theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the process for booking a driving test through the DVLA test booking system on the mental health of young people. \p Lilian Greenwood: As part of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) plan to reduce driving test waiting times, announced in December 2024, the agency launched a call for evidence seeking views and experiences of booking and managing practical car driving tests, which received almost 27,000 responses. The DVSA analysed the evidence from this and developed proposals on improving processes.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced the consultation, following on from the call for evidence, had been fast-tracked.

As acknowledged in the announcement regarding these measures, DVSA understands the potential impact on learner drivers, including younger drivers, and the importance of helping learners pass quickly.

The consultation launched on 28 May. Views are being sought from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties. The consultation will close at 11:59pm on 23 July 2025.

The consultation has already seen a large number of responses. Once closed, and all responses analysed, DVSA will announce next steps as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of bus services, in the context of the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan. \p Simon Lightwood: Increasing the availability of bus services and continuing the rollout of zero emission buses are vital to decarbonising our transport system. We want to ensure that the more sustainable choice is the more convenient choice. The government will deliver an updated Carbon Budget Delivery Plan later this year, detailing policies to decarbonise all sectors, including transport, out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037.

As part of the government’s ambitious plan for bus reform, we introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming around £900 million each year from 26/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to make an assessment of the potential impact of rural transport connections on economic development in North Shropshire constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The government recognises the importance of accessible, frequent and affordable public transport and is working to deliver better services, grow passenger numbers, and increase opportunities for under-served regions. This is a vital part of the government’s missions to kickstart economic growth and remove barriers to opportunity.

I am committed to working closely with other government departments, including the Department for Business and Trade to ensure the government can realise its ambitious plans for local transport reform, including in North Shropshire and rural areas right across England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of electric vehicle charging costs on drivers in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire. \p Lilian Greenwood: The UK Government is committed to making electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure affordable for all. We continue to work with Ofgem and others on measures to keep the cost of EV charging affordable for consumers including those in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire.

Transport, including the rollout of public EV chargepoints, is largely devolved to the Scottish Government. However, my officials regularly engage with Transport Scotland on zero emission vehicle initiatives, including charging infrastructure development. A range of UK Government grants are also available to support the installation of charging infrastructure in homes, workplaces and schools across the country: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electric-vehicle-chargepoint-grants.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of transport infrastructure in the rural parts of the Broxtowe constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: This Government is committed to restoring pride and trust in a transport system that works – day in, day out – for the people who rely on it.

That is why we have allocated very substantial funding to the East Midlands Combined County Authority, to enable it to make the best decisions about how to maintain and improve its local transport network, including in Broxtowe.

This funding includes over £2 billion until 2031/32 from the Transport for City Regions settlements, as well as £75 million in 2025/26 for local highway maintenance and £40 million in 2025/26 in Local Authority Bus Grant.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department plans to issue to Local Transport Authorities on (a) identifying and (b) protecting socially necessary bus services under enhanced partnership provisions in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department has been engaging with local transport authorities and other stakeholders to develop the relevant guidance for this measure. This will include information on identifying socially necessary local services and provide examples of the options local transport authorities can consider when implementing it. The guidance will be published once the Bill receives Royal Assent and as part of a wider update to guidance for Enhanced Partnerships.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the capacity of Local Transport Authorities to implement the new bylaw-making and enforcement powers introduced in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department introduced the byelaws measure into the Bus Services (No.2) Bill following engagement with Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and will continue to draw on their expertise to shape subsequent guidance after the Bill receives Royal Assent.

The byelaws provisions aim to reduce administrative burdens on LTAs, give them greater flexibility and make it easier for LTAs to prevent behaviours such as vaping, smoking, causing a nuisance, and obstructing services.

The Bill aligns powers on buses with those already in place for light and heavy rail, enabling LTAs to authorise their officers to enforce these rules directly.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to modernise public transport technology for buses in Fylde constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The government is committed to delivering better bus services for passengers and has confirmed investment of £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £712 million allocated to local authorities which can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including modernising the technology used to support bus services. Lancashire County Council has been allocated over £27 million of this funding.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in buses at the Spending Review by confirming continued funding each year to maintain and improve vital bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

The Spending Review also confirmed £2.3 billion through the Local Transport Grant over the Spending Review period for local transport improvements in places outside areas receiving Transport for City Regions settlements, which could include supporting improvements to bus technology and infrastructure. Lancashire County Council have been allocated £215 million of this funding over the financial years 2026-2030.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce fatalities involving young drivers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Lilian Greenwood: We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this.

THINK!, the Government’s flagship road safety campaign aims to change attitudes and behaviours among those at risk of injury on our roads. The primary audience for THINK! is young men aged 17-24. The campaign runs nationally across England and Wales targeting priority issues such as drink driving and speeding, as well as communicating key policy interventions.

Government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.
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Torcuil Crichton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures she is considering to expand blue light and siren permissions to more voluntary rescue services. \p Lilian Greenwood: Consolidating blue light and siren permissions for all voluntary search and rescue organisations operating under UK Search and Rescue (UKSAR) governance will be considered by Ministers in due course.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of completing a road safety strategy for Yeovil constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: This Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing a Road Safety Strategy and are considering a variety of measures which will have national reach. More details will be set out in due course.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) local authorities and (b) communities in Lancashire on relocation plans for migrants. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders including in Lancashire, 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.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question HL7763 on Asylum: Housing, what the absolute number of individual hotels that housed the 32,345 people is as of 31 March 2025; and what was the equivalent number of hotels used in June 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 31 March to Question 41380.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much (a) her Department and (b) its contractors have spent on the rent or lease of (i) caravan and mobile homes and (ii) park homes for housing asylum seekers since July 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Zero.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to complete the review of the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. \p Dame Angela Eagle: This work is being carried out at pace, and we will provide further updates in the normal way in due course.
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Uma Kumaran:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that accommodation for housing asylum seekers (a) meets adequate minimum standards and (b) protects residents against (i) mistreatment, (ii) exploitation, (iii) sexual abuse and (iv) other abuse. \p Dame Angela Eagle: All asylum seekers have access to a 24/7 AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help where they can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services, and they can get information about how to obtain further support.

The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and the standards we expect.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants have been apprehended in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire in the last 12 months. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The requested data is not held centrally, and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that illegal immigration cases in Fylde constituency are processed (a) effectively and (b) efficiently. \p Dame Angela Eagle: At national level, we have invested in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to speed up and simplify asylum decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and cut the cost to the taxpayer of providing those individuals with asylum support.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 56248 on Neighbourhood Policing: Aldridge-Brownhills, on how many occasions she has met the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to discuss local policing numbers. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has met with the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention to discuss local policing numbers and has also attended meetings chaired by the Minister along with other PCCs to discuss delivery on a broader scale.

The Government is committed to delivering the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, and investing £200 million to kick start the process of putting an extra 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles to ensure policing visibility in every community and deter, prevent and respond to crime.

West Midlands Police has been allocated £12,210,903 from the £200 million fund for 2025/26. Based on their funding allocation, the projected growth for West Midlands Police over 2025/26 will be 289 police officers (FTE) and 20 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce shoplifting in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Through our Safer Streets Mission, we are committed to ensuring that people feel safe on our streets and in their communities.

To help tackle retail crime, we will provide £5 million over the next three years to continue to fund Opal, the national policing intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime.

We will also invest £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We will also end the effective immunity for shop theft of and below £200 sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce rural business crime in North Shropshire constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Rural crime has devastating consequences on countryside communities and the agricultural sector. Through our Safer Streets Mission, rural businesses will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent equipment theft and fly-tipping.

Rural communities can also be assured that visible, neighbourhood policing is returning to our communities. On 10 April, the Prime Minister outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that by July, every community, including rural communities, will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing their issues.

This financial year we are providing the first Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit, a national policing unit which help forces tackle rural crime priorities and is a great example of farmers and police working together at national and local level.

As one part of efforts to help tackle theft of agricultural equipment, we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to tackle the theft and re-sale of high-value agricultural equipment.

In addition, we are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police is tackling retail crime. This includes continuing to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the national intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime – in partnership with the retail sector – to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify organised retail crime offenders in every area of the county.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to assess the reliability of non-deterministic AI before it is used to support (a) policing, (b) public safety and (c) immigration processes. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The government recognises the importance of operational trust in AI systems. The Home Office is actively working to ensure the responsible adoption of AI technologies within our processes.

This includes evaluation and assurance of AI tools in line with relevant industry guidance and regulatory standards including HMG AI frameworks.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question HL7327 on Independent Office for Police Conduct, for what reason the Independent Office for Police Conduct continues to hold a paid membership of Stonewall, in the context of the cancellation of subscriptions by the (a) Home Office and (b) other departments. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Independent Office for Police Conduct is independent of the Home Office and other Departments.

Subscriptions to third party organisations are for them to decide.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57984 on Road Traffic Offences: Speed Limits, how many drivers undertook a second driver retraining course between 2019 and 2024. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of speed limit offences that resulted in ‘driver retraining’, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.

The latest data is available here Police powers and procedures: Roads policing, to December 2023 - GOV.UK and covers the calendar year ending December 2023.

However, offences cannot be linked and data on how many drivers undertook a second driver retraining course is not held centrally.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children under 16 are recorded as missing in (a) Birmingham and (b) the west midlands. \p Jess Phillips: The Home Office does not hold this data centrally. Individual police forces hold information about current missing persons incidents.

Annual missing people statistics, broken down to police force level, are published by the National Crime Agency’s UK Missing Person’s Unit (UKMPU) (Downloads - National Crime Agency). According to the most recent UKMPU data report, in 2022/23 there were 10,899 incidents of children under 18 reported missing to West Midlands Police, which related to 3,940 individual children.
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John Lamont:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the devolved Administrations on extending the remit for the commission into grooming gangs and child exploitation to include (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland. \p Jess Phillips: Whilst child protection is fully devolved in the UK and policing devolved except for Wales, all parts of the UK must work together to protect children and bring perpetrators to justice.

The Independent Commission into group-based child sexual exploitation will have statutory powers, and the chair will determine the Commission's procedure and conduct. We expect any relevant findings to be shared with devolved administrations to support a comprehensive approach across the UK. We will announce further details on the Commission, including the appointment of an independent chair, in due course.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the length of prison sentences for people convicted of offences in connection with paedophile rings. \p Jess Phillips: Home Office Ministers have regular discussions with their counterparts across Government, including the Ministry of Justice, on measures to tackle the heinous crime of child sexual abuse and exploitation and ensure perpetrators face the full force of the law.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government is legislating to make grooming a statutory aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences. This will include (but is not limited to) offences committed by individuals involved in grooming gangs.

Where a sentencing court concludes that a child sex offence was involved or was facilitated by grooming behaviour, it will be obliged to treat this as an aggravating factor, for which a more substantial penalty is accessible.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) staff headcount, (b) full-time equivalent number of staff and (c) departmental budget required to administer the Frontier Worker Visa scheme was in each year between 2021-22 and 2024-25. \p Seema Malhotra: The department operates a flexible staffing model to ensure that available resources are deployed effectively according to demand. As such, staff engaged on the Frontier Worker Visa scheme are also engaged in the administration of other high-volume routes.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the definition of child sexual exploitation that is used by (a) the police and (b) children's services. \p Jess Phillips: ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ is the statutory guidance on multi-agency working to help, support and protect children. This guidance includes a definition of child sexual exploitation to inform the practice of all multi-agency partners, including police and children’s services: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which UK Visas and Immigration international (a) application points and (b) decision-making centres processed applications to work in (i) construction, (ii) maintenance and (iii) seafaring roles in the offshore wind industry under the Offshore Wind Workers Concession scheme between 2017 and 2023. \p Seema Malhotra: Visa applications for the Offshore Wind Workers Concession Scheme were processed by the following Decision Making Centres (DMCs): Riyadh, Beijing, Manila, Bogota, Istanbul, Pretoria, Chennai, Warsaw, Abu Dhabi, Amman, New Delhi, Croydon, Liverpool and Sheffield.

A number of construction, maintenance and seafaring roles were also processed by the above DMCs.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Frontier Worker Permits were (a) issued and (b) valid in 2024-25. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa type, including Frontier Worker Permits, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the ‘detailed entry clearance dataset’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data is from January 2005 up to the end of March 2025.

Information on how many visas were valid in a given period is not currently available from published statistics.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's response to Recommendation 3 of the report entitled National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published on 16 June 2025, what her planned timetable is for introducing a disregard for convictions of people who were (a) groomed and (b) convicted of prostitution as children. \p Jess Phillips: The Government has announced its intention to implement a disregard scheme for convictions and cautions issued to under 18s for the offence of persistently loitering or soliciting in a street or public place for the purpose of prostitution (Section 1 of Street Offences Act, 1959).

Any individual who has received convictions or cautions while under 18 for this offence will be able to apply to the scheme, regardless of whether they have been a victim of ‘grooming’ or ‘group-based child sexual exploitation’.

This reflects the Government’s belief that any procurement of sex from an individual aged under 18 is sexual exploitation of children.

The Government is collaborating now with relevant authorities to determine the implementation timeframe for this scheme and will announce this in due course.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases are under consideration for potential prosecution in relation to travellers in Northern Ireland not having a valid electronic travel authorisation between 1 January and 1 June 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: Journeys from Ireland to the UK are within the Common Travel Area (CTA). As part of the CTA arrangements, the UK does not operate routine immigration controls of individuals arriving in the UK by air or sea from within the CTA, and no immigration checks are undertaken at the land border with Ireland.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that children who experience child sexual abuse feel more confident (a) to report that abuse and (b) that all reports will be listened to and taken seriously. \p Jess Phillips: Through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government is legislating to introduce a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse for those undertaking regulated activity with children in England.

It will ensure that the words of children who are seeking help are heard, and it will provide much-needed clarity for those working with young people on how to respond appropriately when faced with these concerns. It will also apply the strongest possible measures to anyone who seeks to cover up abuse of this kind.

The introduction of this measure will be an important moment for young people who do not speak out because of fears they would not be listened to – a mandatory duty to report means they can speak to trusted adults with confidence on the next steps that will be taken.

Since 2016, the Home Office has also funded the independent Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (‘CSA Centre’) to improve understanding of the scale and nature of child sexual abuse, and strengthen the ability of professionals to identify and respond effectively to it through the provision of evidence-based training and practice resources. The CSA Centre supports professionals across policing, justice, children’s services, education, health and the third-sector.

Its resources include a ‘Signs and Indicators’ template, which supports professionals in recording and communicating their concerns about possible child sexual abuse and a ‘Communicating with Children’ guide, which provides guidance on how to talk to children about child sexual abuse, and what professionals can do to help children communicate what is happening.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the standard qualifying period for settlement to people who are already on the five year pathway to settlement. \p Seema Malhotra: A technical annex has been published alongside the White Paper. It can be found at the following link: Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper - GOV.UK

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be updated at that time. An impact assessment will be developed alongside any finalised policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the white paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether people who (a) are already living in the UK and (b) hold active visas will still be able apply for indefinite leave to remain. \p Seema Malhotra: We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be updated at that time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_110

Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether groomed children have been placed on the sex offenders register. \p Jess Phillips: Baroness Casey's Audit signalled concerns that victims of child sexual exploitation have been unjustly criminalised and treated as perpetrators for actions taken whilst under the coercion of groomers. As an immediate first step, we will legislate in the Crime and Policing Bill to introduce a disregard scheme for individuals who as children were convicted or cautioned for the offence of loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution. We will work with relevant bodies across the criminal justice system to ensure any such cases are identified, reviewed and that victims are properly supported.

The notification requirements for sex offenders (often referred to as "the sex offenders' register") are an automatic consequence of a conviction or caution for an offence in Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Offenders subject to the notification requirements must notify their personal details (e.g., their name(s), address(es) and national insurance number) to the police annually or whenever their details change. The notification requirements apply to adult and juvenile offenders, although their duration is halved for juveniles.

The offence of loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution has never been in Schedule 3 to the 2003 Act, so convictions or cautions for that offence have not triggered the notification requirements for sex offenders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_111

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of cryptocurrency use in illicit finance; and what steps she is taking to reduce this activity. \p Dan Jarvis: Directed by the Economic Crime Plan 2 (and supported by an Economic Crime Levy funding) UK law enforcement is investing in improving both its capacity and capability to investigate the criminal use of cryptoassets. This includes:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_112

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cryptocurrency-related suspicious activity reports were filed with the National Crime Agency in each of the last three years. \p Dan Jarvis: The number of cryptocurrency-related suspicious activity reports filed in each of the last three years were:

FY 2021/22 – 73,652

FY 2022/23 – 78,132

FY 2023/24 – 70,222

Figures for FY 2024/25 are not yet available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_113

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) internal and (b) external Prevent guidance her Department has drafted on cultural nationalism; and what her Department’s definition is of cultural nationalism. \p Dan Jarvis: The current Prevent duty guidance, including reference to cultural nationalism, was last revised under the previous Government on 6 March 2024, and is available at: Prevent duty guidance: Guidance for specified authorities in England and Wales
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_114

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 53973 on Defending Democracy Taskforce, if she will publish the assessment on Transnational Repression in the UK. \p Dan Jarvis: Owing to the classified nature of the findings, the Transnational Repression Review will not be a publicly available document.

My Written Ministerial Statement on 14 May provides an overview of the Review’s key findings and recommendations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_115

Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to reinstate two weeks of compulsory work experience in schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: Earlier this year, we updated the careers statutory guidance reflecting the revised Gatsby Benchmarks of good careers guidance and included the new definition of meaningful workplace experiences to raise the quality of work experience.

In this guidance we also set out the vision for this government’s priority for the delivery of two weeks’ worth of meaningful work experience for all pupils over the course of their secondary education, irrespective of background.

Building on the Gatsby Benchmark 6 definition for Experiences of Workplaces, we will ensure that all pupils have multiple, meaningful and varied high-quality workplace experiences, including one weeks’ worth of workplace activities between years 7-9 and one weeks’ worth of work placement between years 10-11, progressively increasing their exposure to different places of work.

We are currently piloting a new flexible model of work experience, designed to reduce barriers for young people, schools and employers. The department will set out more details of the work experience guarantee in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_116

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any of the funding announced in the Spending Review for reform of the SEND system will be used to cover existing SEND related deficits at local authority level. \p Catherine McKinnell: At the 2025 Spending Review, the department announced that funding for schools will increase by £4.7 billion per year by 2028/29 compared to the 2025/26 core schools budget, which was published in the Spring Statement 2025.

This additional funding will enable us to transform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system to make mainstream education more inclusive and improve outcomes for children with SEND.

Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform, including how we will ensure children get the support they need earlier, will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

We do not expect local authorities to use their future high needs funding allocations to pay down their historic deficits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_117

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage more opportunities in schools for music and orchestra lessons. \p Catherine McKinnell: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

As part of our Opportunity Mission, the department wants to widen access to the arts, including music, so young people can develop their creativity.

On 18 March 2025, the department announced its intention to launch a National Centre for Arts and Music Education to promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic interests in school, including through the government’s network of Music Hubs.

The government has also committed £79 million per year for Music Hubs to the 2025/26 academic year. The 43 Music Hubs partnerships offer musical instrument tuition, instrument loaning, and whole-class ensemble teaching in schools. It is for schools and Hubs to decide in relation to lessons that support orchestral music.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_118

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the increase to the core schools budget for 2025-26 and 2026-27 is expected to be spent by schools in covering part of the (a) recent teacher pay rise and (b) National Insurance contribution increase. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department is providing £1.4 billion to support schools with their increases to employer National Insurance contributions and staff pay awards in the 2025/26 financial year. Following the spring Spending Review, this level of funding will continue, and we announced additional funding that will take core school budgets to £65.9 billion by the 2028/29 financial year. Schools have autonomy over how they use their core funding to best meet their priorities, including any decisions on staffing.

More information on core funding allocations for 2026/27 will be announced in the autumn, as part of the usual national funding formulae process. Costs such as pay for future years are currently uncertain and subject to the outcomes of separate pay processes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_119

James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to the letter of 23 May 2025 from the hon. Member for North West Norfolk. \p Catherine McKinnell: I can confirm that a response to the correspondence dated 23 May 2025 from the hon. Member for North West Norfolk was sent on 25 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_120

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, CP 1336, published on 11 June 2025, what the £248 million of technical efficiencies are. \p Janet Daby: Spending Review 2025 delivers on the Plan for Change and sets out spending plans for the rest of the Parliament. The settlement for the department ensures we can invest in excellence for every child, so that their background will not dictate what they go on to achieve.

The department has worked with the Office for Value for Money to identify £248 million of technical efficiencies by 2028/29. Details of these technical efficiencies are included in paragraphs 2.11 to 2.13 of the Departmental Efficiency Plans document, which was published alongside the main Spending Review document. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/departmental-efficiency-delivery-plans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_121

Helen Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on implementing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. \p Janet Daby: The government recognises that lifelong learning is a core part of a sustainable higher education system which provides opportunities for all and offers learners greater flexibility in an ever-evolving economy. We are committed to supporting lifelong learning as part of our wider commitment to skills.

Since the general election, we have been working to ensure that our approach to lifelong learning is as effective as possible, enabling people to gain the skills they need to support their careers.

We are currently working through the outcomes of the multi-year Spending Review on policies and programmes across the department. We recognise the importance of communicating our Lifelong Learning Entitlement policy detail and plan to share this as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-25 conversation_122

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of smartphone bans in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools on educational attainment. \p Stephen Morgan: Mobile phones have no place in our schools.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.

New research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools – 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools – already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.