David Simmonds MP: written questions
4 Jul 2026–16 Oct 2026 · year in progress
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Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
23 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Elections: Departmental ResponsibilitiesHome OfficeTabled 10 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to recommendation 17 of the document entitled The Rycroft Review: Report of the independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics, updated o
Answer: The Home Office Permanent Secretary is the lead for defending democracy, having been appointed by the Cabinet Secretary following Recommendation 17 of the Rycroft Review. This is in support of my role as chair of the Defending Democracy Taskforce (DDTF).R...
Answered 16 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylumHome OfficeTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28439More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to HMT, Treasury Minutes, CP1668, August 2026, para 7.2 (page 9), if she will list each of the significant challenges that have prevented the Government from updating official estimates
Answer: Producing official estimates of the number of failed asylum seekers is dependent on completion of work to re-establish the assured statistical datasets required after the transition of asylum caseworking to the new Atlas system.
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28438More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to HMT, Treasury Minutes, CP1668, August 2026, para 6.8 (page 8), if she will publish the comprehensive review of asylum accommodation contracts.
Answer: We have committed to provide further information to the Public Accounts Committee by December 2026. Consideration of what material can be published will be made in the usual way, taking account of commercial sensitivities and contractual obligations.
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPrayer: Public PlacesHome OfficeTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 1 September 2026 to Question 17446, on Prayer: Public Places, whether the Home Office has issued guidance on whether silent public prayer is permissible in a safe access zone
Answer: The Government is committed to protecting freedom of expression and religion, while ensuring that individuals can access abortion services without harassment or intimidation.The legislation does not specify particular behaviours which are permissible or n...
Answered 14 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylumHome OfficeTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26162More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to make changes to the dispersal system for asylum seekers to different local authority areas.
Answer: The Home Office remains responsible for meeting its statutory obligations to accommodate asylum seekers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Decisions on the procurement and allocation of asylum accommodation are therefore a matter for the Home Off...
Answered 11 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to devolve decisions on the dispersal of asylum seekers to (a) local councils and (b) combined authority mayors.
Answer: The Home Office remains responsible for meeting its statutory obligations to accommodate asylum seekers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Decisions on the procurement and allocation of asylum accommodation are therefore a matter for the Home Offi...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22075More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the status of the new fund for local authorities to provide asylum accommodation.
Answer: The Home Office is working across government to explore innovative models of asylum accommodation that achieve value for money and support asylum system reform and further detail will be provided in due course.
Answered 15 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLicensed PremisesHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19140More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what statistics are collated from local authorities on the number of licensed premises under the Licensing Act 2003.
Answer: The Home Office publishes biennial statistics on alcohol licensing in England and Wales, based on data collected from local authorities under the Licensing Act 2003.These statistics include information on the number of personal and premises licenses on is...
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordEuropean Programme for Integration and MigrationHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19139More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government contributes to the European Programme for Integration and Migration.
Answer: To determine whether the Home Office contributes funding to the European Programme for Integration and Migration would require extensive searches across a number of Home Office business areas and financial records.The information could therefore be obtain...
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Migration Partnerships: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19138More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2027, to Question 7200, on Strategic Migration Partnerships: Finance, why the publication of the aggregate spending across all partnerships is deemed to be sensitive.
Answer: Home Office funding is allocated individually to each Strategic Migration Partnership and varies according to local operational pressures, delivery requirements, and regional arrangements. As these agreements are bespoke and subject to individual arrangem...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRadicalismHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19137More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2026, to Question 122681, on Radicalism, if she will list the key partners who are being consulted.
Answer: The review of the engagement standards and the accompanying guidance is ongoing. We do not routinely comment on ongoing policy development. The refreshed standards and accompanying guidance will be available on gov.uk.
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19136More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2026, to Question 6860, on Asylum: Hotels, if she will publish a precise figure for the number of asylum hotels in operation in each month since July 2024, and the nu
Answer: The number of hotels in use has reduced from over 400 asylum hotels in summer 2023, there are now fewer than 190 currently in use and we are on track to close all by the end of this Parliament. The Home Office publishes statistics on a quarterly basis de...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19135More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2026, to Question 7805, on Asylum: Housing, whether any local authorities have expressed an interest in the engagement notice.
Answer: The procurement for the provision of Asylum Support and Accommodation Services remains ongoing. Given the commercial sensitivities surrounding an ongoing procurement campaign, no further information can be released at this stage.
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19134More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2026, to Question 7805, on Asylum: Housing, whether any local authorities are currently contracted with the Home Office to provide asylum accommodation services.
Answer: No local authorities are currently contracted to provide asylum accommodation services. The Home Office holds eight contracts for the provision of these services and details of them are publicly available:CRH - WalesAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Suppo...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HillingdonHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19133More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2026, to Question 6853, on Asylum: Hillingdon, for what reason her Department only publishes details of asylum grant per council in historic Cabinet Office grant data
Answer: Asylum grant funding information is published in line with the Cabinet Office's Government Grants Data and Statistics publication process. Funding data is published annually once the financial year has ended and having been validated, reconciled and quali...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordHome Office: Public ConsultationHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19132More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2026, to Question 6854, on Home Office: Public Consultation, and with reference to the answer of 17 March 2026, to Question 118753, on Muslim Council of Britain, whet
Answer: The Government continues to have a policy of non-engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain. This includes written representations.
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Public ConsultationHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19131More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2026, to Question 7457, on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group, and to Question 8184, on Home Office: Greenpeace, for what reason the Government
Answer: Although the Government has a policy of not commenting about groups or individuals, there are cases where it is in the public interest to do so. The Government has previously made the decision to not engage with organisations that have taken positions tha...
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Migration PartnershipsHome OfficeTabled 13 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18196More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2026 to Question 8253 on Strategic Migration Partnerships: Finance, if she will list the other government departments that fund Strategic Migration Partnerships; and
Answer: The Home Office has Grant Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) across the 12 UK regions and nations. SMPs may also receive funding from other government departments, including MHCLG, MOD and DfE, to...
Answered 16 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAnti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working GroupHome OfficeTabled 13 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18195More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2026 to Question 7457 on Anti-muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group, for what reason MEND, CAGE, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Muslim Counci
Answer: Although the Government has a policy of not commenting about groups or individuals, there are cases where it is in the public interest to do so. The Government has previously made the decision to not engage with organisations that have taken positions tha...
Answered 28 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordAnti-muslim HostilityHome OfficeTabled 13 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18194More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2026 to Question 6857 on Islamophobia, whether the Home Office has adopted the definition of anti-Muslim hostility.
Answer: The Government has adopted its definition of anti-Muslim hostility across all central government departments who will use the definition to guide relevant policy development and delivery.
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRadicalismHome OfficeTabled 13 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2026, to Question 6411, on Radicalism, whether the revised guidance will be published on gov.uk, and whether it will be provided to local government, or only apply to
Answer: The engagement standards and refreshed guidance will be published on gov.uk. It will apply to Ministerial departments in England but will be shared with frontline partners.
Answered 17 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Migration Partnerships: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 13 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18192More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what activities does the grant funding to the Strategic Migration Partnerships support.
Answer: The Home Office funds each Strategic Migration Partnership (SMP) to deliver outcomes set out in the Grant Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding, including Asylum, Resettlement, the National Transfer Scheme (NTS), ESOL, and Adult Mental Health Support.
Answered 16 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Migration Partnerships: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 13 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 18191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of 21 April 2026, to Question 126741, on Strategic Migration Partnerships: Finance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Grant Agreements and Memorandum of Under
Answer: The Home Office has Grant Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) across the 12 UK regions and nations. SMPs provide regional leadership and coordination for asylum and resettlement activities on behal...
Answered 16 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
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