services provided by (A) private contractors and (B) subcontractors.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

What proportion of ongoing contracts for the provision of migrant hotel services were awarded through (a) competitive tender, (b) direct award and (c) emergency procurement.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Which companies held contracts for the provision of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers on 1 September 2025; and what the (a) value and (b) duration is for each of those contracts.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Whether her Department is taking steps to investigate potential conflicts of interest in 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.

What support she is providing to Afghan nationals during their transition from Weeton Barracks to long-term housin; and whether this includes assistance with (a) employment, (b) language training and (c) healthcare access.

Supporting Afghans on their arrival into the UK is critical in providing a strong foundation for those rebuilding their new life in the UK.Under the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), transitional accommodation is offered for up to 9 months, within which households will be expected to move on to their settled home.An integration tariff has been developed to provide financial support to Local Authorities (LA) supporting the resettlement of Eligible People (EP) under ARP. Further detail and a breakdown of the integration tariff is provided in the published policy guidance for the ARP.This is viewable on the following link: Afghan Resettlement Programme: policy guidance (accessible) - GOV.UK.

What estimate she has made of the number of illegal immigrants residing in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal migrant population, and so the Home Office under successive governments has not published any official estimates of the illegal migrant population.The Government continues to take decisive action against those found to be in the UK illegally, with a surge in returns activity since the election leading to over 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK being removed between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

What proportion of Prevent referrals from educational settings in the 2023-24 academic year led to Channel interventions; and how many and what proportion of those involved children below the age of 15.

Prevent is a national programme that aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It works to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are offered appropriate interventions, and communities are protected against radicalising influences.The Home Office produces annual statistics setting out the number of individuals referred to Prevent, discussed at Channel Panel and adopted as a Channel case. Below are the latest published figures for the year ending March 2024. Referrals for the period April 2024 to March 2025 will be released later this year in the upcoming publication "Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme: to March 2025". As per official statistics guidelines under the Code of Practice for Statistics, we are unable to release these statistics ahead of the formal publication date. More information on this forthcoming publication will be pre-announced on the statistics release calendar which can be found on the GOV.UK website: Statistics release calendar (www.gov.uk).In the year ending March 2024, approximately 76% of referrals from the education sector involved individuals aged 15 and under. Of these, around 8% received Channel intervention - meaning they were formally adopted as Channel cases.This information, together with further information about Prevent referrals and Channel cases can be found on GOV.UK Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme statistics - GOV.UK.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Prevent duty in reducing radicalisation among children and young people in the long term.

The Home Office works continually to enhance and strengthen our approach to preventing radicalisation among children and young people. Each year, a significant number of young people are referred to Prevent for support. In the year ending 31 March 2024, individuals aged 11 to 15 accounted for the largest proportion of the 6,884 referrals to Prevent (2,729; 40%) where age was known, and a slightly larger proportion of both those discussed at a Channel Panel (374; 42%) and those adopted as a Channel case (254; 50%).To assess the effectiveness of the programme, a Channel evaluation programme launched in April 2025 and has begun collecting data on outcomes for participants of Channel in England and Wales. The evaluation has also been expanded to Prevent multi-agency panels (PMAP) in Scotland. The evaluation programme is consulting practitioners nationally and conducting case studies across six local authorities to review how Channel is being delivered. This is a significant piece of work to improve our understanding of Channel's impact on counter-terrorism outcomes and radicalisation risk. The evaluation will report at the end of 2026.Earlier this year, Prevent launched new guidance to ensure that repeat referrals to Prevent receive the multi-agency consideration they require. In January 2025, the Channel multi-agency programme was extended to enable interventions in cases where people are under police investigation. This means specialist support can be provided to individuals -  and particularly young people -  who are already on a pathway to terrorism offending, to reduce their risk of harm.An end-to-end review of Prevent thresholds has also been concluded, and its recommendations will strengthen our approach to the assessment and management of Prevent referrals, including where young people are identified as being at risk. Pilots are now running across the country, to ensure that where young people do not meet Prevent thresholds, they receive the support they need from wider services.

How many recorded breaches of the 36 hour custody limit under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 occurred in the last three years; and what (a) disciplinary and (b) legal consequences resulted from those breaches.

When the police interview a suspect they must explain that they do not have to answer questions but there could be consequences if they do not by reading to them the police caution:“You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”If the suspect does not understand the caution because they cannot understand English, the custody officer must arrange for the assistance of an interpreter, and if they are considered to be vulnerable then they must be supported throughout the interview by an appropriate adult. Whilst in police custody or undergoing a voluntary interview the suspect has the continuing right to free legal advice.We keep the operation of police powers, including the police caution, under regular review through engagement with policing stakeholders. We are not aware of any concerns about the effectiveness of the police caution in preventing defendants from withholding information.The Home Office collects and publishes data on detentions for over 36 hours without warrant of further detention where the person was subsequently released without charge, as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Custody and pre-charge bail’ statistical bulletin. The data is available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62750 on Sharing Economy: Data Protection, what her policy is on the impact of committing this offence on the asylum applications of people seeking refugee status.

All foreign nationals, including asylum seekers, can and will face prosecution for criminal offences in the same way as any other individual in the UK, and their criminality is considered if convicted. Anyone convicted of a particularly serious crime resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, and who is considered a danger to the UK, will be denied the protection of asylum and will be considered for removal from the UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62750 on Sharing Economy: Data Protection, how many people have been charged with the offence in the last 12 months.

The Home Office does not hold the information requested.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62750 on Sharing Economy: Data Protection, what guidance is issued to forces investigating this crime.

As facilitation of Illegal working is a criminal offence, any investigation will be compliant with guidance, legislation and relevant codes of practice in place for investigators and prosecutors.