Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a national (a) framework and (b) funding stream to support local authorities in purchasing ex-council homes in areas of (i) high vacancy and (ii) visible decline.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has no plans to introduce a national framework and funding stream of the kind suggested.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of financial incentives requested by (a) landlords and (b) agencies on the ability of charities to house rough sleepers.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is the responsibility of Councils and their partners to develop a range of housing options that reflect local needs, including housing with support and making use of the private rented sector where is suitable for the needs of the individual.

Financial support including helping individuals with deposits, first month’s rent in advance, or one-off payments to landlords can be an effective means of securing private rented tenancies for people who have experienced rough sleeping.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to review the (a) necessity and (b) frequency of annual reviews within NHS Continuing Health Care; and whether he plans to adjust those requirements.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care outlines the necessity and frequency of NHS Continuing Healthcare reviews. A review should be undertaken within three months of the eligibility decision being made, and then on at least an annual basis. Reviews should primarily focus on whether the care plan or arrangements remain appropriate to meet the individual’s needs. It is expected that, in the majority of cases, there will be no need to reassess for eligibility. The frequency, format and attendance at reviews should be proportionate to the situation in question.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to introduce measures to ensure that (a) privacy and (b) data protection standards are maintained for the use of (i) CCTV and (ii) other video recording devices on domestic buildings.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK’s Data protection framework is technology-neutral, with its principles, namely, transparency, accountability and fairness, applying to all technology which uses personal data, including CCTV. There are also general rules on how personal data should be processed and safeguarded.

If domestic CCTV captures someone else's property or communal space, then the UK’s data protection legislation applies as the images and voices of other people will be captured and this is classified as personal information.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued guidance on domestic and commercial use of surveillance equipment, including CCTV.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations governing the use of (a) CCTV and (b) other video recording devices on domestic buildings.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK’s Data protection framework is technology-neutral. If domestic CCTV or other video recording devices capture someone else's property or communal space, then the UK’s data protection legislation applies as the images and voices of other people will be captured and this is classified as personal information.

The UK’s Data protection legislation is monitored and enforced independently of Government. The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued guidance on domestic use of surveillance equipment, including CCTV.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in the number of leasehold flat forfeitures due to leaseholders being unable to pay costs arising from building safety defects on the mortgage securitisation market; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 30259 on 19 February 2025.

Government remains committed to removing the disproportionate and draconian threat of forfeiture as a means of ensuring compliance with a lease agreement. Qualifying leaseholders are protected from costs of remedying specific historical safety defects under the Building Safety Act, while at the same time we ensure those who built defective buildings take responsibility for remedying them, and wider industry contributes to fixing the problem.

Looking specifically at mortgage securitisation, my officials speak to the mortgage lending sector who we would expect to raise if an issue.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that referrals for ME/CFS are not rejected solely on the basis of a long covid diagnosis being mentioned in GP notes.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We published the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Final Delivery Plan on 22 July 2025. The plan focuses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

Within the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan’s actions, NHS England will co-design resources, including a template specification for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care, with NHS England, will explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for very severe ME/CFS.

The template specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS will be developed nationally through engagement with stakeholders, drawing on local expertise and models, and existing evidence.

In order to improve awareness and understanding of ME/CFS amongst healthcare professionals, the Department is working with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes.

Commissioning of post-viral services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and the output of the above engagement aims to support ICBs with their local commissioning decisions based on their local population needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve coordination of care for long covid patients who require multi-disciplinary support.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Across the NHS in England, there are services supporting people with post-COVID syndrome (long COVID). These services offer physical, cognitive and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. More information is available on the NHS England website at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/.

Since April 2024, the commissioning of post-COVID services has been the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs), following the closure of the national post-COVID programme.

NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services, which sets out the commissioning, service requirements and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults and children and young people. It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should include and the principles of care for long COVID. The commissioning guidance is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services-for-adults-children-and-young-people/.

People with long COVID symptoms should see their GP, who will be able to refer them to services depending on their clinical needs.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to produce an integrated legislative plan to help reach (a) climate and (b) nature targets.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This Government is committed to tackling the climate and nature crises and has a well-developed legislative framework in place through the Climate Change Act 2008 and the Environment Act 2021. In July 2025, the DESNZ and Defra Secretaries of State held the first Climate and Nature Statement in Parliament. Our focus is on making rapid progress towards our climate and nature targets, which will be set out later this year in the Environmental Improvement Plan and an updated plan for meeting carbon budgets.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to introduce (a) an annual Climate and Nature Statement to Parliament, (b) legislation to ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, (c) development of a UK carbon border adjustment mechanism and (d) publication of a Net Zero Public Participation Strategy.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Climate and Nature Statement to Parliament took place on 14th July 2025 and is intended to be an annual statement. A Bill to enable ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement will be introduced by the end of the year. The UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will be introduced on 1 January 2027. The Net Zero Public Participation Strategy will be published later this year.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time taken was to process a grant of probate in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes average waiting times for processing grants of probate here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) currently advises applicants to expect probate applications to be processed within the target time of 12 weeks, although this could take longer if a user needs to provide additional information. Currently, the average waiting time is under 5 weeks.

There are 1.2 FTE Registrars and 2 FTE Deputy Registrars currently in post. There are no vacancies, and capacity is sufficient to meet the requirement for these roles.

One of the main lessons learned following the Reform of the probate service in 2019 was that the centralisation of administrative work alongside the digitisation of the service led to the loss of experienced staff and a training gap for the staff in the Courts and Tribunals Service Centres. These issues have since been overcome and average processing times continue to improve.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of probate office closures on application processing times.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes average waiting times for processing grants of probate here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) currently advises applicants to expect probate applications to be processed within the target time of 12 weeks, although this could take longer if a user needs to provide additional information. Currently, the average waiting time is under 5 weeks.

There are 1.2 FTE Registrars and 2 FTE Deputy Registrars currently in post. There are no vacancies, and capacity is sufficient to meet the requirement for these roles.

One of the main lessons learned following the Reform of the probate service in 2019 was that the centralisation of administrative work alongside the digitisation of the service led to the loss of experienced staff and a training gap for the staff in the Courts and Tribunals Service Centres. These issues have since been overcome and average processing times continue to improve.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many District Probate (a) Registrars and (b) Deputy Registrars are employed; and whether there are vacancies in those roles.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes average waiting times for processing grants of probate here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) currently advises applicants to expect probate applications to be processed within the target time of 12 weeks, although this could take longer if a user needs to provide additional information. Currently, the average waiting time is under 5 weeks.

There are 1.2 FTE Registrars and 2 FTE Deputy Registrars currently in post. There are no vacancies, and capacity is sufficient to meet the requirement for these roles.

One of the main lessons learned following the Reform of the probate service in 2019 was that the centralisation of administrative work alongside the digitisation of the service led to the loss of experienced staff and a training gap for the staff in the Courts and Tribunals Service Centres. These issues have since been overcome and average processing times continue to improve.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her Department's target processing time is for probate applications in the next financial year.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes average waiting times for processing grants of probate here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) currently advises applicants to expect probate applications to be processed within the target time of 12 weeks, although this could take longer if a user needs to provide additional information. Currently, the average waiting time is under 5 weeks.

There are 1.2 FTE Registrars and 2 FTE Deputy Registrars currently in post. There are no vacancies, and capacity is sufficient to meet the requirement for these roles.

One of the main lessons learned following the Reform of the probate service in 2019 was that the centralisation of administrative work alongside the digitisation of the service led to the loss of experienced staff and a training gap for the staff in the Courts and Tribunals Service Centres. These issues have since been overcome and average processing times continue to improve.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help reduce (a) delays and (b) service disruptions for Probation Workers caused by (i) staffing levels and (ii) office closures.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Staffing levels are regularly monitored and analysed, and we remain committed to providing manageable workloads for staff, as well as ensuring continuity of service. Recruitment and retention, along with our long-term plans for a sustainable Probation Service through targeting the most vital work are priorities.

There is a comprehensive approach by HMPPS to improve retention across the Probation Service and since unification in June 2021 there has been an overall increase to probation staffing by 20%. In the last 12 months, from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025 we have increased our number of Probation Officers by 7% (359 FTE) from 5,160 to 5,519 FTE.

We are investing in probation - onboarding 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already on-boarded last year. We have extended centralised recruitment campaigns for key grades to reduce the time it takes to fill operational roles.

This Government is investing up to £300 million in prison & probation maintenance for 2025-26, to keep the estate safe and secure. This is an increase in spending on 2024-25, which will support essential repairs, ongoing maintenance, and efforts to minimise future closures.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to (a) prevent experienced probation officers leaving the service and (b) ensure the sustainability of that service.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

There is a comprehensive approach by HMPPS to improve recruitment and retention across the Probation Service and since unification in June 2021 there has been an overall increase to probation staffing by 20%. In the last 12 months, from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025 we have increased our number of Probation Officers by 7% (359 FTE) from 5,160 to 5,519 FTE.

Leaving rates to June 2025 can be found in table 11 of our published statistics. The Probation Officer leaving rate of 6.3% (taken from T11) in the year to the end of June 2025 was 1.7 percentage points lower than it was in the year to the end of March 2024. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/689f34791fedc616bb133a86/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-jun-2025_final.ods.

Since the launch of the HMPPS retention strategy, toolkit and exit interview process in 2021, a new retention oversight process (retention deep dives) was piloted in August 2022 and launched in Probation in April 2023 to target those Probation Delivery Units with the highest attrition. We are also currently working with Trade Unions to secure the best outcome in terms of the pay award for Probation.

We continue to invest in probation, and plan to onboard 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already on-boarded last year.

We are committed to ensuring that workloads for probation staff are sustainable and ensure protection of the public. That is why we have commissioned the Our Future Probation Service Programme to deploy new technologies, reform processes, and ensure prioritisation of probation staff time.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of leasehold flats containing combustible material with higher insurance costs that will be classified as permanently impaired under the Basel 3.1 requirements; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

We understand the question relates to regulatory requirements for property valuations under Basel 3.1.

There are several changes in the Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) implementation of the Basel 3.1 standards that are relevant to mortgage valuation. Banks using the standardised approach to credit risk will have to update the valuation of mortgaged properties under specific circumstances such as if five years have passed since the valuation was last updated, when a borrower refinances their mortgage at the end of a fixed period, if modifications have been made to the property that unequivocally increase its value, or an event occurs that results in a likely permanent reduction in the property’s value (‘permanent impairment’).

The PRA does not expect the changes to have a material impact on current industry practice for determining property valuations, including for properties with cladding, as the changes primarily relate to when a valuation for a given property is updated as opposed to how the valuation itself is determined.

The government does not hold data on the number of properties, including for properties with cladding, that will be required to be re-valued under the different circumstances listed above

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure the safety of probation staff working with high-risk offenders.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The safety, health and wellbeing of all probation staff is vitally important to us.

Across the Probation Service, generic risk assessments and Safe Working Practice documents are in place. These documents outline foreseeable risks and detail the control measures implemented to mitigate those risks as far as is reasonably practicable. The Policy Instruction 12/2015 – Arrangements for the Management of Violence and Aggression – remains in effect, supported by the ‘Managing Violence and Aggression’ training.

Personal safety devices are in place across the business, and we are currently rolling out upgraded Personal Safety Devices (PeopleSafe) across regions. These enhanced devices incorporate improved functionality and reliability, informed by user feedback and operational insights gained from the previous models which are currently in place.

We are currently undertaking a site-by-site review of physical security across the Probation Service to identify any gaps in security and will press ahead to ensure all sites meet the required standard for facilitating high-risk supervision. A range of safety measures will be looked at, including closed circuit television, alarm systems, intercoms and reception screening.

Additionally, the Home Visits Policy Framework forms part of the arrangements to help minimise risks to staff undertaking home visits in accordance with the Probation Service’s duty to ensure the safety of its employees so far as reasonably practicable. All those who undertake a home visit must conduct a pre visit risk assessment, which must be authorised by the line manager prior to the visit. The Framework can be accessed by the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-visits-policy-framework.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) guidance and (b) requirements exist for employers to verify the (i) licensing status, (ii) training and (iii) safety of any motor scooter riders they engage.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Employers have a duty to manage the safety of their employees, and their employees in turn have a responsibility to ride or drive appropriately and to comply with relevant laws. Guidance for companies employing people to drive including verifying their licence status is provided at: Employing people to drive - GOV.UK

The Department for Transport worked closely with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to update the joint DfT/HSE guidance on work related road safety. The revised guidance, published in September 2021 and called Driving and riding safely for work, clearly sets out what commercial organisations and their employees must do to manage work related road safety and what their obligations are under law. This includes how to assess risks while on the road, considerations for other road users and distractions from mobile devices.

The Minister for Local Transport wrote to the main food delivery companies in December 2024, to remind them of their obligations, and of the importance the Government places on the safety of all road users. Enforcement of road traffic legislation, including that relating to e-scooters, is a matter for the police.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department has considered alternative forms of verification for transport concessions for rough sleepers.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Concessionary travel legislation for the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme requires that applicants must have their sole or primary residence in the local area in which they apply for a bus pass, but it does not stipulate the types of evidence which are acceptable as proof. Whilst it is ultimately up to local authorities to ensure that they comply with the law, the Department for Transport would urge them to consider making alternative arrangements, where required, to ensure that otherwise eligible older or disabled people who only have non-standard proofs of residency are still able to access the statutory concession.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of real-terms pay on the recruitment and retention of probation staff since 2010.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We are committed to supporting probation staff and value their hard work, commitment and dedication. As part of our approach to annual award proposals we will review our pay position and priorities for the award to get the best outcome for staff. As part of this process, we consider several factors including cost of living, business priorities and our position in terms of comparable workforces. Our pay proposals need to strike a balance between affordability and providing investment to address our pay priorities and support attraction and retention.

In recent years we have made investments to pay through a multi-year pay deal covering the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

We are currently engaging with the recognised Probation Service Trade Unions to agree a good outcome for this year’s pay award in line with our prioritises and the parameters of the civil service pay guidance.

We are committed to providing manageable workloads for staff. Recruitment and retention, along with our long-term plans for a sustainable Probation Service through targeting resources towards our most vital work. We are investing in probation - onboarding 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already on-boarded last year. We have extended centralised recruitment campaigns for key grades.

There is a comprehensive approach by HMPPS to improve recruitment and retention across the Probation Service and since unification in June 2021 there has been an overall increase to probation staffing by 20%. In the last 12 months, from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025 we have increased our number of Probation Officers by 7% (359 FTE) from 5,160 to 5,519 FTE.

Leaving rates to June 2025 can be found in table 10a, table 10b and table 11 of our published statistics. The overall Probation Service leaving rate of 9.0% (taken from T10a) in the year to the end of June 2025 was 1.7 percentage points lower than it was in March 2024. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/689f34791fedc616bb133a86/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-jun-2025_final.ods.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of real-terms pay reductions on the recruitment and retention of probation staff since 2010.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We are committed to supporting probation staff and value their hard work, commitment and dedication. As part of our approach to annual award proposals we will review our pay position and priorities for the award to get the best outcome for staff. As part of this process, we consider several factors including cost of living, business priorities and our position in terms of comparable workforces. Our pay proposals need to strike a balance between affordability and providing investment to address our pay priorities and support attraction and retention.

In recent years we have made investments to pay through a multi-year pay deal covering the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

We are currently engaging with the recognised Probation Service Trade Unions to agree a good outcome for this year’s pay award in line with our prioritises and the parameters of the civil service pay guidance.

We are committed to providing manageable workloads for staff. Recruitment and retention, along with our long-term plans for a sustainable Probation Service through targeting resources towards our most vital work. We are investing in probation - onboarding 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already on-boarded last year. We have extended centralised recruitment campaigns for key grades.

There is a comprehensive approach by HMPPS to improve recruitment and retention across the Probation Service and since unification in June 2021 there has been an overall increase to probation staffing by 20%. In the last 12 months, from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025 we have increased our number of Probation Officers by 7% (359 FTE) from 5,160 to 5,519 FTE.

Leaving rates to June 2025 can be found in table 10a, table 10b and table 11 of our published statistics. The overall Probation Service leaving rate of 9.0% (taken from T10a) in the year to the end of June 2025 was 1.7 percentage points lower than it was in March 2024. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/689f34791fedc616bb133a86/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-jun-2025_final.ods.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to review the pay structure for probation officers.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We are committed to supporting probation staff and value their hard work, commitment and dedication. As part of our approach to annual award proposals we will review our pay position and priorities for the award to get the best outcome for staff. As part of this process, we consider several factors including cost of living, business priorities and our position in terms of comparable workforces. Our pay proposals need to strike a balance between affordability and providing investment to address our pay priorities and support attraction and retention.

In recent years we have made investments to pay through a multi-year pay deal covering the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

We are currently engaging with the recognised Probation Service Trade Unions to agree a good outcome for this year’s pay award in line with our prioritises and the parameters of the civil service pay guidance.

We are committed to providing manageable workloads for staff. Recruitment and retention, along with our long-term plans for a sustainable Probation Service through targeting resources towards our most vital work. We are investing in probation - onboarding 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already on-boarded last year. We have extended centralised recruitment campaigns for key grades.

There is a comprehensive approach by HMPPS to improve recruitment and retention across the Probation Service and since unification in June 2021 there has been an overall increase to probation staffing by 20%. In the last 12 months, from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2025 we have increased our number of Probation Officers by 7% (359 FTE) from 5,160 to 5,519 FTE.

Leaving rates to June 2025 can be found in table 10a, table 10b and table 11 of our published statistics. The overall Probation Service leaving rate of 9.0% (taken from T10a) in the year to the end of June 2025 was 1.7 percentage points lower than it was in March 2024. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/689f34791fedc616bb133a86/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-jun-2025_final.ods.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has launched an investigation into reports that UK police officers asked a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist residing in the UK to sign a memorandum of understanding agreeing to avoid public gatherings.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government takes the protection of individuals’ rights, safety and freedoms, including freedom of speech, very seriously. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. We are absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right.

While we do not comment on individual cases, police will rightly inform individuals if there is any assessed threat to their wellbeing in order to meet duty of care obligations. Memoranda of Understandings can form part of police’s routine approach in this context with officers providing guidance on steps individuals can consider to enhance their personal safety. As with any circumstances, it is up to the individual to decide how they wish to exercise their rights, taking into account the relevant security advice provided.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reassure (a) exiled activists and (b) foreign dissidents residing in the UK that they will be protected from intimidation and censorship.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government takes the protection of individuals’ rights, safety and freedoms, including freedom of speech, very seriously. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. We are absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right.

While we do not comment on individual cases, police will rightly inform individuals if there is any assessed threat to their wellbeing in order to meet duty of care obligations. Memoranda of Understandings can form part of police’s routine approach in this context with officers providing guidance on steps individuals can consider to enhance their personal safety. As with any circumstances, it is up to the individual to decide how they wish to exercise their rights, taking into account the relevant security advice provided.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has provided to police officers on engaging with political refugees or asylum seekers in relation to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government takes the protection of individuals’ rights, safety and freedoms, including freedom of speech, very seriously. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. We are absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right.

While we do not comment on individual cases, police will rightly inform individuals if there is any assessed threat to their wellbeing in order to meet duty of care obligations. Memoranda of Understandings can form part of police’s routine approach in this context with officers providing guidance on steps individuals can consider to enhance their personal safety. As with any circumstances, it is up to the individual to decide how they wish to exercise their rights, taking into account the relevant security advice provided.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that exiled political activists residing in the UK are not subject to (a) intimidation and (b) pressure to self-censor by UK authorities.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government takes the protection of individuals’ rights, safety and freedoms, including freedom of speech, very seriously. The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. We are absolutely committed to upholding free speech and legislation is in place to protect this fundamental right.

While we do not comment on individual cases, police will rightly inform individuals if there is any assessed threat to their wellbeing in order to meet duty of care obligations. Memoranda of Understandings can form part of police’s routine approach in this context with officers providing guidance on steps individuals can consider to enhance their personal safety. As with any circumstances, it is up to the individual to decide how they wish to exercise their rights, taking into account the relevant security advice provided.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on reports of UK police allegedly pressuring a Hong Kong activist to self-censor.

Answered by Catherine West

Freedom of speech and other fundamental rights of all people in the UK are protected under domestic law, regardless of nationality. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works closely with the Home Office on a range of matters in support of Hong Kongers in the UK. While we do not comment on individual cases, police will rightly inform individuals if there is any assessed threat to their wellbeing and provide guidance on steps they can consider to enhance their personal safety.

Found: (Labour; Cities of London and Westminster) Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat; Dorking and Horley) Bobby Dean

Found: Q375 Bobby Dean: I will start with you, Mr Rathi.

Found: Maskell David ChadwickShockat Adam Dr Al Pinkerton Edward MorelloLisa Smart Tim Farron Sarah Green Bobby Dean