Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, whether she plans to allocate more funding to police forces to help them reduce the time taken to allocate police officers to investigate reported crimes.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services regularly reports on the effectiveness of forces’ investigations as a part of its Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy inspections.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with police forces on the adequacy of the time taken for police officers to be allocated to investigate reported crimes.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services regularly reports on the effectiveness of forces’ investigations as a part of its Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy inspections.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase awareness of (a) coercive control. (b) financial abuse and (c) other forms of non physical domestic abuse.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduced a statutory definition of domestic abuse, encompassing not only physical violence but also emotional, coercive, and controlling behaviour, and economic abuse. The statutory guidance on controlling or coercive behaviour (CCB), issued to police forces and other statutory agencies, recognises economic abuse as a type of CCB.
We have taken strong action against those who commit CCB. Offenders sentenced to a minimum of 12 months for coercive behaviour are now managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), ensuring coordinated information sharing among enforcement agencies to prevent reoffending.
This year, the Government has provided £200,000 of funding for Surviving Economic Abuse to develop resources and training for businesses and charities to identify and support victims of economic abuse.
These measures are part of our ambitious mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, details of which will be set out in the VAWG Strategy later this year.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the accessibility of the Life in the UK test for people with (a) learning difficulties and (b) special needs.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Where someone cannot reasonably be expected to prepare for or pass the test on medical grounds, the requirement can be waived by request at Knowledge of language and Life in the UK Test exemption: long term physical or mental condition - GOV.UK.
If a candidate needs assistance to access the test or needs special adjustments at a test centre, candidates can contact the provider of the tests, PSI, to make arrangements at no extra cost. These adjustments include extra time, closed sessions, BSL interpreters, monitor screen colour/contrast adjustments and height adjustable desks.
The test for severely visually impaired or blind candidates is offered with extra time, with a reader and a scribe, and the test is delivered in a separate room. Assistance dogs are also allowed. All test centres are wheelchair accessible.
Please note statistics on the number of exemptions made are not currently recorded or held centrally.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prioritise children from conflict areas re-joining parents who have legally moved to the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government provides a safe and legal route to bring families together through its family reunion policy. This allows individuals with a form of protection status in the UK to sponsor their partner or children to stay with or join them here, provided they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin to seek protection.
We recognise that family members of those with protection status in the UK may be particularly vulnerable. Where the applicant is an unaccompanied child, under the age of 18, we may write to them to obtain any further information which may be required. Such applicants do not need to make a request for prioritisation.
Furthermore, immediate family members of British nationals and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes. Fee waivers are available for those unable to afford the fee.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) support and (b) compensate vulnerable victims of organised criminal fraud groups.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Victims of unauthorised bank fraud (for example when a customer’s card is used without their permission) are automatically entitled to reimbursement in virtually all cases. Additionally, mandatory reimbursement for Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams (when a victim makes a payment themselves to a fraudster on false pretences) came into effect in October 2024, requiring all payment service providers to reimburse all victims of APP fraud.
The National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit (NECVCU) is a focussed and targeted service, providing victims of fraud and cybercrime with not only a consistent and high-quality response, but also with a national standard of care and support. Currently NECVCU supports all 43 forces in England and Wales at Level 1 (non-vulnerable victim care), and 38 forces at the enhanced Level 2 service (for vulnerable victims).
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide new police officers with (a) tools and (b) training to tackle violent rural crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to ensuring there are consistent, high standards for training in the police. This will help to maintain public confidence in the police and ensure the workforce is equipped to respond to the crime challenges they face every day, including in rural communities.
Rural and wildlife crimes can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife or rural settings should face the full force of the law.
Under our Safer Streets Mission, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping. We are also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to fend off the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.