Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish any (a) project initiation documents, (b) minutes of meetings and (c) equality impact assessments relating to the development and implementation of Youth Diversion Orders under the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Youth Diversion Orders under Part 15 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 confer powers or impose restrictions comparable to those under Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures for persons under the age of 21.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance has been issued to Counter Terrorism Policing and Youth Courts on the implementation of Youth Diversion Orders; and whether participation in a Youth Diversion Order is mandatory for an individual once imposed by the court.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the youngest age is at which a Youth Diversion Order (YDO) can be imposed on a child; and whether she has considered applying YDOs to children of 10.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which cohorts of young people are in scope for Youth Diversion Orders; and what the planned timetable is for the national rollout of the scheme following Royal Assent of the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Youth Diversion Orders will be an important new risk management tool to tackle the increasing numbers of young people arrested for terrorism-related offences. They will be available for individuals aged between 10 and 21 in England & Wales and Northern Ireland, and between 12 and 21 in Scotland, reflecting different ages of criminal responsibility. As with other civil orders, the court may impose restrictions and requirements which the respondent must comply with. The police and youth justice services may also agree additional voluntary measures with a respondent if they feel it would be appropriate and helpful to do so.
The Home Office is working closely with operational partners, including the police, the Youth Justice Board, and Devolved Governments, to prepare for implementation of the new orders, and we plan to commence the powers as soon as possible. This includes preparing statutory guidance on Youth Diversion Orders, which will be laid in Parliament in due course.
The Bill Factsheet contains further information on the legislation, including the factors the courts must consider, and is available at: Crime and Policing Bill: counter-terrorism and national security factsheet - GOV.UK. An Equalities Impact Assessment was published as part of the Bill’s introduction and is available at: EIA assessment template.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 126871, if he will require the Food Standards Agency to record data on the volume of meat produced from animals slaughtered with stunning and without stunning, disaggregated by slaughter method.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not record Official Veterinarian or Official Auxiliary time, associated costs, or enforcement activity by slaughter method. As such, the FSA does not hold data that would enable a direct comparison between stunned and non-stunned slaughter in relation to supervision time, inspection or enforcement costs, or levels of animal welfare non-compliance.
The FSA also does not collect data on the volume of meat derived from animals slaughtered without stunning. There are currently no plans for the FSA to introduce requirements to collect this information.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has lead responsibility for animal welfare policy.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 126871, if he will require the Food Standards Agency to record Official Veterinarian and Official Auxiliary supervision time associated with stunned and non‑stunned slaughter separately.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not record Official Veterinarian or Official Auxiliary time, associated costs, or enforcement activity by slaughter method. As such, the FSA does not hold data that would enable a direct comparison between stunned and non-stunned slaughter in relation to supervision time, inspection or enforcement costs, or levels of animal welfare non-compliance.
The FSA also does not collect data on the volume of meat derived from animals slaughtered without stunning. There are currently no plans for the FSA to introduce requirements to collect this information.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has lead responsibility for animal welfare policy.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 126871, if he will require the Food Standards Agency to record inspection, enforcement activity and associated costs by slaughter method, including stunned and non‑stunned slaughter.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not record Official Veterinarian or Official Auxiliary time, associated costs, or enforcement activity by slaughter method. As such, the FSA does not hold data that would enable a direct comparison between stunned and non-stunned slaughter in relation to supervision time, inspection or enforcement costs, or levels of animal welfare non-compliance.
The FSA also does not collect data on the volume of meat derived from animals slaughtered without stunning. There are currently no plans for the FSA to introduce requirements to collect this information.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has lead responsibility for animal welfare policy.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistency in how police forces handle safeguarding disclosures made by asylum seekers relating to alleged criminal incidents outside the UK.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Although police forces are operationally independent, the Home Office is part of a national coordination network with policing which manages the impact of immigration on policing, including identifying and mitigating risks from asylum placement.
There are frameworks and processes in place to facilitate the sharing of sensitive information with stakeholders including the police. The Home Office regularly reviews the sharing of such information to ensure it remains necessary, proportionate and complies with legislation.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of responding to safeguarding disclosures made by newly arrived asylum seekers that relate to alleged criminal incidents outside the UK on police force resources.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is part of a national coordination network with policing which manages the impact of immigration on policing, including identifying and mitigating risks from asylum placement.
The Home Office is responsible for the asylum process. The Home Office conducts mandatory identity, criminality and security checks on all individuals who claim asylum, including biometric checks against relevant Home Office systems and national and international law enforcement databases, to ensure appropriate consideration of any risks to the UK.
During screening or asylum interviews, or through provision of other evidence, asylum seekers may disclose that they were allegedly involved in criminal incidents prior to arriving in the UK. This information is routinely captured and considered as part of the asylum process. There are frameworks and processes in place to facilitate the sharing of sensitive information with stakeholders. The Home Office regularly reviews the sharing of such information to ensure it remains necessary, proportionate and complies with legislation.