Found: and Sex Education lessons can significantly reduce violence in partner relationships 13 Crime and Policing Bill

Found: CPB0021 - Crime and Policing Bill Amnesty UK Written Evidence

Found: CPB0020 - Crime and Policing Bill University of Birmingham Written Evidence

Found: CPB0019 - Crime and Policing Bill Amnesty International UK Written Evidence

Found: CPB0022 - Crime and Policing Bill Mandate Now Written Evidence

Found: CPB0016 - Crime and Policing Bill Southall Black Sisters (SBS) Written Evidence

Found: CPB0017 - Crime and Policing Bill Northumbria Law School Written Evidence

Found: CPB0018 - Crime and Policing Bill Transition to Adulthood Alliance Written Evidence

Found: CPB0010 - Crime and Policing Bill Redress Written Evidence

Found: CPB0004 - Crime and Policing Bill Leeds Trinity University Written Evidence

Found: CPB0013 - Crime and Policing Bill Switalskis Solicitors Written Evidence

Found: CPB0003 - Crime and Policing Bill Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Found: CPB0015 - Crime and Policing Bill Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse Written Evidence

Found: CPB0014 - Crime and Policing Bill Justice For Charlene Downes Campaign Group Written Evidence

Found: Recommendation 3 (MoJ) The Government should bring forward an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Recommendation 3 (MoJ) The Government should bring forward an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: , Sentencing and Courts Act 2023, the Public Order Act 2023 and proposals in the current Crime and Policing Bill

Found: The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 and the Data Use and access Bill both have distinct disregard for

Found: Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, dated 28 February 2025 Introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: in North East Syria (NES) 26 Conclusions and recommendations 32 Annex: Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: over the proposed Sentencing Guidelines, Online Safety Act, Employment Protection Bill, Crime and Policing Bill

Found: The Crime and Policing Bill that is currently going through Parliament introduces a new offence of assault

Found: Slavery 13 Action 14: Introduce a new offence of criminal exploitation of children The Crime and Policing Bill

Found: In the crime and policing Bill that is coming forward, we are taking steps to protect people against

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of retail workers who have experienced violent crime at work in each of the last five years.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on the number of incidents of violent crime recorded by the police in England and Wales. The latest data can be found here:

Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK

The data includes incidents of robbery of business property, which includes robbery of retail premises as well as other business premises. Other types of violent crime against retail workers will fall under other categories of violent crime, such as assault with injury. It is not currently possible to identify which of these incidents were committed against retail workers during the course of their work.

In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

The offence will be allocated a specific Home Office Crime Recording Rule, which will help provide a more complete picture of the problem, in turn informing future policy decisions and enabling the police to respond accordingly.

The Home Office has also published estimates from the Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) on the proportion of retail premises which experienced at least one incident of violent crime. This data can be found here:

Crime against businesses statistics - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the definition of retail premises in clause 14 of the Crime and Policing Bill includes (a) travel ticket offices, (b) train stations and (c) commercial passenger trains.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. This applies only to shop workers.

The new offence is aimed specifically at shop workers due to the unacceptable, soaring levels of retail crime and assaults against retail workers in recent years.

Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles, including those working in the transport sector.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the definition of retail workers in clause 14 of the Crime and Policing Bill includes staff selling tickets at (a) train station gate lines and (b) train station platforms.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. This applies only to shop workers.

The new offence is aimed specifically at shop workers due to the unacceptable, soaring levels of retail crime and assaults against retail workers in recent years.

Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles, including those working in the transport sector.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the definition of retail workers in clause 14 of the Crime and Policing Bill includes transport revenue protection staff with the facility to sell tickets.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. This applies only to shop workers.

The new offence is aimed specifically at shop workers due to the unacceptable, soaring levels of retail crime and assaults against retail workers in recent years.

Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles, including those working in the transport sector.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of proposed proposals on the harmonisation of gambling duties on the British horseracing industry.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The consultation on the tax treatment of remote gambling is a matter for HM Treasury. I would encourage all interested stakeholders to respond to this consultation, which runs until 21 July. If any legislative changes are made to gambling duty following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a tax information and impact note from HM Treasury, as is standard practice.

The Government recognises the significant contribution horseracing makes to our regional economies and our country’s cultural life. DCMS will continue to meet with racing stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the sport.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this government and we are working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of betting duty harmonisation on the promotion of online gaming products by bookmakers.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The consultation on the tax treatment of remote gambling is a matter for HM Treasury. I would encourage all interested stakeholders to respond to this consultation, which runs until 21 July. If any legislative changes are made to gambling duty following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a tax information and impact note from HM Treasury, as is standard practice.

The Government recognises the significant contribution horseracing makes to our regional economies and our country’s cultural life. DCMS will continue to meet with racing stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the sport.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this government and we are working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of betting duty harmonisation on levels of black market gambling.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The consultation on the tax treatment of remote gambling is a matter for HM Treasury. I would encourage all interested stakeholders to respond to this consultation, which runs until 21 July. If any legislative changes are made to gambling duty following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a tax information and impact note from HM Treasury, as is standard practice.

The Government recognises the significant contribution horseracing makes to our regional economies and our country’s cultural life. DCMS will continue to meet with racing stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the sport.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this government and we are working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will increase the length of sentences for people who commit violent crime against retail workers.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts, and the courts have a range of sentencing powers to deal with each offender effectively and appropriately, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and imprisonment.

The maximum penalty for an offence is set by Parliament and is designed to cover the most serious imaginable behaviours that may fall under that offence. We continue to keep maximum penalties under review to make ensure they reflect the seriousness of the offending behaviour.

Under the previous Government, shop theft increased to an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this as everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

That is why, through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker. The new offence will carry a maximum prison sentence of six months and/or an unlimited fine, matching the current sentence guidelines for common assault. It will also come with a presumption for a court to apply a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.

The Crime and Policing Bill will also introduce new measures to address the perceived immunity for ‘low value’ shop theft. With this change, there will no longer be a threshold categorising shop theft of goods worth £200 and under as ‘low value’. Instead, all cases of shop theft will be taken seriously irrespective of the value of goods stolen, with a maximum custodial penalty of 7 years. Shop theft of any amount is illegal, and repealing this legislation will ensure everyone understands this.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to increase the length of sentences for shoplifting.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts, and the courts have a range of sentencing powers to deal with each offender effectively and appropriately, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and imprisonment.

The maximum penalty for an offence is set by Parliament and is designed to cover the most serious imaginable behaviours that may fall under that offence. We continue to keep maximum penalties under review to make ensure they reflect the seriousness of the offending behaviour.

Under the previous Government, shop theft increased to an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this as everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

That is why, through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker. The new offence will carry a maximum prison sentence of six months and/or an unlimited fine, matching the current sentence guidelines for common assault. It will also come with a presumption for a court to apply a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.

The Crime and Policing Bill will also introduce new measures to address the perceived immunity for ‘low value’ shop theft. With this change, there will no longer be a threshold categorising shop theft of goods worth £200 and under as ‘low value’. Instead, all cases of shop theft will be taken seriously irrespective of the value of goods stolen, with a maximum custodial penalty of 7 years. Shop theft of any amount is illegal, and repealing this legislation will ensure everyone understands this.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require safety assessments for AI models before they are released to market to ensure they cannot be used to generate child sexual abuse material.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government takes AI generated images of child sexual abuse extremely seriously.

Creating and possessing CSAM is already a criminal offence, but we are committed to ensuring there are no gaps in the law for criminals to exploit. The Government is therefore banning AI models optimised to produce CSAM and extending existing law for criminalising ‘paedophile manuals’ through the Crime and Policing Bill.

Earlier this year the Government announced that the AI Security Institute will partner with the Home Office to research the most serious emerging risks from AI to criminality, including how it can be used to enable crimes such as child sexual abuse.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of car theft in (a) England and (b) Romford.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.

We also provided £250,000 funding in the last financial year to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.

Via the 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 recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle car-related crimes in Slough.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.

We also provided £250,000 funding in the last financial year to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.

Via the 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 recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect British consumers against fraud.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

We committed in our manifesto to introduce an expanded Fraud Strategy. Development of the Strategy has begun and details of the government’s approach to tackling fraud will be set out in due course.

Work continues to ensure that the public are better equipped to spot and avoid frauds, through our Stop! Think Fraud campaign. Furthermore, as of March 2025, the Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties are now enforceable by Ofcom. This will cut off key online vectors by which criminals are able to identify and communicate with potential victims, such as fraudulent advertising. We are also banning SIM farms, technical devices that allow criminals to send thousands of scam texts and calls at once, as part of the ongoing passage of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many cyclists have been prosecuted under the provisions of Section 35 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 in each year since 2000.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The safety of our roads is a key priority for this government.

We have amended the Crime and Policing Bill to provide for new offences and penalties for dangerous cycling, updating legislation that is over 160 years old, to ensure that the tiny minority who recklessly disregard others face the full force of the law.

Cases of causing death or serious injury by dangerous or careless driving have usually been prosecuted under section 35 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (OAPA 1861), but this offence applies to any person ‘having charge of any carriage or other vehicle’ and therefore does not solely apply to cyclists.

The earliest data held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for prosecutions of offences under s. 35 OAPA 1861 is from 2005. Between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2024, the CPS authorised charges for 362 offences of causing injury by wanton and furious driving contrary to s. 35.

Of these charges, the CPS is unable to identify which offences involved defendants who were cyclists, without a manual review of each case, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce car-related crimes in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and are working with the automotive industry and the police to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. We have also introduced a provision in the Bill which allows the police to enter and search premises for specific stolen property which has been electronically geolocation tracked to a particular premises, without the need for a warrant. This includes vehicles.

In addition, the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group is focusing on steps to prevent and deter 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.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce car theft in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and are working with the automotive industry and the police to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. We have also introduced a provision in the Bill which allows the police to enter and search premises for specific stolen property which has been electronically geolocation tracked to a particular premises, without the need for a warrant. This includes vehicles.

In addition, the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group is focusing on steps to prevent and deter 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.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help protect children from criminal exploitation in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling the criminal exploitation of children is an important strand of our work to halve knife crime under the Safer Streets Mission. Prevention and early intervention to stop young people being drawn into crime is an integral part of that mission including those being exploited by county lines gangs and those involved in violent crime.

We are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to increase convictions against exploiters, deter gangs from enlisting children, and improve identification of victims. Alongside the offence, we are creating a new regime for CCE prevention orders to prevent exploitative conduct committed by adults against children from occurring or re-occurring

Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and disrupt the organised crime groups behind this trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people. Through the Programme, we also fund specialist support for children and young people caught up in county lines and child criminal exploitation. More than 280 children and young people have received dedicated specialist support through our county lines support service since July 2024

While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, the county lines trade is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture, identify and share effective practice, and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Surrey Police.

As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place between 25 November to 1 December 2024, during which Surrey Police made 18 arrests and seized 2 drug lines, 55 bladed articles and 4 firearms.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that vehicle manufacturers rectify security issues with cars to prevent theft; and what discussions her Department has had with vehicle manufacturers on preventing car theft.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police – taking a national approach - to ensure our response is as strong as it can be, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.

We also provided £250,000 funding in financial year 24/25 to help support enforcement work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.

Via the 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 recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the recommendation by the Children's Commissioner for England to ban 'nudification' apps that enable users to generate sexually explicit images of real people.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government refuses to tolerate violence against women and girls. Sexually explicit deepfakes are degrading and harmful.

We are legislating to ban their creation in the Data (Use and Access) Bill and have introduced a further offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise the possession, creation or distribution of AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Government is also actively looking at options to address ‘nudification’ tools themselves.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of AI-generated intimate images.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.

Our VAWG strategy will be published this year and will include joint steps to tackle image-based abuse across England and Wales and protect victims. We are delivering on our manifesto commitment to ensure that perpetrators who create a deepfake intimate image of someone without their consent face prosecution, and criminalising asking someone to create an intimate image deepfake for you, regardless of where that person is based or whether the image is created. In addition, under our new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill, anyone who takes or records intimate images without consent or installs equipment with intent to do so will face up to two years’ custody.

In the year 2024/25, the Home Office increased the amount of funding provided to the Revenge Porn Helpline from £150,000 to £210,000, to provide free, high-quality support and advice to adult victims of intimate image abuse. This funding has been increased for the year 2025/26. The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for vital victim and witness support services that includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including victims of intimate image abuse, to cope and recover.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of e-scooters on high streets in Newbury constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission. We are giving police the powers they need to tackle anti-social vehicles including the illegal use of e-scooters, to make it easier for them to seize these vehicles from offenders and dispose of them.

On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers against illegal use of e-scooters involved in anti-social behaviour with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

Removing this requirement to provide a warning will make the s59 Police Reform Act powers easier to apply, allowing police to put an immediate stop to offending and seize vehicles which are used anti-socially and send a clear message that this sort of behaviour is not tolerated.

Law enforcement, including the enforcement of law on the roads, is an operational matter for the relevant Chief Officer, who will decide how to deploy available resources taking into account any specific local problems and demands they face

Product safety laws require all consumer products to be safe before they are sold. In addition, distributors, including online marketplaces, must not supply products they know, or should know, are unsafe.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of social media on perpetuating violence against women and girls.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government. Our upcoming VAWG Strategy will set out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver our unprecedented ambition to halve VAWG in a decade.

In addition, the Online Safety Act 2023 requires all in-scope companies, including social media platforms, to take swift and effective action against criminal online abuse. However, social media companies must still do more to protect women and girls. The Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has laid before Parliament the Government’s draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for Online Safety, which aim to ensure the Online Safety Act delivers improved online safety outcomes. This includes how the Act will deliver on tackling illegal and misogynistic content to ensure increased safety online for women and girls.

We are also taking action on non-consensual intimate image abuse. The Online Safety Act inserted new offences of sharing or threatening to share intimate images into the Sexual Offences Act 2003. These new offences apply to a broader category of image and in a wider array of circumstances than the previous offences. We are going further by introducing offences of taking an intimate image without consent or reasonable belief in consent and installing equipment with the intent to take intimate images without consent or reasonable belief in consent, via the Crime and Policing Bill. We are also introducing new offences to create or request the creation of intimate images without consent or reasonable belief in consent, via the Data (Use and Access) Bill. This will criminalise the creation of deepfake intimate images without consent.

Our efforts to tackle VAWG and child sexual abuse needs to evolve to meet changes in social media and technology head on. As such, in the dawn of an increase in AI- generated child sexual abuse (CSA), we are taking forward several measures through the Crime and Policing Bill to better safeguard children and young people at risk of sexual abuse. These measures are:

• CSA image generators - This offence will criminalise AI models that have been optimised to create the most severe forms of child sexual abuse material.
• AI paedophile manuals - This measure will ensure that offenders in possession of AI paedophile manuals – which provide guidance about using AI to abuse children sexually – will be criminalised.
• Moderators and administrators of CSA sites – A specific criminal offence targeting offenders who run sites dedicated to child sexual abuse. On these sites, offenders share child sexual abuse material (CSAM) content, or advice on how to groom children.
• CSAM at the Border - This measure will give Border Force officers the power to compel individuals reasonably suspected of posing a sexual risk to children to unlock their digital devices for inspection.

This Government is committed to tackling VAWG and CSAM and will remain agile to the threats and act accordingly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce knife crime in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission.

We have already taken radical action to get dangerous knives off Britain’s streets, including implementing a ban on the sale and possession of zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes, and introducing new legislation to ban ninja swords which will come into effect from 1 August.

We have also announced “Ronan’s Law” following an independent review into online knife sales by Commander Stephen Clayman, which sets out a range of measures including strengthened age verification and delivery checks and a requirement on retailers to report bulk sales to the police.

With measures in the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, we are increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence and are giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.

The Young Futures Programme is another key part of the Safer Streets Mission and the Government’s ambition to halve knife crime over the next decade. Under this programme the Government will intervene earlier to ensure children and young people who are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.

In Surrey, the government has allocated £1m for the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Hotspot Action Fund in 2025-2026 to deliver high visibility patrolling and problem-oriented policing tactics in the areas with the highest densities of knife crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (‘hotspots’).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to provide powers to the police to take enforcement action against the illegal use of e-scooters on the public highway.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission. We are giving police the powers they need to tackle anti-social vehicles including the illegal use of e-scooters, to make it easier for them to seize these vehicles from offenders and dispose of them.

On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to against illegal use of e-scooters involved in anti-social behaviour with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

This will strengthen the law and send a clear message that this sort of behaviour is not tolerated.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Metropolitan Police's decision to cut 1,700 staff upon the implementation of the Crime and Policing Bill; and what steps they are taking to mitigate the impact of these cuts.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Metropolitan Police will receive up to £3.8 billion of funding in 2025-26. This is a £262.1 million increase when compared with the 2024-25 settlement, equating to a 7.4% cash increase and 4.9% real terms increase.

The Home Office is currently working closely with the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, to further understand the force’s recruitment and budget challenges, and ensure that the force is taking every step available to prevent further reductions in headcount and increase officer numbers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) high streets and (b) town centre shop fronts in (i) Huddersfield and (ii) similar towns.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

This government is supporting high street businesses in Huddersfield and in similar towns by reforming business rates, empowering communities to address vacant high street properties through high street rental auctions and tackling anti-social behaviour and crime in town centres through the Crime and Policing Bill.

In April, we announced a Licensing Taskforce that will suggest improvements to our licensing regime to foster vibrant hospitality and cultural sectors on the high street.

Government support in Huddersfield includes £16.7m from MHCLG for the Open Market project to provide a new market that is fit for the future and is part of the council’s programme to drive footfall and demand across the high street. The Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, led by MHCLG will also provide £20 million of long-term funding to 75 places over the next decade targeted on local projects prioritised by the community, including those on the high street.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help support victims of sexual abuse living in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.

Our VAWG strategy will be published this year and will include joint steps to tackle image-based abuse across England and Wales (including Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme). These include delivering our manifesto commitment to ensure that perpetrators who create a deepfake intimate image of someone without their consent face prosecution, and criminalising asking someone to create an intimate image deepfake for you, regardless of where that person is based or whether the image is created. Under our new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill, anyone who takes or records intimate images without consent or installs equipment with intent to do so will face up to two years’ custody.

In the year 2024/25, the Home Office increased the amount of funding provided to the Revenge Porn Helpline from £150,000 to £210,000, to provide free, high-quality support and advice to adult victims of intimate image abuse. This funding will be increased for the year 2025/26.

The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for vital victim and witness support services, including sexual abuse victims. This includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including sexual abuse, based on their assessment of local need; and through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) to enable specialist support organisations to deliver services to victims, including victims of intimate image abuse, to cope and recover. RASASF provides £399,000 to organisations in the Staffordshire PCC area (including Newcastle-under-Lyme).

Victims in Staffordshire can also access the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales. The Line provides victims aged 16 and over access to vital help and information whenever they need it.

Funding for services beyond March 2026 will be subject to decisions made through the ongoing Spending Review process.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to tackle intimate image abuse in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.

Our VAWG strategy will be published this year and will include joint steps to tackle image-based abuse across England and Wales (including Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme). These include delivering our manifesto commitment to ensure that perpetrators who create a deepfake intimate image of someone without their consent face prosecution, and criminalising asking someone to create an intimate image deepfake for you, regardless of where that person is based or whether the image is created. Under our new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill, anyone who takes or records intimate images without consent or installs equipment with intent to do so will face up to two years’ custody.

In the year 2024/25, the Home Office increased the amount of funding provided to the Revenge Porn Helpline from £150,000 to £210,000, to provide free, high-quality support and advice to adult victims of intimate image abuse. This funding will be increased for the year 2025/26.

The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for vital victim and witness support services, including sexual abuse victims. This includes funding to Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local support services for victims of all crime, including sexual abuse, based on their assessment of local need; and through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) to enable specialist support organisations to deliver services to victims, including victims of intimate image abuse, to cope and recover. RASASF provides £399,000 to organisations in the Staffordshire PCC area (including Newcastle-under-Lyme).

Victims in Staffordshire can also access the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales. The Line provides victims aged 16 and over access to vital help and information whenever they need it.

Funding for services beyond March 2026 will be subject to decisions made through the ongoing Spending Review process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme in enabling (a) parents and (b) carers to access information about people who may pose a risk to children.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, introduced in 2011, allows members of the public to make an application to police for information about a person who has contact with a child.

To capture better data in order to review the efficacy of the Scheme, an Annual Data Requirement for police forces was introduced in April 2021, requiring police forces in England and Wales to submit data on the number of applications made, how many related to registered sex offenders and how many resulted in disclosure.

Following consultation with law enforcement and third sector partners, the police guidance and supporting documents for the scheme were updated and published in April 2023. This included supporting the introduction of online applications to the scheme, making it easier for the public to raise a concern, while also reducing the timeframe for applications to be processed and formalising proactive disclosure processes to ensure that information is provided to the right people at the right time to protect children from harm.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, this government is going further to strengthen the scheme by seeking to place it on a statutory footing. This means that chief officers will have a statutory duty to have due regard to the guidance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review the (a) criteria and (b) process under which information on sex offenders is disclosed to the public under the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, introduced in 2011, allows members of the public to make an application to police for information about a person who has contact with a child.

To capture better data in order to review the efficacy of the Scheme, an Annual Data Requirement for police forces was introduced in April 2021, requiring police forces in England and Wales to submit data on the number of applications made, how many related to registered sex offenders and how many resulted in disclosure.

Following consultation with law enforcement and third sector partners, the police guidance and supporting documents for the scheme were updated and published in April 2023. This included supporting the introduction of online applications to the scheme, making it easier for the public to raise a concern, while also reducing the timeframe for applications to be processed and formalising proactive disclosure processes to ensure that information is provided to the right people at the right time to protect children from harm.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, this government is going further to strengthen the scheme by seeking to place it on a statutory footing. This means that chief officers will have a statutory duty to have due regard to the guidance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that home delivery drivers are protected from abuse within the Crime and Policing Bill.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime.

We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes which target race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.

The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal, True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We are also continuing to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub, which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime, providing expert advice to police to support them in investigating these abhorrent offences.

The Government is carefully considering how best to strengthen the response to hate crime going forward so we can continue to tackle this offending head on.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce thefts of (a) mobile phones, (b) handbags and (c) other personal items.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will place thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing roles to provide a more visible and effective service to the public, with each neighbourhood having a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues, including the theft of mobile phones, handbags and other personal items.

To tackle mobile phone theft specifically, on 6 February the Home Secretary brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, leading tech companies and others to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves. The Summit resulted in clear commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, better understand the role of organised crime networks and identify the most effective means of tackling these crimes. As part of ongoing work on this, the Policing Minister recently met with the National Crime Agency and Border Force to consider how best they may be able to contribute to efforts to tackle this criminality.

In addition, the Crime and Policing Bill includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property that has been electronically geo-location tracked to those premises, where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant without seriously prejudicing the entry and search purpose.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of enforcement action against unlicensed online gambling operators.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed.

In the past year, the Commission has significantly increased its disruption activity and has a renewed focus on finding innovative ways to tackle the illegal market. Since April 2024, they have issued over 1,150 cease and desist, and disruption notices. In the same period, over 118,000 URLs relating to illegal gambling have been referred to search engines, Google and Bing, with over 81,000 URLs removed by those search engines.

The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve enforcement against unlicensed gambling operators.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed.

In the past year, the Commission has significantly increased its disruption activity and has a renewed focus on finding innovative ways to tackle the illegal market. Since April 2024, they have issued over 1,150 cease and desist, and disruption notices. In the same period, over 118,000 URLs relating to illegal gambling have been referred to search engines, Google and Bing, with over 81,000 URLs removed by those search engines.

The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve the effectiveness of measures to prevent consumers from accessing unlicensed online gambling operators.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Gambling Commission assesses information gathered from multiple sources and works closely with partner agencies to prevent access to illegal websites by consumers in Great Britain.

In the past year, the Commission has significantly increased its disruption activity and has a renewed focus on finding innovative ways to tackle the illegal market. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will also grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what meetings her Ministers have held with (a) religious or faith-based bodies and (b) their representatives on the proposed duty to report child abuse legislation in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Ministers have met with a number of interested Parliamentarians to discuss clauses 45-54 of the Crime and Policing Bill, including a member of the Lords Spiritual. We will continue to engage with faith groups that and other organisations to help them manage the implementation of the new duty.

The duty will apply to individuals undertaking relevant activity with children, including in religious and faith-based settings. There are no exceptions made within the law on the basis of how and where disclosures are received.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the proposed duty to report child abuse in the Crime and Policing Bill would apply to disclosures made in religious confessionals.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Ministers have met with a number of interested Parliamentarians to discuss clauses 45-54 of the Crime and Policing Bill, including a member of the Lords Spiritual. We will continue to engage with faith groups that and other organisations to help them manage the implementation of the new duty.

The duty will apply to individuals undertaking relevant activity with children, including in religious and faith-based settings. There are no exceptions made within the law on the basis of how and where disclosures are received.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the proposed duty to report child abuse in the Crime and Policing Bill would apply to all (a) religious and (b) faith-based bodies.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Ministers have met with a number of interested Parliamentarians to discuss clauses 45-54 of the Crime and Policing Bill, including a member of the Lords Spiritual. We will continue to engage with faith groups that and other organisations to help them manage the implementation of the new duty.

The duty will apply to individuals undertaking relevant activity with children, including in religious and faith-based settings. There are no exceptions made within the law on the basis of how and where disclosures are received.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions has she had with retailers on the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the retail sector.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence.

Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with retail companies on the safety of home delivery drivers.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence.

Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take legislative steps to help protect the safety of retail home delivery drivers.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence.

Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allocate additional police resources to tackle antisocial behaviour in Great Yarmouth town centre.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

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 the delivery of a dedicated lead officer in every police force in England and Wales working 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 streets safer. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Norfolk Police have been allocated £2,237,478 for an increase of 31 police officers.

These officers will be equipped with tougher powers, such as the Respect Order, which was introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill, to crack down on ASB and crimes blighting our high streets and town centres.

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 and includes an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of putting 13,000 additional police officers and personnel into neighbourhood policing roles.

The Home Office is providing funding this financial year (2025-26) to police forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and ASB. Norfolk Constabulary will receive £1m.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle (a) knife crime and (b) gang activity in Great Yarmouth constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. To do this, we have:

• Launched a Halving Knife Crime Coalition, including representation from Norwich, to agree how best to tackle youth knife crime.
• Implemented a ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes. It is now illegal to sell, manufacture or possess these weapons.
• Introduced new legislation in Parliament to ban ninja swords.
• Planned a surrender scheme in July to allow those who currently own these weapons to hand them in. From 1 August 2025 it will be illegal to sell or own these weapons.
• Allocated £66.3m nationally, including £1m for Norfolk, for the Hotspot Action Fund for 25/26, to deliver high visibility patrolling in hotspots of knife crime, serious violence and ASB.
• Launched a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce to deliver new operational tactics to bring down levels of knife-enabled robbery.
• Started development of a new Young Futures programme to intervene earlier to ensure young people facing poorer outcomes and vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.
• Invested £1.5 million to support Violence Reduction Units to expand their Focused Deterrence Interventions to steer young people away from criminality.

To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.

Through the County Lines Programme we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.

Through the Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Norfolk Police.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are also introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime, and we are providing specialist support for children and young people involved in county lines to exit safely.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help protect the safety of home delivery drivers.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job.

Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider including retail home delivery drivers within the definition of assaults on retail workers.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated.

This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence. Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.

We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support people with the police complaints process.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The statutory police complaints process allows members of the public to raise concerns or express dissatisfaction with the police. They can do so directly to their local police force or via the online portal on the website of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The IOPC has a phone line for the public to ask for assistance on making their complaint. The most serious and sensitive matters are investigated independently by the IOPC, but all complainants have a right to an independent review if their complaint is dealt with first by the police force. The IOPC run targeted campaigns to build awareness among specific groups, including women and girls, about how to access the police complaints system.

The Government keeps the police complaints system under review to ensure that it is fit for purpose. In October last year, the Home Secretary announced a package of reforms to improve public confidence in police accountability. This includes amendments in the Crime and Policing Bill, to put the victims right to review on a statutory footing for complainants who want to challenge a decision by the IOPC not to refer a case to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) Operation Scorpion and (b) other initiatives in reducing drug trafficking and county lines activity in Devon and Cornwall.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade. To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.

Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people. Through the Programme, we also fund specialist support for children and young people caught up in county lines and child criminal exploitation. More than 280 children and young people have received dedicated specialist support through our county lines support service since July 2024.

While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture, identify and share effective practice, and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines. This funding has previously been used to support Op Scorpion, the joint South West regional operation to tackle drug supply, which has yielded significant results.

As part of the Programme, the NCLCC regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. During the most recent which took place 25 November to 1 December 2024, activity from Op Scorpion resulted in 95 individuals being arrested, and 107 individuals being safeguarded. Devon & Cornwall Police made 26 arrests, safeguarded 49 vulnerable individuals, visited 28 cuckooed addresses, and seized Class A drugs with an estimated value of £175k.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. Alongside an offence, we are introducing new civil preventative orders to prevent CCE conduct from occurring or re-occurring. We are also introducing an offence of cuckooing to target individuals who take over the homes of vulnerable people for criminal purposes and punish them for the harm caused.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) disrupt county lines operations and (b) reduce exploitation of vulnerable people in Devon and Cornwall.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade. To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.

Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people. Through the Programme, we also fund specialist support for children and young people caught up in county lines and child criminal exploitation. More than 280 children and young people have received dedicated specialist support through our county lines support service since July 2024.

While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture, identify and share effective practice, and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines. This funding has previously been used to support Op Scorpion, the joint South West regional operation to tackle drug supply, which has yielded significant results.

As part of the Programme, the NCLCC regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. During the most recent which took place 25 November to 1 December 2024, activity from Op Scorpion resulted in 95 individuals being arrested, and 107 individuals being safeguarded. Devon & Cornwall Police made 26 arrests, safeguarded 49 vulnerable individuals, visited 28 cuckooed addresses, and seized Class A drugs with an estimated value of £175k.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. Alongside an offence, we are introducing new civil preventative orders to prevent CCE conduct from occurring or re-occurring. We are also introducing an offence of cuckooing to target individuals who take over the homes of vulnerable people for criminal purposes and punish them for the harm caused.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support Community Speed Watch schemes and (b) deter (i) antisocial driving and (ii) street racing in rural areas.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Community Speedwatch schemes are initiatives coordinated by the police working with local volunteers to target speeders, and decisions on whether to operate local schemes are operational matters for the police.  The Department for Transport agrees that these schemes can be a useful way of monitoring speeds and encouraging drivers to stay within speed limits.  However, it has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the programmes in the West Dorset constituency.

Turning to the deterrence of antisocial driving and street racing in rural areas, the Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to Parliament in February, includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Community Speed Watch programmes in reducing speeding in West Dorset constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Community Speedwatch schemes are initiatives coordinated by the police working with local volunteers to target speeders, and decisions on whether to operate local schemes are operational matters for the police.  The Department for Transport agrees that these schemes can be a useful way of monitoring speeds and encouraging drivers to stay within speed limits.  However, it has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the programmes in the West Dorset constituency.

Turning to the deterrence of antisocial driving and street racing in rural areas, the Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to Parliament in February, includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to improve enforcement measures against street racing in West Dorset constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission.

On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

This will strengthen the law and send a clear message that antisocial street racing will not be tolerated.

Excess speed is a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads and anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face the full force of the law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help tackle the transportation of illegal drugs through county lines in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.

Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this vile trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.

While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Avon & Somerset Police.

As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place between 25 November to 1 December 2024, during which Avon and Somerset Police made 17 arrests, seized 5 drug lines and referred 5 vulnerable people to safeguarding services.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime.

We are also providing specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation and will deliver on our manifesto commitment to roll out further support through Prevention Partnerships to intervene earlier to ensure young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help prevent the exploitation of vulnerable children by county lines gangs in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.

Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this vile trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.

While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Avon & Somerset Police.

As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place between 25 November to 1 December 2024, during which Avon and Somerset Police made 17 arrests, seized 5 drug lines and referred 5 vulnerable people to safeguarding services.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime.

We are also providing specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation and will deliver on our manifesto commitment to roll out further support through Prevention Partnerships to intervene earlier to ensure young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle increasing levels of mobile phone theft.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

On 6 February the Home Secretary brought together law enforcement and leading tech companies to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves.

The Summit resulted in clear commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem and better understand the role of organised crime networks.

To aid police investigations and recovery of stolen goods, our Crime and Policing Bill also includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property that has been electronically geolocation tracked to those premises, where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant.

Through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will place thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing roles to provide a more visible and effective response, including in response to the activities of mobile phone thieves operating in our communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many motorhome thefts have been recorded in each of the last five years; and what assessment her Department has made of trends in motorhome theft in England and Wales.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Vehicle theft, including that of motorhomes, is a truly distressing crime for owners, businesses and industry.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are closely working with the automotive industry and police to ensure our response is as strong as it can be.

We are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, through a National Vehicle Crime Working Group, to take forward a programme of work to drive down vehicle crime, focusing on prevention and deterrence. This includes training police on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. The Bill also introduces a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically geolocation tracked, and it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court.

The Home Office holds data on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, including thefts of motor vehicles. However, statistics do not provide the level of detail necessary to separately identify thefts of motorhomes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support local police forces in preventing motorhome theft.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Vehicle theft, including that of motorhomes, is a truly distressing crime for owners, businesses and industry.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are closely working with the automotive industry and police to ensure our response is as strong as it can be.

We are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, through a National Vehicle Crime Working Group, to take forward a programme of work to drive down vehicle crime, focusing on prevention and deterrence. This includes training police on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. The Bill also introduces a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically geolocation tracked, and it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court.

The Home Office holds data on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, including thefts of motor vehicles. However, statistics do not provide the level of detail necessary to separately identify thefts of motorhomes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help increase the charge rate for vehicle thefts in London.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Vehicle theft is a truly distressing crime and this Government recognises the negative impact vehicle thefts have had on individuals, businesses and industry.

In our Crime and Policing Bill, we have brought forward two new offences to criminalise the possession, importation, making, adapting, supplying or offering to supply an electronic device (such as a signal jammer) for use in theft of a vehicle or theft of anything in a vehicle.

We are committed to restoring and strengthening neighbourhood policing. Through our Safer Streets Mission, our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers, across England and Wales, to speed up response times and build public confidence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help prevent the export of stolen mobile phones by organised criminals.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will place thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing roles to provide a more visible and effective service to the public, with each neighbourhood having a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues, including the theft of mobile phones, handbags and other personal items.

To tackle mobile phone theft specifically, on 6 February the Home Secretary brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, leading tech companies and others to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves. The Summit resulted in clear commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, better understand the role of organised crime networks and identify the most effective means of tackling these crimes. As part of ongoing work on this, the Policing Minister recently met with the National Crime Agency and Border Force to consider how best they may be able to contribute to efforts to tackle this criminality.

In addition, the Crime and Policing Bill includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property that has been electronically geo-location tracked to those premises, where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant without seriously prejudicing the entry and search purpose.

Found: to the government’s wider policies to respond to anti-social behaviour contained in the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: to the government’s wider policies to respond to anti-social behaviour contained in the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: The Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February 2025, proposes to remove the requirement

Found: I am pleased to see this is now being taken forward in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Found: I am pleased to see this is now being taken forward in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Found: I am pleased to see this is now being taken forward in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Found: .150 The report has resulted in provisions to amend the confiscation order regime in the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Panel supported the recommendations from both. 19.51 As a result of the Jay Review, the ‘Crime and Policing Bill

Found: themselves will have greater protection under a new offence being introduced as part of the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: We are also introducing a new offence of criminal exploitation of children in the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: given the Government’s intention to introduce Mandatory Reporting through the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill

Found: important given the Government’s intention to introduce Mandatory Reporting through the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill

Found: important given the Government’s intention to introduce Mandatory Reporting through the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill

Found: .150 The report has resulted in provisions to amend the confiscation order regime in the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: dated 13/05/2025 from Diana Johnson MP to Matt Vickers MP regarding points raised during the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Matt Vickers MP regarding points raised during the Committee stage (twelfth sitting) of the Crime and Policing Bill

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any steps it is taking, including in relation to legislation, to prevent registered sex offenders from changing their name, and for what reason it has not already taken any such action, in light of the legislative changes being pursued by the UK Government.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

The Scottish Government takes the safety of the public very seriously. Sex offender notification requirements apply to an individual, irrespective of what name they use, and Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements documentation includes the recording of any aliases. Sex offenders must inform the police of a name change within three days and failure to notify such a change can result in a prison sentence.

We are aware that the Crime and Policing Bill, recently introduced to the UK Parliament, contains legislative change in this area. A Legislative Consent Memorandum (LCM) was lodged on 16 May 2025 recommending that the Scottish Parliament consents to the legislative provisions around sex offender management contained in the Bill. We await the outcome of the Parliamentary process which will determine whether or not consent is given to the provisions.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will legislate to prevent registered sex offenders from changing their name.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

The Scottish Government takes the safety of the public very seriously. Sex offender notification requirements apply to an individual, irrespective of what name they use. Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements record any aliases in their documentation. The current position in legislation is that sex offenders must inform the police of a name change within three days and failure to notify such a change can result in a prison sentence.

We are aware that the Crime and Policing Bill, recently introduced to the UK Parliament, contains legislative change in this area. We are exploring the possibility of extending the provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill to Scotland. Any such amendment would be the subject of the legislative consent process.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a child and young person exploitation offence.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

The Scottish Government is currently awaiting the UK Government’s proposals on introducing new child criminal exploitation (CCE) offence as part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill in England and Wales.

My officials are in regular contact with Home Office officials on the progress of these plans, and when the finalised proposals are made available, we will be in the position to assess the potential to extend this measure to Scotland through the Legislative Consent process.

Found: advocate for a statutory definition of Child Criminal Exploitation as part of its forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill

Found: advocate for a statutory definition of Child Criminal Exploitation as part of its forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill

Found: advocate for a statutory definition of Child Criminal Exploitation as part of its forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill

Found: . • Work with UK Government to ensure the provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill include criminalising

Found: Home Office Guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social- behaviour-crime-and-policing-bill-anti-social-behaviour

Found: Government to accept 55 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-crime-and-policing-bill-anti

Found: fireworks sold for public 59 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-crime-and-policing-bill-anti

Found: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/12 49 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-crime-and-policing-bill-anti

Found: professionals should be aware of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti- social-behaviour-crime-and-policing-bill-anti-social

Found: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti- social-behaviour-crime-and-policing-bill-anti-social-behaviour

Found: This was pending the introduction of the Home Office Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill 2014

Found: - Response to Legislative Consent Motion vote on provisions in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill

Found: work with UK Government Ministers to bring forward provisions in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Written Statement - Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill (14 October 2013)

Found: Written Statement - Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill (14 October 2013)

Found: Work has also been undertaken on the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill and the forthcoming

Found: Parliament on 8 May 2013, included a commitment to bring forward a Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill ...................................... 7 3.3.