Written questions by Hayes.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle organised acquisitive rural crime.

We are improving the protections for rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft. This financial year the Home Office will be providing the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000).The National Wildlife Crime Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes including serious organised crime. This includes disrupting organised crime groups. Funding the National Rural Crime Unit enables it to continue to increase collaboration across police forces, harnessing the latest technology and data to target the serious organised crime groups involved in crimes like equipment theft from farms.Through the Crime and Policing Bill we are introducing a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court.Additionally, we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act and fully support its intentions to tackle the theft and re-sale of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), quad bikes and GPS systems.There can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why we have worked closely with the NPCC to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2028. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.

What information her Department holds on the number of occasions the police has (a) investigated and (b) charged abortion practitioners in relation to abortions suspected to have taken place on the basis of sex in each of the last ten years.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences and their investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales. This includes the number of offences of procuring illegal abortion and intentional destruction of a viable unborn child. This information is published as official statistics each quarter and the latest information, to the year ending June 2025, can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tablesInformation is not held on whether the abortion took place on the basis of sex or the status of the individual charged.

Whether people deemed to be from under-represented groups are subject to different vetting procedures as part of the hiring process for police officers in England.

All applicants joining the police as officers or staff are subject to the same rigorous checks and vetting procedures to ensure that only the most suitable candidates are selected. This is set out in the College of Policing’s vetting code of practice and its vetting authorised professional practice (APP).The Home Secretary has commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to inspect the MPS on their recruitment and vetting practices and asked them to provide an assessment in relation to other forces in England and Wales.

How many police officers hired in the last ten years in England underwent standard vetting procedures prior to their hiring.

The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the vetting of new recruits over the last ten years. This information is held by each individual police force.Following the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) Operation Jorica review, the Home Secretary has commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to inspect them on their recruitment and vetting practices and asked them to provide an assessment in relation to other forces in England and Wales.

How many police officers retired due to ill health in each of the last ten years.

The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service and their reasons for leaving, including medical retirements, as at 31 March each year, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Information on the number of police officers leaving the police service by reason for leaving, including medical retirements, between the years ending 31 March 2007 and 2025 can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a364d312ee8a5f0806b7c/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-230725.ods

How many and what proportion of individuals referred to the Prevent programme in the last three years were found to not be at risk of radicalisation.

The table below provides the number and proportion of individuals referred to the Prevent programme over the last three years who were assessed as ‘requiring no further action’.Table 1: Proportion of individuals found to not be at risk of radicalisation by year 2022/232023/242024/25Prevent Referrals6,8176,9228,778Prevent Referrals requiring no further action, Total1,1721,3392,636Proportion of individuals found to not be at risk of radicalisation17%19%30%Note: The proportion of individuals assessed as not at risk of radicalisation is calculated as the number of Prevent referrals requiring no further action divided by the total number of Prevent referrals.

How many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Information on the number of civil servants employed on temporary contracts is published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics as part of the quarterly Public Sector Employment statistics. Information can be accessed for September 2025 at the following web address:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/september2025Departmental expenditure on consultancy is published within the Annual Report and Accounts. The latest report for FY 2024/25 can be found at the following web address:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025

How many full time equivalent staff in her Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.

Responsibility for the Home Office's social media content sits primarily with the Home Office digital team. Each team member works across numerous projects & briefs. No one is solely employed to make just social media content.The FTE for the digital team can be broken down as follows:FTE 2023 - 7FTE 2024 - 10FTE 2025 - 9

What steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce and (b) prevent equipment theft in (1) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (2) Lincolnshire.

Equipment theft can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its intentions to prevent the theft and re-sale of All-Terrain Vehicles, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when parliamentary time allows. The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery. This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000). The National Rural Crime Unit provides police forces with specialist operational support in their response to rural crime, such as the theft of farming or construction equipment. They also help police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt organised crime groups. We have also worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2028. The strategy highlights how policing can assist in the prevention of crime in rural areas including equipment theft.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of creating a single crossbow licensing authority for England and Wales.

The Government is actively considering the introduction of further controls around crossbows.This follows a call for evidence on strengthening controls on crossbows on public safety grounds, which ran from 14 February to 9 April 2024, and tested ideas for whether there should be some form of licensing regime that would provide further controls on the use, ownership and supply of crossbows including whether sellers should be licensed in some way.We will publish the Government’s response to the call for evidence shortly, which will include what action we intend to take.

How many and what proportion of immigrants detained following their arrival in the UK by small boats have been searched for drugs in each of the past five years.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to questions 71052, 71053 and 71054 on 4th September.

What assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of the availability of crossbows through online purchases.

The Government is actively considering the introduction of further controls around crossbows. This follows a call for evidence on strengthening controls on crossbows on public safety grounds, which ran from 14 February to 9 April 2024, and tested ideas for whether there should be some form of licensing regime that would provide further controls on the use, ownership and supply of crossbows including whether sellers should be licensed in some way. We will publish the Government’s response to the call for evidence shortly, which will include what action we intend to take.Crossbows are age restricted items and it is an offence, under the Crossbows Act 1987, for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase a crossbow or parts of a crossbow. The Government is taking action to strengthen the law on age verification for the online sale and delivery of crossbows through measures currently in the Crime and Policing Bill.

How many asylum claims (a) approved and (b) rejected since July 2024 involved interviews over video calls.

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.

How many asylum claims (a) approved and (b) rejected since July 2024 involved face-to-face interviews.

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.

If she will publish the nationalities of people detained for removal caught working illegally as delivery drivers.

The Home Office takes the issue of illegal working seriously and continues to take robust enforcement action against those who breach immigration laws.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

What steps she is taking to prevent immigration rules abuse where people on tourist visas claim asylum.

All visitors must be able to demonstrate that they are genuine and will leave the UK at the end of their visit. The Visitor route is not intended to facilitate individuals travelling to the UK with the intention of claiming asylum. Visitor visa applications are rigorously assessed against the Immigration Rules. We are committed to further strengthening the integrity of visa decision making by continuing to apply greater scrutiny to those where there is evidence to demonstrate a greater risk of an asylum claim once in the UK — ensuring that visas are only issued to genuine visitors. This government has also taken decisive action to address instances of individuals using visa-free travel to reach the UK and claim asylum. As a result, we have introduced visa requirements for Jordan, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Botswana. Where we have data available (the requirement for Botswana was only introduced on 14 October 2025) this action has been extremely effective: asylum seekers from Jordan, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago have fallen by 93% and asylum seekers at port have fallen by 99% from their peak prior to the introduction of a visa requirement compared to Q3 2025. Where countries are not cooperating on the return of their nationals who have no right to be in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, we will not hesitate to use the visa system (particularly visit visas) to bring about better cooperation. As announced on 17 November, we have told Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Namibia that if they do not comply with international rules and norms, we will impose visa penalties on them.Unless other countries heed this lesson, further sanctions will follow. Any asylum claim that is then subsequently lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, is given full and careful consideration. Our approach is to promptly consider asylum claims, with a rapid appeals process, so that claims from genuine asylum seekers can be accepted, and those that are not, can be rejected. The Government’s recently published Asylum Policy Statement sets out significant reforms to the UK’s asylum and illegal migration system. The Statement outlines the current challenges, the Government’s objectives, and a comprehensive package of measures to restore order, control, fairness and public confidence in the system.

How many and what proportion of cameras used in facial recognition technology are made in the UK.

The information requested is not held by the Home Office. Decisions on the procurement of cameras used in facial recognition technology are for individual police forces and other relevant authorities. Procurement decisions by police forces must comply with UK procurement law, including the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Procurement Act 2023, and relevant Cabinet Office guidance on supply chain risk. They are also expected to follow the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. In addition, forces have been advised to consider supply chain security and have received guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Cabinet Office on the use of Chinese-manufactured surveillance equipment.

How many people resident in the UK are recorded on the National DNA Database.

As of 30 September 2025, a total of 7,490,730 subject samples were retained on the National DNA Database. It is estimated that these samples correspond to 6,210,328 individuals.The Home Office is unable to confirm how many of these records pertain specifically to individual’s resident in the United Kingdom as the National DNA Database does not hold address details.

What assessment she has made of trends in the levels of recruitment and retention in Lincolnshire Police in the past 10 years.

Forces are expected to manage their recruitment and retention activities to ensure that they meet officer headcount targets linked to funding arrangements set out in the Police Funding Settlement.The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of joiners and leavers in England and Wales, on an annual basis, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesInformation on the number of joiners to the police service, by police force area and worker type, between the years ending 31 March 2007 and 31 March 2025 can be found in the Joiners Open Data table here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a363b312ee8a5f0806b7b/open-data-table-police-workforce-joiners-230725.odsInformation on the number of leavers from the police service, by police force area and worker type, between the years ending 31 March 2007 and 31 March 2025 can be found in the Leavers Open Data table here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a364d312ee8a5f0806b7c/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-230725.odsInformation on the length of service of police officer leavers, by police force area, between the years ending 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025 can be found in the Length of Service Open Data table here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a36caa5561a5a7e726b7d/open-data-table-police-workforce-length-of-service-230725.ods

How many people have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for cheating on Secure English language tests in each of the last five years.

The cost of providing the information requested would result in disproportionate cost.