The level of fire risk associated with prisoner possession of vape devices is continuously monitored through the national fire reporting system. Data gathered through this process has supported the introduction of a redesigned, lower-risk vape device, which has contributed to a 43% reduction in overall fire incidents

Other ignition sources are continuously monitored through the national fire reporting system. Analysis of incident data informs both behavioural and infrastructure-based interventions designed to reduce opportunities for fire-setting and mitigate associated risks. This includes preventative and protective measures across the estate, such as Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs), safer kettles, and the use of non-combustible furnishings, all of which are intended to reduce the likelihood of fire occurring and limit fire growth where incidents do occur.

The Prison Service has established a national working group to consider future policy options relating to vaping in prisons. This work remains at an early stage of development, and no decisions have been made. Several prisons in the north of England are also considering the practical implications of vape removal.

The Prison Service is considering the practical implications of vape removal. There are currently no active trials to prevent prisoners accessing vapes in prisons in the north of England.

The specific information you have requested regarding the foreign national offenders (FNOs) released from HMP Huntersombe who subsequently abscond is not available from published Home Office statistics.

We make every effort to ensure that FNOs are removed directly from prison, and we have delivered record numbers of FNO returns under the Early Removal Scheme, delivering 3,044 returns in the year ending January 2026, which is a 13% increase compared to the 2,700 in the same period 12 months prior.

The Home Office faces significant and complex challenges when seeking to return those who have no right to be in the UK to their country of origin or lawful place of return and it is not always possible to remove immediately post custodial sentence.

Where removal is not immediately possible, FNOs may be granted bail to be managed in the community. FNOs will be subject to rigorous reporting, electronic monitoring, and accommodation conditions.

If an FNO does not comply with their bail conditions, the Home Office has a dedicated tracing capability that works in partnership with the police, other government agencies, and commercial companies to help identify information on a person. Where tracing checks are successful, we will consider the most appropriate intervention, including whether to task an enforcement team to conduct a visit or to set up a suitable immigration reporting regime.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests in England and Wales as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series, available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK

However, data is collected by broader offence group for example ‘drug offences’ or ‘possession of weapons’, therefore data specifically on arrests relating to serious and organised crime is not available.

Additionally data is collected by Police Force Area, therefore further geographical details relating to arrests such as arrests made on high streets in rural areas is also not available.

Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) support policing with targeted visible patrols, public engagement and reassurance to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and make people feel safer in their communities. They are not intended to directly target serious and organised crime.

PCSOs do not have a fixed set of powers in law. Their powers are designated locally by Chief Officers under section 38 of the Police Reform Act 2002. A wide range of powers can be designated to PCSOs, but this does not include statutorily excluded powers such as arrest, stop and search or powers set out in terrorism and national security legislation. Those more intrusive and complex powers are available to warranted police constables, who are trained and held accountable for their safe and appropriate use.

This Government remains firmly committed to tackling serious and organised crime and the threat it poses to communities across the UK. We ensure that law enforcement agencies have the powers and capabilities they need to disrupt and prevent serious and organised criminal activity.

I do not share the noble Baroness’s pessimism about high streets. It is perfectly possible to re-energise our high streets. We are already working with the Home Office, and one of the things we are doing is stopping the shoplifters’ charter, introduced by the last Government, of discounting or decriminalising thefts worth under £200. We are also providing over £7 million to support the police in tackling retail crime, including continued funding for a specialist policing team to tackle organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we will scrap that failure to prosecute shop thefts worth under £200. We are also introducing more training for the police to identify illegal trading and fraudulent shops, and supporting trading standards officers through more funding to local government.

No entitled Armed Forces personnel or their families are placed on a waiting list for Service Family Accommodation in the UK.

We do not house people in service accommodation. Any former military sites that we do use are not available to the Armed Services.

The UK government has a statutory obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly; and ensures the rules are properly enforced. We have committed to exiting hotels at the earliest opportunity, and in order to do this we need to stand up alternative accommodation which is better suited to this purpose.

As part of our commitment to close all asylum hotels, we are looking at a range of more appropriate sites including ex-military sites, so we can reduce the impact on communities. Decisions on the use of alternative asylum accommodation sites are made on a site-by-site basis.

We do not house people in service accommodation. Any former military sites that we do use are not available to the Armed Services.

The UK government has a statutory obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly; and ensures the rules are properly enforced. We have committed to exiting hotels at the earliest opportunity, and in order to do this we need to stand up alternative accommodation which is better suited to this purpose.

As part of our commitment to close all asylum hotels, we are looking at a range of more appropriate sites including ex-military sites, so we can reduce the impact on communities. Decisions on the use of alternative asylum accommodation sites are made on a site-by-site basis.

We do not house people in service accommodation. Any former military sites that we do use are not available to the Armed Services.

The UK government has a statutory obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly; and ensures the rules are properly enforced. We have committed to exiting hotels at the earliest opportunity, and in order to do this we need to stand up alternative accommodation which is better suited to this purpose.

As part of our commitment to close all asylum hotels, we are looking at a range of more appropriate sites including ex-military sites, so we can reduce the impact on communities. Decisions on the use of alternative asylum accommodation sites are made on a site-by-site basis.

The National Security Adviser engages with a range of states and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters, including the United States which remains our most important security partner. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.

The resettlement of Afghan refugees under ARP continues and we are proud of this safe and legal route for those affected by events in Afghanistan. Those who are eligible and arrive in the UK legally under ARP receive Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

Transitional accommodation (TA), including Service Family Accommodation (SFA), has been used on the Defence Estate to support eligible Afghan families arriving under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the wider Afghan Resettlement Programme. This has ensured safe, immediate housing for eligible persons resettled in the UK.

The use of large bridging hotels has now ended, and the Government is reducing reliance on temporary Ministry of Defence accommodation. Recent arrivals increasingly move directly into permanent settled homes where available, or into other forms of transitional accommodation on a short‑term basis.

Under the Afghan Resettlement Programme, transitional accommodation is offered for up to nine months, within which households are expected to move into their settled home. The Government continues to work closely with local authorities to secure suitable permanent accommodation and to support families towards sustainable long‑term resettlement. Settled homes remain the best long‑term solution, providing newly arriving individuals and families with the stability to integrate, put down roots, and build their new lives in the UK.

The information requested is not currently 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.

There is a difference between Asylum Seekers who leave Home Office provided accommodation while their claim is pending and an absconder. Those who leave accommodation may be deemed as missing from that particular location but are not automatically considered as ‘absconders’ as they may remain in contact with the Home Office whilst their claim is processed.

Absconders are individuals who have breached one or more conditions of their immigration bail and all efforts to contact the person have been exhausted.

The information requested is not currently 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.

There is a difference between Asylum Seekers who leave Home Office provided accommodation while their claim is pending and an absconder. Those who leave accommodation may be deemed as missing from that particular location but are not automatically considered as ‘absconders’ as they may remain in contact with the Home Office whilst their claim is processed.

Absconders are individuals who have breached one or more conditions of their immigration bail and all efforts to contact the person have been exhausted.

The Government has launched its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support to 284 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.

The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and ensure appropriate financial oversight across all Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors.

Neighbourhood Boards are community-led bodies responsible for shaping local priorities through the Pride in Place Plan, with financial accountability and assurance provided through local authorities acting as the accountable bodies and through MHCLG’s programme-level oversight. This includes the submission of expenditure profiles and forecasts to MHCLG, alongside ongoing monitoring and evaluation in line with published guidance.

MHCLG’s Communities Delivery Unit provides each neighbourhood with a named official to monitor delivery, support governance and escalate concerns where necessary.

The Government has launched its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support to 284 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.

The Pride in Place Programme is community-led, with Neighbourhood Boards made up of local people deciding how funding is invested, supported by the local MP and the local authority. Neighbourhood Boards have the flexibility to invest in a wide range of activity where this reflects community priorities, including projects and interventions to support and revitalise local high streets.

Neighbourhood Boards must work with local people and the local authority to develop a Pride in Place Plan, setting out the community’s vision for change over the next decade. Neighbourhood Boards should engage the relevant accountable body to decide how best to manage project appraisals, due diligence, awards to organisations and contractual and payment arrangements.

The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and ensure appropriate financial oversight across all Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors.

We continue to work closely with the US to ensure that the necessary arrangements are in place for the future governance of the base. Excellent progress is being made on updating the UK-US Agreement, which will be finalised before the treaty between the UK and Mauritius is ratified.

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I provided on 22 December in response to Question HL12715, and I gently point out to her that the Government has always been aware of the Exchange of Letters to which I referred in that answer, even if they appear to have taken some Opposition parties by surprise.

The information requested is not held centrally.