Written questions by Hayes.

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.

What steps her Department is taking to support police forces in tackling shoplifting in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. We will not stand for this.We are ensuring the right powers are in place. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.Additionally, we are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.Tackling retail crime requires a partnership approach between policing representatives and business. The previous Minister for Crime and Policing launched the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’, which was jointly developed by the police and industry and aims to provide a collaborative and evidence-based approach to preventing retail crime.

What the cost to the public purse was of the use of taxis by asylum seekers in each of the last five years.

Transport services for asylum seekers are provided through our Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts. We pay a fixed rate for transportation services which is set out in the contracts. Our suppliers must deliver transportation requirements in line with contractual standards and the fixed rate – with the type of transportation determined by our suppliers within this framework. Information on spend by specific transportation types is therefore not readily available.

How many asylum caseworkers have (1) left and (2) joined her Department since July 2024.

The number of full time equivalent (FTE) asylum caseworkers employed at the Home Office per month until September 2025 is published in the ASY_05(M) tab of the published migration transparency statistics, located here: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (Immigration and Protection data; July to September 2025)At the end of July 2024, there were 2,455 FTE asylum caseworkers.The latest published data shows that at the end of September 2025, there were 2,113 FTE asylum caseworkers. Attrition will have occurred since that time.

How many people have been (a) arrested and (b) convicted in relation to the sale of illegal vape products in each of the last five years.

The data requested is not held by the Home Office.The Home Office collect and publishes data on arrests as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical series, available here: Stop and search, arrests, and mental health detentions, March 2025 - GOV.UKHowever, data is collected by broader offence group and for notifiable offences only, therefore data on arrests for the sale of illegal vapes is not available.Convictions is a matter for the Ministry of Justice.

How many and what proportion of stop and searches resulted in the seizure of (a) Class A drugs and (b) Class B drugs in each of the last three years.

The data requested is not held centrally.The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of stop and searches for drugs. The latest data is available here: Stop and search, arrests, and mental health detentions, March 2025 - GOV.UKHowever, data on the class of drug searched for is not collected, nor is information on the type of drugs seized following a stop and search.

What steps she is taking to support local enforcement action against antisocial vehicle use in Lincolnshire.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.Our Crime and Policing Bill will give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles in anti-social behaviour with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.The Government has consulted on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially quicker. The consultation closed on 8 July and we will publish the outcome in due course.Combined, our measures will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially in Lincolnshire by sending a clear message to would be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated

Which countries she is discussing hosting return hubs for failed asylum seekers with.

To support the UK Government’s commitment to controlled immigration, the Home Office is exploring the use of return hubs for failed asylum seekers with a number of countries.We are not in a position to share further details that could prejudice discussions at this stage. However, the Government has been clear we will continue to work with international partners to tackle the global migration crisis.

How much the National Crime Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The National Crime Agency has spent around the following amounts on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five financial years:2020/21 – £0.9m2021/22 – £0.9m2022/23 – £1.2m2023/24 – £1.4m2024/25 – £1.3mThese figures include both translation and interpretation costs.

If she will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in her Department since 2017.

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Staff networks are collaborative volunteer networks, organised by individual staff themselves, rather than the department. The majority of staff time spent on network activities is voluntary and unpaid.

How many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities her Department provides in its premises on Whitehall.

The Home Office’s main Whitehall building, 2 Marsham Street, has 81 single sex cubicles (39 Male & 42 Female cubicles) and 0 urinals.There are 17 wheelchair accessible/non-gendered universal toilets (individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities).Note, figures above are for the toilets in HO demise only.

Whether she plans to house asylum seekers in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The priority is to ensure that the procurement of secure, safe and sustainable dispersed accommodation is carried out in a fair and equitable manner so that the Home Office continues to meet its statutory obligations while also carefully considering the impact on local areas.The Home Office operates a Full Dispersal model which works to ensure that asylum accommodation is equitably and fairly spread out across the country. Dispersed accommodation offers accommodation that delivers better value for money for the taxpayer and helps the Home Office work towards the fair and equitable spread of accommodation. The Home Office continues to work with local government to allocate asylum seekers based on a range of evidence, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion.

What quantity of illegal meat was seized at ports in England in each of the last five years.

Since 1st April 2020 the following number of illegal meat imports were seized by Border Force across England:YearTotal Seizures Amount Seized in KG1st April 2020 - 31st March 20211,23214,5291st April 2021 - 31st March 20221,51119,8321st April 2022 - 31st March 20231,46234,5901st April 2023 - 31st March 20241,82370,9781st April 2024 - 31st July 202463240,164 More recent data is not held in an accessible format and cannot be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.

How many of the migrants removed to France under the UK-France treaty were given payments ahead of their removal.

No migrants were given payments to return to France under the Treaty.

If she will publish the list of (a) nationalities and (b) age group range of the 42 illegal migrants removed to France under the UK-France treaty.

A full evaluation of the pilot will be completed after its conclusion in June 2026. We will not provide regular updates on ongoing operations, as this involves sensitive information that could prove valuable to the organised immigration crime gangs that are behind small boats crossings.

If she will publish the (a) nationalities and (b) age group range of the illegal migrants arrested following raids carried out by Immigration Enforcement between October 2024 and September 2025.

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 the quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics while developing new statistics for future release.We do not routinely publish the information you have requested, and we are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many of the illegal migrants who were not deported after their arrest following raids carried out by Immigration Enforcement between October 2024 to September 2025 were moved to immigration removal centres.

We do not routinely publish the information you have requested, and we are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many people attempting to illegally enter the UK by stowing away in (a) lorries and (b) other road vehicles have been apprehended in each of the past ten years.

Irregular migration data, which includes figures for clandestine detections at UK ports, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#irregular-migration.The Home Office does not disclose statistics regarding the specific vehicle involved in these detections.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of operating the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme.

In August a £100m funding boost was announced for this financial year to bring forward a number of projects to secure our borders. This includes our landmark pilot with France which the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme is part of. More on this £100 million comprehensive funding package can be found at the following link: Investment for Border Security Command to tackle people smuggling gangs - GOV.UK There are commercially sensitive arrangements as part of the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme which we do not comment on. To do otherwise could harm our ability to get the best value for money for the British taxpayer.

How many extradition cases have involved requests for European Arrests Warrants issued under part 1 from European countries for requested persons who were not citizens of the requesting state have been heard in courts in England and Wales in the past five years.

The Home Office does not hold this information requested.The National Crime Agency is the competent authority for all extradition requests between the UK and EU Member States and, as such, is the holder of all verified data concerning UK-EU extradition cooperation.