Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of using the Government Statistical Service categories in the Government's response to the consultation on ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting on the risk of legal challenge relating to the inclusion of Sikhs and Jews as distinct ethnicity options.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Public bodies usually collect ethnicity data in line with the ethnicity harmonised standard, which is developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The current harmonised standard for ethnicity data does not include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories for a person’s ethnic group. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is independent of government, is currently running a public consultation which seeks to review the harmonised standard to ensure it meets the needs of both data users and respondents. The views of Sikh and Jewish communities are being carefully considered as part of the review. We will monitor its progress and consider its findings closely.
We published the government response to the consultation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting on 25 March. The majority of respondents (77%) agreed with the proposal in the consultation that large employers should collect ethnicity data using the GSS harmonised standards for ethnicity.
The legislation being developed will provide flexibility if the list of ethnicity classifications of the harmonised standard is updated following the review.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of food inflation on residents in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food and drink prices showed an annual rate of inflation of 3.3% in the year to February 2026, in the most recently published inflation figures for the UK, released by the Office for National Statistics. This is a decrease from 3.6% in January 2026.
General inflation in the UK was 3.0% in February 2026, unchanged from January 2026.
The ONS does not breakdown inflation figures at constituency level.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department monitors the different methods by which patients book appointments to see a GP in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly data on submissions received via online consultation systems, including clinical and administrative requests, and the number of cloud-based telephony calls received by general practices (GPs). The annual General Practice Patient Survey and the monthly Office for National Statistics Health Insight Survey collect data on the methods patients use to contact their GP and the perceived ease of contact with each method.
As part of our ambition to end the 8:00am scramble, we want patients to contact their practice by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access modes. To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a comparative assessment of the cost effectiveness of policing with (a) drones and (b) crewed helicopters.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provided £10.6m to NPAS in FY2025/26. In addition, the Home Office has committed £34.5m to NPAS to support the replacement of 7 helicopters. For further information on annual grant information for NPAS, the Government via the Cabinet Office is committed to publish grant data on an annual basis for schemes and programmes that are funded by the Government, including the NPAS Capital Grant. This can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website under 'Government grant data and statistics'.
The procurement, operational deployment and recording of data on police use of drones and crewed aircraft are operational matters for police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public. The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of drones registered by the CAA.
The Home Office is currently funding and supporting the work of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Drones Programme, who were allocated £2.3m in FY2025/26. The programme is responsible for standardising and professionalising the use of drones across UK police forces. This includes developing a bespoke training and accreditation pathway for police drone operators as well as working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to provide the necessary oversight on the safety aspects of police drone operations.
Drones and helicopters are complimentary to one another, not interchangeable. Drones are valuable for close‑range, localised tasks, but may not always replace the speed, persistence, capacity and safety assurance of a helicopter. However, this is subject to ongoing research and analysis, continuously evolving as technology advances.
The Home Office is currently working with NPAS and the NPCC Drones Programme to assess, compare and evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of crewed and uncrewed technologies for operational policing and how this will support development of a future blended fleet model for police aviation, in line with the NPCC Aviation Strategy (2025-2035).
In addition, the Government takes national and cyber security extremely seriously and regularly reviews risks, including from Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) which includes drones. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have issued guidance for security professionals across public and private sector organisations on the appropriate security measures which should be taken to manage potential security risks via UAS technologies, including drones. In line with existing guidance, the NPCC Drones Programme is currently undertaking a review on the data and security risk implications associated with police use of drones.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a security risk assessment for the use of Chinese drones by UK police.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provided £10.6m to NPAS in FY2025/26. In addition, the Home Office has committed £34.5m to NPAS to support the replacement of 7 helicopters. For further information on annual grant information for NPAS, the Government via the Cabinet Office is committed to publish grant data on an annual basis for schemes and programmes that are funded by the Government, including the NPAS Capital Grant. This can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website under 'Government grant data and statistics'.
The procurement, operational deployment and recording of data on police use of drones and crewed aircraft are operational matters for police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public. The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of drones registered by the CAA.
The Home Office is currently funding and supporting the work of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Drones Programme, who were allocated £2.3m in FY2025/26. The programme is responsible for standardising and professionalising the use of drones across UK police forces. This includes developing a bespoke training and accreditation pathway for police drone operators as well as working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to provide the necessary oversight on the safety aspects of police drone operations.
Drones and helicopters are complimentary to one another, not interchangeable. Drones are valuable for close‑range, localised tasks, but may not always replace the speed, persistence, capacity and safety assurance of a helicopter. However, this is subject to ongoing research and analysis, continuously evolving as technology advances.
The Home Office is currently working with NPAS and the NPCC Drones Programme to assess, compare and evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of crewed and uncrewed technologies for operational policing and how this will support development of a future blended fleet model for police aviation, in line with the NPCC Aviation Strategy (2025-2035).
In addition, the Government takes national and cyber security extremely seriously and regularly reviews risks, including from Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) which includes drones. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have issued guidance for security professionals across public and private sector organisations on the appropriate security measures which should be taken to manage potential security risks via UAS technologies, including drones. In line with existing guidance, the NPCC Drones Programme is currently undertaking a review on the data and security risk implications associated with police use of drones.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what tasks crewed police helicopters can do that drones cannot.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provided £10.6m to NPAS in FY2025/26. In addition, the Home Office has committed £34.5m to NPAS to support the replacement of 7 helicopters. For further information on annual grant information for NPAS, the Government via the Cabinet Office is committed to publish grant data on an annual basis for schemes and programmes that are funded by the Government, including the NPAS Capital Grant. This can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website under 'Government grant data and statistics'.
The procurement, operational deployment and recording of data on police use of drones and crewed aircraft are operational matters for police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public. The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of drones registered by the CAA.
The Home Office is currently funding and supporting the work of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Drones Programme, who were allocated £2.3m in FY2025/26. The programme is responsible for standardising and professionalising the use of drones across UK police forces. This includes developing a bespoke training and accreditation pathway for police drone operators as well as working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to provide the necessary oversight on the safety aspects of police drone operations.
Drones and helicopters are complimentary to one another, not interchangeable. Drones are valuable for close‑range, localised tasks, but may not always replace the speed, persistence, capacity and safety assurance of a helicopter. However, this is subject to ongoing research and analysis, continuously evolving as technology advances.
The Home Office is currently working with NPAS and the NPCC Drones Programme to assess, compare and evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of crewed and uncrewed technologies for operational policing and how this will support development of a future blended fleet model for police aviation, in line with the NPCC Aviation Strategy (2025-2035).
In addition, the Government takes national and cyber security extremely seriously and regularly reviews risks, including from Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) which includes drones. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have issued guidance for security professionals across public and private sector organisations on the appropriate security measures which should be taken to manage potential security risks via UAS technologies, including drones. In line with existing guidance, the NPCC Drones Programme is currently undertaking a review on the data and security risk implications associated with police use of drones.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department collects on (a) digital impersonation of children and (b) other forms of online crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects data on online crime recorded by the police in England and Wales, which is published as official statistics each quarter by the Office for National Statistics. It is not possible to separate out incidents of digital impersonation of children in data held centrally.
The latest information can be found in Table C5 of the Appendix tables to Crime in England and Wales at the link below:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables/yearendingseptember2025/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtablesyesep2025.xlsx
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what operating procedures exist to prevent (a) police and (b) non-police drones colliding with police helicopters.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provided £10.6m to NPAS in FY2025/26. In addition, the Home Office has committed £34.5m to NPAS to support the replacement of 7 helicopters. For further information on annual grant information for NPAS, the Government via the Cabinet Office is committed to publish grant data on an annual basis for schemes and programmes that are funded by the Government, including the NPAS Capital Grant. This can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website under 'Government grant data and statistics'.
The procurement, operational deployment and recording of data on police use of drones and crewed aircraft are operational matters for police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public. The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of drones registered by the CAA.
The Home Office is currently funding and supporting the work of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Drones Programme, who were allocated £2.3m in FY2025/26. The programme is responsible for standardising and professionalising the use of drones across UK police forces. This includes developing a bespoke training and accreditation pathway for police drone operators as well as working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to provide the necessary oversight on the safety aspects of police drone operations.
Drones and helicopters are complimentary to one another, not interchangeable. Drones are valuable for close‑range, localised tasks, but may not always replace the speed, persistence, capacity and safety assurance of a helicopter. However, this is subject to ongoing research and analysis, continuously evolving as technology advances.
The Home Office is currently working with NPAS and the NPCC Drones Programme to assess, compare and evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of crewed and uncrewed technologies for operational policing and how this will support development of a future blended fleet model for police aviation, in line with the NPCC Aviation Strategy (2025-2035).
In addition, the Government takes national and cyber security extremely seriously and regularly reviews risks, including from Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) which includes drones. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have issued guidance for security professionals across public and private sector organisations on the appropriate security measures which should be taken to manage potential security risks via UAS technologies, including drones. In line with existing guidance, the NPCC Drones Programme is currently undertaking a review on the data and security risk implications associated with police use of drones.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police missions were carried out by (a) drone and (b) crewed aircraft in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provided £10.6m to NPAS in FY2025/26. In addition, the Home Office has committed £34.5m to NPAS to support the replacement of 7 helicopters. For further information on annual grant information for NPAS, the Government via the Cabinet Office is committed to publish grant data on an annual basis for schemes and programmes that are funded by the Government, including the NPAS Capital Grant. This can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website under 'Government grant data and statistics'.
The procurement, operational deployment and recording of data on police use of drones and crewed aircraft are operational matters for police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public. The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of drones registered by the CAA.
The Home Office is currently funding and supporting the work of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Drones Programme, who were allocated £2.3m in FY2025/26. The programme is responsible for standardising and professionalising the use of drones across UK police forces. This includes developing a bespoke training and accreditation pathway for police drone operators as well as working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to provide the necessary oversight on the safety aspects of police drone operations.
Drones and helicopters are complimentary to one another, not interchangeable. Drones are valuable for close‑range, localised tasks, but may not always replace the speed, persistence, capacity and safety assurance of a helicopter. However, this is subject to ongoing research and analysis, continuously evolving as technology advances.
The Home Office is currently working with NPAS and the NPCC Drones Programme to assess, compare and evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of crewed and uncrewed technologies for operational policing and how this will support development of a future blended fleet model for police aviation, in line with the NPCC Aviation Strategy (2025-2035).
In addition, the Government takes national and cyber security extremely seriously and regularly reviews risks, including from Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) which includes drones. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have issued guidance for security professionals across public and private sector organisations on the appropriate security measures which should be taken to manage potential security risks via UAS technologies, including drones. In line with existing guidance, the NPCC Drones Programme is currently undertaking a review on the data and security risk implications associated with police use of drones.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of drones registered by the CAA are operated by the police.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office provided £10.6m to NPAS in FY2025/26. In addition, the Home Office has committed £34.5m to NPAS to support the replacement of 7 helicopters. For further information on annual grant information for NPAS, the Government via the Cabinet Office is committed to publish grant data on an annual basis for schemes and programmes that are funded by the Government, including the NPAS Capital Grant. This can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website under 'Government grant data and statistics'.
The procurement, operational deployment and recording of data on police use of drones and crewed aircraft are operational matters for police forces, who are best placed to assess their own operational needs while ensuring they have the tools necessary to protect the public. The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of drones registered by the CAA.
The Home Office is currently funding and supporting the work of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Drones Programme, who were allocated £2.3m in FY2025/26. The programme is responsible for standardising and professionalising the use of drones across UK police forces. This includes developing a bespoke training and accreditation pathway for police drone operators as well as working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to provide the necessary oversight on the safety aspects of police drone operations.
Drones and helicopters are complimentary to one another, not interchangeable. Drones are valuable for close‑range, localised tasks, but may not always replace the speed, persistence, capacity and safety assurance of a helicopter. However, this is subject to ongoing research and analysis, continuously evolving as technology advances.
The Home Office is currently working with NPAS and the NPCC Drones Programme to assess, compare and evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of crewed and uncrewed technologies for operational policing and how this will support development of a future blended fleet model for police aviation, in line with the NPCC Aviation Strategy (2025-2035).
In addition, the Government takes national and cyber security extremely seriously and regularly reviews risks, including from Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) which includes drones. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have issued guidance for security professionals across public and private sector organisations on the appropriate security measures which should be taken to manage potential security risks via UAS technologies, including drones. In line with existing guidance, the NPCC Drones Programme is currently undertaking a review on the data and security risk implications associated with police use of drones.