Written questions by Lowe.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13342 on Shoplifting Prosecutions, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) number of people who avoided charges and (b) value of goods lost because of the effective immunity on shoplifted goods under £200 in value in the last three years.

It is not possible to estimate the number of people who have avoided criminal sanctions, or the value of items stolen, as a result of the effective immunity on shoplifted goods under £200 introduced by the last Government.However, this Government will send a clear message that all those who take part in this criminality should face the full force of the law and we are determined to remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment. That’s why we will end the effective immunity granted to shop theft of goods under £200.This Government will also introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, because everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.

If she will (a) introduce more thorough age assessments for irregular migrants and (b) reassess the age of all 16-17 year old irregular migrants in the UK.

I refer the Honourable member to the answer I gave on 22nd October to question UIN 9190.

How many irregular migrants were arrested in Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last five years.

This data is not held centrally, and could only be at disproportionate cost.

What information her Department holds on the number of irregular migrants in (a) contingency and (b) dispersal accommodation broken down into (i) single and (ii) multiple occupancy rooms, in the latest period for which data is available.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, by local authority and accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab). The Home Office does not publish data disaggregated by room type.

How many people whose application for asylum was initially refused were subsequently granted asylum in the last 15 years.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial and latest outcomes of asylum claims is published annually in table Asy_D04 of the ‘Outcome analysis of asylum applications detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to claims made up to the end of 2023 with the latest case outcomes recorded as at July 2024. Please note that many claims, particularly from more recent years, will still be awaiting an initial decision or the outcome of an appeal or review and their latest case outcome will be subject to change.

With what companies for what services at what cost to the public purse her Department has contracts relating to (a) dispersal and (b) contingency accommodation for asylum seekers.

Information about contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) agreed by the Government and its agencies is available at: Contracts Finder - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What contractors provide what services related to irregular migration at what cost to the public purse.

Information about contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) agreed by the Government and its agencies is available at: Contracts Finder - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If she will take steps to ensure that asylum seekers do not fraudulently use sexual orientation as part of the basis of their claim.

If any individual Is found not to require the protection for which they have claimed asylum, then their claim will be refused.

Whether officials from her Department are responsible for collecting irregular migrants attending school at the end of each day.

No.

How much was spent on food for irregular migrants housed in hotels in each year since 2018.

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support and accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. It does not collect or publish a breakdown of the resulting costs by type.The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts: Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

With reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Border Security and Asylum to the Urgent Question on Asylum Seekers: Hotel Accommodation of 20 November 2024, Official Report, column 277, in which constituencies the 220 hotels are; and what the star rating is of each hotel.

For the safety and security of residents and staff at its accommodation sites, the Home Office does not publish detail of each site in use. However, data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, by local authority and accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for the most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If she will encourage local authorities with (a) hotels and (b) other accommodation housing irregular migrants to impose (i) Public Space Protection Orders and (ii) Community Protection Notices around (A) hotels, (B) schools and (C) other public spaces.

It is for each relevant agency to decide how best to effectively implement PSPOs and CPNs in their local areas depending on the specific circumstances they are dealing with. The Home Office has published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of those powers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14367 on Non-Crime Hate Incidents, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on non-crime hate incidents.

The Government is carefully considering next steps relating to the recording of non-crime hate incidents.

What steps the Government is taking to use (a) section 24(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 and (b) section 2 of the Asylum & Immigration Act 2004 to stop people entering the country via small boats.

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 amended Section 24(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971, to introduce tougher criminal offences for those attempting to enter the United Kingdom (UK) illegally or found to be facilitating illegal immigration.Since the Act came into force on 28 June 2022, Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams have pursued a number of suspects for offences brought in under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.For example, in the current calendar year to 18 November 2024, 53 individuals identified as small boat pilots have been convicted under the Act.

How many hotels have been used to house irregular migrants since 2018.

The Home Office does not publish data on the number of hotels in use. However, we can confirm that hotel use peaked at more than 400 under the previous government.

Whether there is an official process to inform local residents when a hotel is used to house irregular migrants.

For the safety, security and wellbeing of those indiviuals staying in Home Office accommodation and the staff who work there, we do not disclose information about specific hotels which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office to the general public.However, to ensure that views of key external stakeholders are sought and partners are engaged, the Home Office works with Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships to engage directly with local authorities and other statutory partners when there are plans to open a hotel in their local area.

What the cost of providing security services to hotels used for housing irregular migrants was in each year since 2018.

Security for asylum accommodation is part of the service requirements that are provided by the Home Office accommodation providers under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC). The HO does not publish a breakdown of costs by individual elements of the AASC service - and could only do so at disproportionate cost

Whether her Department has commissioned public opinion polling on irregular migration in the last five years.

Contracts are in place for polling on a range of Home Office policy areas, including irregular migration.

Pursuant to Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 13879 on Sexual Offences: Languages, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing registered sex offender nationality data stored on the ViSOR database.

ViSOR is the information-sharing system that the police, probation and prison services use to manage the risks posed by violent and sexual offenders managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). The categorisation of those offenders on the system is based on the level of risk they are assessed to represent, not their nationality.

What steps she is taking to tackle illegal migration.

Mr Speaker, this Government came to office with a pledge to crack down on the organised crime gangs responsible for the vile trade in people-smuggling across the Channel, working with our counterparts in Europe and beyond, and I am pleased to report that those efforts have produced significant successes in recent weeks.Working with agencies across government and with international partners, our new Border Security Command will continue to lead the UK’s efforts to dismantle the smuggling gangs, and disrupt their supply chains, and I look forward to further successes resulting from that work in the weeks and months to come.