Written questions by Lowe.

How many non-UK nationals are in receipt of (a) Universal Credit, (b) legacy working-age benefits and (c) child-related benefits by nationality.

The Department publishes Universal Credit (UC) immigration status and nationality statistics as part of the Universal Credit statistics publication. These statistics can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-9-october-2025. The number of people on Universal Credit who are non – Common Travel Area nationals, for each month from April 2022 to October 2025, is in Table 1 of the following data tables: Universal Credit immigration status and nationality statistics to October 2025. The information requested for parts (b) and (c) are not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

What mechanisms are in place to ensure that individuals whose immigration status no longer entitles them to public funds are automatically removed from benefit systems; and how many such removals have taken place in each of the last five years.

Universal Credit systems carry out daily automatic checks against Home Office data to identify any changes in immigration status, and subsequently, DWP caseworkers stop claims where the individual no longer has an immigration status that permits recourse to public funds. However, the department does not hold data on the number of benefit claims disallowed after a review.

Whether he has made an estimate of savings from halving levels of benefit fraud and error by 2030.

Since Autumn Budget 2024, including the new announcements at Autumn Budget 2025, the Government have committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in Great Britain. Estimates of the levels of fraud and error in the benefit system for the financial year 2024-25 can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK and cost of fraud and error in the benefit system for the past five financial years can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK

What proportion of benefit expenditure was lost to (a) claimant fraud, (b) official error and (c) customer error in each of the last five years.

Since Autumn Budget 2024, including the new announcements at Autumn Budget 2025, the Government have committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in Great Britain. Estimates of the levels of fraud and error in the benefit system for the financial year 2024-25 can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK and cost of fraud and error in the benefit system for the past five financial years can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK

How much benefit expenditure was lost to fraud and error in the most recent year for which figures are available by benefit type.

Since Autumn Budget 2024, including the new announcements at Autumn Budget 2025, the Government have committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in Great Britain. Estimates of the levels of fraud and error in the benefit system for the financial year 2024-25 can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK and cost of fraud and error in the benefit system for the past five financial years can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK

How many staff in his Department were employed in tackling benefit fraud in (a) 2025 and (b) 2020.

Since Autumn Budget 24, including the new announcements at Autumn Budget 25, the Government have committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in GB. The Government is committed to ensuring that public funds are spent appropriately and deliver value for taxpayers. Fraud against the welfare system undermines public services and takes resources away from those who need them most. Within the Department for Work and Pensions, tackling fraud and error is a shared responsibility across all roles, from Work Coaches in Jobcentres to colleagues in Service Centres. Because this work is embedded throughout the organisation, it is not possible to provide a precise breakdown of staff numbers or costs dedicated solely to preventing and detecting fraud

Whether she has considered restricting access to non-contributory benefits for non-UK nationals until they have completed a minimum qualifying period of lawful residence and tax contribution.

On 20 November my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary launched a consultation on proposals for a fairer pathway to settlement, the point at which foreign nationals generally gain access to public funds. These plans include doubling the standard qualifying period for settlement from 5 to 10 years, with the opportunity to reduce this period based on their contributions to the UK economy and society and longer periods for those who contribute less. The consultation also covers proposals that benefits might not be available to those who have settled status, reserving them, instead, for those who have earned British citizenship. You can find more details in here: “Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy (accessible)”, and in “Open consultation: Earned settlement”. In conjunction with these reforms, my Department will consult in due course on a change to taxpayer-funded benefits to prioritise access for those who are making an economic contribution to the UK.

How many people with (a) asylum seeker status, (b) refused asylum seeker status and (c) no lawful immigration status are in receipt of benefit support; and what the annual cost of that support is.

People without valid UK immigration status are prohibited from accessing public funds benefits, including asylum seekers and those refused asylum in the UK. People with a pending asylum application may be able to claim asylum support provided by the Home Office, which is separate to the mainstream welfare system.

How many benefit claims were terminated in the last 12 months as a result of fraud investigations; and what the estimated value of those claims was.

Since Autumn Budget 2024, including the new announcements at Autumn Budget 2025, the Government have committed to gross savings of £14.6bn up to the end of 2030/31 from fraud, error and debt activity in the welfare state in Great Britain. Information on the outcomes of our fraud investigations was published this year and can be found using the below link (pg 114-115): DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 25

How much Universal Credit was paid to (a) foreign nationals and (b) households with refugee status in October 2025.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

What information her Department holds on the value of outstanding Dartford Crossing fines for foreign HGV drivers.

The Department does not release this information on the grounds that it could prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs by undermining the collection of Dart Charge.

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 91631 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, if she will make it the Department’s policy to collect data on (i) the number and proportion of collisions involving uninsured drivers that were caused by non-UK citizens and (ii) the number of uninsured drivers that are non-UK citizens.

The department currently has no plans to collect this data. As outlined in my response on data held about uninsured drivers, the Road Traffic Act 1988 requires all drivers to have third party insurance cover and measures are in place to deter uninsured driving.

Pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025 to question 81592 Medical Treatments: Gaza, for the total number of accompanying adults that have entered the UK under the Gaza Injured Children Scheme.

The information requested is not available from published statistics. 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 telephone operators work on the HMRC self-assessment line by the nationality of those operators.

HMRC does not have information readily available identifying the nationality of staff working on specific telephone enquiry lines. Obtaining this information would require a manual process which would exceed the cost threshold for answering parliamentary questions.

How many telephone operators work on the HMRC employers general enquiries line by the nationality of those operators.

HMRC does not have information readily available identifying the nationality of staff working on specific telephone enquiry lines. Obtaining this information would require a manual process which would exceed the cost threshold for answering parliamentary questions.

How many telephone operators work on the Universal Credit helpline by the nationality of those operators.

We do not centrally hold the nationality of Universal Credit call handlers and to provide the information would incur disproportionate cost.

What data the Police National Computer holds on the number of offences committed in the last 12 months, by where the offender was born.

The Police National Computer (PNC) is a system that provides real-time access to criminal records of offenders, vehicle data, and other information relevant to policing. The PNC retains records by individual suspects and offenders rather than by offences.The PNC holds some information on the place of birth and in some circumstances the nationality of the individuals, but that data is not held for all convictions. It does not retain information in a format that would provide an answer on the number of offences committed in the last 12 months, by where the offender was born. In any case, the PNC is not designed to provide such bespoke reports and would need development to obtain such information.The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Home Office hold regular discussions about the appropriate use of this information for purposes beyond policing.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of sharing information between Border Force and Kent Police on HGV drivers that repeatedly break the speed limit.

The allocation of resources and deployment of officers in Kent is an operational matter for Kent Police’s Chief Constables to determine in line with local policing plans and in conjunction with their Police and Crime Commissioners.Excess speed is a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads and anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face proper sanction.Any form of dangerous or inconsiderate driving behaviour is a serious road safety issue. We expect all drivers to observe the speed limit.

Pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025 to question 81592 on Medical Treatments: Gaza, what the estimated total cost of the programme will be to the public purse.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2025 to Question 81587.

How many civil servants within the Government Communications Service are engaged in identifying, categorising, or responding to social media content critical of government migration policy.

The Cabinet Office's GCS team has three staff members responsible for media and social media analysis. While their analysis is not specifically focused on migration, the topic may arise as part of wider thematic reporting. We cannot provide information on GCS staffing levels or responsibilities within other government departments.