Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how frequently police officers will have to renew a licence to work under proposed policing reforms; and what training officers will need to do, if any, to secure the licence that they do not currently undertake in the course of their duties.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
As set out in the White Paper ‘From local to national: a new model for policing’, a Licence to Practise will signify the unique position our officers hold through the Office of Constable while ensuring that all officers are provided with the right wellbeing support, training and development to succeed. It is important that we carefully consider all options for Licence model, including how a Licence is issued and renewed, and we will work closely with policing to make sure that we develop a model that is beneficial for officers and the public.
A Licence to Practise will provide a system that brings together mandatory training alongside consistent professional development. We will explore how a Licence can build on accreditations and licensing which are currently delivered by the College of Policing in specialist operational areas.
Our first priority is to ensure the service is set for a Licence model which includes developing a strong performance management system and delivering consistent leadership standards and wellbeing support.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan for the proposed National Police Service to be operational; and whether this is expected to be by the end of the present Parliament.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The salary for the Commissioner of the National Police Service will be determined in due course.
The Government has started work to set up the National Police Service and will legislate for it as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the salary will be for the proposed Commissioner of the National Police Service.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The salary for the Commissioner of the National Police Service will be determined in due course.
The Government has started work to set up the National Police Service and will legislate for it as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Chagossians arrived in the UK in 2025 and have become British citizens.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Chagossians have a specific path to British citizenship through the British Indian Ocean Territory route.
There were 271 grants of citizenship via this route for applications made from the UK in 2025. Data for when the individuals who were subject to these grants arrived in the UK is not held in a reportable format.
There may be additional people of Chagossian descent who have acquired citizenship outside of this route.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad will have its firearms capability removed; and if so, what assessment they have made of that decision.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Decisions around the deployment of armed officers are operational matters for individual chief constables to determine. It is therefore the responsibility of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service to determine how best to meet the operational requirements and make decisions on deployment of armed officers in London.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 1,000 members of staff allocated to work in immigration enforcement were (1) recruited externally, and (2) reallocated internally.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since July 2024 the Home Office has redeployed 1,000 FTE staff to increase delivery of the government’s returns and enforcement priorities, these staff have been drawn from across the Department.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to take steps to allow police forces to increase the use of stop and search without suspicion.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Stop and search is a vital tool which enables police to tackle crime and keep the public safe. The Government supports the lawful and appropriate use of these powers.
Where serious violence has occurred or is anticipated, senior officers may authorise the use of stop and search of any individual or vehicle for weapons, with or without reasonable suspicion. These authorisations are limited to a particular area for a specific period of time, usually no longer than 24 hours.
In the year to March 2025, there was a 5% increase in the use of these powers (under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994), compared to the previous year.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Taser 10 devices will be deployed to police forces over the next 12 months.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tasers provide specially trained officers with an important tactical option when facing situations with the potential for violence. The number of Tasers purchased by forces are operational decisions for Chief Officers to determine in line with their assessments of threats and risks.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make an assessment of the ability of police and courts to detect and prosecute offences relating to coercion as set out in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
As is standard when introducing a new offence, the Ministry of Justice will engage with criminal justice agencies, including the police, CPS, and judiciary, before commencement. These bodies will develop guidance and training through their respective organisations, such as the College of Policing and the Judicial College, to ensure officers and practitioners have the necessary powers, knowledge, and skills to detect and prosecute offences under the Bill.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of extreme left-wing terrorism in the UK, including Antifa and related groups.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, provides a comprehensive framework for tackling all forms of terrorism and is kept under constant review to ensure our approach remains fit for purpose in response to emerging risks and challenges.
As outlined in the publication of the most recent iteration of CONTEST, in July 2023, Left Wing, Anarchist and Single-Issue Terrorism (LASIT) currently represents a significantly smaller terrorist threat to the UK than Islamist terrorism or ERWT and is not currently present in the UK at any significant scale.