theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 18934 on Government Departments: ICT, what the total value of the spend requests considered against the Digital Assurance Gateway is; and what the average time taken to consider them was. \p Feryal Clark: The total value of the spend requests considered for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology and its Arm’s Length Bodies against the Digital Assurance Gateway as at the date of answering question 18934 was £98.2m. Consideration against the Gateway has been incorporated into a pre-existing weekly liaison meeting between Integrated Corporate Services and the Central Digital and Data Office and is dealt with via short discussions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 18934 on Government Departments: ICT, which companies were contracted to provide IT services after consideration of spend requests against the Digital Assurance Gateway. \p Feryal Clark: Contracts awarded for the activities in scope for Question 18934 as at the time of providing this response include Microsoft, Convergence/Extreme, Objective, IBM, Dextrous Web/Thoughtworks, Kerv, AWS and IBL.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to ensure the AI plan for change helps small businesses utilise artificial intelligence. \p Feryal Clark: The adoption of trustworthy AI across the UK public and private sectors will improve public services and drive productivity and growth across the whole economy, transforming all of our lives for the better and supporting the government to deliver its Plan for Change.

To capture the full potential of AI in the private sector, we are targeting high-growth Industrial Strategy sectors and supporting diffusion across the whole economy, which includes addressing the challenges faced by SMEs. The cross-government Technology Adoption Review will set out recommendations for how government should work with industry to support businesses to adopt AI.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to ensure AI training is accessible to all sectors of society. \p Feryal Clark: The AI Opportunities Action Plan will ensure the UK builds a strong, diverse talent pipeline, realising AI benefits across sectors.

Through Skills England, work is underway to map out how we will meet this challenge, including identifying how new flexibilities in the skills offer can deliver on the aims of driving opportunity. Lifelong learning and adaptability will be key as we set people from all backgrounds up to prosper in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Skills England will bring businesses, training partners and unions together with national and local government to meet industry workforce digital and AI skills needs.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Government’ press release of 25 September 2024 entitled PM tells US investors Britain is open for business as he secured major £10 billion deal to drive growth and create jobs, what the evidential basis is that the investment in the Blyth data centre will create 4,000 jobs. \p Chris Bryant: Northumberland County Council expect this project to deliver over 1,600 direct jobs, including 1,200 long-term construction jobs, and over 2,700 indirect and induced jobs over the course of the development.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of AI growth opportunities at Daresbury Science Park. \p Feryal Clark: We are committed to working in partnership with regional and local authorities on AI Growth Zones. The selection process will open in spring 2025, and we welcome interest from areas with strong access to power infrastructure and economic potential. AIGZs will be closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans, to ensure they deliver substantial regional and national benefits.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating an AI Growth Zone at Daresbury Science Park. \p Feryal Clark: We are committed to working in partnership with regional and local authorities on AI Growth Zones. The selection process will open in spring 2025, and we welcome interest from areas with strong access to power infrastructure and economic potential. AIGZs will be closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans, to ensure they deliver substantial regional and national benefits.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether it remains his policy to invest £2 billion over 10 years in engineering biology. \p Feryal Clark: The government remains committed to supporting the UK Engineering Biology sector. DSIT will set out its spending plans in line with the Spending Review timelines set by HM Treasury, with departmental funding settlements being announced in the Spring
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle digital poverty in (a) Gloucester and (b) Gloucestershire. \p Chris Bryant: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 27th November to question UIN 15161. I hope to say more about the Government’s approach to digital inclusion in the near future.
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Blair McDougall:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to improve access to mobile telecommunications in blackspots. \p Chris Bryant: The Government wants all areas of the UK, including East Renfrewshire constituency, to benefit from good quality mobile coverage.

Through the Shared Rural Network, which has helped to deliver 4G mobile coverage to 95% of the UK a year ahead of target, we are continuing to deliver 4G connectivity to places where there is either limited or no coverage at all. Our ambition is to go further and for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.

We work closely with the mobile industry and are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition in the market.
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Sarah Coombes:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of gigabit broadband (a) nationally and (b) in West Bromwich constituency. \p Chris Bryant: Earlier this month, we announced the signature of four Project Gigabit contracts with Openreach to roll out gigabit-capable broadband to over 130,000 premises in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

This announcement marks another significant step towards achieving our goal of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030. More than £2 billion of contracts have now been signed to bring fast, reliable broadband to over a million more premises.

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, almost 93% of premises in the West Bromwich constituency can already access a gigabit-capable broadband connection. We anticipate that the majority of the premises in West Bromwich will receive a gigabit-capable connection through the commercial market. Any remaining premises will be considered for support through Project Gigabit.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK Science and Technology Framework, what steps he is taking to integrate the five critical technologies into the government’s modern industrial strategy. \p Feryal Clark: The Invest 2035 Green Paper, published on 14 October 2024, set out eight growth-driving sectors that will drive our Industrial Strategy. The Industrial Strategy, alongside Sector Plans for the growth-driving sectors, will be published in late Spring 2025. It is being designed in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions, and other stakeholders, as well as building on existing evidence gathered under the science and technology framework.

The Government is reviewing the growth-enabling role of technologies including quantum, artificial intelligence, engineering biology, semiconductors and future telecoms across the Industrial Strategy.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support elderly people with digital inclusivity. \p Chris Bryant: Digital inclusion is a priority for this Government. We want everyone to have the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in a modern digital society, whatever their circumstances. We also understand that digital exclusion disproportionately impacts certain demographics, including older people.

That is why, as we develop our approach to tackling this issue, we are working closely with key partners in the third sector, industry and local authorities to base interventions on and target them to individual needs. I hope to say more on this in the near future.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress he has made on using AI algorithms to analyse medical images. \p Feryal Clark: In taking forward all 50 of the AI Opportunities Action Plan’s recommendations, DSIT shows its commitment to leveraging AI to deliver economic growth, improved lives, and better public services.

AI technologies are being developed to accelerate disease diagnosis and treatment across the NHS. AI-enabled analysis and interpretation of acute brain scans is supporting the decision-making of doctors in 100% of stroke units in England

DSIT is investing £6.4million into a Digital Pathology Network to train AI models in cancer diagnosis. DSIT will continue to ensure safe deployment of AI to deliver service enhancements, earlier diagnostics and improved patient outcomes.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.

As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Public reviews will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have used AI in the last 12 months. \p Dame Diana Johnson: AI is being used for a range of purposes in the HO, including:

We are also running several AI trials to test their potential for wider productivity and quality improvements in existing business processes.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for implementing Respect Orders; and when decisions will be taken on pilot areas. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders which will be introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by the police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders.

Respect Orders will be piloted prior to national rollout to make sure they are as effective as possible. Consideration will be given to where the pilots will take place in due course.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on local authority spending on successful asylum claimants in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The information requested is not held by the Home Office.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of asylum casework interviews are conducted remotely. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Most asylum interviews are now conducted remotely using video conference facilities outside of Home Office locations.

This has enabled the Home Office to increase the availability of interview locations, interpreters and decision makers, and often reduce travel requirements for claimants, enabling the department to progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.

Further information regarding the conduct of asylum interviews is available on gov.uk at: Conducting asylum interviews: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18555 on Asylum: Hotels, in what type of tenure and accommodation will the asylum seekers now be housed; how the accommodation will be procured; and what the budget is for the forthcoming year. \p Dame Angela Eagle: This government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.

We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.

Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Home Office has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. But this is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was just a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed.

It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge
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Nigel Huddleston:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the urgent question of 14 January 2025 on Drones: High-security Prisons, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the work of the organised crime groups on crime and disorder in the locality of (a) HMP Long Lartin and (b) other affected prisons. \p Dan Jarvis: It is the responsibility of police, prisons, and the probation service to work collaboratively in order to assess and respond to the threat from Serious and Organised Crime in prison.

Serious and organised crime is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and organised crime groups continue to diversify their tactics, exploiting technology and online platforms.

The Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms and ensuring police have the capabilities they need protect communities from harm.

We are delivering the Safer Streets mission to create a safer, fairer country for all and have increased funding for policing by more than half a billion pounds next year, including over £260million for the core grant and additional funding for neighbourhood policing.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Home Office case reference MPAM/1253692/25, what steps is taking to expedite the resolution of a technical error on her Department's systems which is preventing the processing of skilled workers visas. \p Seema Malhotra: The issue raised relates to an individual case and the enrolment of data to the Home Office. It does not relate to a systemic issue with our I.T systems.

We are taking steps to resolve the issues surrounding the individual case and will respond with further details directly to the Honourable Member.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders of each nationality were living in the community in the most recent year for which data is available. \p Seema Malhotra: Any foreign national offender (FNO) convicted of a crime who receives a custodial sentence in the UK is considered for deportation consideration following sentencing.

The latest published information shows that at the end of Q3 2024 there were 18,069 FNOs living in the community having completed their custodial sentences and subject to deportation, a number that increased substantially during the previous government, and is more than three times the level recorded in the same quarter in 2017 (5,933). The breakdown of the nationality of these FNOs in the community is not available from published data. The published information can be found at: Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2024 - GOV.UK.

We will continue to pursue deportation action against individuals living in the community rigorously, actively monitoring and managing cases through the legal process and working hard to overcome any barriers to removal.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the savings to (a) local councils and (b) other public bodies of ending No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions on parents of dependent children. \p Seema Malhotra: It is a well-established principle that migrants coming to the UK should be able to maintain and support themselves and their families without creating a burden on the welfare system. That is the purpose of the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition and there are no plans to remove that condition.

Some temporary migrants are granted access to public funds, and in recognition of the fact that some individuals may need support despite being subject to an NRPF condition, safeguards exist.

Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support, regardless of immigration status, if it is established either that there is a risk to the wellbeing of a child or there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where a person has community care needs or serious health problems.  Support provided to a child by local authorities is not dependent on the immigration status of the child or their parent(s).
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) shoplifting, (b) retail crime and (c) crime and violence against shop workers in Beckenham and Penge constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: In the last year of the previous government shoplifting soared to a twenty-year high, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.

This Government will end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods under £200. This will remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.

We will also introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

As set out in the Autumn budget 2024, we will provide law enforcement with over £7 million over the next three financial years to help support police in tackling retail crime.

I remain committed to regular engagement with both the retail sector and policing through the Retail Crime Forum, to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement, which had its inaugural meeting at the end of 2024.
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in Gloucester. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to the police to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle retail crime in Gloucester. \p Dame Diana Johnson: In the last year of the previous government shoplifting soared to a twenty-year high, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this.

Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job and the Government is committed to tackling retail crime.

We will end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods of and under £200. This will remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.

We will also introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

As set out in the Autumn budget 2024, we will also provide law enforcement with over £7 million over the next three financial years to help support police in tackling retail crime.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Oral Statement of 16 January 2025 on Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Official Report, columns 560-563, what ethnicity data Baroness Casey's audit will use to examine the ethnic make up of grooming gangs. \p Jess Phillips: Further details of the Government’s work to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, including improved data collection on group-based CSE and the scope of Baroness Casey’s audit, will be provided in due course.
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Mr Connor Rand:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of police officers (a) were eligible for and (b) took statutory paternity leave in each of the last five years; and what the average number of weeks taken were for the same time period. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of police officers eligible for paternity leave or the length of time they were on paternity leave.
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Blair McDougall:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral evidence of 7 January 2025 given by Shein to the Business and Trade Select Committee, HC 370, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the compliance by Shein with slave labour legislation. \p Jess Phillips: The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted. All businesses should monitor their supply chains with rigour to uncover, report where appropriate, and remedy any instances of modern slavery they may find in their operations and supply chains.

Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, commercial businesses who operate in the UK and have a turnover of £36m or more must report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains by publishing an annual modern slavery statement. Businesses must ensure their statement has been approved by the Board, signed by a director and is available via the homepage of their website. They should publish the statement within 6 months of their financial year end.

While Section 54 was primarily designed to increase transparency, allowing scrutiny by consumers, investors, and civil society, the Government is considering how it can strengthen the Section 54 regime, including penalties for non-compliance.

The Home Office is currently working with a wide group of stakeholders from business, academia, and civil society to update the Section 54 Modern Slavery Act statutory guidance. This will further support businesses to produce high quality statements, which are underpinned by effective measures to prevent and effectively respond to instances of modern slavery in supply chains.
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Mr Connor Rand:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people left the police in each of the last five years; and whether her Department holds information on the five most common reasons given by those departing the police voluntarily. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of police personnel who leave the police service in England and Wales, on an annual basis, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales

Information on the number of leavers, by worker type and reason for leaving (including voluntary resignations), between the years ending 31 March 2007 and 2024, can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64ba76662059dc000d5d27c0/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.ods

The Home Office does not hold data on the specific reasons for voluntary resignations.
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Caroline Voaden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner's request for emergency funding to pay chief constables' salaries. \p Dame Diana Johnson: In 2025-26, Devon and Cornwall Police will receive up to £454.9 million. This is an increase of up to £25.5 million compared to the 2024-25 settlement.

Police and Crime Commissioners whose forces are facing unexpected additional costs may request funding through the Police Special Grant, in line with the published guidance.

Special grant guidance - GOV.UK
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Yuan Yang:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a comparative estimate of the funding allocation provided to (a) Thames Valley Police and (b) other regional police forces. \p Dame Diana Johnson: In December 2024, the Government published the 2025-26 provisional police funding settlement, which proposed funding of up to £19.5 billion for the policing system in England and Wales.

Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.4 billion, an increase of up to £987 million compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement.

In 2025-26, Thames Valley will receive up to £622.4 million, an increase of up to £35.8 million compared to 2024-25.

Funding allocations for all forces in England and Wales were confirmed via Written Ministerial Statement: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
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Dan Tomlinson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase (a) awareness of the PASS CitizenCard and (b) the number of licensed premises that accept it as a suitable form of identification. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government supports the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) and encourages all shops and licensed premises to accept PASS accredited cards as proof of age.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether all immediate choice officer pensions will be remedied by 1 April 2025. \p Dame Diana Johnson: While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces.

It is for each Chief Constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable, including when remedy payments will be distributed.

The Home Office is actively collaborating with policing to support the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected individuals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_192

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sexual harassment laws. \p Jess Phillips: Everyone has the right to both feel safe and be safe going about their day-to-day lives. That is why tackling sexual harassment is an important part of this Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.

There is a range of legislation that addresses sexual harassment. This includes offences in the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, Public Order Act 1986 and more recently, the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment Act 2023, which we are progressing for implementation.

We are strengthening protections against workplace sexual harassment through the Employment Rights Bill. It will require employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees and introduce an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties.

As with all legislation, the Government will continue to keep sexual harassment legislation under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_193

Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) domestic abuse and (b) violence against women and girls in Beckenham and Penge constituency. \p Jess Phillips: This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse, within a decade, and we will treat it as the national emergency that it is. We will go further than any Government has before to deliver a cross-Government transformative approach to tackling VAWG, underpinned by a new strategy to be published later this year.

We have already set out a number of measures to strengthen the police response to domestic abuse, increase protections for victims, and hold perpetrators to account. Starting in early 2025, a new approach called "Raneem's Law" will place domestic abuse specialists within 999 control rooms to advise on risk assessments, collaborate closely with officers on the ground, and expedite referrals to appropriate support services for victims. We are working with the police to develop a national framework utilising data-driven tools and algorithms to track and target high-harm offenders involved in domestic abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking.

In December, we also we set out a new package of six measures to tackle stalking including statutory guidance to empower the police to release the identities of online stalkers to protect victims, and a review of the stalking legislation to ensure it is fit for purpose.

These measures are important steps in tackling domestic abuse and violence against women and girls across the country, including in Beckenham and Penge.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_194

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the is value is of (a) Bitcoin and (b) other cryptocurrency held by the Government. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government does not hold any cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.

The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) contains powers to deprive criminals of their money, or other property connected to criminal activity, and recover the proceeds of crime, including cryptocurrencies. As with all assets, action to seize, recover and manage cryptoassets is for independent law enforcement bodies and the courts to consider.

We do not routinely publish the amount recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 by asset type. We publish annual statistics on the amount of proceeds of crime confiscated and recovered as detailed on GOV.UK Asset recovery statistics: financial years ending 2019 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_195

Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her definition of non-violent extremism is. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office published a definition of extremism in March 2024, under the previous government. There are no current plans to update this definition.

Further information can be found on gov.uk:

New definition of extremism (2024) - GOV.UK

Under this definition, extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_196

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published. \p Andrew Western: This Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.

As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Public reviews will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_197

Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department have been unable to secure further sponsorship following changes to the Skilled Worker salary threshold. \p Andrew Western: DWP does not hold this information centrally as this is information pertinent to individual circumstances and held by individuals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_198

Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many separated families applied to the Child Maintenance Service for advice on creating a family-based arrangement from 2021 to 2024; and how many parents who approached the Service did not proceed with a (a) Direct Pay and (b)Collect and Pay agreement in each of those years. \p Andrew Western: The information requested is not available. However, the Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance (GHACM) service opened on 18 November 2021 and provides individuals with information about options available for paying or getting support for a child, this includes how to make a private arrangement or how to apply to the Child Maintenance Service, if they choose to do so. There were 34,796 users who accessed GHACM and elected to pursue a private family-based arrangement. This accounted for 11% of GHACM users between 18 November 2021 and 31 December 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_199

Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what private sector companies the Child Maintenance Service has contracted to implement enforcement proceedings; what the value of each contract is; whether funds paid by parents are paid to such companies; and what accountability mechanisms are in place. \p Andrew Western: DWP holds a number of contracts to support Child Maintenance Service enforcement proceedings.

The suppliers collect funds on behalf of the Child Maintenance Service with the exception of contract for Scottish Legal Services which is in place to enable CMS to recover debt under Scottish Law. All contracts are based on government contracting and industry good practice to support the delivery of services for DWP. This includes meeting standards and regularly reviewed performance alongside compliance against relevant legislation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_200

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners no longer eligible for winter fuel payment in winter 2024-25. \p Torsten Bell: It is estimated that 9.2 million pensioners will lose their Winter Fuel Payments. This estimate was published in the OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_201

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the cost of new sign ups for Pension Credit between July and December 2024. \p Torsten Bell: The latest data on Pension Credit applications and awards covers the period between 1 April 2024 and 17 November 2024 and is available here: Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK. In the 16 weeks since the announcement on 29 July to means-test Winter Fuel Payment (which is up to and including end of week beginning 11 November), the Department received around 150,000 Pension Credit claims. The Department does not yet have an estimate of the value of these claims.

However, the Department estimates that the legislation to means-test Winter Fuel Payments would generate a saving of £1.3 billion in England and Wales for 2024/25. An estimated increase in Pension Credit take-up of five percentage points would reduce the overall saving by £0.3 billion in 2024-25 in England and Wales, but there is significant uncertainty around this element of the costing. For further details, please see: Economic and fiscal outlook – CP 1169.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_202

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Pension Credit applications were (a) made and (b) awarded by the smallest geographical area for which data is available since 29 July 2024. \p Torsten Bell: We do not hold data at regional or constituency level for applications made. Statistics published on 28 November 2024 show applications for Pension Credit received and also claims awarded since the 29 July 2024 announcement up to 17 November 2024. Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK.

Please note, the next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025.

The Department does not hold information regarding the number of Pension Credit claims awarded since 29 July 2024. The latest available data held on Stat-Xplore - Home shows Pension Credit caseload data by Parliamentary constituency at May 2024. Parliamentary constituency is the smallest geographical area available within the data.

The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_203

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Pension Credit claims have been awarded to (a) men and (b) women since 29 July 2024. \p Torsten Bell: The latest available data on Stat-Xplore - Home - Home shows that, in May 2024, 1,355,256 Pension Credit claims were in place, of which 457,065 had been awarded to men and 898,193 had been awarded to women.

The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-22 conversation_204

Mr Paul Foster:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of pensioners receive Pension Credit in South Ribble constituency; and how many of these are new recipients since 31 July 2024. \p Torsten Bell: The latest available data shows that in Winter 2023 to 2024, there were 14,717 pensioner households living in the South Ribble constituency. This is based on winter-fuel-payments-household-2023-to-2024.ods.

At that point in time, 1,528 pensioner households received Pension Credit in the South Ribble constituency. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore.

Based on these figures, 10.4% of pensioner households in the South Ribble constituency received Pension Credit in February 2024.

The latest Pension Credit statistics were published in November 2024 and cover the period up to May 2024. The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.