Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Queen's Speech December 2019 Background Briefing Notes, whether she plans to include a statutory definition of criminal exploitation in the Serious Violence Bill.

The Queen’s Speech set out an ambitious package of reforms to deliver on the people’s priorities, to tackle violent crime and to safeguard people’s streets and neighbourhoods. This includes the introduction of the Serious Violence Bill. The Bill will create a new legal duty on a range of local agencies, including the police, councils and local health bodies, to prevent and reduce serious violence. It will also introduce new court orders, which will make it easier for the police to stop and search those convicted of knife and offensive weapon offences, and prevent them from carrying knives on our streets.

The Bill and draft guidance for local agencies will be published in due course.