Written questions by McMurdock.

What (a) authorisations and (b) warrants are required for Government access to data following Apple's removal of advance data protections.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

What steps she is taking to support (a) small and (b) independent retailers in implementing measures to protect employees from (i) violence and (ii) abuse.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February, this Government has brought forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, to protect hardworking and dedicated shop workers, including small and independent retailers. The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or unlimited fine, as well as a presumption on the courts to impose a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide £100,000 of additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. 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. This will build on funding provided this financial year to the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, for development of training materials for both police and retailers to help combat retail crime and promote partnership working.We will continue to work closely with the police to consider further training opportunities, including through our Retail Crime Forum, and are delivering on our wider commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing.

Whether hier Department made an assessment of the potential risk of (a) cyber threats and (b) malicious exploitation of Apple users prior to the removal of the security encryption feature for Apple cloud data in Britain.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

Whether she has had discussions with the (a) police and (b) security services on the removal of Apple's Advanced Data Protection.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

What plans she has to implement the proposed offence of assaulting a shopworker; and what the anticipated penalties are associated with this offence.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February, this Government has brought forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, to protect hardworking and dedicated shop workers, including small and independent retailers. The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or unlimited fine, as well as a presumption on the courts to impose a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide £100,000 of additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. 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. This will build on funding provided this financial year to the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, for development of training materials for both police and retailers to help combat retail crime and promote partnership working.We will continue to work closely with the police to consider further training opportunities, including through our Retail Crime Forum, and are delivering on our wider commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing.

Whether the Government plans to request access to encrypted user data on Android phones.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

Whether she has plans to have discussions with Apple on reintroducing its Advanced Data Protection encryption service for UK users.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 29388, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of her Department holding information centrally on local council spending on housing for asylum seekers.

The cost of housing for asylum seekers is borne by the Home Office and not local government.

What steps she is taking with telecommunications providers to help prevent fraud through (a) scam calls and (b) text messages.

This Government is working extremely closely with industry, regulators, law enforcement and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit in telecoms networks to stop scams reaching people. The Government and Industry are currently developing a second Telecommunications Fraud Charter to build on previous voluntary action taken by the country’s biggest Telecoms companies. This new Charter will go further in encouraging companies to identify, prevent, and disrupt high volume telecoms fraud.In addition to this, we are also pursuing legislation that aims to ban ‘SIM farms’, which are technical devices which allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at the same time. Additionally, this Government is working with Ofcom to stop more cases of number ‘spoofing’, where scammers impersonate UK numbers to persuade people that they are speaking to banks, telephone companies or other legitimate businesses.

Whether she plans to deport the migrants arrested for working illegally in raids in January 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave on 14 February to Question 30090.

Was steps she is taking to reduce the number of people overstaying legitimately-granted visas.

All visa applications are assessed on their individual merits in accordance with Immigration Rules. Visa routes have different conditions, and these are published in route guidance on Gov.uk and stated on the visa or e-visa (digital status). The Home Office scrutinise applications linked to common abuse indicators using risk profiling. Upon the expiry of an individual’s permission to stay in the UK, if a valid application for further permission to stay is not made and the individual does not leave the country of their own volition, they become an overstayer and are liable to be removed from the UK. We have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, with almost 19,000 returns recorded between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration on (a) UK immigration laws and (b) legal challenges to border control policies.

The Global Compact for Migration, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, aims to foster international cooperation on migration in a comprehensive way. The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction, in conformity with international law.An effective well-managed migration system is a fundamental part of the UK’s approach to ensuring the security and control of our borders and the UK remains committed to working with partners to address shared challenges.

What her policy is on the UN Global Compact for Migration.

The Global Compact for Migration, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, aims to foster international cooperation on migration in a comprehensive way. The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction, in conformity with international law.An effective well-managed migration system is a fundamental part of the UK’s approach to ensuring the security and control of our borders and the UK remains committed to working with partners to address shared challenges.

What estimate she has made of the number of hotels required as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers in England on 31 December 2025.

This Government remains resolute in its commitment to reduce the costs of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of asylum hotels over time, through a number of actions including restarting the processing of asylum claims, establishing the new Border Security Command, and prioritising the acquisition of more sustainable dispersal accommodation.The Home Office keeps the asylum accommodation estate under constant review, but demand for asylum accommodation is volatile. This means the Home Office often has to work at pace to ensure compliance with its statutory duty to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.

What the average cost is of accommodating asylum seekers by Essex local authority.

This Government remains resolute in its commitment to reduce the costs of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of asylum hotels over time, through a number of actions including restarting the processing of asylum claims, establishing the new Border Security Command, and prioritising the acquisition of more sustainable dispersal accommodation.The Home Office keeps the asylum accommodation estate under constant review, but demand for asylum accommodation is volatile. This means the Home Office often has to work at pace to ensure compliance with its statutory duty to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.

What services are available for asylum seekers on entry into the UK.

Guidance on the asylum support system is publicly available at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/asylum-support-asylum-instructions

How much funding local councils have spent on housing asylum seekers in (a) Essex and (b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency since 2022.

The requested data is not held centrally by the Home Office.

If she will take steps to ensure fire and rescue services are adequately resourced to meet population growth in Essex.

The Home Office have no role in setting firefighter pay or allowances. This is set by the National Joint Council which is comprised of members from the Local Government Association and the Trade Union.On 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published the Final Local Government Finance Settlement 2025/26 which sets out grant allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. In addition, MHCLG published the referendum principles which confirms that fire and rescue authorities will be able to increase council tax by £5 without the need for a local referendum.The Home Office will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.

If she will ensure fire and rescue service personnel receive training on (a) electric vehicle fires and (b) lithium-ion battery incidents.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents which they attend. We will continue to work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to ensure fire and rescue services have the training, research and equipment they need to keep the public safe.Through our well-established national Fire Kills campaign, we are working to raise awareness on safe usage, storage and charging of e-bikes and e-scooters to support fire prevention in the home. We have developed educational resources, in partnership with the NFCC and local fire and rescue services, and published advice on the FireEngland.uk website.

If she will implement a South-East Allowance for fire and rescue services.

The Home Office have no role in setting firefighter pay or allowances. This is set by the National Joint Council which is comprised of members from the Local Government Association and the Trade Union.On 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published the Final Local Government Finance Settlement 2025/26 which sets out grant allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. In addition, MHCLG published the referendum principles which confirms that fire and rescue authorities will be able to increase council tax by £5 without the need for a local referendum.The Home Office will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.