Found: Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention regarding the Crime and Policing Bill 25.02.2025

Found: Against Women and Girls and Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, re Crime and Policing Bill

Found: The Crime and Policing Bill, the big Bill that has been published today, does not have any of the new

Found: These will also be introduced the Crime and Policing Bill which will be introduced later this year.

Found: making of intimate images without consent, including via Generative AI, in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill

Found: We have previously set out that this measure would be in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Found: We have previously set out that this measure would be in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Found: Extend protections from sexual harassment and workplace abuse for platform workers (link to Crime and Policing Bill

Found: These will also be introduced the Crime and Policing Bill which will be introduced later this year.

Found: We have said that we will legislate for some other areas in the Crime and Policing Bill and expect that

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of dispersal orders to reduce (a) theft and (b) anti-social behaviour in market towns in Surrey.

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

Engagement with policing partners suggests that police consider dispersal orders straightforward to use and effective in the short-term.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we will be legislating to extend dispersal orders from 48 to 72 hours, making them more effective.

Additionally, to tackle persistent adult ASB offenders, the Crime and Policing Bill has also introduced Respect Orders. Breach of a Respect Order will be a criminal offence and courts will have a wider range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle anti-social behaviour on Gloucester constituency.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, included our plan to reduce ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every police force working with communities to develop a local ASB action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police, community support officers and special constables into local communities so residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

We will crack down on those causing havoc on our high streets by introducing tougher powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to tackle repeat offending, including the new Respect Order to tackle the most persistent ASB offenders.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime in town centres.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, included our plan to reduce ASB. This will include 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 going to bring back neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional officers are out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make the streets safer.

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

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of crime committed by illegal migrants on residents in Wythall.

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

This Government is determined to tackle crime irrespective of who has committed it. As part of the Plan for Change, our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will put officers and PCSOs back on the beat in every corner of the country, ensuring the police are visible, accessible and responsive to the communities they serve.

Our forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will give the police the powers they need to crack down on the criminals who cause misery in our communities, and to tackle the scourge of serious violence on our streets.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of street racing on the A435 at Wythall; and what steps her Department plans to take to help increase prosecutions for these offences.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee sets out our ambition to have a dedicated lead officer for ASB in every police force, working alongside communities on developing a bespoke ASB action plans for their area, in order to address the issues that matter most in local communities.

As part of that Guarantee, we will also put 13,000 additional neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities up and down the country by the end of the Parliament.

We are bringing forward new powers in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill to ensure police and other agencies have the powers they need to tackle ASB, such as allowing the police to more swiftly seize vehicles being used antisocially, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing them. This will allow them to better deal with vehicles involved in street racing and car cruising.

We will also introduce Respect Orders, which can be applied for by the police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breaching a Respect Order will be a criminal offence, allowing police officers to immediately arrest offenders and disrupt ongoing ASB.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Greater Manchester Police to tackle the (a) prevalence and (b) impact of anti-social behaviour the city-region.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders which will be introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by the police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breaching a Respect Order will be a criminal offence, allowing police officers to immediately arrest offenders and disrupt ongoing ASB.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle illegal off road biking in Sherwood Forest constituency.

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

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

On 27 November 2024, the Government announced proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on off-road bikes and other vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles.

This will allow the police to quickly remove anti-social vehicles which are bringing misery to city centres and pedestrian areas. These powers will be included in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle antisocial behaviour in (a) Slough and (b) Thames Valley.

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

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

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated ASB lead officer in every police force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders will be applied for by police and local councils and issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and act quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to victims of antisocial behaviour.

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

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

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated ASB lead officer in every police force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders will be applied for by police and local councils and issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and act quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to introduce a national strategy to reduce the exploitation of children in county lines drug trafficking.

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

A crucial part of our Safer Streets mission is tackling the gangs that entice children and young people into crime. That includes those who run county lines through violence and exploitation.

An estimated 14,000 children are identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation. That is why this Government’s manifesto included a commitment to introduce a new offence of child criminal exploitation, which we will bring forward as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Through the County Lines Programme, the Home Office is also targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this vile trade.

The Programme provides specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation and we will deliver on the Government’s manifesto commitment to roll out further support through prevention partnerships to deliver interventions to support children when and where they need it most.

Policing activity delivered through the Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will bring forward legislative proposals to (a) ensure that new offences are consent-based without requiring proof of motive, (b) clarify the status of nudify apps in (i) creating and (ii) soliciting non-consensual images and (c) criminalise the solicitation of sexually explicit synthetic deepfakes.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Further to our announcement on 7 January that we would introduce legislation to tackle the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, the Government will table an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill that will criminalise intentionally creating an intimate deepfake without consent or reasonable belief in consent. This delivers on our manifesto commitment and is the latest important step in our mission to halve violence against women and girls.

This offence will be tech neutral so would cover those using nudify apps as well as other technologies. The Government is considering options in relation to wider concerns about nudify apps themselves, and how best to tackle these technological developments.

Where an individual does not commit the “creating” offence themselves, but they ask someone else to do so, they may be liable under one of the offences set out at sections 44 – 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007. These ‘inchoate’ offences apply to almost all criminal offences and would automatically apply when the creating deepfakes offence comes into force. But we want to go further and intend to introduce further provisions at a later stage of the Data (Use and Access) Bill.

On wider intimate image abuse legislation, as we announced on 7 January, we will be introducing new offences in relation to taking intimate images and installing equipment to enable someone to do so through the Crime and Policing Bill. These offences have been developed to include definitions aligned with sharing intimate images without consent, this will give law enforcement a holistic package of offences to effectively tackle non-consensual intimate image abuse, and address gaps in existing legislation. These provisions will also amend the Sentencing Code to ensure Courts have the power to order, upon conviction, that the offender be deprived of any images in respect of which they were convicted of this offence, as well as anything on which the images were stored (such as a computer or hard drive).

The Courts already have this power in relation to offenders convicted of sharing intimate images (including deepfakes) without consent. The Sentencing Council is currently reviewing their guidance on ancillary orders, including deprivation orders, and we will monitor any developments closely.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to (a) align the definition of intimate image with existing offences, (b) mandate the removal of non-consensual intimate images from perpetrators' devices after conviction and (c) tackle other gaps in legislation.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Further to our announcement on 7 January that we would introduce legislation to tackle the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, the Government will table an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill that will criminalise intentionally creating an intimate deepfake without consent or reasonable belief in consent. This delivers on our manifesto commitment and is the latest important step in our mission to halve violence against women and girls.

This offence will be tech neutral so would cover those using nudify apps as well as other technologies. The Government is considering options in relation to wider concerns about nudify apps themselves, and how best to tackle these technological developments.

Where an individual does not commit the “creating” offence themselves, but they ask someone else to do so, they may be liable under one of the offences set out at sections 44 – 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007. These ‘inchoate’ offences apply to almost all criminal offences and would automatically apply when the creating deepfakes offence comes into force. But we want to go further and intend to introduce further provisions at a later stage of the Data (Use and Access) Bill.

On wider intimate image abuse legislation, as we announced on 7 January, we will be introducing new offences in relation to taking intimate images and installing equipment to enable someone to do so through the Crime and Policing Bill. These offences have been developed to include definitions aligned with sharing intimate images without consent, this will give law enforcement a holistic package of offences to effectively tackle non-consensual intimate image abuse, and address gaps in existing legislation. These provisions will also amend the Sentencing Code to ensure Courts have the power to order, upon conviction, that the offender be deprived of any images in respect of which they were convicted of this offence, as well as anything on which the images were stored (such as a computer or hard drive).

The Courts already have this power in relation to offenders convicted of sharing intimate images (including deepfakes) without consent. The Sentencing Council is currently reviewing their guidance on ancillary orders, including deprivation orders, and we will monitor any developments closely.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in Gloucester.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to the police to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a review of sentencing guidelines for people convicted of grooming-gang offences.

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

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. We have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators. We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.

Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so. The guidelines produced provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is.

Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published in May 2022. As an independent body, the Council decides its own work plan and priorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for implementing Respect Orders; and when decisions will be taken on pilot areas.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders which will be introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by the police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders.

Respect Orders will be piloted prior to national rollout to make sure they are as effective as possible. Consideration will be given to where the pilots will take place in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to regulate the (a) detection, (b) prevention and (c) removal of deepfake images created by generative Artificial Intelligence.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Government made a clear manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images and we are bringing forward legislation to honour that commitment in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Under the Online Safety Act, it is already a criminal offence to share or threaten to share a sexually explicit deepfake.

We have designated the most harmful forms of deepfakes as priority illegal content, including child sexual exploitation and abuse and intimate image abuse. Services in scope will need to take proactive steps to prevent priority illegal content from appearing on their service and remove it quickly when it does.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Arts and Humanities Research Council on their approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with the Science and Technology Facilities Council on their approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative Artificial Intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Economic and Social Research Council on supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency on support for research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions has he had with Horizon Europe on their approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with Innovate UK on their approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative Artificial Intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Research England on their approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with UKRI on their approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has plans to commission a domestic research strategy for (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with business stakeholders on the Government's approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative artificial intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with universities on their approach to supporting research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative Artificial Intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with the Regulatory Innovation Office on UK research into (a) detecting, (b) preventing and (c) removing deepfake images created by generative Artificial Intelligence since July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. We will also criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

We welcome research on this important topic. DSIT co-led the Deepfake Detection Challenge with the Home Office to assess existing capabilities and identify innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of deepfakes. In addition, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders across industry, academia and civil society to understand the potential for further detection, prevention and removal of deepfake content and identify future research priorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a confidential government process for whistleblowers to safely raise concerns over foreign rape gangs.

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

Launching any investigation is a decision for the police to make. But the Government will continue to ensure that all institutions and individuals remain responsible and accountable for protecting children against this vile abuse. An important part of this includes delivering on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommendation of a mandatory reporting duty, which we will deliver through the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to tackle criminal activity via county lines.

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

County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. 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.

Since July 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, 500 arrests (including the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders) and 800 safeguarding referrals for children and vulnerable people. Over 220 children and young people have also received dedicated specialist support through our county lines support service since July.

In addition, the Government’s Manifesto included an unambiguous commitment to “introduce a new offence of criminal exploitation of children, to go after the gangs who are luring young people into violence and crime”. A new criminal offence is necessary to increase convictions against exploiters, deter gangs from enlisting children, and improve identification of victims. This will be brought forward as part of the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether additional guidance will be provided to (a) police forces and (b) local councils on the use of Respect Orders to target anti-social car meets and illegal street racing.

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

Acts of anti-social behaviour (ASB) - such as the arrangement of illegal car meets - cause great harm, distress and nuisance to our communities, and, if left unchecked, can lead to even more serious offending. That is why tackling ASB is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission, and it is also why we are putting 13,000 additional police officers and community support officers back on the beat to restore effective and visible neighbourhood policing in communities like Basingstoke.

As recently announced by the Home Secretary, the Respect Orders we will introduce in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will enable the courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breaches of those orders will be a criminal offence, and the courts will have a wide range of sentencing options for those convicted, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years' imprisonment.

The Home Office publishes statutory Guidance for police and local authorities on the use of the anti-social behaviour powers under the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, and this will be updated to include the Respect Order. The Respect Order will be piloted to ensure it is as effective as possible, before national roll-out.

Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 empowers the police to issue a warning to anyone driving both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on road or off-road without consent and in a way which causes alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. If the driver ignores the warning to stop the behaviour, the police can seize the vehicle. It is then only released on payment of prescribed fees.

The Home Office has recently announced plans to strengthen this law so that these vehicles can be seized by police when they are used to commit anti-social behaviour, including illegal street racing, without the necessity to issue a prior warning, thereby speeding up effective enforcement action and allowing the police to swiftly seize vehicles being used anti-socially.

The Home Office does not collect data on vehicles seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

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 Hampshire to tackle anti-social car meets and illegal street racing.

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

Acts of anti-social behaviour (ASB) - such as the arrangement of illegal car meets - cause great harm, distress and nuisance to our communities, and, if left unchecked, can lead to even more serious offending. That is why tackling ASB is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission, and it is also why we are putting 13,000 additional police officers and community support officers back on the beat to restore effective and visible neighbourhood policing in communities like Basingstoke.

As recently announced by the Home Secretary, the Respect Orders we will introduce in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will enable the courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breaches of those orders will be a criminal offence, and the courts will have a wide range of sentencing options for those convicted, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years' imprisonment.

The Home Office publishes statutory Guidance for police and local authorities on the use of the anti-social behaviour powers under the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, and this will be updated to include the Respect Order. The Respect Order will be piloted to ensure it is as effective as possible, before national roll-out.

Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 empowers the police to issue a warning to anyone driving both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on road or off-road without consent and in a way which causes alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. If the driver ignores the warning to stop the behaviour, the police can seize the vehicle. It is then only released on payment of prescribed fees.

The Home Office has recently announced plans to strengthen this law so that these vehicles can be seized by police when they are used to commit anti-social behaviour, including illegal street racing, without the necessity to issue a prior warning, thereby speeding up effective enforcement action and allowing the police to swiftly seize vehicles being used anti-socially.

The Home Office does not collect data on vehicles seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vehicles were seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 for offences related to anti-social car meets or street racing in (a) Basingstoke, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each of the last 10 years.

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

Acts of anti-social behaviour (ASB) - such as the arrangement of illegal car meets - cause great harm, distress and nuisance to our communities, and, if left unchecked, can lead to even more serious offending. That is why tackling ASB is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission, and it is also why we are putting 13,000 additional police officers and community support officers back on the beat to restore effective and visible neighbourhood policing in communities like Basingstoke.

As recently announced by the Home Secretary, the Respect Orders we will introduce in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will enable the courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breaches of those orders will be a criminal offence, and the courts will have a wide range of sentencing options for those convicted, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years' imprisonment.

The Home Office publishes statutory Guidance for police and local authorities on the use of the anti-social behaviour powers under the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, and this will be updated to include the Respect Order. The Respect Order will be piloted to ensure it is as effective as possible, before national roll-out.

Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 empowers the police to issue a warning to anyone driving both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on road or off-road without consent and in a way which causes alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. If the driver ignores the warning to stop the behaviour, the police can seize the vehicle. It is then only released on payment of prescribed fees.

The Home Office has recently announced plans to strengthen this law so that these vehicles can be seized by police when they are used to commit anti-social behaviour, including illegal street racing, without the necessity to issue a prior warning, thereby speeding up effective enforcement action and allowing the police to swiftly seize vehicles being used anti-socially.

The Home Office does not collect data on vehicles seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a police task force to (a) identify and (b) investigate (i) local and (ii) national officials that had knowledge of and failed to act against Pakistani heritage grooming gangs.

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

This Government is focused on delivering meaningful change for victims and survivors impacted by these horrendous crimes, safeguarding children, and ensuring law enforcement have the tools and capabilities to pursue and bring offenders to justice.

This includes continuing to fund the work of the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce, which is working to give practical, expert, and on the ground support for local forces investigating child sexual abuse, with a focus on complex and organised child sexual exploitation. The Taskforce has brought together the best police data that is available on group-based offending which was published in November 2024. In this context group-based offending includes any offence with two or more perpetrators. That data is available publicly online via https://www.hydrantprogramme.co.uk/publications/hydrant-publications#LatestNews). We will work further with the Taskforce to improve the accuracy and robustness of the data and analysis.

The Home Office also collects and publishes data annually on police misconduct cases finalised during a financial year period in the ‘Police misconduct, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. This data is broken down by allegation category but does not cover the specific circumstances of individual allegations such as those described.

Launching any investigation is a decision for the police to make. But the Government will continue to ensure that all institutions and individuals remain responsible and accountable for protecting children against this vile abuse. An important part of this includes delivering on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommendation of a mandatory reporting duty, which we will deliver through the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 already protects workers who wish to make disclosures about child protection or welfare concerns. In 2015 the Home Office commissioned the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line, which serves as a national single point of contact for child abuse-related whistleblowing reports.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) West Ham & Beckton constituency.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to prevent the use of denudifying apps by children in the creation of pornographic deepfake images.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Where an adult or a child uses generative AI to make sexual images of a child, that content is child sexual exploitation and abuse material, and is illegal.

We are also bringing forward provisions to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes images of adults without consent in the Crime and Policing Bill, making this behaviour criminal so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.

The sharing of or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is already a criminal offence under the Online Safety Act and was designated as a priority offence in November 2024. In-scope services will be required to proactively tackle this type of content, preventing its proliferation online.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions her Department has had with the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales on the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for child sexual offences in (a) reflecting the severity of the crime and (b) preventing reoffending.

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

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.

As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requesting the Sentencing Council for England and Wales produce guidelines on the sentencing of grooming gangs.

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

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.

As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of custodial sentences for child sexual offences in preventing reoffending.

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

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific of crimes and the Government is determined to act to strengthen the law in this area. This is why we have committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, to ensure that this behaviour is reflected in the sentencing of perpetrators.  We will also make it a mandatory duty for those working with children to report child sexual abuse – a key recommendation of Professor Alexis Jay’s report – and this will go into the Crime and Policing Bill due to be introduced to Parliament this spring.

As set out in previous responses, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales is independent of Parliament and Government. It therefore decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing sentencing guidelines. Sentencing guidelines for child sex offences, including for the offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, were first published by the Council in 2013. Following consultation, revised guidelines for some child sex offences were published and came into force in May 2022.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the use of denudifying apps used to create pornographic deepfake images.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images, as part of the government’s commitment to halve the prevalence of violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the decade.

We are bringing forward provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill to meet that commitment. This will make this behaviour criminal, so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.

The sharing of or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is already a criminal offence under the Online Safety Act and was designated as a priority offence in November 2024. Companies in scope of the Act’s illegal safety duties will be required to proactively tackle this type of content, preventing its proliferation online.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention in response to the question from the hon. Member for Sheffield South East of 29 July 2024, Official Report, Column 1028, what progress her Department has made on tackling antisocial road users.

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

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

On 27 November 2024, the Government announced proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on e-bikes, e-scooters and other vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles.

This will allow the police to quickly remove anti-social vehicles which are creating a nuisance or disturbance in city centres and pedestrian areas. These powers will be included in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) children and (b) adults were prosecuted for the creation of indecent images of (i) children and (ii) adults using denudifying apps in 2024.

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

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including offences involving the possession, creation and distribution of indecent images of children. Data up to and including June 2024 is available in the Outcomes by Offences data tool that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

However, data held centrally does not include whether the offence involved AI-generated images or use of nudifying apps. This information may be held in the court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.

In relation to images of adults, it is already a criminal offence to share, or threaten to share, a sexually explicit deepfake image of an adult without consent, but not an offence to make one. The Government made a clear manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images, a central aspect of our commitment to halve the prevalence of violence against women and girls within the decade. We are bringing forward legislation to honour that commitment in the Crime and Policing Bill which will be introduced later this year, making this behaviour criminal so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted for the (a) creation, (b) distribution and (c) ownership of entirely AI-generated indecent images of children in 2024.

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

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including offences involving the possession, creation and distribution of indecent images of children. Data up to and including June 2024 is available in the Outcomes by Offences data tool that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

However, data held centrally does not include whether the offence involved AI-generated images or use of nudifying apps. This information may be held in the court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.

In relation to images of adults, it is already a criminal offence to share, or threaten to share, a sexually explicit deepfake image of an adult without consent, but not an offence to make one. The Government made a clear manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images, a central aspect of our commitment to halve the prevalence of violence against women and girls within the decade. We are bringing forward legislation to honour that commitment in the Crime and Policing Bill which will be introduced later this year, making this behaviour criminal so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle disinformation through AI-generated deepfakes.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We have recently announced that we are delivering on our manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes through the Crime and Policing Bill.

Deepfakes more broadly are captured by the Online Safety Act where they are shared on social media platforms and are considered illegal content or content which is harmful to children.

For those who think that there are no repercussions for online activity, we saw convictions for illegal online activity following the summer riots, including under the new False Communications Offence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed Respect Orders on anti-social car meets and illegal street racing in Basingstoke.

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

Acts of anti-social behaviour (ASB) - such as the arrangement of illegal car meets – cause great harm, distress and nuisance to our communities, and, if left unchecked, can lead to even more serious offending. That is why tackling ASB is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission, and it is also why we are putting 13,000 additional police officers and community support officers back on the beat to restore effective and visible neighbourhood policing in communities like Basingstoke.

As recently announced by the Home Secretary, the Respect Orders we will introduce in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will enable the courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breaches of those orders will be a criminal offence, and the courts will have a wide range of sentencing options for those convicted, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

The Home Office publishes statutory Guidance for police and local authorities on the use of the anti-social behaviour powers under the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, and this will be updated to include the Respect Order. The Respect Order will be piloted to ensure it is as effective as possible, before national roll-out.

Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 empowers the police to issue a warning to anyone driving both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on road or off-road without consent and in a way which causes alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. If the driver ignores the warning to stop the behaviour, the police can seize the vehicle. It is then only released on payment of prescribed fees.

The Home Office has recently announced plans to strengthen this law so that these vehicles can be seized by police when they are used to commit anti-social behaviour, including illegal street racing, without the necessity to issue a prior warning, thereby speeding up effective enforcement action and allowing the police to swiftly seize vehicles being used anti-socially.

The Home Office does not collect data on vehicles seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to reduce antisocial behaviour in Great Yarmouth constituency.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

We will also put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce youth-related gang violence in London.

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 gangs that lure children and young people into crime and run county lines through violence and exploitation.

An estimated 14,000 children are identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation. That is why this Government’s manifesto included a commitment to introduce a new offence of criminal exploitation of children, which we will bring forward as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.

County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, which includes funding for dedicated County Lines Taskforce in the Metropolitan Police, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade.

The Government has also committed to the creation of a new Young Futures Programme (YFP), which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, to intervene earlier to ensure this cohort is identified and offered support in a more systematic way, as well as creating more opportunities for young people in their communities, through the provision of open access to mental health and careers support.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of antisocial behaviour in Knowsley constituency.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders.

Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

We will also put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle antisocial behaviour in Knowsley constituency.

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

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders.

Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

We will also put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

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Found: government has recently announced an intention to introduce mandatory reporting in the upcoming crime and policing bill

Found: On Tuesday, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament.

Found: The Crime and Policing Bill, which is central to the government’s Plan for Change and Safer Streets

Found: our Plan for Change to protect our neighbourhoods and is part of the government’s flagship Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Both of these measures will be part of the government’s landmark Crime and Policing Bill, which is set

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Found: sentencing of child sexual offences, and introduce a new Mandatory Reporting duty, in the Crime and Policing Bill

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Found: Alongside more officers on the ground, the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill will give these officers

Found: The measures announced today are set to be included as part of the Crime and Policing Bill which is expected

Found: installation of equipment with intent to commit these offences will be included in the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill

Found: We will bring in stronger measures to tackle knife sales online in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring

Found: mandatory reporting duty for those working with children to report sexual abuse as part of the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Further measures will be announced in the Crime and Policing Bill to tackle those organising online child

Found: New respect orders are to be introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill which will enable agencies

Found: The new offences will be included in the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced

Found: confirm that we will make it mandatory to report abuse and we will put the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: factsheets

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: Impact assessments

Found: We will legislate in the first session Crime and Policing Bill to ensure that powers the police need

Found: The forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will be seeking some aggravated possession offences, which law

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.