Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates of female genital mutilation and forced marriage, and their response to that study.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
To prevent and respond effectively to forced marriage and FGM it is essential that we understand the prevalence of these crimes.
As such, the Home Office commissioned a feasibility study in 2023 to examine whether it is possible to produce robust prevalence estimates for FGM and forced marriage. We are currently considering the next steps in this area, and will set these out in due course.
While not markers of prevalence, the Government monitors other indicators of forced marriage and FGM to inform its understanding. These indicators include police recorded crime, contacts to the joint Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and Home Office Forced Marriage Unit, and data from the National Health Service in England and the courts.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between domestic abuse and victim suicide.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is working to develop the evidence base on suicides that follow domestic abuse through funding the Domestic Homicide and Suspect Victim Suicides Project, which captures information on suicides with a known history of domestic abuse from all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
In the latest published data capturing deaths from April 2023 to March 2024, 262 deaths were counted, with 98 deaths (37%) classified as suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse. The full report can be found online: https://www.vkpp.org.uk/vkpp-work/domestic-homicide-project/
The Home Office also funds the organisation Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse to support families bereaved by suicide and unexplained deaths following domestic abuse. However, we recognise that more needs to be done to understand the link between domestic abuse and suicide and ultimately prevent future deaths. Our upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will outline the Government's work going forward to better understand and prevent all domestic abuse related deaths.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 13 March (HL5375), whether the National County Lines Coordination Centre coordinates with the National Rural Crime Unit and dedicated rural crime taskforces.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) was created to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response to county lines.
The NCLCC, which is funded through our County Lines Programme has been vital in strengthening the law enforcement response and enabling police forces to work together to tackle this complex issue.
The NCLCC also has a role in sharing best practice and manage a dedicated fund which supports local police forces tackle the scourge of county lines. Whilst the NCLCC does not have a dedicated role in working with the National Rural Crime Unit and dedicated rural crime taskforces, NCLCC routinely works with a range of law enforcement and wider partners to tackle the county lines threat across England and Wales.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle drug-related crime in rural communities.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the considerable impact of drug use and dealing on individuals, families and communities in rural and urban constituencies. Tackling this is a vital part of our missions to deliver safer streets and improve health outcomes, and that is why we are taking a collaborative, cross-government approach to drugs at a national level.
We expect the police to intervene to tackle illicit drug use, recognising the significant harms it causes. We are dedicated to reducing these drug-related harms through prevention and treatment, while acting quickly and decisively to stop the criminals peddling these harmful substances.
County Lines are the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs and break the organised crime groups behind the trade.
Since July 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.
As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place 25 November to 1 December 2024 and resulted in 261 lines closed, as well as 1,660 arrests, 1,434 individuals safeguarded and 557 weapons seized.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 29 January (HL4121), whether they intend to make an assessment of the number of parents illegally accessing cannabinoid epilepsy treatments for their children.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are currently no plans to make such an assessment but the Government keeps all regulations under close review.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the rise in shoplifting.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the previous Government, shop theft soared to record highs and it continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shop workers. We will not stand for this.
Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work and this Government is committed to tackling retail crime.
We will introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We will also end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods of and under £200. This will remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.
As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide over £7 million over the next three financial years to help police in tackling retail crime and supporting local businesses.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of parents illegally accessing cannabinoid epilepsy treatments for their children.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
To date no assessment has been made. Both licensed cannabis-based medicines (i.e., those with a marketing authorisation granted in accordance with the medicines legislation applicable in the UK) and unlicensed cannabis-based products for medical use (CBPMs) can be lawfully prescribed. Anyone buying medicines from illicit or unregulated markets cannot be sure what they contain or whether they will cause them harm.
CBPMs are placed in Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. They are available for prescribing by specialist clinicians. All other cannabis-based products containing controlled drugs, other than licensed cannabis-based medicines that have been separately scheduled, remain in Schedule 1 under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and cannot ordinarily possessed except under a Home Office licence.
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and the penalties for unauthorised possession, supply and production remain unchanged.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases the Forced Marriage Unit provided advice and support to in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) lead efforts to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad, providing support and advice for victims, those at risk, and professionals, through its public helpline and inbox. The support offered ranges from providing information on forced marriage general enquiries and guidance to assistance in repatriation to the UK (for victims overseas).
The FMU publishes annual statistics that represent only the cases that have been reported to the FMU. Forced marriage is a hidden crime, so these figures will not reflect the full scale of the abuse. For this reason, the FMU is also involved in activities to raise awareness of forced marriage among key professions.
Data for the years 2019 – 2023, regarding FMU cases, is as follows:
A more detailed breakdown of these statistics is available for the years 2019 – 2023 and is accessible to the public via GOV.uk.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure better co-ordination of guidance given to medical practitioners, teachers, and faith leaders on reporting and protecting girls from female genital mutilation.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is an important part of this Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We are focused on preventing these crimes from happening in the first place, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Frontline professionals and agencies with safeguarding responsibilities are crucial to protecting survivors and those at risk of FGM. Statutory guidance is therefore in place for agencies with safeguarding responsibilities to equip them with information on the law on FGM and to provide detailed advice on identifying FGM cases and how to coordinate appropriate responses.
The guidance also makes clear the importance of reporting for safeguarding professionals. It includes explicit reference to the mandatory reporting duty of some professionals (teachers, health and social care workers), making clear that under the law, they must rapidly inform the police of ‘known’ FGM cases among under-18s.
In addition to statutory guidance, there is an official FGM Resource Pack available for professionals which highlights what works in protecting survivors and those at risk of FGM. The Resource Pack includes training and assessment resources, as well as information about available specialist support services to enable coordinated responses.
Finally, the Government has developed free e-learning on FGM for frontline staff in healthcare, police, Border Force and children’s social care.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to changing the statutory definition of domestic abuse to that those under the age of 16 can be considered victims of domestic abuse.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is considering a range of actions to address teenage relationship abuse, including considering whether any changes to the law are needed, and supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.