Written questions by Cocking.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54430 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, how many people arriving in small boats have been found to have (a) convictions, (b) pending prosecutions and (c) wanted or missing reports since 4 July 2024.

The Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks on all small boat arrivals. In line with the Refugee Convention, we will deny the benefits of protection status to those who commit particularly serious crimes and are a danger to the community or those who are a threat to national security. Anyone convicted of a particularly serious crime resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, and are considered a danger to the UK, will be denied asylum and will be considered for removal from the UK. Those refused protection status who cannot be removed will be subject to regular review until they can be removed at the earliest opportunity.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54430 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, how many and what proportion of people arriving by small boat undergo further checks on criminality.

The Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks on all small boat arrivals. In line with the Refugee Convention, we will deny the benefits of protection status to those who commit particularly serious crimes and are a danger to the community or those who are a threat to national security. Anyone convicted of a particularly serious crime resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, and are considered a danger to the UK, will be denied asylum and will be considered for removal from the UK. Those refused protection status who cannot be removed will be subject to regular review until they can be removed at the earliest opportunity.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of barring illegal migrants from being eligible to apply for an HC2 certificate.

The Department has no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of barring illegal migrants from being eligible to apply for an HC2 certificate.An HC2 certificate is for full help with health costs and is received via the NHS Low Income Scheme, which anyone, regardless of their immigration status, can apply for if they do not have savings or investments over a certain limit.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the mental health support available to people in the Broxbourne constituency.

Local integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that mental health services are safe, effective, sustainable, and meet the needs of the population.Long waits are being driven by increasing demand in a system in desperate need of change. We are already responding by delivering new, innovative models of care in the community. We are piloting six neighbourhood, 24/7 adult mental health centres to bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.NHS England uses the Oversight Framework to assess the quality and safety of all mental health inpatient services in England, including services in Broxbourne. Risks and issues are escalated nationally using the quality risk and escalation framework.In addition, the Care Quality Commission carries out monitoring and assessments of providers in England to ensure they are providing safe and quality care to people using their services. The Care Quality Commission has a duty under the Mental Health Act 1983 to monitor how services exercise their powers and discharge their duties when patients are detained in hospital or are subject to community treatment orders or guardianship.

What discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on introducing regulations under the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024.

The Pedicabs (London) Act 2024 conferred powers onto Transport for London (TfL) to regulate London’s pedicab industry for the first time, giving TfL the tools it needs to tackle the unsafe, anti-social and nuisance behaviours of certain pedicab operators and drivers. TfL is currently analysing responses to a public consultation in order to inform the design and implementation of future pedicab regulations. Department for Transport Ministers and officials have regular conversations with the Mayor of London and TfL on a range of matters including pedicabs.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Mayor of London on the potential impact of (a) unlicensed and (b) unregulated pedicab operators on (i) public safety and (ii) anti-social behaviour in central London.

The Pedicabs (London) Act 2024 conferred powers onto Transport for London (TfL) to regulate London’s pedicab industry for the first time, giving TfL the tools it needs to tackle the unsafe, anti-social and nuisance behaviours of certain pedicab operators and drivers. TfL is currently analysing responses to a public consultation in order to inform the design and implementation of future pedicab regulations. Department for Transport Ministers and officials have regular conversations with the Mayor of London and TfL on a range of matters including pedicabs.

Whether she has had discussions with the Mayor of London on the effectiveness of enforcement measures against fare evasion on Transport for London services.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor, and TfL is responsible for operational decisions to support reduced fare evasion. Department for Transport ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London on a variety of issues including fare evasion on their network. TfL has informed the department of their activity to tackle this important issue which includes an expanded dedicated team of investigators and 500 uniformed TfL officers deployed across the TfL network with 360 offenders found guilty at court in 2024.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of diversity, equality and inclusion policies on recruitment to the armed forces.

The recruitment and retention of talented personnel to the Armed Forces is mission critical. We must draw from the broadest diversity of thought, skills, and background to ensure we continue to meet the threats we face and safeguard the security, stability, and prosperity of our nation. To do this, we are fostering an inclusive environment, enabling everyone, irrespective of background, to deliver our Defence outputs. Without fostering such an environment, we risk undermining our ability to attract people with valuable contributions to make. The Ministry of Defence is committed to fostering an inclusive environment to ensure that all can thrive when called upon in the most challenging warfighting scenarios.

Whether he has considered deploying military assets to assist the Border Force in preventing illegal maritime entry into the UK.

The Home Office is the lead Government Department responsible for border security and migration. It has established the Border Security Command to strengthen global partnerships and enhance the UK’s efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute people smugglers profiting from the dangerous movement of people across the channel. This continues to incorporate the lessons identified by Defence when it had primacy for migration operations in the channel, including the procurement and use of task-specific assets. Defence assets are procured for Defence tasks and are therefore not optimised for the issue the hon. Member raises. These assets play a critical part in preserving UK maritime security through shadowing and monitoring warships transiting the UK Exclusive Economic Zone or territorial waters.

What information his Department holds on the annual cost to the public purse for promoting diversity, equality and inclusion policies within the civil service.

Costs for equality, diversity and inclusion in the Civil Service have recently been published on Gov.uk. See the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review and Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's (a) rewilding and (b) land use policies on the amount of land available for (i) farming and (ii) food production.

The Land Use Consultation published this year was underpinned by analysis of land use change for nature restoration and other objectives. This included analysis of potential spatial distributions of change to 2050, taking account of land’s suitability for food production. This analysis is set out in the Analytical Annex published alongside the consultation. We are currently analysing responses to the consultation and feedback on this analysis and will take them into account in the preparation of the Land Use Framework, the forthcoming food strategy and future UK Food Security Reports.

What her Department's planned timetable is for issuing guidance on gender-questioning children to schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Broxbourne to the answer of 28 February 2025 to Question 31690.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the (a) cultural and (b) religious backgrounds of grooming gang offenders.

Earlier this year, the Home Secretary commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to undertake a national audit into the nature, scale and characteristics of this type of offending, including considering the cultural and societal drivers for this offending. I will ensure the Hon Member receives a copy of Baroness Casey's report when it is published in the coming weeks.

What assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of incarcerating foreign national offenders in the last 12 months.

We do not disaggregate prison running costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on the category of prison. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on GOV.UK alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Report and Accounts. Data on the number of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) in custody is published in Offender Management Statistics quarterly on GOV.UK.This Government is deporting more foreign national offenders than the last Conservative Government. Between 5 July 2024 and 18 May 2025, 4,436 FNOs have been returned which is 14% more than the 3,879 in the same period 12 months prior. We are also investing £5 million to 82 new FNO Specialist roles in prisons to speed up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country.

Whether her Department has received representations on the sentencing of Lucy Connolly.

Sentencing decisions in individual cases are entirely a matter for the independent judiciary, based on the facts of the case before them. It would not be appropriate for Government Ministers to comment on individual cases.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that criminal (a) prosecution and (b) sentencing is applied consistently.

Charging decisions are a matter for the independent Crown Prosecution Service and sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, based on the circumstances of individual cases.Equality before the law is a fundamental principle of our justice system. This Government will protect and defend this.

What steps she is taking to help end the use of (a) vape shops, (b) barbers and (c) other high street businesses by organised crime groups.

There are a range of powers available to deal with criminal use and exploitation of high street properties. Authorities can use closure powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to close quickly premises which are being used, or are likely to be used, to commit nuisance or disorder. Courts may in turn grant a Closure Order where a person has engaged in criminal behaviour on the premises. This power is designed specifically to protect victims and communities by enabling swift action where premises are creating harm.Law enforcement agencies are taking robust action to deal with criminal use of high street properties wherever they see it. For example, in March the National Economic Crime Centre, part of the National Crime Agency, coordinated Operation Machinize, a three-week crackdown against cash-intensive businesses linked to serious and organised crime across England and Wales.

If she will make it her policy to (a) bring forward legislative proposals and (b) strengthen enforcement on fast food delivery companies to ensure they are not employing illegal immigrants.

Yes.Through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, the Government is introducing tough new laws to clamp down on illegal working, including in the food delivery sector. This means that for the very first time, employment checks will be extended to cover businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like food delivery.The Government is also already working closely with all major food delivery platforms to ensure they understand their responsibilities in terms of preventing illegal working. As a result, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat are now undertaking employment checks on all of their workers, including registered substitutes.

How many and what proportion of deportation orders issued to foreign criminals in the last five years have been enforced.

This Government pledged to deliver the highest rate of removals since 2018 and this has been surpassed, with a surge in returns activity since the election leading to almost 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK being removed.Of the total returns since 5 July 2024, 4,436 were of FNOs. This is an increase of 14% compared to the 3,879 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior (FNO returns include both enforced and voluntary returns).Work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.

How many illegal immigrants have been granted asylum after being convicted of a criminal offence in the UK in the last 12 months.

This information is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual trawl of case records to retrieve.