theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many suppliers have been excluded from public contracts for failing to meet environmental procurement criteria since 5 July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: For contracts awarded under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which was established by the previous government, exclusions information is not collated centrally.

However, the Procurement Act 2023 (which came into effect on 24 February 2025) introduces a new requirement on contracting authorities to notify an appropriate authority where a supplier has been excluded.

To date, there has not been a notification of exclusion under the environmental misconduct grounds.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of procurement training for his Department has been delivered by organisations affiliated with trade unions since 5 July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: Information on supplier organisations’ affiliations with trade unions is not held.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2025 to Question 30473 on Prime Minister: Press Conferences, how many people attended the event. \p Georgia Gould: This was an official government event, with attendees and an audience that included members of the public, business people, and public sector workers. 286 people RSVPed to attend.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2025 to Question 30473 on Prime Minister: Press Conferences, for what reason members of the Labour party were invited to the event; and whether the Labour party contributed to the cost of the event. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 20 February 2025, Official Report, PQ 30473. The Labour Party did not contribute to the cost of the event.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans she has to reduce the number of attacks on prison staff. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Staff must be able to expect a safe and decent work environment. We will not tolerate any violence against prison officers and prisoners who are violent towards staff will face the full consequences of their actions.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 doubled the maximum penalty to up to two years’ imprisonment for those who assault emergency workers, including prison officers.

To protect staff from serious assaults, PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray – is available for use by prison officers in the adult male estate.

Over 13,000 next generation Body Worn Video Cameras are available across public sector prisons, meaning every Band 3-5 officer can wear a camera whilst on shift. This will provide high-quality evidence to support prosecutions against those who commit assaults against staff. All cameras have pre-record capability which will help capture the lead up to events.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to reduce deaths in custody. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigates the deaths of prisoners in custody. The investigations are a vital tool to ensure lessons are learned following deaths in prison and to improve safety outcomes in the future.

We provide individualised support through our case management process for people assessed as at risk of suicide and self-harm. This approach places a strong emphasis on identifying individual risks, triggers and protective factors and having effective care plans in place to record, address and mitigate risks.

All new members of staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention.

We continue to work with Samaritans to provide support in the period following a self-inflicted death in order to reduce the risk of further deaths and for the delivery of the Listener scheme, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for banned drivers causing harm to (a) children, (b) animals and (c) other vulnerable road users; and whether she plans to review those guidelines. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Driving offences have widespread impact on our communities and can have devastating consequences for victims, their families and their friends. The Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority.

Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so. The guidelines produced provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. The Sentencing Council also recently published revised guidelines which consolidate existing legislation around banned drivers. These will come into effect next month, on 1 April 2025.

The Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out next steps on this in due course.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department provides support to Safeline’s national male rape helpline. \p Alex Davies-Jones: For FY 2024-25 the Ministry of Justice has allocated grant funding of £244,887 to Safeline to deliver the National Male Survivor Helpline and Online Support Service.

The grant for the National Male Survivor Helpline and Online Support Service, delivered by Safeline, will expire on 31 March 2025. The Ministry of Justice has worked with Safeline on their exit planning arrangements for our grant funding and the Department was informed that the helpline service will continue due to Safeline securing alternative funding.

The 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, funded by the Department and currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales, will be extended until 31 March 2026. This service supports all victims of sexual violence, regardless of their gender.

We inherited a criminal justice system in crisis as well as an incredibly challenging financial inheritance meaning difficult decisions are needed across the board. These are not calls we have taken lightly - but by continuing to protect funding for sexual violence and domestic abuse services, we will make sure brave victims can get the vital help they need to rebuild their lives.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department provides support to SurvivorsUK’s webchat. \p Alex Davies-Jones: For FY 2024-25 the Ministry of Justice has allocated grant funding of £127,463 to SurvivorsUK to deliver the National Male Survivors’ Online Helpline.

The grant for the National Male Survivors’ Online Helpline, delivered by SurvivorsUK, will expire on 31 March 2025. The Ministry of Justice has worked with SurvivorsUK on their exit planning arrangements for our grant funding and the Department was informed that the online helpline service will continue due to SurvivorsUK securing alternative funding.

The 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, funded by the Department and currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales, will be extended until 31 March 2026. This service supports all victims of sexual violence, regardless of their gender.

We inherited a criminal justice system in crisis as well as an incredibly challenging financial inheritance meaning difficult decisions across the board. These are not calls we have taken lightly - but by continuing to protect funding for sexual violence and domestic abuse services, we will make sure brave victims can get the vital help they need to rebuild their lives.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding is available to the Male Rape Fund in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) was recommissioned in 2023. To streamline the funding schemes that specialist sexual abuse organisations needed to apply to, the Ministry of Justice amalgamated the Male Rape Support Services Fund into one RASASF.

£21 million is committed to the RASASF in each year: 2024-25 and 2025-26. Grant funded activities support all victims of rape and sexual abuse, including men and boys, to cope with their experiences and move forward with their lives.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 36654 on Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, how many private family law proceedings (a) involved allegations of child sexual abuse and (b) resulted in the child coming into contact with the alleged abuser again in 2022-23. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The requested information is not recorded centrally. The relevant data could only be obtained by an analysis of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve the retention of coroners. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Whilst the Ministry of Justice has responsibility for coroner and inquest law and policy, coroner services are locally funded and administered by individual local authorities. In line with this framework, coroners are appointed by the lead local authority for a coroner area, with the consent of the Lord Chancellor and the Chief Coroner.

In its response to the Justice Committee in December 2024, the Government endorsed the Committee’s view that the coroner service in England and Wales “is staffed with highly skilled and dedicated people performing a difficult but essential service”. We are therefore committed to continuing to work with the Chief Coroner to ensure consistency, high standards and better resilience across coroner services​.

In addition, we support steps taken by the Chief Coroner to improve the system of regional governance in her office, including enhancing the role of regional leadership coroners and creation of a diversity and inclusion lead and wellbeing lead. These leadership coroners work alongside the Chief Coroner and the deputy Chief Coroners to encourage consistency of approach at a regional level and to support the link between the Chief Coroner, her Office and the coroner judiciary as a whole.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to help tackle image-based abuse. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade as part of the Safer Streets mission. This will require a cross-government approach, and Minister Phillips at the Home Office and I co-chair the VAWG Ministerial Group which regularly brings together Ministers from relevant Departments to ensure we are using all government levers available to achieve our mission. The Government’s VAWG strategy will be published this year with contributions from across Whitehall, including on joint steps to tackle image-based abuse.

Tackling intimate image abuse requires a combined effort from colleagues across government, namely, Home Office, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Ministry of Justice, as well as Ofcom. As a first step, we have confirmed that we will legislate this parliament to make it a criminal offence to create sexually explicit deepfake images. This is alongside introducing new offences for the taking of intimate images without consent and the installation of equipment with intent to enable the taking of intimate images without consent.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget for victim and witness support services was in 2024-25. \p Alex Davies-Jones: We do not routinely publish the full Ministry of Justice budget for victim and witness support services, as funding awards are subject to change and many services will receive funding from multiple sources. At the end of the financial year, a breakdown of grant funding is made publicly available on the Government Grants Information System, covering the previous financial period of grant spending.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make it her Department's policy to remove all foreign national offenders from UK prisons. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The removal of foreign national offenders (FNOs) is an important priority of this Government. FNOs who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation.

After sentencing, FNOs are considered for removal under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) subject to the Home Office issuing a deportation order. The ERS enables the removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of their custodial sentence. FNOs deported under the ERS are barred from returning to the UK.

Between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025, 2,925 FNOs have been returned from prison and the community - 21% more than the 2,422 in the same period under the previous Government, 12 months prior. This includes 1,557 ERS removals from prison - a 26% increase compared to the same period under the previous Government 12 months prior.

We have invested £5 million for 82 new FNO Specialist roles in prisons to speed up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country. Staff will be in post by April 2025. We will also fast-track removals through a new returns and enforcement unit, with an additional 1,000 Home Office staff.
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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total value is of penalty charges imposed on Serco for underperformance in relation to its electronic tagging contract since November 2023. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Serco’s performance is not good enough, and last year’s backlog of outstanding visits has been substantially reduced. We will continue to hold Serco to account and will not hesitate to impose further contract penalties, where necessary, to drive performance improvement.

The Ministry of Justice believes that the information is commercially sensitive and releasing this information would prejudice, or would likely prejudice, Serco Group Limited’s commercial interests.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the number of prison places removed through (a) prisons closing, (b) parts of prisons being removed from use, (c) loss of modular units, (d) reductions in crowding places and (e) other removals was in each year from the earliest year for which data are available. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: As previously set out in an ad-hoc release in October 2024, the previous Government only managed to increase prison capacity by c.500 places between May 2010 and April 2024.

As we have also previously published, the previous Labour Government added nearly 28,000 places to the prison estate, however available records do not provide a breakdown for these figures.

The answers to both questions, dating back to 2010, have been provided as an Excel document alongside this response. Please note that HMPPS does not collate data in the specific categories requested in PQ 36626 so these have been substituted for the equivalent categories in which the data is held. The ‘other’ category in the table includes all other changes such as places temporarily out of use for maintenance.

Lastly, due to the complexities around prison crowding data, we are unable to provide a breakdown alongside the other information. However, data on prison crowding is published annually and a comprehensive overview can be viewed at HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV.UK.

36624_36626_table (xlsx, 16.4KB)
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has considered expanding the definition of assault of a retail worker to include retail home delivery drivers. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, sending a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. The Bill is making its way through Parliament and had its Second Reading on 10 March.

As introduced, the definition of a ‘retail worker’ does not include delivery drivers. Keeping a tight definition provides legal clarity and ensures there is less ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Workers whose roles are not included are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH).

That said, the whole purpose of the parliamentary process is to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and we will, of course, consider carefully any amendments and supporting evidence.
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Brian Leishman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason Ministers in her Department met with Elbit Systems on 16 December 2024. \p Dame Diana Johnson: No ministers have met Elbit Systems on 16th December 2024.
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Brian Leishman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had meetings to discuss Palestine Action since July 2024. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Home Office ministers regularly meet with officials to discuss the safety and security of the public.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of police officers in Greater Manchester. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime.

We are clear that visible policing is essential to restoring public confidence in the police.

For 2025-26, £376.8 million will be available to forces to maintain officer numbers. Of this £270.1m is ringfenced which Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be able to access by demonstrating that they have maintained their officer numbers.

Greater Manchester Police has also been allocated £11,556,938 in funding for 2025-26 to kickstart the increase of neighbourhood policing personnel as part of this Government's plan to deliver a total increase of 13,000 across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament. Our approach to delivery in 2025-26, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible, and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will review the adequacy of its policies on police forces supporting foreign jurisdictions, in the context of the case of Ali Kololo. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Our thoughts are with Mrs. Tebbutt and her family, Mr. Kololo and all those who have been affected by this terrible crime.

The operationally independent Metropolitan Police continue to progress matters relating to Mr. Kololo’s case.

Under Section 26 of the Police Act 1996, the Home Secretary is responsible for providing consent for the deployment of all serving police officers and staff from England & Wales forces overseas and where advice or assistance is being provided to a foreign agency. The Section 26 process is a rigorous process undertaken by officials across His Majesty’s Government exercising due diligence on any proposed Police deployments, including that assistance overseas meets the UK’s human rights obligations and values.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help improve the effectiveness of the (a) collection and (b) dissemination of neighbourhood crime data. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Information on offences including vehicle-related theft, domestic burglary, theft from the person and robbery of personal property is routinely included in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime Survey for England Wales and by the Home Office from police forces based on crimes reported to the police in England and Wales. The ONS already publishes such data in their quarterly ‘Crime in England and Wales’ statistics release.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether they have made an estimate of the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in their Department on annual staffing costs. \p Dame Diana Johnson: No such estimate has been made, but I would refer the Hon Member to the Cabinet Office guidance on the Civil Service Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Expenditure, published under the previous government in May 2024, which states:

Internal Efficiency Measures

18. Internal measures are important to promote efficient and effective EDI practice, which aligns to Government priorities. To ensure EDI spend in the Civil Service is commensurate with agreed organisational priorities the following measures must be considered:

c. Incorporate standalone EDI staffing roles into broader HR: The responsibility for EDI delivery should be embedded into HR professionals’ broader accountabilities. The CS D&I Strategy frames an approach where diversity and inclusion is not an end in itself, but an integral means of delivering better outcomes for our citizens. To deliver this, and move away from tokenistic, albeit well-intentioned actions, to produce truly transformative delivery our HR professionals are required to take ownership of EDI and focus the approach against the key areas of an employee lifecycle that make the biggest impact for all our people: recruitment, talent management, learning & development, leadership, culture and tackling bullying harassment and discrimination when it occurs.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to ban the use of DeepSeek by her Department. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government has a robust set of security policies in place to oversee how information is handled, within our buildings, on our IT, and by our staff.

We keep these policies under constant review to ensure they are applicable to new technologies.

The UK Government only uses corporately assured Generative AI tools to process HMG information. Everyone who works in government has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share, and all government departments are required to meet a range of mandatory security standards.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of racial attacks in football game settings in the last 12 months. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is determined to tackle hate crime across England and Wales, including offences that occur at football matches, and we are clear there is no place for racism in sport or society.

We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to all forms of hate crime, including racial attacks. There is an expectation in law that anyone convicted of a hate crime offence linked to a football match will receive a football banning order, preventing them from attending all regulated football matches in England and Wales for a period of three to five years, or six to ten years if a custodial sentence is imposed.

We back the police in taking strong action against perpetrators of these appalling offences and we are continuing to fund the UK Football Policing Unit, which works in conjunction with the Government and the National Police Chiefs’ Council Football Lead (NPCC) to reduce all forms of violence, anti-social behaviour and disorder at football events involving UK football teams.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on football-related disorder in England and Wales. This includes information on the number of matches with reported incidents of hate crimes relating to race. The latest available data, which covers the 2023 to 2024 season, can be found in table 11 of the supporting data tables to the Football-related arrests and banning orders publication on GOV.UK: 'Football-related arrests and banning orders, England and Wales: 2023 to 2024 data tables'.

The Government also works with sports bodies, including Sport England, UK Sport, and national governing bodies, to tackle racism and discrimination in sport, and we expect them to take robust action whenever it occurs.

Policing is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the backlog of settled status applications. \p Seema Malhotra: As of the end of December 2024, 98% of all applications for status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) have been concluded by the Home Office. Information on average processing times can be found on GOV.UK at EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK.

The majority of applications are decided very quickly. However, in some instances, where a case is less straightforward, the overall processing time will vary as caseworkers endeavor to engage with applicants to help them provide the evidence needed to support their application.

At present, most applications to the EUSS are from people who already hold an initial grant of pre-settled status and who are applying to upgrade to settled status. Earlier this year, the Home Office has introduced a new process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status, without the need for them to make a further EUSS application.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual quota for each of the Youth Mobility Scheme partner countries (a) was in 2024 and (b) is in 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: Quotas for the UK’s Youth Mobility Scheme visa route are published in Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme: eligible nationals of the Immigration Rules. The quotas for the upcoming year were set out in Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules HC 733 on 12 March and will be implemented in the Immigration Rules on 9 April. Quota information from previous years is also published online in the archived Immigration Rules.

For 2024, we allocated the following quotas for each of our partner countries:

- Andorra – 100 places

- Australia – 45,000 places

- Canada – 8,000 places

- Hong Kong – 1,000 places

- Iceland – 1,000 places

- India – 3,000 places

- Japan – 6,000 places

- Monaco – 1,000 places

- New Zealand – 8,500 places

- Republic of Korea - 5,000 places

- San Marino – 1,000 places

- Taiwan – 1,000 places

- Uruguay – 500 places.

For 2025, we have allocated the following quotas for each of our partner countries:

- Andorra – 100 places

- Australia – 42,000 places

- Canada – 10,000 places

- Hong Kong – 1,000 places

- Iceland – 1,000 places

- India – 3,000 places

- Japan – 6,000 places

- Monaco – 1,000 places

- New Zealand – 9,500 places

- Republic of Korea - 5,000 places

- San Marino – 1,000 places

- Taiwan – 1,000 places

- Uruguay – 500 places.
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether His Majesty's Passport Office has considered introducing an option for payment for passports in instalments over 10 years. \p Seema Malhotra: An instalments approach would place a considerable administrative burden on HM Passport Office to seek payment when they are due and take action where payment is not made.

Where a fee is required, the full payment must accompany the application.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures her Department is taking to protect people living in the UK against (a) harassment (b) abuse (c) intimidation and (d) other forms of harm carried out by other states engaged in transnational repression in the UK. \p Dan Jarvis: The first duty of the Government is to keep the country safe and we are committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated.

We have a broad suite of powers available to counter transnational repression, and we continue to implement measures in the National Security Act 2023, which make the UK a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts. On 4 March, I announced a new package of training for frontline police officers and staff to increase their understanding of foreign state threats. This training will improve law enforcement’s ability to detect and investigate incidents which may be state-directed.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s existing response to transnational repression to ensure it is robust and joined across government and law enforcement. In the interim, anyone who thinks they might be at risk should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.
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Andy MacNae:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of (a) the potential merits of establishing a National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism in the UK and (b) the length of time it would take to establish such a commemorative day. \p Dan Jarvis: This Government is committed to supporting victims and survivors of terrorism and understands that recognition and remembrance is an important part of their recovery.

There is currently no single focal point for the nation to come together in reflection and remembrance of those sadly lost and impacted by terrorism.

That is why, on Wednesday 19 March 2025, the Government launched a 12-week public consultation on a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism, helping the country to remember and honour those who have been tragically killed or impacted by terrorism.

The consultation invites the public, including those affected by terrorism, to share their views around introducing a National Day, and ways it could be commemorated.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_236
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_236

Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve the compliance of license holders with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. \p Dan Jarvis: All establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals under ASPA in Great Britain, are subject to the full requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).

The Regulator conducts audits to assure establishments’ compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA. Each establishment will receive an audit at least every three years if it does not hold special species and at least every year if it holds specially protected species.

The Regulator is presently undertaking a structured programme of reforms. This will increase the total number of Inspectors from 17 at the end of 2023, to 22 by end of 2025.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_237
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_237

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cryptoassets were seized from criminals in the last year. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government does not currently publish the amount of cryptocurrency restrained/recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The Home office is reviewing plans to publish new statistics on Crypto assets as part of future bulletins on asset recovery in response to the new powers that came into effect in April 2024.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_238
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_238

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter compulsory. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government is clear that all sectors and partners need to move further and faster to prevent fraud and protect UK citizens and businesses.

The Telecommunications Charter is a testament to what can be achieved when industry and government work together to deliver tangible actions that reduce the fraud threat. We are working on a second charter which will build on the telecommunication sector’s existing voluntary anti-fraud work and go further in identifying, preventing and disrupting telecoms fraud.

As per the manifesto commitment, we will also be publishing an expanded Fraud Strategy that covers the full range of threats that our society faces from this crime.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_239
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_239

Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle domestic abuse. \p Jess Phillips: This Government is committed to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms as part of our unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We have already announced a series of bold measures designed to strengthen the police response to domestic abuse, protect victims and hold perpetrators to account.

In February, under a new approach named 'Raneem's Law', the first domestic abuse specialists were embedded in 999 control rooms in five police forces to advise on risk assessments, work with officers on the ground and ensure that victims are referred to appropriate support services swiftly.

To further strengthen protections for victims, in November 2024 we launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in selected police forces and courts - which is a huge step towards a new national approach. On 5 March, we expanded the use of DAPOs to Cleveland and we plan to onboard North Wales in the coming months - offering access to these new orders to a greater number of victims. The new DAPO brings together the strongest element of the existing protective order regime into a single comprehensive, flexible order.

On 28 November 2024, the Government announced a funding increase of £30 million, meaning a total investment of £160 million in the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant in 2025-26. This will enable local authorities to invest in essential support in frontline safe accommodation services.

We are determined to deliver a cross-Government transformative approach to halving violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_240
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_240

Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a timetable for the piloting of domestic violence specialists in every 999 control room; and when she plans to roll this out to (a) Thames Valley and (b) other constabularies not included in the pilot. \p Jess Phillips: In February we launched Raneem's Law, and embedded external domestic abuse specialists in the first five 999 control rooms. Learnings from the first five forces will inform plans for further national rollout. Exact timings will be announced in due course.

This Government is committed to rolling this out across all 43 forces in England and Wales as soon as possible. This is the first time the Government is delivering a national, coordinated approach to embedding specialism into 999 control rooms and this must be delivered to the highest standards.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_241
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_241

Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to resume processing asylum claims for people from Syria. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office withdrew the Country Policy Information Notes and guidance relating to Syria and has temporarily paused all asylum interviews and decisions. However, we continue to register new claims from Syrians in the UK who wish to claim asylum.

This was, and remains, a necessary step. As long as there is no stable, objective information on which to base an accurate assessment of a claimant’s risk on return to Syria, we are unable to make robust, reliable decisions on claims for international protection.

The pause is being kept under constant review and when there is a clear basis upon which to make decisions, we will resume the processing of them.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_242
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_242

Brian Leishman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which company was awarded the contract for Coastal Radar Data Integration, advertised on 26 September 2023. \p Dame Angela Eagle: No contract was awarded as result of the notice posted on 26 September 2023.

During the tendering process the Authority made the decision that the procurement would not achieve the requirement outcome and ended the procurement. The Authority is now in the process of reviewing its requirements and options for the future.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_243
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_243

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was raised by fines from the clandestine entrant civil penalty scheme in the last ten years. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The table below shows the number of CECP penalties issued each year for the last 10 years, with the value of how much has been paid against those penalties.

Year

s.32

Value of penalties paid

s.31A

Value of penalties paid

2015

2611

£2,769,153.58

0

0.00

2016

3029

£3,326,748.36

0

0.00

2017

1700

£2,269,684.73

0

0.00

2018

1584

£1,891,368.35

0

0.00

2019

6136

£7,124,350.97

0

0.00

2020

8002

£8,524,296.95

0

0.00

2021

3961

£6,306,986.58

0

0.00

2022

3618

£4,835,220.46

0

0.00

2023

1939

£3,989,365.87

761

£1,601,920.40

2024

2164

£2,652,440.05

3257

£2,892,122.46
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_244
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_244

James McMurdock:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) accessibility and (b) convenience of (i) setting up and (ii) using the Government Gateway. \p James Murray: The Government Gateway is continuously monitored for availability and performance. It complies with Government Digital Service standards, including accessibility standards. An accessibility assessment in June 2023 found it fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA.

The service is available 24/7, making it highly accessible. Setting up an account requires only an email address, but identity verification is needed for accessing certain services. Identity verification can be done using a passport, driving license, or other knowledge-based evidence.

The process aims to balance ease of use with the need to protect personal information and prevent fraud.

Gov.UK One Login (including face-to-face verification) will gradually replace Government Gateway starting Winter 2025.

HMRC provides alternative channels for users who cannot access services digitally, such as telephone and written communication.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_245
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_245

James McMurdock:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to improve support available for people to (a) access and (b) use Government Gateway accounts. \p James Murray: Government Gateway is easy to access and use. It is available 24 hours a day, all year round. For the period April 2024 to March 2025, it had over 56 million active accounts and was used 434.9 million times to access Government Digital Services.

HMRC provides a user-tested online service for setting up accounts on Government Gateway. Users have three attempts to prove their identity, with dynamic guidance provided after each attempt.

Dedicated customer technical support is available via online form, email, and telephone.

GOV.UK One Login (including face-to-face verification) will gradually replace Government Gateway starting Winter 2025. Plans are in place to ensure effective support during the transition.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_246
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_246

James Cartlidge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office for Value for Money was consulted on the recently advertised remuneration package for the National Armaments Director. \p Darren Jones: The OVfM has an immediate focus on supporting value for money decisions surrounding the spending review, including developing efficiency targets and plans, scrutinising investment proposals and conducting VfM studies. It will also recommend system reforms. It is not a requirement to consult the OVfM on salary cases.
wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_247
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-25 conversation_247

James Cartlidge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office for Value for Money was consulted on the recently advertised remuneration package of the National Security Adviser. \p Darren Jones: The OVfM has an immediate focus on supporting value for money decisions surrounding the spending review, including developing efficiency targets and plans, scrutinising investment proposals and conducting VfM studies. It will also recommend system reforms. It is not a requirement to consult the OVfM on salary cases.