Written questions by Slade.

If her Department will issue guidance on crime reporting for lone workers in the retail sector.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. We will not stand for this.There are currently no plans to produce specific guidance on crime reporting in the retail sector, however we would encourage all retailers, including lone workers, to report all crime to the police.We are giving police officers the powers they need through this government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which is introducing a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and ending the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods of and under £200. That will apply to all those who work in shops, including those who work alone.We want to remove the perception that those committing shop theft will escape punishment by ensuring there are visible and meaningful consequences for those caught breaking the law.

What data her Department holds on the number of shooting incidents involving people (a) whose gun licences had been revoked and (b) who illegally retained possession of a firearm in the past five years.

The Home Office collects information on offences involving firearms recorded by the police in England and Wales. We cannot tell from this information whether an offence involved people whose firearm licences were revoked, whether the firearm has been illegally possessed or whether the offence involved people who had been reported as persons of concern.It is, of course the case that, where a shotgun or firearms licence is revoked, the firearm concerned will either be voluntarily surrendered to the police, or seized by the police, reducing the risk of illegal possession or use. Similarly, the police maintain continuous assessment of all firearms and shotguns holders and will review any licence where concerns about suitability arise. If those concerns suggest that it is unsafe for the person to continue to hold their guns, the police will take action to revoke the licence and remove the guns from the possession of the person concerned.

What data her Department holds on the number of shooting incidents involving people who had previously been reported as persons of concern in the last five years.

The Home Office collects information on offences involving firearms recorded by the police in England and Wales. We cannot tell from this information whether an offence involved people whose firearm licences were revoked, whether the firearm has been illegally possessed or whether the offence involved people who had been reported as persons of concern.It is, of course the case that, where a shotgun or firearms licence is revoked, the firearm concerned will either be voluntarily surrendered to the police, or seized by the police, reducing the risk of illegal possession or use. Similarly, the police maintain continuous assessment of all firearms and shotguns holders and will review any licence where concerns about suitability arise. If those concerns suggest that it is unsafe for the person to continue to hold their guns, the police will take action to revoke the licence and remove the guns from the possession of the person concerned.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 67436 on Immigration, when her Department plans to consult on the earned settlement scheme; and whether that consultation will include an assessment of the potential impact of that scheme on British National (Overseas) visa holders seeking indefinite leave to remain.

The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.I welcomed the opportunity to listen to the views of Members around these subjects in the recent 8th September Westminster Hall Debate on Indefinite Leave to Remain.We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year. All will be welcome to participate. We will provide details of how the scheme will work after that consultation.We regularly engage with representatives of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK on issues related to the BN(O) visa and will continue to do so.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's policy that time spent under the Ukraine visa schemes does not count towards the continuous residence period for settled status on the ability of Ukrainians to seek (a) rental agreements, (b) changes of employment and (c) enrolment on an education course.

The Government have always been clear that the Ukraine Schemes are temporary and do not lead to settlement in the UK. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application.The Government continues to keep both the Ukraine Schemes and the evolving situation in Ukraine under close and active review.On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.

What discussions she has had with police forces on the effectiveness of their complaints system for police officers who believe that a miscarriage of justice has taken place against them.

There are separate routes of appeal depending on whether a police officer is appealing against the conviction of a criminal offence or the finding or outcome at disciplinary proceedings.Where an officer believes they have been wrongly convicted of a criminal offence, they can appeal a criminal conviction in the normal way through the standard appeals process. Separately, police officers who wish to challenge a disciplinary finding or outcome may do so to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT). Following the decision of the PAT, officers have a further appeal route through the judicial review process.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of granting indefinite leave to remain to all Ukrainians who have lived in the UK for more than five years.

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given on 1 May to PQ UIN 47468.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of automatically extending the period in which all Ukrainians living in the UK under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme can stay in the UK.

The Government are fully committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Putin’s illegal war, while also providing a safe and secure haven for those fleeing the conflict. We have offered our extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their families.On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.

When she expects the Migration Advisory Committee's review into the financial requirements for the Family Visa route to be published; and what plans she has for the minimum salary threshold for the Family Visa.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is an independent body, and their review of the financial requirements will be robust and transparent. It is expected the MAC will issue their report in the Summer. We will carefully consider the MAC’s recommendations before making any further changes.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of HM Passport Office accepting multilingual standardised birth certificates as part of passport applications for the children of British parents born in Europe.

His Majesty’s Passport Office requires customers to provide a full birth certificate, issued in the country of birth, as part of a passport application. Multilingual Standard Forms do not meet this criteria: they are an extract of a civil registration record translated into the language needed and are not a full original certificate.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of enabling the use of electronic signatures, matched to the DVLA database, for admissions of vehicular offences on S172 forms.

Whilst the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 does not explicitly require wet signatures, the Penalty Notice System for Policing does not currently have the capability to match signatures between DVLA and s.172 forms.A number of forces have additional software that in some cases allow for online admissions via a public access portal.

If she will take steps to ensure that premises covered by the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill will also be required to provide (a) first aid equipment and (b) public access trauma kits.

The Terrorism Protection of Premises Bill does not include a specific requirement relating to the provision of medical treatment and associated equipment.Wider work is ongoing to strengthen Healthcare Standards. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is working with partners to put in place updated guidance for health care at events. DHSC has also undertaken work with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and health sector partners to help improve and standardise the contents of Public Access Trauma (PAcT) kits.

To the Home Office, with reference to her Oral Statement of 27 November 2024 on Respect Orders and anti-social behaviour, whether police officers will be able to pursue (a) off road bikes and (b) e sc

The police are able to pursue off road bikes and electric scooters when they are used anti-socially or dangerously. Any decision on whether to undertake a pursuit is an operational one for the police and should take account of the risk factors and proport...

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) making wildlife crimes notifiable and (b) including them in national crime statistics.

There are no plans currently to make all wildlife crimes notifiable and consequentially to include in the national crime statistics. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.This Government recognises the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime. This includes supporting cases referred by Border Force to the National Crime Agency or to individual forces. The NWCU is also the UK policing focal point for EUROPOL and INTERPOL wildlife crime activity. The NWCU uses this information to produce strategic and tactical assessments of wildlife crime across the UK.