Every parliamentary written question tabled by Lee Anderson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 121–140 of 164 · Home Office
What steps she is taking to ensure the safety of staff at the Israeli embassy in London.
We take all appropriate steps to ensure the safety of diplomatic staff, however we do not comment on operational and security matters concerning individual locations and personnel.
What steps she is taking to help ensure that Jewish people in the UK are not (a) physically and (b) verbally attacked.
There is no excuse for violence or abuse driven by antisemitic hatred and discrimination, and we support the police in taking the strongest possible action against those crimes.In her speech to the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust on 26 March, the Home Secretary made clear the Government’s commitment to protect Jewish communities against antisemitic attacks and other security threats - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-speech-at-the-community-security-trustThe Jewish Community Protective Security (JCPS) Grant provides protective security measures (such as security personnel services, CCTV and alarm systems) at synagogues, Jewish educational establishments and community sites. It is managed on behalf of the Home Office by the Community Security Trust.From 2024/25 to 2027/28, the Community Security Trust has been allocated £18 million annually through the JCPS Grant to continue this important work. We continue to work closely with the CST to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities across the UK.
What assessment has she made of the potential impact of money laundering by Turkish barber shops on (a) the community and (b) the wider economy.
Money laundering not only enables serious and organised crime and national security threats but impacts our communities by drawing people into crime, gangs, and exploitation. It also undermines the integrity of our financial system and impacts on economic prosperity and growth. Driving it down is an important part of this Government’s key missions to deliver safer streets and economic growth.We know that cash intensive businesses such as barber shops can be exploited by criminals who seek to launder their cash enabling them to profit from their illegal activities. Addressing cash-based money laundering is therefore one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), which sits within the National Crime Agency. In March, the NECC coordinated a three-week crackdown against barbershops and other cash intensive business across England and Wales involving 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as national agencies including HMRC, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation, with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1m, executing 84 warrants and arresting 35 individuals. Officers also seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, over 8,000 illegal vapes and two vehicles.This is the first phase of targeted action against criminals and organised crime groups who use high-street businesses to launder criminal monies, and the NECC is committed to continue working with Policing and partners to reduce this threat.
What steps she is taking to help tackle (a) low level and (b) county lines drug dealing.
To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle all drug supply, including gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. That is why we are investing £42m this financial year (25/26) in the County Lines Programme, to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade.From July 2024 to March 2025, law enforcement activity through the County Lines Programme taskforces has resulted in more than 1,200 deal lines closed, 2,000 arrests (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 800 deal line holders) and 2,100 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people. Over 320 children and young people also received dedicated specialist support through the County Lines Programme support service in that time.As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we have introduced a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. We are also introducing a new criminal offence of ‘coerced internal concealment’ as an amendment to the Bill, which will crack down on the dangerous practice of anyone, including gang leaders, who force people to hide items inside their bodies to avoid detection often as part of horrendous and exploitative drugs trade.
Whether she is taking steps to give the police increased powers to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies to tackle ASB, including introducing new Respect Orders to tackle the most persistent ASB offenders.Unlike the existing Civil Injunction, which the Respect Order partially replaces, breach will be a criminal offence, enforceable by arrest and tried in the criminal court. Penalty for breach will include community sentences, unlimited fines, and prison time for the most serious breaches.We are also introducing, through the Crime and Policing Bill, the following measures:Removing the requirement for a police officer to issue a warning before seizing a motor-vehicle being used to cause ASB.Extending the maximum exclusion period for dispersal directions from 48 hours to 72 hours, with a mandatory review at 48 hours.Increasing the upper limit for a fixed penalty notice for breaches of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) or a Community Protection Notice (CPN) from £100 to £500.Extending the timeframe that relevant agencies can apply to a magistrates’ court for a closure order from 48 hours after service of a closure notice to 72 hours.Extending the power to issue closure notices to registered social housing providers.Extending the powers available under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) to allow CSAS officers to issue fixed penalty notices for breach of CPNs and PSPOs.Creating a duty for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to promote awareness of the ASB Case Review in their police force area and provide a route for victims to query decisions via their office.Introducing new ASB data reporting requirements by creating a power for the Home Secretary to make regulations requiring local bodies, such as councils and social housing providers, to report specified ASB data to the Home Office.
What steps is she taking to help tackle illegal immigration from Iran.
We continue to work closely with our partners across the Middle East to enhance capabilities concerning irregular migration and border security across the region, to further disrupt serious organised crime, including organised immigration crime and illicit drug flows.
If she will increase the number of police officers in neighbourhood teams in Nottinghamshire.
The Government has committed to restoring neighbourhood policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This includes putting thousands more police personnel on the beat in neighbourhood policing roles up and down the country. As a part of this pledge, Nottinghamshire Police have been allocated £3,570,488 funding in 2025/26 to bolster their neighbourhood policing teams.Based on their funding allocation, Nottinghamshire Police’s projected growth over 2025/26 will be 30 police officers (FTE), 20 Police Community Support Officers (FTE), and 20 Special Constables (headcount).
What steps she is taking to retain police officers in Nottinghamshire.
The retention of police officers is a priority for the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs Council. Voluntary resignation rates in England and Wales, at 3.4%, are low compared to other sectors. Experienced officers are incredibly valuable which is why forces should be using evidence-based strategies to manage the retention and progression of officers. Retention activity is supported by the College of Policing which provides a learning platform to all forces that contains insights and guidance, themed around attraction, recruitment, onboarding and retention.In 2025-26, overall funding for policing will total up to £19.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 police settlement. Nottinghamshire Police will receive up to £301.6 million in funding in 2025-26, an increase of up to £18.0 million when compared to the 2024-25 police settlement equating to a 6.4% cash increase.Of this, as part of the Officer Maintenance Ringfenced Grant, £376.8 million will be available to forces to maintain officer numbers at expected levels. Nottinghamshire Police has been allocated up to £6.2 million for maintaining a headcount of 2,408 officers.As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million will be available to forces in 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment in delivering 13,000 additional personnel into neighbourhood policing teams by the end of this parliament. Nottinghamshire Police has been allocated £3.6 million for an increase of 30 police officers, 20 PCSOs and 20 Special Constables.
What information her Department holds on the number of retail workers who have experienced violent crime at work in each of the last five years.
The Home Office publishes data on the number of incidents of violent crime recorded by the police in England and Wales. The latest data can be found here:Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UKThe data includes incidents of robbery of business property, which includes robbery of retail premises as well as other business premises. Other types of violent crime against retail workers will fall under other categories of violent crime, such as assault with injury. It is not currently possible to identify which of these incidents were committed against retail workers during the course of their work.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.The offence will be allocated a specific Home Office Crime Recording Rule, which will help provide a more complete picture of the problem, in turn informing future policy decisions and enabling the police to respond accordingly.The Home Office has also published estimates from the Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) on the proportion of retail premises which experienced at least one incident of violent crime. This data can be found here:Crime against businesses statistics - GOV.UK
How many seizures of (a) cigarettes, (b) hand rolling tobacco and (c) other tobacco products have been made by Border Force at (i) seaports, (ii) airports and (iii) postal services, in each of the last five years.
The below statistics from Border Force’s transparency data outline the number of cigarettes and weight of tobacco seized in each of the last five years, but are not broken down by the location where they were seized.2020 – 509,032,596 Cigarette sticks, 110,774.2kg Tobacco2021 – 961,939,889 Cigarette sticks, 136,835.9kg Tobacco2022 – 827,211,419 Cigarette sticks, 93,717.57kg Tobacco2023 – 823,818,908 Cigarette sticks, 67,730.03kg Tobacco2024 – 934,104,940 Cigarette sticks, 72,143.33kg Tobacco
What diversity, equality and inclusion targets her Department has for staff recruitment.
I refer the Hon Member to my response to his previous PQ 40631.
Whether she plans to use Eastwood Hall Hotel to accommodate irregular migrants.
As a matter of longstanding policy, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.However, if a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of any such plans.It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our plans to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation.
What diversity, equality and inclusion targets her Department has for staff recruitment.
In 2018, the Home Office agreed a series of targets for the representatives of its workforce, which it intended to achieve by 2024. More information on these targets can be found here: Home Office workforce diversity statistics: 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK
What the total cost was of providing translation services in her Department in the last year.
The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
What steps her Department is taking to help end crossings by small boat across the English Channel.
I refer the Honourable Member to the statement made by the Home Secretary on 10 February 2025, when moving the Border, Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill for its second reading.
What assessment she made of the potential merits of holding a public inquiry into the murder of Sir David Amess.
The Home Office is committed to learning all the lessons from the appalling attack on Sir David Amess. We have therefore published both the Prevent Learning Review on the case in the interests of maximum transparency, and tasked Lord Anderson, the interim Prevent Commissioner, with conducting a rapid review of the case.Lord Anderson will identify whether changes are required arising from the specific handling of that case; examine improvements made to the Prevent programme since the attack and determine whether they have sufficiently strengthened the system; and identify any remaining gaps or shortcomings in the wider programme that require further improvement. This review will be published and swift action will be taken to implement the findings.The Government does not believe that a public inquiry would unearth any information that has not already been considered by the Courts, by the Prevent Learning Review, and by the ongoing Anderson review. However, the Home Secretary has confirmed that we will scrutinise all the previous reviews that have taken place to see if there are any questions that still need to be answered or issues that still need to be addressed, and we will act as necessary if any such gaps are identified as a result of that process.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to move the Chinese Embassy to the former Royal Mint building on security.
As set out in a joint letter by the Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary to the Planning Inspector on 14 January, the Home Office has considered the breadth of national security issues in relation to the planning application.It would not be appropriate to comment in further detail on specific matters relating to national security.
Whether Palestinians granted permission to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme will be eligible for indefinite leave to remain.
No Palestinians have been granted permission to stay in the UK under the Ukrainian Family Scheme. The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.
Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of people that may be eligible to settle in the UK whose cases are being assessed by UK courts.
It is not possible to make any such estimate as we cannot predict the outcome of a legal case.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. 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
With reference to the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber ruling UI-2024-005295 & Ors, whether the appellants will be (a) granted indefinite leave to remain and (b) eligible for citizenship.
No Palestinians have been granted permission to stay in the UK under the Ukrainian Family Scheme. The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.