theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the introduction of medals for emergency service personnel injured in the line of duty. \p Sarah Jones: Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.

The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the right to peaceful protest; and what steps she is taking to ensure that lawful demonstrations are not restricted. \p Sarah Jones: The Government is committed to ensuring that protest legislation is both effective and proportionate. The Government keeps all public order legislation under constant review.

While the right to protest remains a cornerstone of our democracy, the legal framework must evolve to ensure that this right does not come at the expense of public order and the rights of others.

The new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill reflect a targeted response to gaps identified through recent protest activity. They seek to regulate conduct that undermines public trust or accountability.

In the normal way, the Crime and Policing Bill (once enacted) will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, published on 26 July 2025, whether the Government intends to consult on the new National Licensing Policy Framework. \p Sarah Jones: This government has committed to launching a call for evidence to seek views on a range of pro-business reforms proposed by the recent Licensing Taskforce, including the development of a National Licensing Policy Framework.

This will provide an opportunity for the public to shape the development of a framework designed to provide clearer national direction for local licensing authorities while preserving local discretion in licensing decisions. We will consider further opportunities to gather evidence and engage with a wide range of stakeholders as a framework is implemented.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has provided to high street retailers on whether they may (a) share details of suspected shoplifters with other retailers and (b) post photographs of suspected shoplifters. \p Sarah Jones: It is the legal responsibility of retailers to decide on a case-by-case basis if it is necessary, proportionate and lawful to share personal details of alleged shoplifters.

The Information Commissioner’s Office provides guidance on data sharing, including for retailers. The Home Office has worked with retailers and the Information Commissioner’s Office to support retailers in lawfully and safely sharing information amongst themselves and with police for the purposes of preventing, detecting and investigating shop theft.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to police forces on the treatment of fuel theft incidents under the Theft Act 1978; and what steps she is taking to ensure that small independent retailers in the Lewes constituency receive appropriate police support in response to such offences. \p Sarah Jones: This Government is committed to tackling the theft of fuel from forecourts.

A new service has been developed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) allowing fuel retailers and their agents to request information to allow civil recovery of costs when motorists drive away from fuel stations without paying for the fuel taken.

The service will allow the contact details of the registered keeper of the vehicle concerned to be provided via secure electronic links. This offers improvements over the existing manual service, providing a quicker and more efficient service to help recover costs. This change has been driven by the police-led National Business Crime Centre and Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI), working closely with the DVLA.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that every community in England and Wales will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their communities providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses. This will be supported by the delivery of up to an additional 3000 officers into neighbourhood teams by Spring next year, as part of our ambition to deliver 13,000 neighbourhood officers into police forces across England and Wales by the end of this parliament.

Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to tackle (a) youth violence and (b) knife crime in (i) Essex and (ii) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. \p Sarah Jones: Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. Driving down youth-related violence across the UK, including Essex South Basildon and East Thurrock, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.

To date, we have taken action to ban zombie knives and the ban on ninja swords came into force on 1 August 2025 - it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons. We have also implemented, “Ronan’s Law”, a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives.

Over £66 million is available to all 43 police force areas to fund the 'Hotspot Action' programme in 2025/26. This includes Essex Police who have been allocated £1.63m for 2025/26. This programme is a combination of increased high visibility foot patrols and funding of problem-oriented policing (POP) tactics. POP is bespoke to the local areas to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions, such as increased targeted knife sweeps, and licensed premises checks.

Through the Young Futures Programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.

As we design the Young Futures Programme, we will ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs). VRUs bring together partners, including from the voluntary and community sector, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area.

In 2025/26 the Home Office is investing over £1.5m in grant funding to the Essex VRU, alongside £297k to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.

This funding will support delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes, which includes youth workers in A&E settings steering young people away from violence at a ‘teachable moment’ and education inclusion programmes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Bobby Dean:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reassure (a) exiled activists and (b) foreign dissidents residing in the UK that they will be protected from intimidation and censorship. \p Sarah Jones: This Government takes the protection of individuals’ rights, safety and freedoms, including freedom of speech, very seriously. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. We are absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right.

While we do not comment on individual cases, police will rightly inform individuals if there is any assessed threat to their wellbeing in order to meet duty of care obligations. Memoranda of Understandings can form part of police’s routine approach in this context with officers providing guidance on steps individuals can consider to enhance their personal safety. As with any circumstances, it is up to the individual to decide how they wish to exercise their rights, taking into account the relevant security advice provided.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Regulations 2023 on people who have had their vehicle stolen. \p Sarah Jones: Following the introduction of The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Regulations 2023, there has been no assessment of the potential impact on those who have had their vehicle stolen.

The Government’s role is limited to setting the statutory charges which the Police can levy when they have exercised their recovery powers for stolen vehicles.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use the Islamophobia Working Group definition for non-criminal hate incidents. \p Sarah Jones: The work he refers to is being overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

As agreed with the Home Secretary, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are currently conducting a review of non-crime hate incidents. We will update Parliament in due course on the findings of that review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made payments to digital influencers since July 2024. \p Sarah Jones: There has been no spend on influencer marketing within the time frame specified.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 4 July 2025 to Questions 62600 and 62603 on Nuisance, what her policy is on (a) whether nuisance begging is an offence and (b) giving powers to (i) police and (ii) local authorities to issue prevention orders relating to nuisance (A) begging and (B) rough sleeping. \p Sarah Jones: On 10th June, the Government announced its intention to repeal the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824. The Government has been clear that no one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live.

We have introduced targeted replacement measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe, including a new criminal offence of facilitating begging for gain, and an offence of trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, both of which were previously provided for under the 1824 Act.

We know police forces make effective use of existing powers to tackle anti-social behaviour that occurs in this context, and we will update statutory guidance on the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to provide more certainty on how existing powers can be applied to anti-social behaviour where it occurs in the context of begging that is causing problems for local communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to roll out mandatory suicide prevention training across emergency response services. \p Sarah Jones: The College of Policing set the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.

The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what evaluation framework is used to measure the effectiveness of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office have developed a multi-strand analytical approach to measure the progress of the Safer Summer Streets Initiative. This includes:

This approach has been communicated to PCCs, including a drop-in session held on the 23 June and a meeting chaired by Minister Johnson on the 24 June.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of illegally modified e-bikes confiscated from minors were initially bought by adults. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office does not centrally hold data on the number of illegally modified e-bikes that have been confiscated by police in England and Wales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to page 142 of the Home Office annual report and accounts 2024-25, published in July 2025, for what reason £30,000 of the exit payment to the Permanent Secretary was deemed non-taxable. \p Sarah Jones: Decisions about Permanent Secretary exit payments are made by the Cabinet Office. In line with other exit payments, the first £30,000 of this payment was not taxable, and the remaining balance was taxable.

Tax on termination payments: What you pay tax and National Insurance on - GOV.UK
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date Taser 10 will be approved for use by Cambridgeshire Constabulary. \p Sarah Jones: We are considering the results of independent testing and assessments of the Taser 10, before we take a decision on whether to approve it for police use.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded breaches of the 36 hour custody limit under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 occurred in the last three years; and what (a) disciplinary and (b) legal consequences resulted from those breaches. \p Sarah Jones: When the police interview a suspect they must explain that they do not have to answer questions but there could be consequences if they do not by reading to them the police caution:

“You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

If the suspect does not understand the caution because they cannot understand English, the custody officer must arrange for the assistance of an interpreter, and if they are considered to be vulnerable then they must be supported throughout the interview by an appropriate adult. Whilst in police custody or undergoing a voluntary interview the suspect has the continuing right to free legal advice.

We keep the operation of police powers, including the police caution, under regular review through engagement with policing stakeholders. We are not aware of any concerns about the effectiveness of the police caution in preventing defendants from withholding information.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on detentions for over 36 hours without warrant of further detention where the person was subsequently released without charge, as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Custody and pre-charge bail’ statistical bulletin. The data is available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of access the Sovereign Base Area police in Cyprus has to Interpol databases. \p Sarah Jones: The Sovereign Base Area police in Cyprus do not have direct access to INTERPOL databases. Access to INTERPOL databases is facilitated through the UK’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), which sits within the National Crime Agency (NCA).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue national guidance to police to provide a receipt or paperwork to confirm that a person has produced their driving documents when requested. \p Sarah Jones: Under section 164 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 a police officer has the power to require the production of a driving licence and under section 165 of the same Act the power to obtain names and addresses of drivers and others, and to require the production of MOT and insurance certificates.

It is for individual police forces and their chief officers to determine how they handle document production and whether to provide any form of receipt or confirmation.

The Home Office has no plans to issue national guidance to police to confirm that a driver has produced their driving documents in line with road traffic legislation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on amending The Air Navigation Order 2016 to allow greater use of drones by police forces. \p Sarah Jones: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring that all UK aircraft operators must comply with the Air Navigation Order (ANO) 2016.

In the use and deployment of drones, police forces must have due regard to the ANO which specifies the requirements and conduct drone operators must abide by to use drones in a manner which is both safe and does not unduly endanger or negatively impact members of the public.

To support policing in developing a national drone capability which is both effective and safe, in FY2025/26, the Home Office has allocated £3.9m to national police-led programmes of work to drive standardisation and improve coordination in police drone operations to support public safety outcomes.

Furthermore, to support development of these programmes and improve the safe and legal use of drones by policing, the Home Office and policing are currently working closely with the Department of Transport (DFT) and CAA. This is to ensure both compliance with the ANO whilst continuing to create an enabling environment that allows policing to increasingly use drones both innovatively and dynamically in the operational response to incidents.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of police officers in England and Wales are former armed forces service personnel. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office does not hold data on police officers that were previously in the armed forces.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Greg Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of the firearms enquiry officers employed across police forces in England and Wales are warranted police officers. \p Sarah Jones: The Government does not currently collect data regarding the staffing of firearms licensing departments in police forces. The level of staffing and use of warranted police officers in such departments is a matter for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional funds above and beyond the police grant have been allocated to Lincolnshire Police to extend the financial viability of the police force. \p Sarah Jones: Despite the challenging fiscal environment, this government is committed to investing in policing.

In May 2025, the Home Office provided a package of funding support to Lincolnshire worth up to £5.7m. The Home Office is working closely with Lincolnshire, other forces and the NPCC to understand force budget pressures ahead of the police funding settlement

At the Spending Review, the Chancellor confirmed a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. Force level allocations will be confirmed in the usual way at the settlement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Lee Pitcher:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the use of digital asset management systems by local retailers to support crime prevention. \p Sarah Jones: the Retail Crime Forum to ensure we understand the needs of retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement. This is an opportunity to share best practice and awareness of different initiatives to tackle the range of drivers of shop theft, including technology.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations her Department has received from police officers’ associations on the introduction of a medal for officers medically discharged as a result of service-related injuries. \p Sarah Jones: Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.

The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage increase in police pay did Cambridgeshire Constabulary budget for against the 4.2% pay increase awarded. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office does not hold paybill information for each police force. It is up to Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners to make decisions on local resourcing. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their local knowledge and experience.

The Home Office will provide £120m of additional funding in 2025/26 to police forces to help with the cost of the 2025 police pay award.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to encourage the use of (a) steering wheel locks, (b) gear stick locks and (c) other car theft prevention measures. \p Sarah Jones: This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime. We are working with the automotive industry and police, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible.

Via the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.

In the Crime and Policing Bill we have banned electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing, importing and supplying them.

We also provided £250,000 funding in the financial year 2024-25 to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including providing additional staff and specialist equipment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the (a) cash terms and (b) real terms increase in the police settlement for 2025-26 includes (i) the increase in council tax and (ii) the compensatory funding for the increase in National Insurance. \p Sarah Jones: The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.

This includes precept actuals, which was a £407.7 million increase compared to the 2024-25 settlement, and the £230.3 million for the changes to employer National Insurance Contributions.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support is available to police forces tackling rural crime in (a) County Durham and (b) North Yorkshire. \p Sarah Jones: Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas.

Under our Safer Streets Mission reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

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.

We are also working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, to ensure the Government’s Safer Streets Mission benefits every community.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that every community in England and Wales will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their communities providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses. This will be supported by the delivery of up to an additional 3000 officers into neighbourhood teams by Spring next year, as part of our ambition to deliver 13,000 neighbourhood officers into police forces across England and Wales by the end of this parliament.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve coordination between counter-terrorism policing units and local authorities in rural areas. \p Sarah Jones: The Counter-Terrorism Policing network stretches across the UK. There are eleven regional counter-terrorism units (CTUs) and intelligence units (CTIUs) that collaborate daily to confront the threat from terrorism. The UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, outlines the importance of working together with partners, including local authorities and communities, to keep us safe. For security reasons, we do not comment on specifics of partnership or operations.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending the early morning alcohol restriction orders to help tackle early morning street drinking. \p Sarah Jones: Licensing authorities already have powers under the Licensing Act 2003 to introduce Early Morning Alcohol Restriction Orders (EMROs) which can prohibit the sale of alcohol between midnight and 6am where appropriate for promoting the licensing objectives.

We keep the Licensing Act under review.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in firearms licensing units in Surrey. \p Sarah Jones: The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and Police and Crime Commissioners.

The performance of forces with respect to firearms licensing is being monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and a new performance framework has been developed for firearms licensing teams. This is now being published online on a quarterly basis by the NPCC and provides greater transparency regarding force performance. This includes a performance benchmark for forces to complete applications for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate within four months for cases unless there are more complex factors to consider.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help tackle organised crime networks operating in ports in the North East. \p Sarah Jones: The Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime (SOC) across the United Kingdom, including criminal activity at and around our ports. The Home Office works closely with law enforcement partners, including the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force, and regional police forces, to disrupt organised crime groups operating in the North East and nationally.

In November 2024, the Prime Minister announced an additional £58 million for the NCA’s core budget in 2025/26, representing a 9% increase from the previous year. On 11 June 2025, the Chancellor confirmed up to £280 million per year for the Border Security Command (BSC) by 2028–29. This investment supports the NCA’s expanded capacity to tackle organised immigration crime, including the recruitment of 100 new specialist officers, bringing the total dedicated full time employees close to 500.

The BSC is working strategically across the border security system, alongside the NCA, police, and intelligence agencies, to dismantle smuggling gangs and disrupt their supply chains. It is also collaborating with international partners to pursue organised immigration crime groups operating across Europe and beyond, with recent operations resulting in widely publicised arrests.

While the BSC continues to mature, it is already working closely with delivery partners across Whitehall to collect system-wide data on organised immigration crime disruptions. This will help track long-term impact, support operational delivery, and ensure a secure and effective border. This collaborative approach is designed to increase the number of criminal groups dismantled and reduce small boat crossings, with performance monitored to inform future strategy.

The NCA also works with UK and international partners to tackle SOC at the border. For example, following a joint operation with Dutch authorities, an individual was sentenced recently to 17 years for conspiring to import 1.5 tonnes of Class A drugs through the Port of Immingham. The drugs, concealed in rolls of artificial grass, had an estimated street value of £120 million. This case demonstrates the NCA’s ability to disrupt high-harm criminal networks operating at UK ports.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the proximity of (a) schools and (b) other youth facilities is taken into account when procuring dispersal accommodation. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office does not publish detailed information on the location of asylum accommodation sites for safety and security reasons. Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. The data can broken down by local authority rather than by constituency. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

The Home Office, and its accommodation providers, take into account a range of issues when considering the suitability for dispersed accommodation. Local authorities are consulted on bedspaces before they are procured.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_42

Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average age was of people recorded as having entered the U.K. illegally in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office publishes statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on detected irregular arrivals by age group and sex is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_43

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of Student Visa holders who have overstayed their visa in each of the last five years. \p Alex Norris: The government has launched a direct messaging campaign to remind students their visas are expiring. The first-of-its-kind communication comes during the autumn period where asylum applications typically spike and is part of continued Home Office measures to improve visa compliance.

Nearly 10,000 students and dependants received the guidance, with thousands more expected to receive it over the coming weeks as their visa expiry dates approach. It warns that claims without merit will be swiftly and robustly refused, and those without a legal right to remain in the UK must leave or face removal.

Information on completeness of exit checks data are found within the statistical reports and the ‘Home Office statistics on exit checks: user guide’. The most recent developments are found in the ‘Developments in Exit Checks’.

The Home Office does not compile statistics on the number of people who overstay their visa. The Home Office has previously published statistics on the number of visa holders who have left the UK prior to expiry of their visa in the Reports on statistics relating to exit checks. This release covers the period from the year ending March 2017 to the year ending March 2020.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_44

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of workers residing in the country without legal permission or valid immigration status employed by food delivery companies. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office does not hold an estimate of the number of people working illegally in the gig economy. The recent joint work between the Office for National Statistics and the Home Office explains the complexities: Measuring illegal migration: our current view - Office for National Statistics.

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK.

In July 2025, the Home Office announced a new operational partnership with key food delivery companies to tackle illegal working in the gig economy, particularly among food delivery riders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_45

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62750 on Sharing Economy: Data Protection, how many people have been charged with the offence in the last 12 months. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_46

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62750 on Sharing Economy: Data Protection, what guidance is issued to forces investigating this crime. \p Alex Norris: As facilitation of Illegal working is a criminal offence, any investigation will be compliant with guidance, legislation and relevant codes of practice in place for investigators and prosecutors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_47

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional police officers have been deployed in Cleveland Police since July 2024. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office does not hold the data requested.

The Home Office collects and publishes data biannually on the number of police officers, as at 31 March each year, 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.

Table H1 of the data tables accompanying the publication includes the number of police officers available for duty by Police Force Area which excludes police officers on long term absence. Monthly breakdowns, including a figure for July 2024, however, are not available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_48

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a list of police forces without a named officer assigned to each ward. \p Sarah Jones: The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee set out commitments for police forces to implement by July 2025. These foundation commitments have now been achieved. The public can now expect forces to be delivering on the guarantee across England and Wales to ensure consistent and high-quality neighbourhood policing.

As part of the Guarantee, all forces across England and Wales now have a named, contactable officer for each of their neighbourhood areas, and details of neighbourhood officers can be found on police force websites.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_49

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support local authorities in tackling illegal encampments. \p Sarah Jones: The police and local authorities are equipped with a range of powers to respond to unauthorised encampments. These include long-standing provisions under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, as well as additional powers introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

The response to unauthorised encampments is led locally, involving multi-agency collaboration between local authorities, police, and relevant services. This approach supports community engagement and ensures that responses are tailored to local needs.

Statutory guidance issued by the Home Office sets out how these powers should be applied, including the importance of considering welfare needs and ensuring that any enforcement action is lawful, necessary and proportionate.

The criminal offence in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, introduces penalties for those who cause significant damage, disruption or distress while residing on land without permission in or with a vehicle, and refuse to leave when asked. The offence is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 3 months, or a fine of up to £2,500, or both, and/or seizure of the vehicle.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_50

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve emergency call handling times by forces. \p Sarah Jones: The process handling of emergency and non-emergency calls to the Police is determined by operationally independent local forces, however The Home Office and Policing have undertaken work in support of national consistency and to reduce wait times for the public.

Average wait time data for 999 emergency calls to policing is publicly available at: 999 performance data | Police.uk. While average wait time data for 101 non-emergency calls is publicly available at: 101 performance data | Police.uk. Both datasets demonstrate overall improvement in reducing wait times for the public, achieved through force collaboration at national level to agree on key performance metrics and share best practices.

The Home Office is also funding work to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into force control rooms to triage non-policing demand to the correct service, support forces in better understanding type and volume of calls and support call handlers in administrative tasks during and after calls and in completing rapid risk assessments.

The Home Office and Policing are committed to delivering greater channel choice for the public when reporting crimes or concerns, this includes funding the availability of online crime reporting and pilots of a national Victim’s Portal where the public can communicate with officers via direct messaging rather than telephone should they prefer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_51

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to reduce levels of antisocial behaviour in town centres in the North East. \p Sarah Jones: This Government wants town centres to be vibrant, welcoming places where businesses thrive and people feel safe and come to shop, socialise and live.

Police and Crime Commissioners are leading on targeted action to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour that blights our town centres and high streets as part of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative. The work is being delivered in partnership with councils, schools, health services, businesses, transport providers and community groups all playing a role over the summer.

Under the initiative, partners will use targeted enforcement, visible policing and place-based interventions to reduce retail and street crime and anti-social behaviour in over 500 town centres and high streets, including Stockton-on-Tees, across England and Wales. The full list of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative locations (also shown regionally) can be found here: List of Safer Streets summer initiative locations - GOV.UK

In addition, the Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to all 43 forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour. Cleveland Police will receive £1,420,423 of this funding to use across the county.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-08 conversation_52

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the number of knife crime incidents in the Tees Valley. \p Sarah Jones: The Home Office collects information on the number of offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force Area level only.

The latest published information for Cleveland Police, published by the Office for National Statistics, can be found in Table P5 here: Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables - Office for National Statistics