Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on average police response times to incidents in rural areas by police force area in each of the last five years.

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

The Home Office does not currently hold a national dataset of average police response times to incidents in rural areas.

The Home Secretary has been clear that she wants the Home Office to play a greater role in monitoring and improving police performance. The Home Office are currently developing a nationally comparable dataset for response times and further details on this will be set out in due course.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) regularly inspect forces’ response to the public as a part of their Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspections. As a part of this, they examine whether forces provide an appropriate response to incidents.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of dedicated rural crime officers and rural crime coordinators on preventing and detecting crime in rural communities.

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

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of recent trends in (a) agricultural machinery theft and (b) fuel theft affecting rural communities.

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

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve cross-border intelligence sharing between police forces to help tackle rural crime.

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

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the level of the barriers to accessing support services for victims of crime who live in rural communities.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice is investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in these services to date. We will be increasing funding for victim support services year on year, from 2026 to 2029, recognising the need to meet the rising cost pressures of delivery.

The Ministry of Justice provides all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales with core grant funding for victims of all crime types, to allocate at their discretion based on their assessment of local need. In addition, we provide ringfenced funding specifically for domestic abuse and sexual violence services.

PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet the need of victims in their area. PCCs carry out local needs assessment and commission support based on this assessment, via a range of victim support providers who vary in specialism and size.

In light of the announcement to abolish the PCC function in May 2028, we are exploring changes to the delivery of victims funding to ensure this is delivered in the best way in the future. We recognise the important work PCCs and Mayors in commissioning vital support services for victims, including victims of crime in rural communities. Ensuring ongoing support to victims is a key priority for this Government.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria are used to determine eligibility for the Illegal Waste Site Clearance Scheme; and whether any sites in County Durham have been assessed for inclusion.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

No sites in Durham, including North Durham, have been identified as high-priority sites and therefore assessed against the Waste Crime Action Plan clearance criteria. Sites are selected for the Illegal Waste Site Clearance Scheme based on operational risk, environmental risk and community impact. The scheme is focused on the most serious illegal waste sites posing the greatest ongoing harm to local communities and the environment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the adequacy of the level of protection provided to farmers and landowners who report organised waste crime.

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

The Government recognises the impact that organised waste crime can have on farmers, landowners and local communities, including the challenges faced by those who come forward to report it.

While the Home Secretary has not held recorded discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the specific issue of protections for farmers and landowners who report organised waste crime, the Home Office supports Defra's work in this area through membership of the Waste Crime Crackdown Group, which brings together partners to strengthen coordination and collective action.

Anyone who suspects illegal waste activity should report it to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

We understand that concerns about harassment, intimidation or threats may deter some farmers and landowners from reporting organised waste crime. Nevertheless, reporting such offending is important, and I would encourage anyone with information about suspected criminality to come forward. Anyone with concerns about their safety should contact their local police force in the first instance. The police will assess any reported risks on a case-by-case basis and, where appropriate, take safeguarding or enforcement action. Where necessary, matters may be escalated for further consideration. Protections available to the public include the UK Protected Persons Service (UKPPS), which is housed within the National Crime Agency and provides protection to individuals judged to be at risk of serious harm where the arrangements required are not available through the local police force or referring agency.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds regarding the independent audit of the revised Palestinian Authority curriculum, including the experts contracted and the scope of their investigation.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 6 July to question HL1132.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what arrangements his Department has put in place to monitor significant changes to the Syrian national curriculum; and how the findings of any monitoring will inform the UK's technical assistance to the Syrian Ministry of Education.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Supporting the different groups in Syria is a UK priority which we promote through our humanitarian work and via our support to the education sector. The UK's 'Syria Education Programme' has delivered quality, inclusive education to over 980,000 primary aged children in Northwest Syria since 2018, improving learning outcomes with a strong focus on gender equity and disability inclusion. We are providing technical assistance to the Syrian Ministry of Education to enhance national education policy and planning, building on areas of our technical expertise including inclusive education. We will continue to advocate that the process of curriculum change in Syria should be transparent and consultative, and, with other development partners, will continue to monitor significant changes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to improve levels of consistency in how swimming attainment is assessed and reported by schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.

The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.

The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of recruitment and retention trends among teachers involved in delivering curriculum swimming and water safety lessons in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.

The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.

The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the statutory swimming and water safety requirements in the National Curriculum.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.

The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.

The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered introducing powers for Neighbourhood Wardens to seize e-bikes used in anti-social behaviour.

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

The Government is committed to tackling the anti-social use of vehicles, including e-bikes. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 strengthened police powers under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 for vehicles being used anti-socially, by removing the requirement for a prior warning before a vehicle can be seized. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 strengthened police powers under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, for vehicles being used anti-socially, by removing the requirement for a prior warning before a vehicle can be seized.

There are no current plans to give Neighbourhood Wardens the vehicle seizure powers available to the police to seize e-bikes being used in this manner. The Government keeps the powers available to the police and local agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour under review.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability and affordability of swimming lessons.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of swimming lessons. Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy as well as being a crucial life skill in terms of water safety, which is why it is a mandatory part of the primary PE National Curriculum.

Sport England, our arm’s-length body for grassroots sport, is investing £16.45 million into Swim England, the National Governing Body for swimming in England with responsibility for developing the sport across the country, for the funding period 2022-2029 to increase swimming participation and invest in grassroots swimming initiatives.

The ongoing responsibility for providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, and swimming lesson pricing is determined by individual clubs and operators.

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

UK participation in the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank