Maria Eagle

In England, there were 137,520 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers as at 30 September 2025. We are putting officers where the public expects to see them, back on the frontline keeping our communities safe. We are committed to delivering 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by 2029 and have already delivered more than 3,100 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles.

In addition, as part of our measures to tackle antisemitism, we have announced funding for an additional 500 FTE personnel in areas where we need them most.

The next data publication covering the police workforce as at 31 March 2026 will be released on 22 July 2026.

Standard pension claims are generally being processed within published service standards and current performance remains high, with pension payments continuing to be made accurately and on time. The Ministry of Defence continues to work with its pension administrators to ensure Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) benefits are processed as efficiently as possible.

The Department is implementing a range of improvements aimed at enhancing service delivery, including the introduction of the Compendia Touch system to streamline case management, ongoing process improvements, and consideration of opportunities to increase processing capacity and automation. These measures are intended to improve productivity and maintain efficient processing times for AFPS members.

As of 3 July 2026, a total of 98,746 members across the active, deferred, and pensioner cohorts have been issued with their RSSs under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). There remains 37,890 members who are still awaiting issuance of their RSS. Of these, 12,123 are pensioner members who left service prior to 1 October 2023.

At this stage, I am unable to provide a specific completion date for all outstanding RSSs. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to keeping members informed and a further update on progress and timescales will be published on the Armed Forces Pensions page. The Armed Forces Pensions page on GOV.UK provides a delivery update and outlines the revised timeline, which can be found at the following link under 'Remediable Service Statement Delivery Update':

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

As the delay breaches the regulatory deadline, the MOD has reported this matter to the Pensions Regulator and is keeping them informed of our efforts to address the issue. It is important to note that all public sector schemes are facing similar challenges, and this is not a problem exclusive to the AFPS or the MOD.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap which my Department published on 19 June. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Officials are working closely with the Building Safety Regulator and plan to publish a Call for Evidence on Part K of the Building Regulations and Approved Document K in due course.

The Victims’ Code (the Code) sets out the rights and information victims can expect to receive from criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. As part of implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we have consulted on a new draft Victims’ Code (which is available online), which closed on 30 April. We are now considering the nearly 200 responses and will respond publicly, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

The current Code sets out that all victims (including victims of coercive control, stalking, economic abuse and other forms of domestic abuse) are entitled to be referred to a support service by the police within 2 working days of a crime being reported to them. Both the current Code, and the new draft Code include information about a victim’s ability to ask the Attorney General to consider making a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 introduced a new statutory obligation to ensure that new and revised Codes always include such information.

This Government recognises the significance and seriousness of strangulation as a method of exerting power and control. Indeed, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation is a criminal offence, an indicator of controlling or coercive behaviour, and a recognised risk factor for intimate partner homicide. The Code sets out the information and support victims can expect to receive; it therefore does not seek to provide guidance to criminal justice agencies about the risk profiles of specific criminal offences, which is a matter best dealt with elsewhere.

Guilty pleas can avoid the need for trial, shorten the gap between charge and sentence, and can save victims from having to be cross-examined on potentially highly traumatic evidence in court. Guilty pleas are also relevant to sentencing, though when they are entered later in the process, any reduction in sentence is substantially lower than in cases where guilty pleas are made earlier in the process.

Even though a guilty plea removes the need for a trial, victims have a right under the Code to make a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) to the Police, explaining how the crime has affected them. If the case proceeds to a sentencing hearing (including after a guilty plea), the VIS is delivered as evidence and the court will take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the VIS, in determining sentence. This is already set out within the current Code, but we have sought views through the consultation on how to improve communication with victims on making a VIS and on how well sentencing decisions are explained to and understood by victims.

The Victims’ Code (the Code) sets out the rights and information victims can expect to receive from criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. As part of implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we have consulted on a new draft Victims’ Code (which is available online), which closed on 30 April. We are now considering the nearly 200 responses and will respond publicly, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

The current Code sets out that all victims (including victims of coercive control, stalking, economic abuse and other forms of domestic abuse) are entitled to be referred to a support service by the police within 2 working days of a crime being reported to them. Both the current Code, and the new draft Code include information about a victim’s ability to ask the Attorney General to consider making a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 introduced a new statutory obligation to ensure that new and revised Codes always include such information.

This Government recognises the significance and seriousness of strangulation as a method of exerting power and control. Indeed, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation is a criminal offence, an indicator of controlling or coercive behaviour, and a recognised risk factor for intimate partner homicide. The Code sets out the information and support victims can expect to receive; it therefore does not seek to provide guidance to criminal justice agencies about the risk profiles of specific criminal offences, which is a matter best dealt with elsewhere.

Guilty pleas can avoid the need for trial, shorten the gap between charge and sentence, and can save victims from having to be cross-examined on potentially highly traumatic evidence in court. Guilty pleas are also relevant to sentencing, though when they are entered later in the process, any reduction in sentence is substantially lower than in cases where guilty pleas are made earlier in the process.

Even though a guilty plea removes the need for a trial, victims have a right under the Code to make a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) to the Police, explaining how the crime has affected them. If the case proceeds to a sentencing hearing (including after a guilty plea), the VIS is delivered as evidence and the court will take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the VIS, in determining sentence. This is already set out within the current Code, but we have sought views through the consultation on how to improve communication with victims on making a VIS and on how well sentencing decisions are explained to and understood by victims.

The Victims’ Code (the Code) sets out the rights and information victims can expect to receive from criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. As part of implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we have consulted on a new draft Victims’ Code (which is available online), which closed on 30 April. We are now considering the nearly 200 responses and will respond publicly, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

The current Code sets out that all victims (including victims of coercive control, stalking, economic abuse and other forms of domestic abuse) are entitled to be referred to a support service by the police within 2 working days of a crime being reported to them. Both the current Code, and the new draft Code include information about a victim’s ability to ask the Attorney General to consider making a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 introduced a new statutory obligation to ensure that new and revised Codes always include such information.

This Government recognises the significance and seriousness of strangulation as a method of exerting power and control. Indeed, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation is a criminal offence, an indicator of controlling or coercive behaviour, and a recognised risk factor for intimate partner homicide. The Code sets out the information and support victims can expect to receive; it therefore does not seek to provide guidance to criminal justice agencies about the risk profiles of specific criminal offences, which is a matter best dealt with elsewhere.

Guilty pleas can avoid the need for trial, shorten the gap between charge and sentence, and can save victims from having to be cross-examined on potentially highly traumatic evidence in court. Guilty pleas are also relevant to sentencing, though when they are entered later in the process, any reduction in sentence is substantially lower than in cases where guilty pleas are made earlier in the process.

Even though a guilty plea removes the need for a trial, victims have a right under the Code to make a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) to the Police, explaining how the crime has affected them. If the case proceeds to a sentencing hearing (including after a guilty plea), the VIS is delivered as evidence and the court will take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the VIS, in determining sentence. This is already set out within the current Code, but we have sought views through the consultation on how to improve communication with victims on making a VIS and on how well sentencing decisions are explained to and understood by victims.

The Victims’ Code (the Code) sets out the rights and information victims can expect to receive from criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. As part of implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, we have consulted on a new draft Victims’ Code (which is available online), which closed on 30 April. We are now considering the nearly 200 responses and will respond publicly, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

The current Code sets out that all victims (including victims of coercive control, stalking, economic abuse and other forms of domestic abuse) are entitled to be referred to a support service by the police within 2 working days of a crime being reported to them. Both the current Code, and the new draft Code include information about a victim’s ability to ask the Attorney General to consider making a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 introduced a new statutory obligation to ensure that new and revised Codes always include such information.

This Government recognises the significance and seriousness of strangulation as a method of exerting power and control. Indeed, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation is a criminal offence, an indicator of controlling or coercive behaviour, and a recognised risk factor for intimate partner homicide. The Code sets out the information and support victims can expect to receive; it therefore does not seek to provide guidance to criminal justice agencies about the risk profiles of specific criminal offences, which is a matter best dealt with elsewhere.

Guilty pleas can avoid the need for trial, shorten the gap between charge and sentence, and can save victims from having to be cross-examined on potentially highly traumatic evidence in court. Guilty pleas are also relevant to sentencing, though when they are entered later in the process, any reduction in sentence is substantially lower than in cases where guilty pleas are made earlier in the process.

Even though a guilty plea removes the need for a trial, victims have a right under the Code to make a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) to the Police, explaining how the crime has affected them. If the case proceeds to a sentencing hearing (including after a guilty plea), the VIS is delivered as evidence and the court will take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the VIS, in determining sentence. This is already set out within the current Code, but we have sought views through the consultation on how to improve communication with victims on making a VIS and on how well sentencing decisions are explained to and understood by victims.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all victims of crime, including victims of domestic abuse, receive the entitlements they can expect under the Victims’ Code. This is why in 2025 a new statutory duty was commenced from the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 which requires agencies who provide Code services to comply with the Code unless there is a good reason to not. The 2024 Act also enhances the powers of the Victims’ Commissioner by requiring relevant agencies to respond to recommendations made in the Commissioner’s reports, and to cooperate, where appropriate and reasonably practicable to do so, with requests from the Commissioner such as requests for data or for meetings.

The 2024 Act also establishes a framework to monitor criminal justice agencies' compliance with the Code. Once commenced, certain criminal justice bodies (including the police, the CPS and HMCTS) will be required to keep under review whether and how services are provided in accordance with the Code, including collecting and sharing certain Code compliance information. The framework has not yet been commenced but preparatory work is underway with criminal justice agencies to improve the quality of the underlying victims’ data that will support the development of prescribed metrics which will underpin the framework.

The Victims and Courts Act 2026 strengthened the powers of the Victims’ Commissioner within that framework by requiring the Commissioner to produce their own report on Code compliance to enable independent oversight of the criminal justice agencies compliance with the Code.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice ran a public consultation on a new Victims’ Code, which closed on 30 April. The Department is now taking the time to consider the responses it has received and will respond publicly in due course, ahead of bringing a new Code into force.

Finally, where victims feel that they have not received the services they can expect as set out in the Code, there are formal complaints processes that service providers are required to provide. If victims are not happy with a service provider’s complaint response, complaints can be directly sent to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman without going through an MP.