Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support mechanisms exist for small businesses who lose stock or income due to crime where no insurance cover is available.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises the significant challenges that crime and theft can pose for small businesses. There is a wide range of available insurance products, where cover is difficult to secure, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association can help identify specialist brokers.

The Government is also strengthening its response to retail crime and improving town centre safety through the Crime and Policing Bill, the Safer Streets mission, and the new High Streets Illegality Taskforce.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how police forces will be held accountable for improving response times, investigations and conviction rates following the introduction of new measures under the Crime and Policing Bill.

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

Police forces will be held accountable for improving response times and investigative outcomes through the new Police Performance System, which will provide a single, consistent picture of police performance across all forces, enable earlier identification of problems and provide targeted support to deliver better service for the public.

As set out in the Police Reform White Paper, we have committed to introducing clear national targets on response times. The Police Performance System will enable consistent assessment of contact and response, using nationally comparable data. This will strengthen the scrutiny of underperforming forces, enabling earlier and robust intervention, including performance improvement plans where necessary and statutory intervention powers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are being taken to improve detection and prosecution rates for shoplifting offences.

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

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a new specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards shop workers that we have seen in recent years and protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

This bespoke offence will send a clear signal to perpetrators that assaults on retail workers are unacceptable and won’t go unpunished. It will also ensure that assaults on retail workers are separately recorded so that we know the true scale of the problem, enabling the police to respond accordingly.

The Government is also supporting the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’, which was jointly developed by the police and industry, providing a collaborative and evidence-based approach in preventing and detecting retail crime.

We are providing £7 million over a three‑year period covering 2025 to 2028, to tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

Additionally, we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the new offence of assaulting a shop worker on levels of retail crime.

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

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a new specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards shop workers that we have seen in recent years and protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

This bespoke offence will send a clear signal to perpetrators that assaults on retail workers are unacceptable and won’t go unpunished. It will also ensure that assaults on retail workers are separately recorded so that we know the true scale of the problem, enabling the police to respond accordingly.

The Government is also supporting the ‘Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy’, which was jointly developed by the police and industry, providing a collaborative and evidence-based approach in preventing and detecting retail crime.

We are providing £7 million over a three‑year period covering 2025 to 2028, to tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

Additionally, we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what impact assessment has been undertaken on how potential new powers introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill will affect high streets, markets, and independent traders.

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

The Government published a number of impact assessments and economic notes upon the introduction of the Bill, which can be accessed here: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: impact assessments - GOV.UK and here: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: economic notes - GOV.UK.

We will publish further impact assessments after the Bill receives Royal Assent.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on small businesses, including sole traders, in relation to crime prevention and victim support.

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

The Government published a number of impact assessments and economic notes upon the introduction of the Bill, which can be accessed here: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: impact assessments - GOV.UK and here: Crime and Policing Bill 2025: economic notes - GOV.UK.

We will publish further impact assessments after the Bill receives Royal Assent.