Criminals from a wide range of countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Serbia, attempt to smuggle weapons into the UK and other EU countries illegally.

Border Force works with partners, including law enforcement agencies from the UK and overseas, to disrupt the increasingly sophisticated attempts to smuggle prohibited goods into the UK. Border Force uses intelligence generated from a wide variety of sources and state of the art technology to seize weapons and other prohibited goods at ports of entry across the country.

Information on the length of detention has been published since quarter 1 (January to March) 2010.

The longest time a person has been detained in the immigration estate - a foreign criminal who left detention and was returned to Algeria in Q1 2012 - was 2,319 days. The individual in this case had accumulated 14 convictions from 32 offences committed between 1998 and 2004, including - but not limited to - convictions for firearms/ shotguns/offensive weapons, drug offences, offences relating to police/courts/prisons and theft. He was continuously non-compliant with the Home Office and Algerian authorities, using a false identity and nationality, which frustrated attempts to obtain travel documentation to facilitate his deportation. His continued non-compliance, deception and a history of absconding led to detention being prolonged. This information does not include those held in prisons solely under Immigration Act powers.

The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

The UK supports the Turkey-EU Action Plan which was signed on 29 November during a broader summit between the EU and Turkey.

Implementation will not be straightforward given the volume of numbers and the determination of individuals to cross land and sea borders. The Action Plan is just one aspect of efforts to respond to the migration crisis seen in the Mediterranean last year. We have a strong relationship with Turkey on many security issues (especially migration) and this Action Plan will complement bilateral activity, not impinge on it.

An individual’s character and propensity to offend are influenced by a range of factors, but could include social aspects of a person’s upbringing or their environment.

As the Home Secretary has set out, there is nothing inevitable about criminality, however, and most people do not go on to become criminals whatever circumstances they grow up in. And it is important to remember that the only cause of a crime is, in the end, the criminal. The government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy will focus on tackling the six key drivers of crime, including character, and will be published in the spring.

It is not possible to detain someone indefinitely under immigration powers. In order to detain an individual pending removal there must be a realistic prospect of removal in a reasonable timeframe.

Each case is determined on its own merits. The introduction of an arbitrary time limit could lead to the release of foreign criminals and illegal immigrants even when their removal is imminent.

Home Office guidance is clear that detention should be used sparingly, and for the shortest period reasonably necessary to achieve its purpose. Published statistics show that, in the year to September 2015, over 90 per cent of individuals leaving detention had been detained for no longer than four months.

The Home Secretary commissioned Stephen Shaw CBE, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, to undertake an independent review of welfare in the immigration detention estate. His report and the Government’s response to the report were published on 14 January by means of a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS).

The Government’s response includes the implementation of a new approach to the case management of those who are detained, aligned with a new “adult at risk” policy to ensure more rigorous assessment of those entering detention through a new gate-keeping function, maintaining this rigour through the new removals plans process to maintain a strong focus on, and momentum towards, removal.

There is no single factor which explains crime. As the Home Secretary has said, the evidence suggests that there are six main drivers of crime: alcohol; drugs; the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System; opportunity; profit; and character. Character, or an individual’s propensity to commit crime, appears to be influenced by a range of social and environmental influences as they grow up. However, the Home Office has made no specific assessment of the relationship between crime and literacy levels.

The most recent crime statistics published by the Office for National Statistics showed that overall crime fell by 8% in the year to June 2015, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Crime has now fallen by more than a quarter since June 2010, with just over 2.9 million fewer crimes a year.

The Government has been leading the way for a comprehensive and sustainable response to the conflict in Syria. The Government believes that the best way to help the majority of the many displaced Syrians across the globe is through practical and political action within affected regions. That is why the Government has prioritised humanitarian assistance in crisis regions and supports regional protection programmes which will improve the conditions for refugees seeking protection in their region of origin until they are able to return to their homes.

The Government recognises, however, that not all displaced Syrians can be supported effectively in the region and that is why we have committed to granting protection to 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees under our Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme over the course of this Parliament.

The Government shares Archbishop Jean-Clement’s view that we must actively seek an end to the conflict as it is the best way to ensure that the UK’s help has the greatest impact for Syrian refugees, as opposed to larger scale relocation or resettlement.

Our country information and guidance recognises that, in general, religious minorities including Christians, are particularly vulnerable and are likely to be at risk of persecution in parts of Iraq. Each claim is considered on its individual merits, taking into account up to date country information.

In the 5 years since 2010, we have granted refugee status to 20 Iraqi’s with a claimed Christian religion however we are unable to confirm that the reason for the grant of status was on the basis of their Christianity.

The independent Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that crime has fallen by more than a quarter since June 2010. While better police recording of violent crime appears to have led to a recent statistical rise, knife crime offences remain 18% below the level in the year to June 2010 and figures for London show that knife crime offences are now 24% lower than June 2010. In the year ending March 2015, the Metropolitan police recorded 9,623 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument, a 4% decrease compared with the previous year (10,012 in year ending March 2014). Police forces do not break down offence data by age.

We are taking a range of steps to tackle knife crime, including working with police forces and other key partners through the Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme, including in 25 London boroughs. We have also strengthened the law in this area, and in July 2015, we brought into force the new legislative provision that anyone caught in possession of a knife for a second time will now face a mandatory minimum sentence in prison or youth custody.

Since 2010 Her Majesty's Government has spent £196m in Calais and the surrounding locations to secure the border, which includes day to day activity such as carrying out passport checks on all passengers, searching for illicit goods, as well as stopping and deterring illegal migration. Part of this figure includes the recent investment to reinforce security through infrastructure improvements at Border Force’s controls in Northern France. This has included £7 million for fencing at Coquelles, which will help protect Eurotunnel’s freight approach road, a £2 million upgrade of detection technology and boosting our dog searching capability by £1 million.

Her Majesty's Government is also supporting the Port of Calais to create a secure waiting area for UK-bound lorries and has committed to funding additional security guards at the Eurotunnel site in the area.

The Home Office and its partners, including the National Crime Agency, also fund wider activity to stop and deter illegal migration in Calais; however, it is not possible to attribute a specific amount to spending in the Calais area alone.

We continue to monitor the migration situation from the Western Balkans closely, including the Hungarian Government’s plans to respond to increased migrant flows by building a fence along its border with Serbia.

It is vital that all EU Member States ensure the full functioning of the external EU border. That is primarily the responsibility of the Member State concerned, although it is right that the EU and other Member States support those whose borders are under particular pressure. Member States also need to work jointly to address secondary movements of illegal migrants within the EU.

While it may help address the immediate situation, strengthening EU borders will not be sufficient to address current pressures. Instead, the EU must enhance joint efforts with third country partners, including the countries of the Western Balkans, to combat organised immigration crime, deter abuse of Member States’ asylum systems, and address the root causes of illegal migration. That is what Her Majesty's Government is pressing all Member States to do.

There is no formal assessment process to determine the utility of police animals, how resources are deployed is an operational matter which rightly rests with chief officers. The contribution of police horses remains important and the Home Office corresponds with the relevant national policing lead on an ad-hoc basis to stay apprised of their views. The most recent contact by my officials was this month and the merits of mounted policing remain unchanged.

The Home Office does not record this information, how police horses are used is a matter for chief officers to determine.

There is no formal assessment process to determine the utility of police animals, how resources are deployed is an operational matter which rightly rests with chief officers. The contribution of police horses remains important and the Home Office corresponds with the relevant national policing lead on an ad-hoc basis to stay apprised of their views. The most recent contact by my officials was this month and the merits of mounted policing remain unchanged.

The Home Office does not record this information, how police horses are used is a matter for chief officers to determine.

Police horses make a valuable contribution in the prevention of crime and in maintaining public safety both locally and nationally. Mounted units have a long and proud tradition in law enforcement in the UK with operational decisions on their use and deployment the responsibility of Chief Constables.