Written questions by Lowe.

Whether there has been any cost to the public purse of the (a) construction and (b) maintenance of (i) fencing, (ii) other physical barriers and (iii) surveillance infrastructure in northern France, including (A) Calais, (B) Grande-Synthe and (C) Dunkirk related to immigration since 1 January 2023.

The Home Office cannot comment on the specifics of French activity, but the Sandhurst agreement and related finances are referred to in this Press release from the beginning of the year - New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs - GOV.UK We continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal gangs.

What guidance her Department provides to ensure proportionality when police use force in (a) cases where lawful occupiers attempt to defend property and (b) other property-related incidents.

The government is clear police use of force must be reasonable, proportionate and necessary in all circumstances.The College of Policing is the body responsible for setting out the guidance and training for the police. Guidance on the use of force is set out in Authorised Professional Practice which can be found here APP (authorised professional practice) | College of Policing. Given the operational nature of use of force, the College of Policing is best placed to set these standards.Before officers can be authorised to use force, they must pass comprehensive training in Public and Personal Safety each year. This training reinforces the importance and legitimacy of use of force at every level.The government publishes annual statistics on police use of force. The latest publication can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-use-of-force-statistics. These statistics have been developed in coordination with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other stakeholders to ensure there is transparency and accountability around the police use of force,The Home Office does not hold any data on the number of police use of force reports that involved individuals recorded as property owners, occupiers or complainants..

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of waiving fines for parents judged to be responsible by the headteacher for taking their children out of school during term for holidays.

​The department has no plans to review our approach to term-time holidays. Schools can grant pupils a leave of absence for exceptional circumstances at their discretion, judging each application on the specific facts. However, generally a holiday would not constitute an exceptional circumstance. The school year is structured in a way that provides plenty of time for holidays outside of term-time. Schools and local authorities also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves, and hold inset days and other occasional days at quieter times of the year, helping families to plan breaks at times that suit them.​Where term-time holidays are taken without permission, it is right that the law protects children’s right to a full-time education. ​The national framework for penalty notices is designed to improve fairness by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country, and on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules.​

If she will consider updating guidance to allow headteachers to use their own discretion to allow parents to take their children out of school for holidays during term time.

​The department has no plans to review our approach to term-time holidays. Schools can grant pupils a leave of absence for exceptional circumstances at their discretion, judging each application on the specific facts. However, generally a holiday would not constitute an exceptional circumstance. The school year is structured in a way that provides plenty of time for holidays outside of term-time. Schools and local authorities also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves, and hold inset days and other occasional days at quieter times of the year, helping families to plan breaks at times that suit them.​Where term-time holidays are taken without permission, it is right that the law protects children’s right to a full-time education. ​The national framework for penalty notices is designed to improve fairness by ensuring they are considered at a consistent point across the country, and on an individual basis, preventing schools from having blanket rules.​

How many and what proportion of ambulance callouts recorded for (a) violent assaults related injuries, (b) injuries sustained during a burglary or break in in each year since 2015 involved (i) response times exceeding 15 minutes or (ii) hospital transfer times exceeding 60 minutes.

There are clearly defined national standards for patient access to urgent and emergency care with a clinically led model that prioritises those in the greatest need. While NHS England routinely monitors and evaluates Category 1 and 2 ambulance response times by clinical condition, e.g. cardiac arrest or stroke, NHS England does not record the cause of the incident, e.g. assault or injury sustained during a burglary. The requested data on the number of ambulance callouts for violent or assault-related injuries and injuries sustained during a burglary or break in is not centrally collected. Similarly, response and handover times for such incidents are not available. No specific assessment has been made of ambulance delays on the survival and recovery rates for these victim groups.For data on crime-related incidents, including assaults and burglaries, please refer to police-recorded crime data, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables

How many ambulance call-outs have been recorded for (a) violent or assault-related injuries and (b) injuries sustained during a burglary or break-in in each year since 2015.

There are clearly defined national standards for patient access to urgent and emergency care with a clinically led model that prioritises those in the greatest need. While NHS England routinely monitors and evaluates Category 1 and 2 ambulance response times by clinical condition, e.g. cardiac arrest or stroke, NHS England does not record the cause of the incident, e.g. assault or injury sustained during a burglary. The requested data on the number of ambulance callouts for violent or assault-related injuries and injuries sustained during a burglary or break in is not centrally collected. Similarly, response and handover times for such incidents are not available. No specific assessment has been made of ambulance delays on the survival and recovery rates for these victim groups.For data on crime-related incidents, including assaults and burglaries, please refer to police-recorded crime data, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables

Whether NHS England routinely monitors Category 1–2 ambulance response times by incident type.

There are clearly defined national standards for patient access to urgent and emergency care with a clinically led model that prioritises those in the greatest need. While NHS England routinely monitors and evaluates Category 1 and 2 ambulance response times by clinical condition, e.g. cardiac arrest or stroke, NHS England does not record the cause of the incident, e.g. assault or injury sustained during a burglary. The requested data on the number of ambulance callouts for violent or assault-related injuries and injuries sustained during a burglary or break in is not centrally collected. Similarly, response and handover times for such incidents are not available. No specific assessment has been made of ambulance delays on the survival and recovery rates for these victim groups.For data on crime-related incidents, including assaults and burglaries, please refer to police-recorded crime data, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ambulance delays on (a) survival and (b) recovery rates for victims of (i) violent crime and (ii) home intrusion.

There are clearly defined national standards for patient access to urgent and emergency care with a clinically led model that prioritises those in the greatest need. While NHS England routinely monitors and evaluates Category 1 and 2 ambulance response times by clinical condition, e.g. cardiac arrest or stroke, NHS England does not record the cause of the incident, e.g. assault or injury sustained during a burglary. The requested data on the number of ambulance callouts for violent or assault-related injuries and injuries sustained during a burglary or break in is not centrally collected. Similarly, response and handover times for such incidents are not available. No specific assessment has been made of ambulance delays on the survival and recovery rates for these victim groups.For data on crime-related incidents, including assaults and burglaries, please refer to police-recorded crime data, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables

Through which (a) programmes and (b) funds the UK has supported border-infrastructure projects in France since 2023; and how that expenditure is monitored.

The Home Office cannot comment on the specifics of French activity, but the Sandhurst agreement and related finances are referred to in this press release from the beginning of the year - New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs - GOV.UKWe continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal gangs.

Which French (a) ministries, (b) local authorities and (c) private contractors have received UK funding for (i) border security and (ii) migration control infrastructure since 2023.

The Home Office cannot comment on the specifics of French activity, but the Sandhurst agreement and related finances are referred to in this press release from the beginning of the year - New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs - GOV.UKWe continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal gangs.

How many legal aid certificates have been granted for cases referencing (a) the one-in, one-out migrant returns policy and (b) removals to France since July 2025.

Information relating to legal aid expenditure challenging removals under the one-in one-out pilot is not centrally held. Although legal aid expenditure broken down by category is published on a quarterly basis as part of the Legal Aid Agency’s Official Statistics. In order to obtain information relating to the number of legal aid certificates granted for cases which make specific reference to either the one-in one-out migrant returns policy or removals to France, it would be necessary to manually review every single application for legal representation in connection with judicial review proceedings in the immigration context. That could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Whether the UK Government has contributed funding towards a (a) wall and (b) barrier near (i) Dunkirk and (ii) Calais.

The Home Office cannot comment on the specifics of French activity, but the Sandhurst agreement and related finances are referred to in this press release from the beginning of the year - New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs - GOV.UKWe continue close cooperation with France to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal gangs.

How much from the public purse has been spent by the Legal Aid Agency on (a) legal representation and (b) pre-action work challenging removals under the one-in, one-out migrant returns policy since 1 July 2025.

Information relating to legal aid expenditure challenging removals under the one-in one-out pilot is not centrally held. Although legal aid expenditure broken down by category is published on a quarterly basis as part of the Legal Aid Agency’s Official Statistics. In order to obtain information relating to the number of legal aid certificates granted for cases which make specific reference to either the one-in one-out migrant returns policy or removals to France, it would be necessary to manually review every single application for legal representation in connection with judicial review proceedings in the immigration context. That could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of litigation on the implementation of the one-in, one-out migrant returns agreement with France; and whether policy changes have been made in response.

Litigation related to the UK-France Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys was anticipated and our policies, processes and operational practices were developed accordingly and designed to be lawful.Litigation is a standard element of all returns processes from the UK.

Whether her Department maintains (a) internal statistical summaries and (b) dashboards recording the (i) number and (ii) cost of legal challenges to the one-in, one-out migrant returns scheme.

The UK-France Treaty is an innovative pilot designed to deter illegal migration across the Channel. Litigation related to this pilot was anticipated and we are concentrating resources on robustly defending this so that removals can continue as planned. As of 7 November, 94 individuals have been returned to France through this agreement.The Home Office maintains records on legal challenges. Operational details on the pilot are sensitive, and we will not be disclosing such information as it could inadvertently assist the organised immigration crime gangs that are behind small boats crossings.

If her Department will regularly publish a single national table showing annual totals for (a) officers authorised to carry tasers, (b) officers authorised to carry PAVA/CS, (c) officers carrying or deploying Tasers and (d) civilian prosecutions for possession of incapacitant sprays.

The Home Office does not hold any data on the number or proportion of police officers in England and Wales that were authorised to carry Conducted Energy Devices or PAVA. However, to ensure transparency and accountability around police use of force, Home Office publishes annual statistics on police use of force.The published data includes official statistics in development on the number of use of force reports that recorded that a Conducted Energy Device (Taser) was readily available for use during the incident. It is important to note that this data will only account for where a Taser was carried by an officer during a use of force incident and will not account for all instances in which police were deployed with Taser. The latest available data can be accessed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-use-of-force-statisticsThis publication also includes information on the number of times a Taser was recorded as a tactic (both discharge and non-discharge uses). Data are available by calendar year for 2015 and 2016 and by financial year from the year ending 31 March 2018. The latest available data can be accessed at the link above.Decisions around the number of Taser trained officers within a police force are operational decisions for Chief Officers to determine in line with their assessment of threat and risk.The Home Office collects information on the number of offences and their investigative outcomes recorded under a broad category of ‘possessing or distributing prohibited weapons designed for discharge of noxious substances etc.’. However, it is not possible to separate identify possession offences and the type of substance related to these offences.Table: the number of offences, charge/summons and cautions for the offence ‘Possessing Or Distributing Prohibited Weapons Designed For Discharge Of Noxious Liquid’, 2015/16 to the year ending June 2025, England and Wales (excluding Humberside police).Note – figures are for England and Wales, excluding Humberside police who were unable to provide figures to the Home Office Data Hub for this period.

How many (a) offences, (b) cautions and (c) prosecutions have been recorded for civilian possession of (i) pepper spray, (ii) PAVA and (iii) other incapacitant substances under the Firearms Act 1968 in each year since 2015.

The Home Office does not hold any data on the number or proportion of police officers in England and Wales that were authorised to carry Conducted Energy Devices or PAVA. However, to ensure transparency and accountability around police use of force, Home Office publishes annual statistics on police use of force.The published data includes official statistics in development on the number of use of force reports that recorded that a Conducted Energy Device (Taser) was readily available for use during the incident. It is important to note that this data will only account for where a Taser was carried by an officer during a use of force incident and will not account for all instances in which police were deployed with Taser. The latest available data can be accessed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-use-of-force-statisticsThis publication also includes information on the number of times a Taser was recorded as a tactic (both discharge and non-discharge uses). Data are available by calendar year for 2015 and 2016 and by financial year from the year ending 31 March 2018. The latest available data can be accessed at the link above.Decisions around the number of Taser trained officers within a police force are operational decisions for Chief Officers to determine in line with their assessment of threat and risk.The Home Office collects information on the number of offences and their investigative outcomes recorded under a broad category of ‘possessing or distributing prohibited weapons designed for discharge of noxious substances etc.’. However, it is not possible to separate identify possession offences and the type of substance related to these offences.Table: the number of offences, charge/summons and cautions for the offence ‘Possessing Or Distributing Prohibited Weapons Designed For Discharge Of Noxious Liquid’, 2015/16 to the year ending June 2025, England and Wales (excluding Humberside police).Note – figures are for England and Wales, excluding Humberside police who were unable to provide figures to the Home Office Data Hub for this period.

How many residential burglaries were recorded in England and Wales in each year since 2015; how many of those resulted in an (a) charge or (b) summons.

The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the offences and investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis, including burglary, which can be accessed here:Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK

What the (a) charge, (b) summons and (c) clear-up rate was for residential burglaries in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the offences and investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis, including burglary, which can be accessed here:Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK

What the (a) charge and (b) clear-up rate for residential burglaries was by police force area in the most recent year for which data is available.

The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the offences and investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis, including burglary, which can be accessed here:Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK