Written questions by Holden.

What the threshold is for police to make a proactive disclosure under the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme in the absence of a named child at immediate risk; and if she will review that threshold in the context of voluntary youth organisations.

The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme was introduced in 2011 and allows members of the public to make an application to police for information about a person who has contact with a child. The police guidance for the Scheme was updated in April 2023, which both modernised the Scheme and also formalised the process by which the police can make proactive disclosures when they are in receipt of information about a risk to a child or children without the need for an application by a member of the public.The police have the common law power to disclose information about an individual where it is necessary to do so to protect another individual from harm. The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, including its proactive disclosure route, does not replace statutory safeguarding processes in place – such as the Disclosure and Barring Service, Subject Access requests, or Freedom of Information requests – and relevant referrals will still need to be made as required.That being said, through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are working to place the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme on a statutory footing. This will ensure that police officers follow published guidance as they consider the disclosure of information when they suspect someone might pose a risk of sexual harm.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Data (Use and Access) Bill [Lords] on legal professional privilege, in the context of Information Commissioner powers to review documents covered by legal professional privilege.

An assessment of the impact of all of the measures contained in the Bill, including legal professional privilege, was published [on the 24th October] Parliament website at: https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/56548/documents/5221 [prior to Second Reading in the Lords].The Government has no plans to carry out any further assessments of the impact of LPP, (on the Information Commissioner or any other body).

When she expects the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse to be published.

Baroness Louise Casey is currently completing her audit into the nature, scale and characteristics of grooming gangs offending.I updated the House on 2 June that Baroness Casey has requested a short extension to her work from the Home Secretary to allow her to speak directly to victims, fully access the scale of the issue, and submit meaningful evidence-based recommendations to further tackle this abhorrent criminality.We expect to receive the report very shortly. We will then set out a comprehensive response, as well as next steps on the action we have already announced.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the continued operation of UK-registered charities with links to hostile foreign regimes on national security.

The Government's first duty is to protect our national security and keep our country safe. In concert with partners, we will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from state threats. We do not routinely comment on the detail of operational matters or specific threats.The Charity Commission for England and Wales has a statutory function to identify and investigate misconduct and mismanagement in charities. We are confident that it has the expertise to do so effectively.

Whether her Department has provided guidance to the police on pro-Palestinian encampments at universities.

The College of Policing is responsible for providing guidance to police.The College’s Public Order Public Safety authorised professional practice covers a wide range of events and operations, including protests and disorder.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) section 21 and (b) other provisions within the Renters' Rights Bill on fixed-term asylum accommodation procured by her Department.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Whether (a) rules and (b) processes for the extradition of dual nationals differ to UK nationals.

The rules and processes under UK Extradition law and practice apply equally irrespective of the nationality of the Requested Person.

With reference to the letter from Lord Sharpe to the Chair of the Animals in Science Committee, published on 1 March 2024, whether the Home Office will issue a policy advice note to (a) discourage and (b) prohibit the use of the Forced Swim Test.

The letter from Lord Sharpe was issued under the previous Government. I can however, issue an update. The Home Office Regulator has reviewed all licences authorising the use of the Forced Swim Test (FST) under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Regulator has subsequently liaised with licence holders where necessary to implement the recommendations of the Animals in Science Committee.The number of project licences that authorises the FST in Great Britain has decreased from nine on the 1 March 2024, to a current total of only four licences. All of these licences are due to expire by 2028.The Home Office Regulator will, through audit and regulatory processes, assure that relevant establishments apply robust scientific justification, ethical oversight and the 3Rs fully and consistently across all applicable licences.This Government has set a manifesto commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing” and will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing later this year. This strategy supports the current scientific direction on reducing use of the FST (www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230021001434).

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of unregulated online pornography on violence against women and girls.

The Government published the final report of the Independent Pornography Review on 27 February 2025 and issued an initial statement in response addressing the important issues it raised. . The findings of the Review continue to be assessed by the Government, including as part of our work to halve Violence Against Women and Girls in a decade, and a further update will be provided in due course.Already, from 17 March 2025 services in scope of the Online Safety Act must take action to tackle illegal pornographic content. By July 2025, all services that allow pornography will also need to have highly effective age-checks in place to protect children from accessing it.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37318 on Animal Experiments: Animal Welfare, how many animals were bred for use in procedures licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 but deemed surplus and disposed of without being used for scientific purposes in the last full calendar year for which data is available.

The most recent statistics in this category were published in 2017, when 1.81 million non-genetically altered (non-GA) animals were bred for scientific procedures but were killed or died without being used in regulated procedures. These statistics can be found here:Additional statistics on breeding and genotyping of animals for scientific procedures, Great Britain, 2017

For what reasons the National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange has been closed.

The functions of National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange will be taken forward within other national security teams, building on the capabilities, practices and networks successfully established since it was formed in 2021.

How many animals were housed in UK (a) laboratories, (b) breeding centres and (c) universities but not used in scientific procedures in 2023; and how many animals were not used in scientific procedures and euthanised in 2023.

The available data in this area was most recently set out in Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, published on 11 September 2024. The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken. The 2023 Annual Statistics show that 2.68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2023; this is a decrease of 3% on last year and the lowest number since 2001.

For what reason international students from countries with Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results above the UK’s own in English are required to take additional English tests when they apply to UK universities.

The Government has no plans to weaken the UK’s immigration controls on English language requirements in the way suggested by the Honourable Member for Basildon and Billericay.To ensure that all those coming to the UK to study under the Student route are genuine students who can follow a course of study, the Home Office sets minimum requirements for English language competency as specified in the Immigration Rules.Sponsors who are Higher Education Providers (HEP) with a track record of compliance offering courses at degree level or above can also choose to set higher requirements and use their own methods to assess the students’ English language ability.It is important that the English language requirements set out in our Immigration Rules continue to be applied to each individual based on their personal aptitude, rather than handing blanket approval to all students based on the PISA results of their country of origin.

If she will take legislative steps to authorise the police to inform youth clubs when people (a) attending and (b) running them have received a police caution for sexual offences.

Ensuring the system for managing sex offenders and those who pose a risk is as robust as possible is a crucial part of preventing sexual violence and delivering our mission to halve violence against women and girls. The disclosure and barring regime protects children and vulnerable adults through the disclosure of relevant criminal records to help employers make informed recruitment decisions. Where an individual is seeking to work in a role that involve special risks and sensitivities, such as working closely with children, an employer may request they obtain an enhanced criminal record certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service. These certificates include details of spent and unspent cautions and convictions recorded on the Police National Computer, subject to filtering rules. Except in some sectors like health and education, the use of DBS checks is at the employer’s discretion. In addition, police can share information about individuals who may pose a risk where disclosure is required to protect the public, including children or vulnerable adults. This can be done either proactively or on request.

What steps her Department is taking through (a) Young Futures Hubs and (b) Young Futures Prevention Partnerships to help tackle violence against women and girls.

The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening altogether.This focus on prevention also sits at the heart of the Young Futures Programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships.Young Futures Prevention Partnerships will bring local partners together to ensure children at risk of being drawn into knife crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls are identified earlier and offered support in a more systematic way.Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.Officials across Government are working together, using evidence of what works, to start to shape how the Young Futures Hubs will work in practice.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the potential merits of expanding the provisions of the Online Safety Act 2023 to help tackle violence against women and girls.

Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government, and that's why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG within a decade.The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.We will go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve all forms of violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year. In January 2025, the Government introduced new legislation which will make creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images a criminal offence.The Online Safety Act designates material relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority offence. Platforms must put in place systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Illegal Harms Codes, laid before Parliament in December and coming into force from 17 March this year, sets out the steps companies must take to meet their duties under the Act to tackle this content."I regularly meet with Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to discuss these matters.My officials also engage regularly with DSIT and the Ministry of Justice to identify the most appropriate legislative vehicles to tackle technology-facilitated VAWG.

If she will make an assessment of the potential contribution of youth services to the prevention of violence against women and girls.

The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening all together.The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will set out our strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver this ambition. We are considering a range of policy options across Government to prevent these crimes including education for young people around healthy relationships and consent, community interventions and tackling online VAWG.That includes looking at how we can work most effectively with youth services and through the Young Futures programme to deliver this ambition.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 16332 on Undocumented Migrants, whether she plans to make an estimate of the number of people in the UK illegally.

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact size of the illegal migrant population, and so the Home Office under successive governments has not published any official estimates of the illegal migrant population. In June 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a note on ‘Measuring illegal migration: our current view’.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.

How many (a) national and (b) local inquiries have been carried out into rape grooming gangs.

It is essential that we continue to learn from past failings on group-based Child Sexual Exploitation to improve and strengthen our ongoing response to grooming gangs offending.The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), led by Professor Alexis Jay, was conducted over seven years and engaged with more than 7,000 victims and survivors. None of the 20 recommendations from the final report were implemented by the previous Government. IICSA also conducted a dedicated two-year investigation into abuse by organised networks and published a report in February 2022. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue (HMICFRS) published an inspection into the effectiveness of the police response to group-based Child Sexual Exploitation in December 2023. Local inquiries have also taken place in many local authority areas including Rotherham, Oldham, Rochdale, Bradford and Telford.

If she will make it her policy to remove the gender-neutral toilets in her Department in Marsham Street.

The current number and location of gender neutral toilets in the Home Office’s Marsham office was established under the previous government in October 2017, at a cost of £36,963.20, and has remained unchanged since that time.There are no plans to spend further public money on the reconfiguration of the Home Office’s toilets.