Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Police Community Support Officers (FTE) where there in the Cambridgeshire police force area on (a) 4 July 2024 and (b) on 13 October 2026.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

Data for this release is collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level as a snapshot at 31 March and 30 September only. As such, data for Cambridgeshire as at 4 July 2024 and 13 October 2026 is not available.

The latest information covers the situation as at 31 March 2026. Information on the number of police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs), broken down by PFA, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2026 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a58d48c7eb057103bd945ba/open-data-table-police-workforce-220726.ods.

Data on the police workforce as at 30 September 2026 is due to be published in January 2027.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Police Officers (FTE) were there in the Cambridgeshire police force area on (a) 4 July 2024 and (b) on 13 October 2026.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

Data for this release is collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level as a snapshot at 31 March and 30 September only. As such, data for Cambridgeshire as at 4 July 2024 and 13 October 2026 is not available.

The latest information covers the situation as at 31 March 2026. Information on the number of police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs), broken down by PFA, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2026 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a58d48c7eb057103bd945ba/open-data-table-police-workforce-220726.ods.

Data on the police workforce as at 30 September 2026 is due to be published in January 2027.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Police Officers (FTE) and (b) Police Community Support Officers (FTE) where assigned to each of the Neighbourhood Policing Teams in Cambridgeshire as at (i) 4 July 2024 and (ii) on 13 October 2026.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes information on the number of police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in neighbourhood policing roles on a biannual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September, as part of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

This data is collected by PFA level only, and information at lower levels of geography are not collected.

The latest information on the number of neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood policing roles in Cambridgeshire Constabulary, on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis, covers the situation as at 31 March 2026, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2026

The next release of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which will cover information on the number police officers and PCSOs in post as at 30 September 2026 is due to be published in January 2027.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the cost estimates presented to the public for the Grimsby to Walpole project.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem assesses electricity transmission investment through its price control framework and decides the efficient costs that can be recovered from consumers. The Government does not assess project costs.

Network companies must manage cost pressures and justify any proposed expenditure or changes to Ofgem, who scrutinises these costs and considers them alongside the benefits of investment, including increased network capacity and lower constraint costs.

The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that the investment needed for a secure, reliable and clean electricity system is delivered at the lowest reasonable cost to consumers. This approach supports timely delivery while maintaining rigorous regulatory oversight.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what safeguards are in place to protect consumers from substantial cost increases to the Walpole to Grimsby project.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem assesses electricity transmission investment through its price control framework and decides the efficient costs that can be recovered from consumers. The Government does not assess project costs.

Network companies must manage cost pressures and justify any proposed expenditure or changes to Ofgem, who scrutinises these costs and considers them alongside the benefits of investment, including increased network capacity and lower constraint costs.

The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that the investment needed for a secure, reliable and clean electricity system is delivered at the lowest reasonable cost to consumers. This approach supports timely delivery while maintaining rigorous regulatory oversight.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether National Grid (a) has sought or (b) plans to seek any increase in funding or budget allowances for the Grimsby to Walpole project.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem assesses electricity transmission investment through its price control framework and decides the efficient costs that can be recovered from consumers. The Government does not assess project costs.

Network companies must manage cost pressures and justify any proposed expenditure or changes to Ofgem, who scrutinises these costs and considers them alongside the benefits of investment, including increased network capacity and lower constraint costs.

The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that the investment needed for a secure, reliable and clean electricity system is delivered at the lowest reasonable cost to consumers. This approach supports timely delivery while maintaining rigorous regulatory oversight.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether there will be increases to the projected costs of the Grimsby to Walpole project.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem assesses electricity transmission investment through its price control framework and decides the efficient costs that can be recovered from consumers. The Government does not assess project costs.

Network companies must manage cost pressures and justify any proposed expenditure or changes to Ofgem, who scrutinises these costs and considers them alongside the benefits of investment, including increased network capacity and lower constraint costs.

The Government and Ofgem are committed to ensuring that the investment needed for a secure, reliable and clean electricity system is delivered at the lowest reasonable cost to consumers. This approach supports timely delivery while maintaining rigorous regulatory oversight.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the grandfathered pre-1997 3.5 to 7.5 tonne C1 entitlement to all driving licence holders on community transport schemes.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impacts of granting C1 to all Category B licence holders, nor any specific assessment on granting D1 to all Category B licence holders on community transport schemes.

The previous Government published a call for evidence in 2022 on opportunities to change the driver licensing regime. While there was support for extending driving licence entitlement, the evidence presented was not sufficient to fully understand the associated road safety risks.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of extending the grandfathered pre-1997 3.5 to 7.5 tonne C1 entitlement to all driving licence holders.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impacts of granting C1 to all Category B licence holders, nor any specific assessment on granting D1 to all Category B licence holders on community transport schemes.

The previous Government published a call for evidence in 2022 on opportunities to change the driver licensing regime. While there was support for extending driving licence entitlement, the evidence presented was not sufficient to fully understand the associated road safety risks.