Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of police powers to tackle bike thefts.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of this Government’s Plan for Change, our Safer Streets Mission is determined to clamp down on the crime that damages our communities, and affects people’s lives, and tackling theft – including bike theft - is a crucial part of that work.
We are delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, recruiting 13,000 additional police personnel into neighbourhood roles by the end of the Parliament and ensuring every community has named, contactable officers to turn to on local issues.
As a part of this pledge, the Metropolitan Police Service have been allocated £45,639,456 funding in 2025/26 to bolster their neighbourhood policing teams. Based on their funding allocation, the Metropolitan Police Service’s projected growth over 2025 to 2026 will be 420 police officers (FTE) and 50 Police Community Support Officers (FTE).
The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to the House of Lords on 19 June 2025, will amend the Theft Act 1968 to give police new powers. Officers will be able to enter and search premises where stolen items – such as GPS-tracked bicycles – are reasonably believed to have been stolen and located, and where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a court warrant. This will significantly enhance the ability of the police to act swiftly and effectively in recovering stolen property.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the immigration fees for an Irish citizen seeking to gain British Citizenship through the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The fee for an Irish citizen seeking to gain British Citizenship through the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 is currently under consideration and we will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Q59 of the oral evidence given by the Strategy, Policy and Communications Director of the DVLA to the Transport Select Committee on 5 July 2023, HC 816, whether the research commissioned by her Department on number plate cloning has been completed; and if she will publish that research.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The results of this research are held by NPCC not the Home Office, and the Home Office understands it is not intended that this will be published.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the National Police Chief Councils on the effectiveness of powers to arrest people suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers and officials meet with representatives of the NPCC on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.
The police have the power under section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to arrest and detain an individual if they have provided a specimen of breath, blood or urine that exceeds the prescribed drink or drug driving limit or the individual’s ability to drive properly is impaired. How the police decide to use these powers is an operational matter for their discretion.
The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.
The information requested on how many arrests there were for driving under the influence of drugs in each year since 2018 is not held centrally by the Home Office. Drug driving offences are not among the list of offences for which police forces are currently required to notify the Home Office of data on arrests, charges and outcomes.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests there were for driving under the influence of drugs in each year since 2018.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers and officials meet with representatives of the NPCC on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.
The police have the power under section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to arrest and detain an individual if they have provided a specimen of breath, blood or urine that exceeds the prescribed drink or drug driving limit or the individual’s ability to drive properly is impaired. How the police decide to use these powers is an operational matter for their discretion.
The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.
The information requested on how many arrests there were for driving under the influence of drugs in each year since 2018 is not held centrally by the Home Office. Drug driving offences are not among the list of offences for which police forces are currently required to notify the Home Office of data on arrests, charges and outcomes.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of time spent by police officers completing paperwork as part of the requirements set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is important for the investigation of offences, as well as for ensuring transparency and accountability in policing, that effective records are kept, and data is recorded. But it is vital that these processes are proportionate and do not get in the way of everyday police work.
This Government is committed to tackling unnecessary bureaucracy and will work with police forces to build on the foundation of the Policing Productivity Review, working with the College of Policing to support forces to ensure officers are able to use their time more productively.
The Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement (ADR) is a list of all requests for data made to chief officers of police forces in England and Wales under the Home Secretary’s statutory powers. There is a robust and stringent process underpinning the ADR to review existing requests and consider new or amended requests.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the existing rights for individuals holding British Overseas Citizen status.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
British overseas citizens (BOCs) are subject to UK immigration control, but are eligible for British passports and other consular services.
Many BOCs will have rights, including of residence and travel, that stem from the other nationalities that they hold. BOCs who do not hold, and have not voluntarily lost, any other nationality are able to apply to register as British citizens under section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. BOCs are also able to apply to register as British citizens after 5 years of living in the UK, and meeting certain residence requirements under section 4(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the roll-out of Electronic Travel Authorisation requirements on (a) processing times for non-UK based passengers transiting through airports in the UK and (b) queuing times.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme was launched to secure our borders and make the UK safer, by enhancing our ability to screen travellers upstream. The scheme will apply to passengers from eligible countries who are transiting the UK. ETAs form part of our long-term plan for a slicker, more efficient border, with a greater number of passengers able to benefit from automation at the border, enabling our highly skilled Border Force officers to focus on those who pose the most harm or are at the most risk.
We continue to engage positively with industry, and support the aviation sector in understanding what ETAs and wider digitisation will mean for passengers.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the roll-out of Electronic Travel Authorisation requirements for non-UK passengers transiting through UK airports on (a) passenger experience and (b) the UK aviation industry.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme was launched to secure our borders and make the UK safer, by enhancing our ability to screen travellers upstream. The scheme will apply to passengers from eligible countries who are transiting the UK. ETAs form part of our long-term plan for a slicker, more efficient border, with a greater number of passengers able to benefit from automation at the border, enabling our highly skilled Border Force officers to focus on those who pose the most harm or are at the most risk.
We continue to engage positively with industry, and support the aviation sector in understanding what ETAs and wider digitisation will mean for passengers.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people hold British Overseas Citizen status.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Home Office does not hold data on the number of people who hold a British Overseas Citizenship status.