theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to incentivise saving. \p Emma Reynolds: Individuals can save up to £20,000 into an Individual Savings Account each year, and any savings income received is tax free. Along with the Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000, and the Starting Rate for Savings of up to £5,000 for those with earned income below £17,570, around 85 per cent of people with savings income pay no tax.

The Help to Save scheme also supports low-income working households to start a long-term savings habit.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what dates have been set for (a) the inaugural meeting and (b) any future meetings of the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt. \p Emma Reynolds: The launch event for the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt took place on 23rd June. Dates for future meetings are still being finalised.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what budget has been allocated for the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt. \p Emma Reynolds: No government funding has been allocated to the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt. As set out in my written ministerial statement of 23rd June, the Coalition is convened by the Sustainable Sovereign Debt Hub and funded by CIFF (The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation).
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of households relying on high-cost credit to meet living expenses. \p Emma Reynolds: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for regulating the consumer credit sector. The FCA requires firms to carry out an assessment of the creditworthiness of a prospective borrower before entering into a regulated credit agreement with them. Under FCA rules, when undertaking creditworthiness assessments, firms must assess each customer’s creditworthiness by considering not just whether a customer will repay, but also the customer’s ability to repay affordably and without significantly affecting their wider financial situation.

The Government recognises that credit, when provided responsibly and affordably, can be crucial for people facing unexpected expenses or managing their cash flow. That is why, as part of its Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Government is committed to expanding access to affordable credit. The development of the Financial Inclusion Strategy is being informed by a committee of industry and consumer representatives I chair, ahead of its publication later this year. The access to credit workstream has been considered by a dedicated sub-committee which included financial services firms, credit unions and consumer representative organisations. The Committee has also been considering how to support individuals and households to build their financial resilience by increasing the level of emergency saving buffers in the UK.

In addition, the Government provides a range of debt advice services in England through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to meet the needs of individuals in problem debt, including national and community-based services offering free-to-client debt advice.
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Alex Burghart:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has a target for the number of staff it plans to employ over the period of the Spending Review. \p James Murray: The Department’s SR settlement of a 10% real terms reduction to admin budgets by 2028-29 means HM Treasury will need to get smaller, necessitating a reduction in resource in some areas. Headcount reductions will be subject to future business planning where the department will take decisions on how the savings will be delivered.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish a distributional impact assessment of changes to national insurance contributions on (a) low and (b) middle income workers in the hospitality industry. \p James Murray: The Government has set out the impacts of the policy changes from Autumn Budget 2024 in the usual way.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

With all policies considered, this forecasts the employment level to increase from 33.6 million in 2024 to 34.8 million in 2029.

The Office for Budget Responsibility published its most recent Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) in March 2025, which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.
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Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on (a) energy efficiency and (b) indoor air quality of adding mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems to the list of energy saving materials eligible for the 0% VAT rate. \p James Murray: This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of the country’s housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment.

Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent.

The Government assesses whether to add ESMs to this relief by evaluating them against the following principles: the primary purpose of the technology must be to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions; and relieving the technology of VAT must be cost effective and align with broader VAT principles.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the standard 20% VAT rate on the international competitiveness of the (a) tourism and (b) hospitality sectors. \p James Murray: The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality and tourism businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The UK’s VAT rate of 20 per cent is close to the OECD average of 19.3 per cent. The UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD, at £90,000. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the business rates system on pub closures. \p James Murray: We are creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.

From 2026-27, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000, which will benefit almost all pubs in England. We will confirm the rates for these new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context.

Until these new tax rates are introduced, in 2025-26, RHL businesses will receive a 40 per cent relief on their eligible properties up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. Under the previous Government, RHL relief was due to end entirely in April 2025. By extending the relief, the Government has saved the average pub, with a ratable value of £16,800, over £3,300.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of UK hospitality's press release entitled, One third of hospitality businesses now operating at a loss, published 2 June 2025. \p James Murray: The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality sector. That is why we have launched a licensing taskforce to make recommendations to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth that exist within the UK’s licensing framework. The industry-led Taskforce has shared its findings with the Government, and we aim to update publicly by the summer.

The Government is also creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. From April 2026, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure that the hospitality sector benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

The rates for these new business rate multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes as well as the economic and fiscal context.

We also recognise that RHL businesses will need support during the interim period for 2025/26, and so we are providing 40 per cent relief to RHL properties up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. Without any government intervention, RHL relief would have ended entirely in April 2025, creating a cliff-edge for businesses.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54866 on Alcoholic Drinks, if she will remove the exclusion of the direct manufacture of alcoholic beverages from paragraph 2.12 of the UK Government Green Financing Framework. \p Emma Reynolds: The Green Financing Framework, published in 2021, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact.

The Framework includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives.

The Framework excludes financing of the direct manufacture of alcoholic beverages, alongside other named exclusions, in line with international convention and investor expectations for green bond frameworks. This approach enables the UK’s green gilts to be accessible to the greatest possible pool of investors, improving value-for-money.
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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the increased funding for employment support will be allocated to the hospitality sector in coastal towns. \p James Murray: The Pathways to Work Green Paper made clear that the additional funding for employment support is aimed at all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits, who want help to get into or return to work.
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Martin Rhodes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make a comparative assessment of the number of appeals permitted by the (a) Independent Appeals Service, (b) British Parking Association Independent Appeals Service and (c) Traffic Penalty Tribunal. \p Alex Norris: Currently, there are no plans to conduct such assessment. However, the figures for both private and Local Authority second stage appeals services are published on the websites of the Independent Appeals Service (IAS), Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) and the Traffic Penalty Tribunal:
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of first-time buyers in each of the last five years. \p Rushanara Ali: The Department does not hold official data on the total number of first-time buyers over the past five years and is therefore unable to provide an official estimate.

However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the number of first-time buyer mortgage sales by Local Authority across the UK, which can be found on gov.uk here. This data set does not include cash sales.

In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) provides UK-wide totals for the same data, available here.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the level of risk of eviction of social housing tenants who remain in a property after a joint tenant has served notice to quit (a) in cases involving relationship breakdown and (b) in general. \p Matthew Pennycook: Joint periodic tenancies can be ended unilaterally by one of the joint tenants.

Once one of the joint tenants terminates a joint tenancy, then as a matter of law it ceases to exist and the landlord has a right of possession, though that may be challenged in the Courts.

Social landlords, subject to complying with their own allocations policies, have the flexibility to provide a new tenancy to a current resident where a notice to quit is served, either for the same property or for a different property.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role Natural England will play under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in ensuring improvements to nature are delivered; and what statutory powers and funding will be granted to support that role. \p Matthew Pennycook: Natural England will be responsible for producing Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) and for delivering the conservation measures set out in them.

While Natural England will generally be the delivery body for EDPs, the Bill contains provision to allow for another body to be designated to exercise functions in relation to the Nature Restoration Fund, should this be necessary.

Natural England will have compulsory purchase powers to enable them to secure and implement the conservation measures needed to protect the environment. The use of Natural England’s compulsory purchase power will be subject to appropriate scrutiny and oversight and must be authorised by the Secretary of State.

In order to fund the conservation measures set out in any given EDP, Natural England will apply a levy to developers whose developments are covered it, as set out in the EDP’s charging schedule.

The government will ensure that appropriate resources are in place to administer the Nature Restoration Fund which will run on a cost recovery basis when fully operational. The Budget allocated £14 million to support initial deployment of the Fund.
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Katie White:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to create high quality new developments which (a) enhance communities and (b) restore nature. \p Matthew Pennycook: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces, community facilities (such as local shops, meeting places, sports venues, open space, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship) and other local services to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments.

Additionally, planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by minimising impacts on and providing net gains for biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs.

Moreover, under the new statutory framework for Biodiversity Net Gain, every grant of planning permission (subject to some exemptions) is subject to the condition that the development must deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity value relative to the pre-development biodiversity value of the onsite habitat.

When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the (a) duties and (b) targets set in the Environment Act 2021. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Environment Act 2021 requires Ministers to have ‘due regard’ to the policy statement on environmental principles when making policy. This is to ensure that environmental considerations are at the heart of policymaking across government.

Environmental considerations in respect of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill were given due regard in line with the requirements of the Environment Act 2021.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to encourage local authorities to buy playground equipment from UK manufacturers. \p Alex Norris: Playgrounds are a vital part of our social infrastructure. They contribute to the health and development of children and young people across the nation and build on the government’s mission of opportunities for all by ensuring everyone has the best start in life.

Local authorities work locally to support adults and children to lead more active lives through access to public leisure services, green space, parks and playground spaces. Their public health budgets are used to deliver local physical activity interventions such as the purchasing of playground equipment. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities and that procurement is up to the discretion of Local authorities rather than the Government.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme on housing affordability in Bournemouth. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 May 2025 to Question 52627 on Night Time Industries Association, what correspondence her Department has received from the Night Time Industries Association since 4 July 2024. \p Alex Norris: The Chief Executive Officer of the Night Time Industries Association wrote to the Department on 29 October 2024. Their letter was passed to the Department for Business and Trade for a response.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities will be required to provide funding towards infrastructure for New Towns. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing new restrictions on developers who have a history of bankcruptcy on the housing sector. \p Matthew Pennycook: No such specific assessment has been made by my Department.

I refer the hon. Member to the information on restrictions for people who have declared bankruptcy available on gov.uk here.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Homes England staff are undergoing redeployment. \p Matthew Pennycook: Homes England have no staff currently undergoing redeployment.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the suitability of the (a) substation connection and (b) grid capacity to support capacity of up to 4,500 homes at the MOD Trailblazer site at RAF Wyton. \p Matthew Pennycook: Development proposals for new housing at Wyton Airfield are at an early stage and therefore no such assessments have yet been made. The Ministry of Defence and Homes England will work closely with relevant infrastructure providers as detailed proposals are developed.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 57269 on Planning Permission, if she will introduce a policy requiring plain English in planning documents produced by her Department. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government has no plans to introduce a specific policy related to the use of plain English in planning documents. We would expect local planning authorities to ensure that planning documents are clear and easy to understand.
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Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the (a) justice impact test and (b) new burdens assessment her Department has undertaken on the Renters’ Rights Bill. \p Matthew Pennycook: Justice Impact Tests are internal government documents which are not usually published by government.

We will set out the funding we are making available to local authorities to meet new burdens arising from the Renters’ Rights Bill in due course.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on National Parks and National Landscapes. \p Matthew Pennycook: When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.

Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), as proposed in Part 3 of the Bill, will address any potential negative effects of development on protected sites and species, whether located in National Parks, National Landscapes or elsewhere.

EDPs can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures are likely to outweigh the negative effects of development. Where this is not the case, existing environmental obligations, including those arising under the Habitats Regulations, will remain in place.  In addition, EDPs and the conservation measures they propose must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. EDPs may include back-up measures that can be deployed if monitoring shows the environmental outcomes are not being achieved.

Policy safeguards relating to the protection of National Parks and National Landscapes, including those set out in the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant National Policy Statements, remain in place.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58054 on Fast Food, whether local authority powers under the National Planning Policy Framework to block new fast-food outlets near schools applies to sandwich shops. \p Matthew Pennycook: It is for local planning authorities, when receiving a planning application, to consider whether, given the type of food and service to be provided at the location proposed, they consider the outlet to be either a hot food takeaway or a fast food outlet.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the interpretation of the definition of Grey Belt by planning inspectors in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, including planning inspectors, in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here.

It is for decision-makers to consider how best to apply the policy to particular local circumstances.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is considering to help tackle potential transnational repression of (a) Hong Kong, (b) Uyghur and (c) Tibetan diaspora communities in the UK, in the context of the proposed Chinese embassy at Royal Mint Court. \p Matthew Pennycook: Freedom of speech and other fundamental rights are protected under domestic law for everyone within the UK, regardless of nationality. Any attempt by a foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated.

All material planning considerations will be taken into account in reaching a decision on the planning application in question. As the application in question is before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be appropriate to comment on specific elements of it.
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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support single parents to secure affordable accommodation suitable for their children following a separation. \p Matthew Pennycook: Local housing authorities set their own allocation schemes, governed by a legal framework set by central government. This allows councils to design schemes in a way that best meets local needs.

Local housing authorities may consider a household’s size and needs when allocating housing. They may also take into account the circumstances of a separated parent who needs to accommodate visiting children.

Local housing authorities must publish a summary of their allocation scheme and ensure that advice and information is available free of charge to everyone in their area about the right to apply for an allocation of accommodation.

Applicants have the right to information that will enable them to assess how their application is likely to be treated under the authority’s allocation scheme, including whether they are likely to fall within any of the priority categories and whether accommodation appropriate to their needs is likely to be made available.

Allocation schemes must also be framed so as to give applicants the right to be informed of certain decisions and the right to review certain decisions.

The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. On 2 July, the government set out its plan for kickstarting a decade of social and affordable housing renewal and I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on that day (HCWS771).
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 June 2025 on Local Government Best Value, HCWS697, which (a) external individuals, (b) external organisations, (c) hon. Members and (d) councillors requested escalating the statutory intervention to a Commissioner-led model before 12 June 2025. \p Jim McMahon: On 12 June I announced that I was minded to exercise powers of direction under section 15(5) and 15(6) of the Local Government Act 1999 to ensure London Borough of Croydon’s compliance with the Best Value Duty. As I told the House, before making this announcement I carefully considered all relevant material including the Improvement and Assurance Panel’s latest report and the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Challenge. I sought representation from the London Borough of Croydon and any interested parties on my proposals by 25 June. I am now carefully considering all representations received before making my final decision.
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Cat Eccles:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps has she taken to ensure (a) fairness and (b) transparency in the allocation of social housing. \p Matthew Pennycook: Local housing authorities set their own allocation schemes, governed by a legal framework set by central government. This allows councils to design schemes in a way that best meets local needs.

Local housing authorities must publish a summary of their allocation scheme and ensure that advice and information is available free of charge to everyone in their area about the right to apply for an allocation of accommodation.

Applicants have the right to information that will enable them to assess how their application is likely to be treated under the authority’s allocation scheme, including whether they are likely to fall within any of the priority categories and whether accommodation appropriate to their needs is likely to be made available.

Allocation schemes must also be framed so as to give applicants the right to be informed of certain decisions and the right to review certain decisions.

To ensure that the most vulnerable in society can access the housing support they need, this government has exempted domestic abuse victims and young care leavers, alongside veterans, from local connection tests to facilitate their access to social housing. We will be updating statutory guidance to reflect these changes and will keep this guidance under review.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate funding for the repair of council housing stock North East Somerset and Hanham constituency. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_101

Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase funding for training in (a) Sussex Police and (b) other local police forces. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. That is why we have increased funding for policing in England and Wales by up to £1.2 billion this financial year. Sussex Police will receive up to £423 million in 2025-26. This is an increase of up to £28.5 million compared to the previous year.

Training standards and the national policing curriculum are set by the College of Policing. Forces provide local training and development at several different levels ranging from initial entry, leadership and ongoing development.

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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_102

Liz Saville Roberts:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a separate resettlement route for people in Gaza to join families in the UK. \p Seema Malhotra: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 13 March to Question 35970.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_103

Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing (a) in Beckenham and Penge constituency and (b) elsewhere in England and Wales. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of the British policing model. Every community deserves visible, pro-active and accessible neighbourhood policing with officers tackling the issues that matter to them. On 10 April, the Prime Minister and Home Secretary outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that from month, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing issues facing their communities.

We have made £200 million available to police forces in 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel. This major investment supports the commitment to make the country’s streets safer and reflects both the scale of the challenges that many forces face and the Government’s determination to address them.

The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £45,639,456 from the £200 million fund in 2025/26. Based on this funding allocation, the projected growth for neighbourhood officers in the Metropolitan Police in 2025/26 will be 420 (FTE) police officers and 50 (FTE) Police Community Support Officers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_104

Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers still in the UK hold criminal records. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 19 June to Question 58400.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_105

Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of foreign national offenders who have attempted to return to the UK after being deported. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 6 June to Question 54524.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_106

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department takes fingerprints from people arriving into the UK illegally. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 18 June to Question 58584.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_107

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025, to Question 62738 on Undocumented Workers: Sharing Economy, how the public can report suspected asylum seekers and irregular migrants working in the gig economy. \p Dame Angela Eagle: We encourage members of the public to report suspected immigration crime and location where they believe illegal working is taking place They can report this to the Home Office directly by visiting:

https://www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime.

The public can also call any of the following numbers to report an immigration crime or illegal working anonymously.

Immigration Enforcement hotline xx-xxxx-xxxx

Crimestoppers www.crimestoppers-uk.org xx-xxxx-xxxx
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_108

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025, to Question 62738 on Undocumented Workers: Sharing Economy, whether spot checks are carried out in suspected hot spots of illegal migrants working in the gig economy. \p Dame Angela Eagle: All enforcement activity is intelligence-led, to ensure the most efficient and productive use of resources.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_109

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what formal definition her Department uses for community policing roles. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Frontline policing is comprised of visible operational frontline roles and non-visible frontline roles, each of which contains specific functions. Further information on the functions included under visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline, including the definitions of each function can be found in Table F4 of the data tables accompanying the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ publication here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d965ab594182179fe0877f/police-workforce-mar24-tables-240724.ods.

In 2015 the Home Office adopted the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Police Objective Analysis (POA) framework. The POA framework does not include a specific function for ‘community policing’ but does include the function ‘Neighbourhood Policing’.

Since 2015, published statistics on the neighbourhood policing workforce have come with a caveat from the Home Office that the data was not considered to be robust due to the conflation of figures relating to neighbourhood officers and local and emergency response teams.

As a result of these concerns, in 2025 the Home Office carried out a data validation exercise, asking all police forces to verify the previously published data for police employees in the 1a Neighbourhood Policing category. This exercise showed that data reported under the previous government were inaccurate and did not reflect the true number of neighbourhood officers.

Subsequently the Home Office revised previously published neighbourhood policing data here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/provisional-revision-to-neighbourhood-policing-data-at-31-march-2024. The Home Office has issued guidance to police forces on the categorisation of 1a Neighbourhood Policing to ensure that those working in neighbourhood policing are being recorded correctly, particularly on the distinction between 1b Incident Response Management and 1a Neighbourhood Policing, as well as classroom-based student officers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_110

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contracts their Department has with Palantir. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Details of all Home Office contracts above the minimum threshold are routinely published on the Contract Finder website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_111

Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices have the police issued to people smoking in private vehicles in which children are present (a) in total and (b) in each year since this became an offence. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences in England and Wales on an annual basis, as part of the ‘Police powers and procedures: Roads policing’ statistical bulletin. The most recent data, up to 2023, is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023

However, data is not available on the specific offence of ‘Smoking in a vehicle in which a child was present’.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_112

Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on tackling antisocial behaviour in (a) Beckenham and Penge constituency and (b) across England and Wales. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change details our commitment to reduce ASB, including that every police force in England and Wales will have a dedicated lead officer by the end of July, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan.

We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers are out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make the streets safer. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support this commitment. The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £45,639,456 and will deliver an increase of 420 police officers and 50 PCSOs by 31 March 2026.

The Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence, and anti-social behaviour. The Metropolitan Police will receive £8,139,508 of this funding.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to the police and other relevant agencies to tackle ASB, including introducing new Respect Orders to tackle persistent adult ASB offenders, and extending the maximum exclusion period for dispersal directions from 48 to 72 hours. Other measures in the Bill include enhancing the powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, and other vehicles which are being used in an anti-social manner, without having to first give a warning to the offender.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-09 conversation_113

David Baines:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of the number of police officers in Merseyside police. \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.

As was set out in the Police Funding Settlement for 2025/26 Merseyside Police will be provided with a total of £14.8m to support maintenance of a total of 4,172 officers (headcount).

In addition, Merseyside Police has been allocated £6.67 million from the £200 million provided for 2025-26 to support the start of Neighbourhood Policing growth. Based on its funding allocation, Merseyside Police’s projected growth in neighbourhood policing during 2025-26 will be 97 police officers (full time equivalents).