Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to help increase the number of police officers in the Harrow West constituency since the end of June 2024.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government has launched the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This will ensure that every community in England and Wales will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their communities providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses.

As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we have made £200 million available in 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel. Out of that funding, the Metropolitan Police Service have been allocated £45,638,456, enabling a projected growth of 420 police officers (FTE) and 50 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).

We expect policing to make use of this funding to increase neighbourhood teams across every force this year. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will clearly demonstrate to the public that the police are dealing with local concerns, supporting more visible policing and greater public confidence. Where officers and resources are deployed, remains a local operational decision.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take legislative steps to reform the Bank Referral Scheme to ensure that SMEs are referred to the (a) most appropriate and (b) best value funding option.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 28 October to PQ 84135.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, if she will review the availability of affordable credit in mission critical neighbourhoods.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises that credit, when provided responsibly, can be crucial for people facing unexpected expenses or managing their cash flow.

The UK has a diverse landscape for credit provision to individuals, comprising traditional banks, challenger and specialist banks, credit unions, and non-bank finance providers. Within this landscape, Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) play an important role in delivering credit to consumers who are underserved by mainstream lenders. In 2024, CDFIs provided £81.8 million in loans to over 130,000 individuals. More than a third of these borrowers in England were based in the North, which contains most of England’s mission critical neighbourhoods as identified by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods.

Today I have published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, which includes a focus on how to improve access to affordable credit. The Strategy outlines measures to support the community finance sector, including encouraging partnerships between the sector and mainstream firms. It was developed in collaboration with a range of consumer and industry representatives and the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders to deliver on the interventions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods report entitled Anatomy of Mission Critical Neighbourhoods, published on 30 May 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the number of (a) Santander, (b) Barclays and (c) HSBC bank branches in mission critical neighbourhoods.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We welcomed the May report from the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods entitled ‘Anatomy of Mission Critical Neighbourhoods’ and have noted the findings of the entrenched challenges these areas face, specifically in relation to economic inactivity, ill health and skills.

We have not made any assessment of bank branches in the areas ICON analysed, however we will continue to work closely with the areas supported by our Pride in Place programme to build stronger communities, create thriving places and empower local people.

Our Pride in Place programme will work closely with 244 neighbourhoods experiencing the highest levels of deprivation, delivering up to £5 billion funding and support over ten years to these areas.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a list of mission critical neighbourhoods as defined by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We welcomed the May report from the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods entitled ‘Anatomy of Mission Critical Neighbourhoods’ and have noted the findings of the entrenched challenges these areas face, specifically in relation to economic inactivity, ill health and skills.

We have not made any assessment of bank branches in the areas ICON analysed, however we will continue to work closely with the areas supported by our Pride in Place programme to build stronger communities, create thriving places and empower local people.

Our Pride in Place programme will work closely with 244 neighbourhoods experiencing the highest levels of deprivation, delivering up to £5 billion funding and support over ten years to these areas.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps her Department plans to take to support the rebuilding of the Palestinian economy.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 13 October, alongside representatives from the Egyptian Government and the Palestinian Authority, I co-hosted a summit at Wilton Park focused on how we can leverage in private finance to support the reconstruction of Gaza and the recovery of the Palestinian economy, attended by business leaders from the region, international partners, and financial experts from here in the UK.

Both through short-term humanitarian relief, and long-term support, we are determined to help the Palestinian people as they rebuild their homes and livelihoods, and we will continue to drive international support for that effort as a crucial component of Phase Two of the US-led peace plan.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 82947 on Banks and Community Development Finance Institutions, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the reasons for which (a) HSBC, (b) Santander and (c) Barclays have not chosen to support work between banks and Community Development Finance Institutions to support the provision of affordable credit in the areas of highest deprivation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

As outlined in my previous response, the Government recognises the vital role Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) play in providing affordable credit to underserved consumers and businesses. However I cannot comment on how individual banks decide to approach provision of affordable credit.

I am very grateful for the engagement by a range of banks and CDFIs in contributing to the upcoming Financial Inclusion Strategy, which includes a focus on access to affordable credit and will seek to ensure people have access to useful products and services for their needs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 82944 on Credit Unions, if she will publish the responses to the call for evidence.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to exploring legislative reform to the credit union common bond to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

Responses to the call for evidence are currently being considered, and the government will provide an update on this work in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) pubs and (b) other hospitality businesses extending their Bounce Back Loans for (i) an additional five years beyond the current maximum limits and (ii) at the same rate of interest.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Pay As You Grow (PAYG) was introduced to give businesses that borrowed under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) greater flexibility, including extended repayment terms and short-term interest only payments. The Department’s multi-year published evaluation of the Covid-19 Loan Guarantee Schemes indicated that closure rates among BBLS borrowers using PAYG were relatively low compared to others, suggesting PAYG may have had an important role in ensuring the survival of some businesses. The department has not conducted a sector specific assessment in relation to PAYG impact.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that young people are taught about co-operatives as part of the national curriculum.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​A high quality citizenship education helps to provide pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society. The citizenship curriculum is compulsory within the national curriculum at secondary and primary schools can choose to teach citizenship at key stages 1 and 2, following the non-statutory framework for citizenship.

​Pupils should be taught about the roles played by public institutions and voluntary groups in society, which could include co-operatives, and the ways in which citizens work together to improve their communities.

​The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is seeking to deliver a curriculum that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes young people need to thrive. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published shortly with the government’s response.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he had with experts on (a) alcohol licensing and (b) the Licensing Act 2003 on the proposals set out in the call for evidence entitled Reforming the licensing system, published on 7 October 2025.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Earlier this year the Government established a Licensing Taskforce which was co-chaired by the then Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, Gareth Thomas MP. The Taskforce held discussions with experts on the licensing regime in reaching its conclusions.

The Government welcomed the Taskforce report and is inviting further views and evidence to inform the development of a modern, proportionate and enabling licensing system.

A Call for Evidence is currently open until 6 November in order to gather views and evidence to inform proposals for reforms to licensing. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/reforming-the-licensing-system.

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Found: households with energy bills and fuel poverty - a guide for constituents November 2025 Author: Gareth Thomas