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Written Question
Police: Spit Guards
Wednesday 23rd July 2025

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times spit hoods have been used on members of the public in each of the English territorial police forces in each of the last three full years for which figures are available.

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

The Home Office collects and publishes information annually on the number of times a spit hood was used on members of the public by police force area in the statistical publication on the police use of force. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2024 and can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-use-of-force-statistics-april-2023-to-march-2024

The number of times a spit hood tactic (referred to as a spit and bite guard in the statistical publication) was used on members of the public, broken down by police force area, and by financial year for each of the last three years, can be found in data table 14 and is copied below.

From Table 14 of the Police use of force, England and Wales April 2023 to March 2024 statistical publication. The number of times spit and bite guard tactics were used by police force area for the last 3 years are included below. Data for 2024/25 will be published in November/December 2025.

Year

Police force

Tactic

Total number of tactics

2021/22

Total England and Wales

Spit and bite guard

8,281

2021/22

Avon & Somerset

Spit and bite guard

416

2021/22

Bedfordshire

Spit and bite guard

77

2021/22

Cambridgeshire

Spit and bite guard

87

2021/22

Cheshire

Spit and bite guard

113

2021/22

City of London

Spit and bite guard

17

2021/22

Cleveland

Spit and bite guard

12

2021/22

Cumbria

Spit and bite guard

46

2021/22

Derbyshire

Spit and bite guard

98

2021/22

Devon & Cornwall

Spit and bite guard

345

2021/22

Dorset

Spit and bite guard

145

2021/22

Durham

Spit and bite guard

46

2021/22

Dyfed-Powys

Spit and bite guard

32

2021/22

Essex

Spit and bite guard

333

2021/22

Gloucestershire

Spit and bite guard

45

2021/22

Greater Manchester

Spit and bite guard

636

2021/22

Gwent

Spit and bite guard

83

2021/22

Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Spit and bite guard

117

2021/22

Hertfordshire

Spit and bite guard

158

2021/22

Humberside

Spit and bite guard

115

2021/22

Kent

Spit and bite guard

225

2021/22

Lancashire

Spit and bite guard

92

2021/22

Leicestershire

Spit and bite guard

113

2021/22

Lincolnshire

Spit and bite guard

55

2021/22

Merseyside

Spit and bite guard

310

2021/22

Metropolitan

Spit and bite guard

1,557

2021/22

Norfolk

Spit and bite guard

115

2021/22

North Wales

Spit and bite guard

4

2021/22

North Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

61

2021/22

Northamptonshire

Spit and bite guard

83

2021/22

Northumbria

Spit and bite guard

403

2021/22

Nottinghamshire

Spit and bite guard

83

2021/22

South Wales

Spit and bite guard

159

2021/22

South Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

127

2021/22

Staffordshire

Spit and bite guard

79

2021/22

Suffolk

Spit and bite guard

68

2021/22

Surrey

Spit and bite guard

167

2021/22

Sussex

Spit and bite guard

222

2021/22

Thames Valley

Spit and bite guard

269

2021/22

Warwickshire

Spit and bite guard

43

2021/22

West Mercia

Spit and bite guard

163

2021/22

West Midlands

Spit and bite guard

502

2021/22

West Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

399

2021/22

Wiltshire

Spit and bite guard

61

2022/23

Total England and Wales

Spit and bite guard

8,275

2022/23

Avon & Somerset

Spit and bite guard

379

2022/23

Bedfordshire

Spit and bite guard

86

2022/23

Cambridgeshire

Spit and bite guard

114

2022/23

Cheshire

Spit and bite guard

91

2022/23

City of London

Spit and bite guard

15

2022/23

Cleveland

Spit and bite guard

151

2022/23

Cumbria

Spit and bite guard

80

2022/23

Derbyshire

Spit and bite guard

101

2022/23

Devon & Cornwall

Spit and bite guard

309

2022/23

Dorset

Spit and bite guard

150

2022/23

Durham

Spit and bite guard

35

2022/23

Dyfed-Powys

Spit and bite guard

19

2022/23

Essex

Spit and bite guard

398

2022/23

Gloucestershire

Spit and bite guard

46

2022/23

Greater Manchester

Spit and bite guard

688

2022/23

Gwent

Spit and bite guard

103

2022/23

Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Spit and bite guard

104

2022/23

Hertfordshire

Spit and bite guard

146

2022/23

Humberside

Spit and bite guard

75

2022/23

Kent

Spit and bite guard

173

2022/23

Lancashire

Spit and bite guard

116

2022/23

Leicestershire

Spit and bite guard

107

2022/23

Lincolnshire

Spit and bite guard

52

2022/23

Merseyside

Spit and bite guard

278

2022/23

Metropolitan

Spit and bite guard

1,421

2022/23

Norfolk

Spit and bite guard

91

2022/23

North Wales

Spit and bite guard

32

2022/23

North Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

66

2022/23

Northamptonshire

Spit and bite guard

88

2022/23

Northumbria

Spit and bite guard

423

2022/23

Nottinghamshire

Spit and bite guard

137

2022/23

South Wales

Spit and bite guard

150

2022/23

South Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

104

2022/23

Staffordshire

Spit and bite guard

60

2022/23

Suffolk

Spit and bite guard

83

2022/23

Surrey

Spit and bite guard

134

2022/23

Sussex

Spit and bite guard

227

2022/23

Thames Valley

Spit and bite guard

276

2022/23

Warwickshire

Spit and bite guard

39

2022/23

West Mercia

Spit and bite guard

80

2022/23

West Midlands

Spit and bite guard

619

2022/23

West Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

395

2022/23

Wiltshire

Spit and bite guard

34

2023/24

Total England and Wales

Spit and bite guard

9,844

2023/24

Avon & Somerset

Spit and bite guard

410

2023/24

Bedfordshire

Spit and bite guard

64

2023/24

British Transport Police

Spit and bite guard

359

2023/24

Cambridgeshire

Spit and bite guard

109

2023/24

Cheshire

Spit and bite guard

84

2023/24

City of London

Spit and bite guard

1

2023/24

Cleveland

Spit and bite guard

233

2023/24

Cumbria

Spit and bite guard

113

2023/24

Derbyshire

Spit and bite guard

91

2023/24

Devon & Cornwall

Spit and bite guard

260

2023/24

Dorset

Spit and bite guard

149

2023/24

Durham

Spit and bite guard

49

2023/24

Dyfed-Powys

Spit and bite guard

22

2023/24

Essex

Spit and bite guard

486

2023/24

Gloucestershire

Spit and bite guard

77

2023/24

Greater Manchester

Spit and bite guard

627

2023/24

Gwent

Spit and bite guard

124

2023/24

Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Spit and bite guard

153

2023/24

Hertfordshire

Spit and bite guard

170

2023/24

Humberside

Spit and bite guard

99

2023/24

Kent

Spit and bite guard

230

2023/24

Lancashire

Spit and bite guard

119

2023/24

Leicestershire

Spit and bite guard

118

2023/24

Lincolnshire

Spit and bite guard

36

2023/24

Merseyside

Spit and bite guard

361

2023/24

Metropolitan

Spit and bite guard

1,525

2023/24

Norfolk

Spit and bite guard

121

2023/24

North Wales

Spit and bite guard

36

2023/24

North Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

103

2023/24

Northamptonshire

Spit and bite guard

142

2023/24

Northumbria

Spit and bite guard

521

2023/24

Nottinghamshire

Spit and bite guard

135

2023/24

South Wales

Spit and bite guard

165

2023/24

South Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

133

2023/24

Staffordshire

Spit and bite guard

114

2023/24

Suffolk

Spit and bite guard

69

2023/24

Surrey

Spit and bite guard

179

2023/24

Sussex

Spit and bite guard

237

2023/24

Thames Valley

Spit and bite guard

422

2023/24

Warwickshire

Spit and bite guard

25

2023/24

West Mercia

Spit and bite guard

89

2023/24

West Midlands

Spit and bite guard

754

2023/24

West Yorkshire

Spit and bite guard

476

2023/24

Wiltshire

Spit and bite guard

54


Written Question
New Towns
Tuesday 24th June 2025

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether homes built as part of their new towns programme will count towards councils' overall housing targets in terms of the target of delivering 1.5 million new homes over this Parliament.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to Question UIN 16954.


Written Question
Abortion: Side Effects
Thursday 5th June 2025

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the one-time analysis published on 23 November 2023, Complications from abortions in England: comparison of Abortion Notification System data and Hospital Episode Statistics 2017 to 2021, which discussed the limitations of the HSA4 form, what steps they are taking to improve data collection on complications from at-home tablet-induced abortions.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In accordance with the Abortion Act 1967, registered medical practitioners must notify the Chief Medical Officer of abortions within 14 days. The HSA4 abortion notification form is provided to collect the required information, including details of any known complications, up until the time of the patient’s discharge from the abortion service. The HSA4 form is a statutory instrument, the content of which cannot be changed without legislation.

The Department continues to work with abortion providers to ensure that abortion complications known up until the time of discharge from the abortion service are recorded on the HSA4 form. There are no plans to require the notification of complications that occur after discharge from the abortion service.

Abortion continues to be a very safe procedure, for which major complications are rare at all gestations. Home use of early medical abortion pills is recognised to be a safe procedure by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the World Health Organisation.


Written Question
Abortion: Drugs
Thursday 5th June 2025

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria for determining whether an in-person consultation is required following a request for at-home abortion tablets.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In March 2022, Parliament voted to amend the Abortion Act to allow women in England and Wales to take one or both pills for early medical abortion at home at up to 10 weeks’ gestation. The legislation came into force on 30 August 2022.

Women should be given the choice to either have an in-person consultation with a clinician or to have a virtual consultation and, if eligible, will be able to take both pills for early medical abortion at home. If there is any uncertainty about the gestation of the pregnancy, or if the doctor has any concerns, the woman will be asked to attend a clinic. If she does not attend the clinic, the doctor would not be able to form an opinion in good faith that the pregnancy is below ten weeks, and would therefore not be able to proceed with prescribing abortion pills for home use.


Written Question
Local Government Pension Scheme: Councillors
Monday 10th February 2025

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have for allowing elected councillors to join the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Currently, councillors in England are not eligible for membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, after access was removed in 2014. As the Responsible Authority for the LGPS, MHCLG keeps access to the scheme under regular review.


Written Question
Abortion: Drugs
Friday 31st January 2025

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that medical complications and associated risks arising from at-home tablet-induced abortions are accurately monitored, recorded, and reported.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a legal requirement in England and Wales that all terminations must be notified to the Chief Medical Officer within 14 days of the procedure. The Department provides the HSA4 form for this purpose. Information is collected on the abortion and the woman that had the abortion, including the method of the abortion, whether any abortion pills were taken at home, the gestation, or number of weeks, and details of any known complications.

The Department publishes data from these notifications in annual abortion statistics reports, which include data on complications up until the time of discharge from the abortion service.

In November 2023, the Department published a one-time analysis comparing data from the Department’s Abortion Notification System and the Hospital Episode Statistics, which are produced and controlled by NHS England.

Abortion continues to be a very safe procedure for which major complications are rare at all gestations. The complication rates for the Abortion Notification System and the Hospital Episodes Statistics data remains similar to both before and after the introduction of the home use of early medical abortion pills.


Written Question
Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders
Friday 18th October 2024

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the prisoners who were given early release on 10 September had been imprisoned for a second or subsequent offence.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Data on SDS40 releases forms a subset of data intended for future publication.

Offenders released under SDS40 will be subject to the same set of strict licence conditions that would apply had they been released at a 50% automatic release point and will be liable to recall to prison if they do not comply with these conditions or are judged to be a risk to public safety.

Prison release planning has been reviewed and adapted to account for recent changes. Prison, probation staff and support providers are working hard to ensure those being released early have all necessary available support. This includes temporary accommodation for those at risk of homelessness, access to employment and benefits, and continuity of mental health and substance misuse provision.


Written Question
Social Rented Housing: Sub-letting
Monday 12th August 2024

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, for each of the years (1) 2019, (2) 2018, (3) 2017, (4) 2016, and (5) 2015, how many council or registered provider social homes they estimate were illegally sublet (a) by region, and (b) by property type, ranging from bungalows to high rise flat; and what percentage each of the foregoing figures represented of available stock.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Department does not hold this data.


Written Question
Internal Drainage Boards: Finance
Friday 2nd August 2024

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to address concerns about the way in which internal drainage boards are funded; and if so, whether they have a timetable for implementing changes.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has committed to work with the internal drainage board (IDB) sector and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to review IDBs’ current funding and costs. This will include examination of whether any changes are needed to their funding model.

Once the review is complete, Defra and MHCLG will consider the findings and decide on next steps, if any are required.


Written Question
NHS: Staff
Tuesday 7th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the forthcoming NHS workforce strategy will include specific projections of workforce needs with respect to (1) health visiting, (2) school nursing, (3) sexual health services, and (4) drug and alcohol treatment.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government has commissioned NHS England to deliver a high-level National Health Service Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP).

This plan is currently being developed and we have committed to publishing it this year.