Written questions by Naish.

How many fires attended by Fire and Rescue Services in England were attributed to disposable barbecues in each of the last three years.

Awaiting answer.

Whether her Department has conducted an internal review into the alleged misuse of the Home Office Atlas immigration database.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has considered introducing a statutory Code of Practice on Sikh articles of faith to improve understanding among public authorities.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the Government plans to publish a national counter-extremism strategy that includes a dedicated focus on radicalisation in higher education settings.

As announced in the Protecting What Matters publication on 9 March 2026, the government will publish an annual ‘State of Extremism’ report which will arm frontline, public sector workers, including those in the education sector, with the information they ...

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of extremist activity on university campuses since October 2023.

The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism.We remain vigilant to the risk of extremist activity across all p...

Whether updated public order guidance will be issued to universities and police forces on managing campus protests; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure public order powers are consistent

Police forces regularly work with protest organisers, local communities and institutions affected by protests to ensure the right to peaceful protest can be balanced against the need to protect the public from serious disruption or harm.The College of Pol...

With reference to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 52060, whether her Department has plans to amend the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 to allow widows to continue to receive pension income foll

With reference to the response given to UIN 52060, there are currently no plans to make any further changes to benefits accrued in the 1987 police scheme.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the National Association of Retired Police Officers’ Love or Money campaign; and whether her Department

Serving police officers have access to the 2015 police pension scheme, which provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. All eligible police officer...

What steps her Department is taking to support police officer (a) widows and (b) widowers who have lost their partner in active duty.

Where a serving officer dies, the existing police pension and injury benefit schemes provide a range of financial support for their families.As part of the Police Covenant, the National Police Wellbeing Service has produced a suite of digital support tool...

What steps her Department is taking to (a) improve the process of reporting anti-social behaviour and (b) make that process more accessible.

Tackling ASB is a top priority for this Government and therefore access to robust data from the key agencies involved in tackling ASB is critical for informing future national and local ASB prevention.Through the Crime and Policing Act, we are introducing...

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44172 on Public Order Act 2023, what progress her Department has made with post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023.

As part of this Government’s commitment to protect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, in May 2025 the Home Office began conducting post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023.The post-legislative scrutiny of this Public Order Act 2023 is ongoing and once completed, the command paper will be sent to the Home Affairs Select Committee in accordance with the guidance on established post legislative scrutiny. In parallel the Home Secretary has commissioned Lord Macdonald of River Glaven KC to conduct a review of public order and hate crime legislation which will be concluded by the end of Spring.

What steps she is taking to improve the recording and reporting of rural crime as a distinct category within national policing frameworks.

There is no distinct offence category or grouping that captures rural crimes separately from other offences. Currently any centrally held data on crimes recorded by the police and the investigative outcomes of crimes will not be broken down into rural crime.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of police funding for rural forces in light of geographic scale, response times and organised criminal activity affecting farms and rural businesses.

This Government is introducing the most radical and comprehensive policing reforms in nearly 200 years. We will modernise policing in this country – equipping it to tackle more sophisticated, online, and cross-border crimes (like wildlife crime and organised equipment theft), while also restoring neighbourhood policing.We are on track to hit 3,000 more neighbourhood officers in March – and our target remains 13k by the end of the parliament. With the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets a named contactable officer and a response to non-urgent queries in 72 hours. Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.This financial year (FY25/26) we are providing £800,000 of funding to the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and we will be providing the same level of funding in 26/27. These capabilities play key roles in helping police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt serious and organised crime groups, which can pose unique challenges for policing in large and isolated rural areas.The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

What assessment her department has made on the number of children on the British National (Overseas) visa who would face delays in attaining settled status due to their parents’ inability to meet new proposed income and language mandatory criteria for indefinite leave to remain.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.We sought views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, which was open between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. We will now carefully review and analyse all responses received and the findings will support the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures. Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.Economic and equality impact assessments will be conducted on the final model and will consider the impacts on different groups, including children where relevant, and will be published in due course.In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

How many applications have been made to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme for children born in the UK to Ukrainian national parents; and what the approval rate has been.

Data on the number of Ukraine Permission Extension visa applications for children born in the UK does not form part of our data sets and is not published.Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many applications to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme are awaiting a decision.

The data for Ukraine Permission Extension visa applications awaiting a decision can be found on the ‘Visa, Status and Immigration Data table on the following page of Gov.UK Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of paragraph HK 23.5 of the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa route on applicants who hold permission as BN(O) Adult Dependent Relatives due to (a) having been born after 1 July 1997 and (b) having applied before 30 November 2022; and if she will take steps to amend the Immigration Rules to allow those individuals to switch into the mainstream BN(O) route and therefore be able to apply to (i) extend their visa if necessary and (ii) apply for indefinite leave to remain in their own right.

We currently have no plans to allow those granted as an Adult Dependent Relative on the BN(O) route to switch within the route, but we keep all Immigration Rules and policies under review.

When she plans to publish further information on long-term steps to help support people using the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

The Ukraine Schemes reflect a generous and meaningful commitment to support those displaced by the conflict. Since the full‑scale invasion began, the UK has provided sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their family members.The Government has been clear from the outset that the Ukraine Schemes are temporary humanitarian routes and do not provide a direct pathway to settlement. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for their citizens to be able to return home when it is safe to do so, in order to contribute to Ukraine’s future recovery. Time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.On 24 February, the Government confirmed in Parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme will be extended for a further 24 months. This provides longer-term temporary certainty for Ukrainians in the UK, meaning they may benefit from up to 3.5 years’ permission under UPE, in addition to any time already granted under the Ukraine Schemes. This extension reaffirms the UK’s ongoing commitment to supporting those displaced by the conflict.To support a smoother application process, applicants will also be able to apply for further permission within the final 90 days of their current leave, rather than the previous 28‑day period. This will provide greater flexibility and assurance, allowing applicants to secure their future in the UK with confidence and ease.Ukrainians in the UK under any of the Ukraine Schemes may apply to switch into other immigration routes for which they meet the eligibility and suitability requirements, including work, study, family and private life routes.The Government will update the relevant GOV.UK pages in due course to reflect the 24‑month extension of the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme. The Immigration Rules and caseworker guidance will be updated in line with the changes as they come into effect.The Government recognises the importance of providing long‑term certainty for Ukrainians living in the UK beyond the lifetime of UPE. Work is underway across Government on future arrangements, and a further statement setting out the long‑term position will be issued later this year.The Government continues to keep the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under close and active review.

If she will provide further information on long-term arrangements for (a) settlement, (b) a longer-term temporary route and (c) switching into other immigration routes for Ukrainians in the UK.

The Ukraine Schemes reflect a generous and meaningful commitment to support those displaced by the conflict. Since the full‑scale invasion began, the UK has provided sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their family members.The Government has been clear from the outset that the Ukraine Schemes are temporary humanitarian routes and do not provide a direct pathway to settlement. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for their citizens to be able to return home when it is safe to do so, in order to contribute to Ukraine’s future recovery. Time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.On 24 February, the Government confirmed in Parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme will be extended for a further 24 months. This provides longer-term temporary certainty for Ukrainians in the UK, meaning they may benefit from up to 3.5 years’ permission under UPE, in addition to any time already granted under the Ukraine Schemes. This extension reaffirms the UK’s ongoing commitment to supporting those displaced by the conflict.To support a smoother application process, applicants will also be able to apply for further permission within the final 90 days of their current leave, rather than the previous 28‑day period. This will provide greater flexibility and assurance, allowing applicants to secure their future in the UK with confidence and ease.Ukrainians in the UK under any of the Ukraine Schemes may apply to switch into other immigration routes for which they meet the eligibility and suitability requirements, including work, study, family and private life routes.The Government will update the relevant GOV.UK pages in due course to reflect the 24‑month extension of the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme. The Immigration Rules and caseworker guidance will be updated in line with the changes as they come into effect.The Government recognises the importance of providing long‑term certainty for Ukrainians living in the UK beyond the lifetime of UPE. Work is underway across Government on future arrangements, and a further statement setting out the long‑term position will be issued later this year.The Government continues to keep the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under close and active review.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of excluding Ukraine schemes from counting towards settlement on Ukrainian nationals in the UK.

The Ukraine Schemes reflect a generous and meaningful commitment to support those displaced by the conflict. Since the full‑scale invasion began, the UK has provided sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their family members.The Government has been clear from the outset that the Ukraine Schemes are temporary humanitarian routes and do not provide a direct pathway to settlement. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for their citizens to be able to return home when it is safe to do so, in order to contribute to Ukraine’s future recovery. Time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.On 24 February, the Government confirmed in Parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme will be extended for a further 24 months. This provides longer-term temporary certainty for Ukrainians in the UK, meaning they may benefit from up to 3.5 years’ permission under UPE, in addition to any time already granted under the Ukraine Schemes. This extension reaffirms the UK’s ongoing commitment to supporting those displaced by the conflict.To support a smoother application process, applicants will also be able to apply for further permission within the final 90 days of their current leave, rather than the previous 28‑day period. This will provide greater flexibility and assurance, allowing applicants to secure their future in the UK with confidence and ease.Ukrainians in the UK under any of the Ukraine Schemes may apply to switch into other immigration routes for which they meet the eligibility and suitability requirements, including work, study, family and private life routes.The Government will update the relevant GOV.UK pages in due course to reflect the 24‑month extension of the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme. The Immigration Rules and caseworker guidance will be updated in line with the changes as they come into effect.The Government recognises the importance of providing long‑term certainty for Ukrainians living in the UK beyond the lifetime of UPE. Work is underway across Government on future arrangements, and a further statement setting out the long‑term position will be issued later this year.The Government continues to keep the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under close and active review.