Rupert Lowe

Charging decisions in cases regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in England and Wales are made independently by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Reasonable force may be used by homeowners to protect themselves or others if a crime is taking place inside their home. This means individuals can protect themselves ‘in the heat of the moment’ - this includes using an object as a weapon or to stop an intruder running off - for example by tackling them to the ground. There is no specific definition of ‘reasonable force’ as this will depend on each individual circumstance. A homeowner does not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves in their home. If a homeowner has acted in reasonable self-defence and the intruder dies, they will still have acted lawfully.

However, a prosecution could follow if, for example, the attack on an intruder continues after the danger has passed or a trap has been pre-planned for an individual rather than informing and involving the police.

Guidance regarding householders and the use of force against intruders can be found at Householders and the use of force against intruders | The Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants who were homeowners prosecuted for using unreasonable or excessive force to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. To establish whether defendants were homeowners using excessive force against an intruder would require a manual review of case files and with over 440,000 defendants prosecuted by the CPS during 2024, this would be at disproportionate cost.

Data is held from 2015 showing the number offences of murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter charged by way of common law (or the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in respect of attempted murder) in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts. From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024, 12,418 such offences were charged. This figure relates to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

Charging decisions in cases regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in England and Wales are made independently by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Reasonable force may be used by homeowners to protect themselves or others if a crime is taking place inside their home. This means individuals can protect themselves ‘in the heat of the moment’ - this includes using an object as a weapon or to stop an intruder running off - for example by tackling them to the ground. There is no specific definition of ‘reasonable force’ as this will depend on each individual circumstance. A homeowner does not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves in their home. If a homeowner has acted in reasonable self-defence and the intruder dies, they will still have acted lawfully.

However, a prosecution could follow if, for example, the attack on an intruder continues after the danger has passed or a trap has been pre-planned for an individual rather than informing and involving the police.

Guidance regarding householders and the use of force against intruders can be found at Householders and the use of force against intruders | The Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants who were homeowners prosecuted for using unreasonable or excessive force to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. To establish whether defendants were homeowners using excessive force against an intruder would require a manual review of case files and with over 440,000 defendants prosecuted by the CPS during 2024, this would be at disproportionate cost.

Data is held from 2015 showing the number offences of murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter charged by way of common law (or the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in respect of attempted murder) in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts. From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024, 12,418 such offences were charged. This figure relates to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

Charging decisions in cases regarding householders and the use of force against intruders in England and Wales are made independently by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Reasonable force may be used by homeowners to protect themselves or others if a crime is taking place inside their home. This means individuals can protect themselves ‘in the heat of the moment’ - this includes using an object as a weapon or to stop an intruder running off - for example by tackling them to the ground. There is no specific definition of ‘reasonable force’ as this will depend on each individual circumstance. A homeowner does not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves in their home. If a homeowner has acted in reasonable self-defence and the intruder dies, they will still have acted lawfully.

However, a prosecution could follow if, for example, the attack on an intruder continues after the danger has passed or a trap has been pre-planned for an individual rather than informing and involving the police.

Guidance regarding householders and the use of force against intruders can be found at Householders and the use of force against intruders | The Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants who were homeowners prosecuted for using unreasonable or excessive force to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. To establish whether defendants were homeowners using excessive force against an intruder would require a manual review of case files and with over 440,000 defendants prosecuted by the CPS during 2024, this would be at disproportionate cost.

Data is held from 2015 showing the number offences of murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter charged by way of common law (or the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in respect of attempted murder) in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts. From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024, 12,418 such offences were charged. This figure relates to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

It is vital that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is rightly operationally independent from Government, makes decisions as quickly as possible after a careful consideration of all relevant facts. As Solicitor General, I review and monitor CPS performance including timeliness of charging decisions on a quarterly basis. All prosecution decisions are taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, and the CPS must always aim to make their decisions as quickly and efficiently as possible.

It is right that any case review is undertaken with the utmost care and, whereas some cases may be straightforward, others will have large volumes of evidence that can take time for investigators to identify and gather, often with the support of investigative advice from the prosecutor. That evidence then needs to be reviewed by the prosecutor, often with complex legal issues to resolve. While every case will be different, prosecutors must be even-handed in their approach, and they have a duty to protect the rights of suspects and defendants, while providing the best possible service to victims.

This Government is committed to reducing delays across the system and driving forward wider improvements and efficiencies to improve outcomes and secure swift and effective justice for victims, witnesses, suspects, defendants and the public.

Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.

Regarding services provided by my department in particular, the Attorney General’s Office does not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages.

The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers should note and follow the ruling.

It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.

The Equality & Human Rights Commission, as Britain’s Equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers. Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.

The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) remains committed to making the step changes required to create a more inclusive environment, enabling all staff, irrespective of background, to deliver high quality work at the Department.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in learning and development training is understood to refer to anything with the objective of improving EDI in the AGO, regardless of whether it is called EDI or not.

The AGO conducted a training course on bullying, discrimination and harassment in August 2024. Nine members of staff attended, and the cost of the course was £2,475.98. It referred to types of discrimination related to protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010 and employers’ responsibilities.

The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments in the usual way, in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

The Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, and ensuring that police and prosecutors can spend their time dealing with the issues that matter most to our communities.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has existing guidance on communications offences. As with all guidance, they keep that guidance under regular review. This guidance explains the relevant law and how the CPS applies that law, including to offences committed online which constitute hate crime. It includes clear protections and provisions for the fundamental right of freedom of speech.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 2nd September is attached.

Salary information for Senior Cabinet Office employees can be found at https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/ff76be1f-4f37-4bef-beb7-32b259413be1/organogram-cabinet-office. The next update is due to be published by 6th December 2025.

Central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).

Departments are not currently required to report on the origin of food served in their canteens. In January the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced that the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs would be undertaking a review of public sector food procurement to better understand what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. As part of this review, the Government will be reviewing food provenance across all public sector settings, including Government departments.

Cabinet Office staff may apply for permission to temporarily work remotely overseas in exceptional circumstances. Examples of this might include when accompanying a Civil Service or Armed Forces partner on an official posting.

There are <5 staff registered on payroll whose permanent working location is abroad. On security and data protection grounds, we are not able to share their location/s.

Separately, there is also a process for staff to request to take their IT overseas with them while on leave, for example if they believe they may need to be contacted during that time.

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Information pertaining to the amount of public sector contracts subject to fraud investigations is not held by the Cabinet Office. This information would be held by relevant law enforcement authorities, or specific government departments, that carried out investigation.

Tackling public sector fraud is a priority for this government. This government is taking strong action to reduce public sector fraud - ensuring that as much public money as possible goes to delivering vital public services.

That’s why the government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill as part of the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation. The measures in the Bill will give us more tools to combat fraud, recover public money and allow the government to investigate fraud.

The Public Sector Fraud Authority is also driving forward the development of the counter fraud approach across government, working with departments and public bodies to reduce the impact of fraud and build expert counter fraud services.

The 2024 Autumn Budget and 2025 Spring Statement also announced the most significant package of measures to tackle fraud and error in recent history. The 2025 Spending Review highlighted that Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts these measures to deliver £9.6 billion in savings by 2030.

Individual Central Government departments publish expenditure on external consultants in their annual reports and accounts. The Government is committed to stopping all non-essential expenditure on consultants, and reducing the reliance on contingent labour.

Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search). The details published online include whether each contract was let through competitive tendering.

From 2022, there have been no consultancy contracts, awarded by the Cabinet Office, that were subject to formal performance action or contract termination due to poor performance. Any informal concerns about the delivery of contract objectives would be managed by contract managers and data is not held on this centrally.

Prior to 2022, individual Cabinet Office Business Units were responsible for contract management and central records for this period are therefore not available.

The Government is committed to stopping all non-essential expenditure on consultants, and reducing the reliance on contingent labour.

This information is not held by the Cabinet Office.

Pay for consultants is managed by each department individually, as they are accountable for their own consultancy pay details. Average rates may differ due to the type of consultancy and commercial structure around individual customer contracts. The Government is committed to stopping all non-essential expenditure on consultants, and reducing the reliance on contingent labour.

Management Information on Average Working Days Lost due to mental ill-health, which includes stress-related illness, is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence

This information is not held centrally. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment, including flexible working arrangements, are made by the employing department. Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.

Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

Departments have delegated responsibility for decisions relating to dismissal of an employee.

Civil Service statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including data on those leaving the Civil Service due to dismissals, are available on GOV.UK.

Departments have delegated responsibility for managing poor performance.

This information is not held centrally. Individual departments are responsible for any task forces they establish.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th June is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 13th May is attached.

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Departments are responsible for administering any in year and end of year performance bonuses to their staff. The majority of departments are in the process of finalising performance markings for the 2024/25 performance year, which will determine who will be eligible for an end of year performance bonus. Departments should therefore hold the information requested by Autumn 2025.

Individual departments are responsible for their own discipline policies and guidance in place, which include details of formal processes and procedures. These will be aligned to the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code which set out the standards and behaviour expected from all employees. Departments will collect information as required in their own department in accordance with GDPR.

Departments have delegated responsibility for monitoring and reporting on civil servants performance ratings via their internal governance arrangements.

Information on how many civil servants in departments have received formal performance ratings of underperforming is therefore not held centrally.

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency agenda. For actions this Government is taking to help victims, I refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement made by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department [my Hon. Friend, the Member for Birmingham Yardley] on the 8 April 2025.

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