Written questions by Morton.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of retail crime in the West Midlands; and what steps her Department is taking to support local police forces to help tackle (a) persistent and (b) organised shop theft.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. There were 33,363 shoplifting offences recorded by West Midlands police in the year ending June 2025, a 28% increase on the previous year. Nationally shop theft increased by 13% on the previous year. We are ensuring the right powers are in place. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously. Additionally, we are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders. Tackling retail crime requires a partnership approach between policing representatives and business. The previous Minister for Crime and Policing launched the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’, which was jointly developed by the police and industry and aims to provide a collaborative and evidence-based approach to preventing retail crime, including organised shop theft. The Police Funding Settlement of £200 million will support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood personnel.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the readiness of the West Midlands Combined Authority to assume policing governance responsibilities from the Police and Crime Commissioner; and what estimate she has made of the (a) costs of that transfer and (b) projected long-term annual savings from the merger.

The Government has committed in its English Devolution White Paper to transfer policing functions to Mayors of Strategic Authorities wherever boundaries of the mayoral and policing areas align, by default. Subject to Royal Assent to provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, it is anticipated that the transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner functions to the Mayor of West Midlands would happen by May 2028; the end of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s term of office and at the next election for the Mayor.There are no costs to the Home Office in transferring PCC functions to the Mayor of an existing Mayoral Combined Authority. As has previously been the case for transfer of policing functions to mayors, the cost of local implementation will be expected to be met locally.

What her planned timetable is for transferring Police and Crime Commissioner functions to the Mayor of the West Midlands.

The Government has committed in its English Devolution White Paper to transfer policing functions to Mayors of Strategic Authorities wherever boundaries of the mayoral and policing areas align, by default. Subject to Royal Assent to provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, it is anticipated that the transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner functions to the Mayor of West Midlands would happen by May 2028; the end of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s term of office and at the next election for the Mayor.There are no costs to the Home Office in transferring PCC functions to the Mayor of an existing Mayoral Combined Authority. As has previously been the case for transfer of policing functions to mayors, the cost of local implementation will be expected to be met locally.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of closing asylum accommodation hotels on (a) levels of demand for Houses of Multiple Occupation(HMOs), (b) local housing stock and (c) local public services; and how many asylum seekers will be rehoused in HMOs.

The Home Office has, since 2022, operated a system of Full Dispersal which works in partnership with Local Government to ensure that asylum accommodation is spread equitably and fairly across the United Kingdom. Procurement of accommodation is driven by a set of evidence-based plans, which are refreshed every six months with Local Government and which consider a range of factors, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion, to ensure that no one area is overburdened.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. Immigration system statistics data tables - www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

How many and what proportion of people who arrived by small boat crossings have been (a) prosecuted and (b) deported since 1 July 2024. .

The information requested on those identified as being involved in people smuggling activity and on prosecutions is not currently available from published statistics.On returns, in the year ending June 2025, there were 2,330 returns of people who had arrived by small boat, this information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-people-are-returned-from-the-uk#s-5The Home Office publishes data on the number of returns from the UK in each quarter in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ : https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseThe latest data on returns of people who arrived by small boat crossings are presented in table Ret_06 of the ‘returns summary tables’ (of which ‘deportations’ are a subset) and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#returnsThe latest data relate to the year ending June 2025.The Home Office also publishes data on small boat arrivals, with data available in table Irr_01 of the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’ : ‘https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release’In further publications, The National Crime Agency (NCA) publish a performance overview in their ‘Annual Report and Accounts’. This provides a summary of the NCA’s purpose, objectives and performance during the year, including information on organised immigration crime disruptions. The latest report can be found here: National Crime Agency Annual Report and Accounts - 2024-2025.

How many people have been prosecuted for offences related to people smuggling by small boat crossings since 1 July 2024.

The information requested on those identified as being involved in people smuggling activity and on prosecutions is not currently available from published statistics.On returns, in the year ending June 2025, there were 2,330 returns of people who had arrived by small boat, this information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-people-are-returned-from-the-uk#s-5The Home Office publishes data on the number of returns from the UK in each quarter in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ : https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseThe latest data on returns of people who arrived by small boat crossings are presented in table Ret_06 of the ‘returns summary tables’ (of which ‘deportations’ are a subset) and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#returnsThe latest data relate to the year ending June 2025.The Home Office also publishes data on small boat arrivals, with data available in table Irr_01 of the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’ : ‘https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release’In further publications, The National Crime Agency (NCA) publish a performance overview in their ‘Annual Report and Accounts’. This provides a summary of the NCA’s purpose, objectives and performance during the year, including information on organised immigration crime disruptions. The latest report can be found here: National Crime Agency Annual Report and Accounts - 2024-2025.

How many and what proportion of people who arrived by small boat crossings have been identified as being involved in people smuggling activity since 1 July 2024.

The information requested on those identified as being involved in people smuggling activity and on prosecutions is not currently available from published statistics.On returns, in the year ending June 2025, there were 2,330 returns of people who had arrived by small boat, this information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-people-are-returned-from-the-uk#s-5The Home Office publishes data on the number of returns from the UK in each quarter in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ : https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseThe latest data on returns of people who arrived by small boat crossings are presented in table Ret_06 of the ‘returns summary tables’ (of which ‘deportations’ are a subset) and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#returnsThe latest data relate to the year ending June 2025.The Home Office also publishes data on small boat arrivals, with data available in table Irr_01 of the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’ : ‘https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release’In further publications, The National Crime Agency (NCA) publish a performance overview in their ‘Annual Report and Accounts’. This provides a summary of the NCA’s purpose, objectives and performance during the year, including information on organised immigration crime disruptions. The latest report can be found here: National Crime Agency Annual Report and Accounts - 2024-2025.

What steps her Department with Cabinet colleagues to help seek justice for every victim of grooming gangs.

On 16 June 2025, the Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament announcing Government's acceptance of all the recommendations made in Baroness Louise Casey's independent National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in England and Wales.The Government is now moving swiftly to act on these recommendations which includes the establishment of a national inquiry into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation, with the power to go into local areas, gather evidence, talk to victims, compel witnesses to appear, and to get to the truth of institutional failures.We have also announced that the police will launch a new national criminal operation into group-based child sexual exploitation, overseen by the National Crime Agency, against a backdrop of continued investment in other work to strengthen law enforcement capacity and capability to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation, including the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which - since July 2023 - has supported the arrest of over 1300 individuals and protected thousands of victims.Both initiatives will operate in parallel with continued commitment from Government to strengthen efforts to tackle this abhorrent crime and improve victims and survivors' access to justice.

How many successful prosecutions there have been of people involved in people smuggling gangs since 5 July 2024.

From 5 July 2024 (to 10 July 2025) Home Office Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation have convicted 168 people involved in people smuggling.In many cases, someone convicted in this date range may have been arrested in a previous time-period, and in many other cases, someone arrested in this period may remain under investigation and not be charged and convicted until a later date.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory cap on levels of migration.

The Home Office’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, sets out proposals for reform in a wide range of areas across the immigration and asylum system, including a cap on the amount of lower skilled migration into the UK.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the use of asylum accommodation.

The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels by the end of this Parliament.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of community policing in tackling antisocial behaviour linked to waste crime.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.​ As a result of our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, every police force in England and Wales now has a dedicated lead officer for ASB, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan, which could include waste crime such as fly tippingAs part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver additional policing personnel into neighbourhood policing. West Midlands Police has been allocated £12,210,903 and will deliver an increase of 289 police officers and 20 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) by 31 March 2026.These officers will be out patrolling in our town centres and communities, working with partners to tackle anti-social behaviour, including waste crime and fly-tipping, and making our neighbourhoods safer and more welcoming.

What assessment has she made of the adequacy of police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments.

The Government keeps police powers under regular review to ensure they remain effective.

What steps is she taking to support West Midlands Police to tackle unauthorised encampments.

The Government keeps police powers under regular review to ensure they remain effective.

What oversight mechanisms she has put in place to help ensure 100% recording of the (a) ethnicity, (b) nationality and (c) number of perpetrators in all group based child exploitation and abuse cases; and what steps she is taking to ensure compliance across all police forces.

On 16 June the Government accepted all 12 recommendations made to Government in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in England and Wales. We will announce further details on implementation of these measures in due course.In January, the Government announced an additional £2.5 million funding for the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to bolster its efforts to provide practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. We also asked all 43 police forces to work with the Taskforce to re-open grooming gangs cases where no further action was taken. Since January, more than 800 cases have been re-opened thanks to this work.

What additional (a) funding, (b) staffing and (c) training support her Department is providing to the Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce in 2025-26.

On 16 June the Government accepted all 12 recommendations made to Government in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in England and Wales. We will announce further details on implementation of these measures in due course.In January, the Government announced an additional £2.5 million funding for the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to bolster its efforts to provide practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. We also asked all 43 police forces to work with the Taskforce to re-open grooming gangs cases where no further action was taken. Since January, more than 800 cases have been re-opened thanks to this work.

How many (a) closed and (b) previously under-investigated Child Sexual Exploitation cases have been referred for independent review since January 2025; and what percentage have since been reopened or escalated.

On 16 June the Government accepted all 12 recommendations made to Government in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in England and Wales. We will announce further details on implementation of these measures in due course.In January, the Government announced an additional £2.5 million funding for the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to bolster its efforts to provide practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. We also asked all 43 police forces to work with the Taskforce to re-open grooming gangs cases where no further action was taken. Since January, more than 800 cases have been re-opened thanks to this work.

How much funding has been allocated to the national inquiry into grooming gangs; and what steps she has taken to ensure (a) that there is survivor-led engagement and (b) that statutory powers are used to compel witness evidence.

On 16 June the Government accepted all 12 recommendations made to Government in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in England and Wales. We will announce further details on implementation of these measures in due course.In January, the Government announced an additional £2.5 million funding for the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to bolster its efforts to provide practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. We also asked all 43 police forces to work with the Taskforce to re-open grooming gangs cases where no further action was taken. Since January, more than 800 cases have been re-opened thanks to this work.

Whether her Department has set targets for improving (a) victim protection, (b) justice outcomes and (c) support services since the publication of Baroness Casey's audit of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.

On 16 June the Government accepted all 12 recommendations made to Government in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in England and Wales. We will announce further details on implementation of these measures in due course.In January, the Government announced an additional £2.5 million funding for the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to bolster its efforts to provide practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. We also asked all 43 police forces to work with the Taskforce to re-open grooming gangs cases where no further action was taken. Since January, more than 800 cases have been re-opened thanks to this work.

What steps she has taken to help tackle rates of group-based child sexual exploitation in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Telford since the publication of Baroness Casey's audit of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse; and what additional resources her Department has allocated for (a) investigation and (b) prevention.

On 16 June the Government accepted all 12 recommendations made to Government in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in England and Wales. We will announce further details on implementation of these measures in due course.In January, the Government announced an additional £2.5 million funding for the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to bolster its efforts to provide practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. We also asked all 43 police forces to work with the Taskforce to re-open grooming gangs cases where no further action was taken. Since January, more than 800 cases have been re-opened thanks to this work.