Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) statutory powers of the police to pursue crimes involving online child abuse images and (b) the funding available to police to pursue those crimes.

The Government is clear that the police must have both appropriate and proportionate powers to tackle such appalling crimes, and we work closely with them to ensure that this is so. We have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat - one of only six such threats that require prioritisation by the police.

Ministers spoke with all police forces ahead of the 2018/19 funding settlement and recognise that the police face increasing demand in complex investigations such as child sexual abuse. We responded by empowering Police and Crime Commissioners to increase their funding through Council Tax precept by around £270m next year and we also provide support to forces facing exceptional costs through the Police Special Grant. It is an operational decision for chief officers to determine how to use their available resources.