Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions they have made to retain skilled and experienced police officers following the recommendation of the Police Remuneration Review Body in its Tenth Report for 2024 published in July (CP 1124) that each force should have discretion to set the starting salary for new constables at either pay point 1 or pay point 2.

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

On 29 July, the Government announced that it had accepted the Police Remuneration Review Body’s recommendation to award officers in the federated and superintending ranks a consolidated pay award of 4.75%, with effect from 1 September 2024.

The Government also announced it had accepted the recommendation that the chief officer of police in each force should be given the discretion to set the starting salary for new constables at either pay point 1 or pay point 2 on the constables’ pay scale. Implementation of the recommendation is subject to detailed proposals from the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on the circumstances in which this discretion should be used, along with transition arrangements for those constables on pay point 1, to inform amendments to the Police Regulations 2003. These proposals will be submitted to the Government in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services report, State of Policing: The Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2023, published on 19 July, and in particular its findings in relation to efforts to address rape and sexual violence.

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

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this government and we will treat it as a national emergency. Our mission is to halve levels of VAWG within a decade, using every lever available to us. This means reforming the police response to these crimes, strengthening the criminal justice system, and empowering victims by providing access to specialist support when they need it.

We are grateful to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’, for their yearly State of Policing Report, which provides an invaluable evaluation of the most pertinent issues facing policing across England and Wales, including their response to violence against women and girls.