Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the levels of wholesale crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job and this Government is committed to taking retail crime seriously.
Partnership working to tackle retail crime is essential. I am committed to chairing the Retail Crime Forum, which the Federation of Wholesale Distributors are a member of, to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement.
This Government will introduce a new specific offence for assaults on shopworkers to protect them from violence and abuse. The scope of this new offence will be confirmed when legislation is brought forward.
The Home Office Commercial Victimisation Survey 2023, published in May 2024, showed that theft by customer was the most prevalent type of theft experienced in the retail and wholesale sector, experienced by 26% of premises. The wholesale and retail sector experienced a higher prevalence of victimisation (41%) compared with most other commercial sectors.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help protect wholesale workers from crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job and this Government is committed to taking retail crime seriously.
Partnership working to tackle retail crime is essential. I am committed to chairing the Retail Crime Forum, which the Federation of Wholesale Distributors are a member of, to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement.
This Government will introduce a new specific offence for assaults on shopworkers to protect them from violence and abuse. The scope of this new offence will be confirmed when legislation is brought forward.
The Home Office Commercial Victimisation Survey 2023, published in May 2024, showed that theft by customer was the most prevalent type of theft experienced in the retail and wholesale sector, experienced by 26% of premises. The wholesale and retail sector experienced a higher prevalence of victimisation (41%) compared with most other commercial sectors.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce specific protections for wholesale workers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job and this Government is committed to taking retail crime seriously.
Partnership working to tackle retail crime is essential. I am committed to chairing the Retail Crime Forum, which the Federation of Wholesale Distributors are a member of, to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement.
This Government will introduce a new specific offence for assaults on shopworkers to protect them from violence and abuse. The scope of this new offence will be confirmed when legislation is brought forward.
The Home Office Commercial Victimisation Survey 2023, published in May 2024, showed that theft by customer was the most prevalent type of theft experienced in the retail and wholesale sector, experienced by 26% of premises. The wholesale and retail sector experienced a higher prevalence of victimisation (41%) compared with most other commercial sectors.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued guidance on the criteria to be used to determine when to use a helicopter to help put out moorland fires.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Fire and Rescue Services are operationally independent in England. Each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) while having regard to the views of other key local responders. The Government does not issue guidance on the operational use of helicopters.
Fire and Rescue Services undertake a range of activities alongside local partners, including prevention and educational activities. Additionally, Defra encourage landowners and land managers to adopt good quality wildfire management plans, use sustainable land management practices that reduce fuel loads and restore their peatland – wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the risk of wildfire.
In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) monitor and (b) prevent moorland fires through patrolling.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Fire and Rescue Services are operationally independent in England. Each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) while having regard to the views of other key local responders. The Government does not issue guidance on the operational use of helicopters.
Fire and Rescue Services undertake a range of activities alongside local partners, including prevention and educational activities. Additionally, Defra encourage landowners and land managers to adopt good quality wildfire management plans, use sustainable land management practices that reduce fuel loads and restore their peatland – wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the risk of wildfire.
In 24/25, the Home Office is funding a new National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.