Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will allocate additional funding to support police forces in rural areas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to giving police the resources they need to tackle crime and the allocation of funding to police forces in England and Wales remains an important consideration. The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years and more details on police force funding allocations for 2026-27 will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.
Through 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 have worked closely with the National Police Chief’s Council to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2029. The strategy will set out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of allowing police forces to release details of a suspect's (a) ethnicity, (b) nationality and (c) immigration status on the fairness of subsequent trials.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not direct operational policing decisions, including those related to the disclosure of information about a person suspected or charged with committing an offence. These matters rightly fall under the purview of Chief Constables.
The murders and subsequent riots in Southport in July 2024 raised questions about how the Government may best counter misinformation and disinformation without creating a risk of being in contempt of court in relation to ongoing criminal proceedings. There are restrictions on what can be said before and during a trial to ensure that trials are fair and justice is delivered. At the same time, however, social media is putting these long-established rules under strain, especially in cases such as Southport where partial or inaccurate information appears online.
The NPCC and the College of Policing issued interim guidance to police forces in August, which aims to support forces in managing sensitive investigations and mitigating risks associated with them.
The interim guidance encourages police forces to confirm a suspect’s ethnicity and nationality (where known or recorded) in certain high-profile or sensitive investigations where they determine it is necessary to maintain public safety and reassure the public.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on tackling sales of THC liquids containing spice to young people.
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.
Home Office Ministers and officials work closely with Ofcom, as well as social media platforms, on the issue of illegal online content.
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 THC liquids containing spice. 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: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will allocate funding to support mental health services for police (a) officers and (b) staff in the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of all police officers and staff.
We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service, which helps forces identify mental health risks, build resilience, and provide timely support, including through initiatives such as the 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support Line. Through the Police Covenant, we are also improving mental health training and occupational health standards across policing.
It is for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to determine how best to use their funding, including how to support the wellbeing of their workforce, based on local needs and priorities.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the policy objective is of advising police forces to release (a) ethnicity and (b) other details of suspects before trial.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not direct operational policing decisions, including those related to the disclosure of information about a person suspected or charged with committing an offence. These matters rightly fall under the purview of Chief Constables.
The NPCC and the College of Policing issued interim guidance to police forces in August, which aims to support forces in managing sensitive investigations and mitigating risks associated with them.
The interim guidance encourages police forces to confirm a suspect’s ethnicity and nationality (where known or recorded) in certain high-profile or sensitive investigations where they determine it is necessary to maintain public safety and reassure the public.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 adequacy of the current police funding formula in meeting the needs of (a) rural areas and (b) West Dorset.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant to police forces in England and Wales as part of the annual police settlement divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces.
This Government is committed to ensuring that policing has the resources it needs. Dorset Police will receive up to £194.8 million in 2025-26, an increase of up to £14.7 million when compared to 2024-25.
The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. The allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration and as with previous years more details on force funding allocation for 2026-27 will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will undertake a review of police funding allocations in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant to police forces in England and Wales as part of the annual police settlement divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces.
This Government is committed to ensuring that policing has the resources it needs. Dorset Police will receive up to £194.8 million in 2025-26, an increase of up to £14.7 million when compared to 2024-25.
The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. The allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration and as with previous years more details on force funding allocation for 2026-27 will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review funding allocations to police forces to ensure that rural areas receive sufficient resources to maintain (a) police stations and (b) community policing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant to police forces in England and Wales as part of the annual police settlement divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces.
The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. The allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration and as with previous years, more details on force funding allocations for 2026-27, including decisions on police force funding allocations, will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.
It is the responsibility of Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), including Mayors who exercise PCC or equivalent functions, to take decisions around their resourcing and estates. They are best placed to make decisions with their communities based on their local knowledge and experience.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rural areas receive adequate police funding to maintain (a) visible and (b) accessible policing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant to police forces in England and Wales as part of the annual police settlement divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces.
The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. The allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration and as with previous years, more details on force funding allocations for 2026-27, including decisions on police force funding allocations, will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.
It is the responsibility of Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), including Mayors who exercise PCC or equivalent functions, to take decisions around their resourcing and estates. They are best placed to make decisions with their communities based on their local knowledge and experience.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of police station front counter closures on community policing in rural areas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Decisions regarding the management of local police resourcing and estates, including police stations, is a matter for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience, in line with their existing budgets. The Home Office does not collect data on the number or location of police stations, or the impact of their closure.
Police stations are just one of the ways in which people can access their local police, including reporting online and by phone 24/7 via 999 for emergencies and 101 for non-emergency calls.
A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing, The commitments set out in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee are now making a considerable difference to the service communities receive from their neighbourhood policing teams. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.