Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Dines Excerpts

Monday 5th September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Gareth Bacon (Orpington) (Con)]

T6. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Mayor of London’s recent attempt to blame the heatwave and the school holidays for six murders in four days was as pathetic as his record of trying to help the police fight crime in the capital?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Miss Sarah Dines)]

As of June 2022, the latest data for hospital admissions for under-25s for assault with a sharp object—our primary metric for measuring serious violence—was down 17% in London compared to June 2021. This financial year, we have provided £12 million of funding to the London violence reduction unit, which brings together key partners to tackle violence, and £8 million in Grip funding for the Metropolitan police service’s response to violence.

[Chris Stephens (Glasgow South West) (SNP)]

T4.   There are 10,500 Afghan refugees still in accommodation, and I heard the Minister’s answer earlier. When does he anticipate those 10,500 Afghan refugees will be in permanent accommodation?