Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with police forces about the handling of antisocial behaviour cases where responsibility is deferred to housing management companies.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour. The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances.
It is right that all relevant agencies have the right tools to tackle anti-social behaviour quickly and effectively. That is why, through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are enhancing the powers available to the police and other local agencies under the 2014 Act. This includes extending the power to issue closure notices to registered social housing providers. Currently only local authorities and police can issue closure notices. This is despite registered social housing providers often being the first agency to be aware of the ASB in question. Extending this power to social housing providers will help to save police and local authorities time as housing providers will be able to make applications directly.
The Home Office regularly engages with police forces on a range of issues, including the handling of antisocial behaviour. This measure in the Crime and Policing Bill followed a consultation in 2023, which included responses from the police, and suggested several changes to the powers that could improve their application and effectiveness.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what conversations the Department is having with relevant stakeholders in the Hexham constituency regarding steps to reduce rural crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. Through our Safer Streets Mission, we are protecting rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.
Our engagement with rural areas is through the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) which is why we are working closely with them to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy. This joined up approach between government and policing will help ensure we are tackling rural crimes such as the theft of high value farm equipment and livestock.
Rural communities will also benefit from more local visible policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, with more officers helping to tackle crimes like anti-social behaviour and county lines which can have a devastating impact on rural life. Under the Guarantee, each community, including rural communities, will have a named, contactable officer to turn to.
The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.
We are also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will bring the necessary secondary legislation when parliamentary time allows.
This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). The National Rural Crime Unit assists all police forces, including Northumbria, in tackling rural crime.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what conversations the Department is having with relevant stakeholders in Northumberland regarding steps to reduce rural crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. Through our Safer Streets Mission, we are protecting rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.
Our engagement with rural areas is through the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) which is why we are working closely with them to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy. This joined up approach between government and policing will help ensure we are tackling rural crimes such as the theft of high value farm equipment and livestock.
Rural communities will also benefit from more local visible policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, with more officers helping to tackle crimes like anti-social behaviour and county lines which can have a devastating impact on rural life. Under the Guarantee, each community, including rural communities, will have a named, contactable officer to turn to.
The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.
We are also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will bring the necessary secondary legislation when parliamentary time allows.
This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). The National Rural Crime Unit assists all police forces, including Northumbria, in tackling rural crime.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of tool thefts in England have been made in each year since 2015.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not routinely collect data on the items stolen in theft offences which are reported to the police.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) provides estimates of the proportion of theft offences reported to the survey where tools were stolen. This will include incidents which were not reported to the police but will exclude incidents which affected commercial premises.
The most recently published data is presented in the table below
Table 1: Number of incidents and proportion where a tool was stolen, in year ending March 2024
Crime Survey for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics
Offence type | Number of incidents | Proportion of incidents where a tool was stolen |
Domestic burglary in a dwelling | 74,000 | 2% |
Domestic burglary in a non-connected building | 53,000 | 25% |
Theft from outside a dwelling | 517,000 | 3% |
Theft from a vehicle | 465,000 | 12% |
Other theft of personal property | 446,000 | 11% |
Asked by: Yuan Yang (Labour - Earley and Woodley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the future viability of the Community Speedwatch Scheme.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Decisions on adopting the Community Speedwatch scheme, and other schemes, are operational matters for individual Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to take, based on their local policing plans.
They are best placed to understand how to meet the needs of local communities.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of permitting self-defence weapons on personal safety.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has no plans to permit the possession or use of currently prohibited weapons, such as pepper sprays or tasers, for self-defence purposes. Pepper sprays and tasers are prohibited under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968.
The Government considers that increased availability of such items potentially increases the risk of them being used by violent criminals, alongside a risk that they may be used inappropriately or irresponsibly in a variety of different circumstances, increasing the risk of serious injuries.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data the Department holds on the theft of agricultural equipment in the last (i) 5 years, (ii) 10 years in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not routinely collect data on the items stolen in theft offences which are reported to the police.
Asked by: Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour - North Somerset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help prevent the online sale of vapes containing illegal drugs.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling the supply of illegal drugs, including online, and the harms associated with their misuse.
We are taking a coordinated approach across Government that includes law enforcement activity, stronger engagement with technology companies, better education for users so they understand the risks and harms; as well as requiring internet companies to take responsibility for content on their platforms.
We have strengthened the regulatory framework to address online harms, and the unlawful sale of controlled drugs online is a priority offence under the illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act 2023. In-scope providers are legally required to implement measures to protect their users and to remove illegal content from their platforms, including that related to the sale of vapes containing illegal drugs. Ofcom, as the independent regulator of the Act, is monitoring compliance with the regime.
The National Crime Agency also works with partners in the UK and internationally to identify offenders operating online, and to take down UK-based sites committing offences.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of police force forensic analysis capacity and completion times in England.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Forensic turnaround times currently vary with discipline. Time taken by forces to examine digital devices for example varies considerably, but urgent requests are always prioritised.
Chief Constables, and ultimately Police and Crime Commissioners, are currently responsible for forensics procurement and delivery, with some regional coordination. We are exploring the creation of a specialist national capability for police forensics, within the proposed National Centre for Policing, and have recruited a Director of Forensic Services to stabilise and reform forensics in the meantime.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum applications have been (1) made, and (2) accepted over the last 10 years, in total and in each of those years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Please find the figures in the table below.
Table 1: Number of Asylum Claims and Number of Grants of Protection or Other Leave at Initial Decision (October 2015 – September 2025)
Period | Asylum Claims | Grants of Protection or Other Leave (at initial decision) |
October 2015-September 2016 | 41,981 | 10,556 |
October 2016-September 2017 | 34,645 | 9,279 |
October 2017-September 2018 | 36,717 | 9,186 |
October 2018-September 2019 | 44,145 | 13,867 |
October 2019-September 2020 | 39,979 | 10,697 |
October 2020-September 2021 | 45,535 | 11,897 |
October 2021-September 2022 | 88,213 | 15,533 |
October 2022-September 2023 | 94,132 | 38,098 |
October 2023-September 2024 | 97,091 | 52,742 |
October 2024-September 2025 | 110,051 | 58,148 |
Total | 632,489 | 230,003 |
Source: Asy_D01- Asylum Claims and Asy_D02 Asylum Initial Decisions of the ‘Asylum claim and initial decisions detailed datasets’, as part of Home Office’s ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.
Figures include both main applicants and dependants. Grant figures reflect outcomes at the initial decision stage only.