Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 8 May 2025 (HL6763), what progress they have made in tackling money laundering through cash-based high street businesses such as American candy stores and souvenir shops; whether they plan to legislate to introduce new powers for (1) the National Crime Agency, (2) local authorities, or (3) HMRC, to tackle such activities; and whether they will grant additional financial resource to enable effective enforcement.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling high street criminality is a priority for this Government. That is why, on 19 May, the Government announced a £30 million crackdown targeting cash intensive business such as candy stores and souvenir shops, over three years. This includes dedicated funding for an enhanced law enforcement response supporting the National Crime Agency, HMRC, Trading Standards and others, and the creation of a new cross-government High Street Organised Crime Unit to tackle this threat. The Unit will identify what more is needed – from stronger powers to better coordination – to respond to this criminal activity and stop it from happening in the first place.
As part of the Government’s work on this issue, the Government is currently consulting on extending the duration of Closure Orders to 12 months, to ensure that criminal businesses can be shut down for longer where appropriate.
Further details about the £30 million package can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-05-19/HCWS32
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of restricting, or banning, repetitive protest marches in order to prevent undue restriction on the activities of residents, businesses, and visitors.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to upholding the right to lawful protest while ensuring the public are protected from serious disruption or harm.
Under Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 police have the power to impose conditions on protests where necessary. Under Section 13 of the Act, where a chief officer assesses that conditions will not be sufficient to prevent serious public disorder, they can seek an order prohibiting for a period not exceeding 3 months all public processions in that area. The decision to prohibit processions under Section 13 is exceptional and must be agreed by the Home Secretary.
In the Crime and Policing Act 2026, Section 165 requires police to consider the cumulative impact of repeated protests when assessing serious disruption to the life of the community. This may result in conditions being imposed on the timing or route of recurring protests to reduce repeated disruption to residents, businesses and visitors. This provision came into force on 29 June.
Lord Macdonald of River Glaven KC led a review of public order and hate crime legislation which considered if existing powers appropriately balance protecting public safety and upholding the right to protest. The review was submitted to the Home Secretary at the end of May and she will review the report in detail before setting out the Government’s formal response and publishing the report.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support police officers guarding the Israeli Embassy in London with their (1) working conditions, and (2) safety.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government takes the protective security of diplomatic missions extremely seriously. The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our longstanding policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' and sites' security.
More broadly in terms of the support available to police officers, through the Police Covenant the Home Office are supporting the police workforce with their physical and mental health.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer and remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 17 November (HL11520) and 10 November (HL Deb col 66), whether for-profit social housing providers will be granted the same powers as not-for-profit housing providers under the Crime and Policing Bill.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to relevant agencies under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
For-profit Social Housing Providers have grown in prominence since the 2014 Act first came into force. While it is important that all agencies have the powers they need to tackle ASB, it is also important that changes to the agencies that can use the powers in the 2014 ASB Crime and Policing Act are considered carefully, on a case-by-case basis. The addition of for-profit social housing providers as applicant agencies for Respect Orders, Housing Injunctions and Youth Injunctions remains under consideration, as mentioned in previous answers.
We are, however, legislating in the Crime and Policing Bill to extend the power to issue Closure Notices to Registered Social Housing Providers, including For Profit Housing Providers. This will make it easier for Housing Providers to take swift action to prevent disruptive ASB.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 27 October (HL10860), what consideration they have given to granting for-profit housing providers the ability to issue respect orders and housing and youth injunctions through the Crime and Policing Bill.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to relevant agencies under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle ASB.
For-profit Social Housing Providers have grown in prominence since the 2014 Act first came into force. While it is important that all agencies have the powers they need to tackle ASB, it is also important that changes to the agencies that can use the powers in the 2014 ASB Crime and Policing Act are considered carefully, on a case-by-case basis. The addition of for-profit social housing providers as applicant agencies for Respect Orders, housing Injnuctions and Youth Inductions remains under consideration.
However, we are legislating in the Crime and Policing Bill to extend the power to issue Closure Notices to Registered Social Housing Providers, including For Profit Housing Providers. This will make it easier for Housing Providers to take swift action to prevent disruptive ASB.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of granting for-profit social housing providers the same powers to tackle antisocial behaviour as not-for-profit social housing providers have under the Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to relevant agencies under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle ASB.
For-profit Social Housing Providers have grown in prominence since the 2014 Act first came into force. While it is important that all agencies have the powers they need to tackle ASB, it is also important that changes to the agencies that can use the powers in the 2014 ASB Crime and Policing Act are considered carefully.
We are legislating in the Crime and Policing Bill to extend the power to issue Closure Notices to Registered Social Housing Providers, including For Profit Housing Providers. This will make it easier for Housing Providers to take swift action to prevent disruptive ASB.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they collect data about suicides and attempted suicides by police members across England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not currently collect data centrally on suicides or attempted suicides by police workers.
Data on suicides by occupation have previously been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
A National Action Plan for Suicide Prevention and Postvention in policing has been launched, which aims to reduce rates among the police workforce as well as enhancing data recording. The plan, which includes ensuring adequate training for the police workforce, emphasises a supportive environment that promotes mental health and combats stigma to ensure that those affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts can access appropriate and timely support.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the enforcement of their proposed "respect orders" by police forces in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is crucial that police have the powers they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.
New Respect Orders, introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill, will give police stronger powers to enforce against the most persistent adult offenders.
Respect Orders will be behavioural orders, issued by the civil courts. They will enable courts to ban offenders from engaging in harmful anti-social behaviours and can also require perpetrators to take action to address the root cause of their behaviour.
Failure to comply with a Respect Order will be a criminal offence, enforceable by arrest and tried in the criminal court. Penalty for breach will include community sentences, unlimited fines, and prison time for the most serious breaches.
Updated statutory guidance will be provided to forces on Respect Orders, to ensure they are being used as effectively as possible.
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 our streets safer.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to urgently resolve the police officer pay award issue over the summer.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 1 August, the Home Secretary announced that the Government has accepted the PRRB’s recommendations in full, including a 4.2% consolidated pay increase for police officers (up to and including the rank of Chief Superintendent), effective from 1 September 2025. This decision reflected the PRRB’s assessment of the economic context, recruitment and retention data, and the specific challenges facing the police workforce. The full PRRB report and related Government response can be found here: Police Remuneration Review Body report: 2025 England and Wales - GOV.UK
The Government is carefully considering the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) recommendations for Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and will set out its decision in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the delay to the police officer pay award has had on (1) staff morale, and (2) police recruitment.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 1 August, the Home Secretary announced that the Government has accepted the PRRB’s recommendations in full, including a 4.2% consolidated pay increase for police officers (up to and including the rank of Chief Superintendent), effective from 1 September 2025. This decision reflected the PRRB’s assessment of the economic context, recruitment and retention data, and the specific challenges facing the police workforce. The full PRRB report and related Government response can be found here: Police Remuneration Review Body report: 2025 England and Wales - GOV.UK
The Government is carefully considering the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) recommendations for Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and will set out its decision in due course.