Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) calls and (b) online submissions have been made to HMRC fraud hotline in relation to (i) illegal tobacco and (ii) illegal alcohol in each of the last five years.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The tables below show the number of contacts received by HMRC Fraud Reporting Gateway in relation to Alcohol and Tobacco:

Alcohol:

Tobacco:

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will increase the length of sentences for people who commit violent crime against retail workers.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts, and the courts have a range of sentencing powers to deal with each offender effectively and appropriately, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and imprisonment.

The maximum penalty for an offence is set by Parliament and is designed to cover the most serious imaginable behaviours that may fall under that offence. We continue to keep maximum penalties under review to make ensure they reflect the seriousness of the offending behaviour.

Under the previous Government, shop theft increased to an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this as everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

That is why, through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker. The new offence will carry a maximum prison sentence of six months and/or an unlimited fine, matching the current sentence guidelines for common assault. It will also come with a presumption for a court to apply a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.

The Crime and Policing Bill will also introduce new measures to address the perceived immunity for ‘low value’ shop theft. With this change, there will no longer be a threshold categorising shop theft of goods worth £200 and under as ‘low value’. Instead, all cases of shop theft will be taken seriously irrespective of the value of goods stolen, with a maximum custodial penalty of 7 years. Shop theft of any amount is illegal, and repealing this legislation will ensure everyone understands this.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to increase the length of sentences for shoplifting.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts, and the courts have a range of sentencing powers to deal with each offender effectively and appropriately, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and imprisonment.

The maximum penalty for an offence is set by Parliament and is designed to cover the most serious imaginable behaviours that may fall under that offence. We continue to keep maximum penalties under review to make ensure they reflect the seriousness of the offending behaviour.

Under the previous Government, shop theft increased to an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this as everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

That is why, through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker. The new offence will carry a maximum prison sentence of six months and/or an unlimited fine, matching the current sentence guidelines for common assault. It will also come with a presumption for a court to apply a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.

The Crime and Policing Bill will also introduce new measures to address the perceived immunity for ‘low value’ shop theft. With this change, there will no longer be a threshold categorising shop theft of goods worth £200 and under as ‘low value’. Instead, all cases of shop theft will be taken seriously irrespective of the value of goods stolen, with a maximum custodial penalty of 7 years. Shop theft of any amount is illegal, and repealing this legislation will ensure everyone understands this.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many seizures of (a) cigarettes, (b) hand rolling tobacco and (c) other tobacco products have been made by Border Force at (i) seaports, (ii) airports and (iii) postal services, in each of the last five years.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The below statistics from Border Force’s transparency data outline the number of cigarettes and weight of tobacco seized in each of the last five years, but are not broken down by the location where they were seized.

2020 – 509,032,596 Cigarette sticks, 110,774.2kg Tobacco

2021 – 961,939,889 Cigarette sticks, 136,835.9kg Tobacco

2022 – 827,211,419 Cigarette sticks, 93,717.57kg Tobacco

2023 – 823,818,908 Cigarette sticks, 67,730.03kg Tobacco

2024 – 934,104,940 Cigarette sticks, 72,143.33kg Tobacco

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of retail workers who have experienced violent crime at work in each of the last five years.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on the number of incidents of violent crime recorded by the police in England and Wales. The latest data can be found here:

Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK

The data includes incidents of robbery of business property, which includes robbery of retail premises as well as other business premises. Other types of violent crime against retail workers will fall under other categories of violent crime, such as assault with injury. It is not currently possible to identify which of these incidents were committed against retail workers during the course of their work.

In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

The offence will be allocated a specific Home Office Crime Recording Rule, which will help provide a more complete picture of the problem, in turn informing future policy decisions and enabling the police to respond accordingly.

The Home Office has also published estimates from the Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) on the proportion of retail premises which experienced at least one incident of violent crime. This data can be found here:

Crime against businesses statistics - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has had discussions with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on trusts that were under the authority of WW&J McClure solicitors.

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

The Ministry of Justice does not hold responsibility for informing clients about the status of their legal arrangements with private law firms. The legal profession in England and Wales is regulated independently of government. Responsibility for solicitors’ conduct lies with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), overseen by the Legal Services Board. The SRA’s role involves protecting clients and the public. The different ways in which they can provide support to consumers of legal services can be found on their website: SRA | What you can expect from us | Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The Government is aware of the issues surrounding WW&J McClures’ collapse, which involve multiple regulators responding to former clients across Scotland, England and Wales. Government officials have been engaging with the SRA, which has confirmed it is continuing to investigate the situation.

With regards to the issue of raising awareness among clients of McClures, there are requirements with respect to the advertising and publication of an insolvency so that creditors and other interested parties are made aware. The administration of McClures was advertised as required in the London Gazette. Information for former clients of McClures in Scotland was also published by Law Society of Scotland. For clients in England and Wales, the SRA also issued a public update, which remains available on their website SRA | WW&J McClure and Jones Whyte | Solicitors Regulation Authority

In addition, for clients of McClures across Great Britain, Jones Whyte published an extensive list of FAQs, covering the number of clients it had taken on, the steps it was taking to contact those clients, and the procedure for clients to transfer to another legal firm if they wished.

The Ministry of Justice has not held discussions with third-party intermediaries who were involved in selling trusts that were subsequently managed by WW&J McClures solicitors. Under the Legal Services Act 2007, the creation of a trust is not a reserved legal activity. This means that such activity may have involved individuals or organisations who were not regulated legal professionals. Where the sale of such trusts involved financial advice or services, this would be covered by the financial regulatory regime overseen by HM Treasury.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice have engaged with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regarding the collapse of WW&J McClure solicitors and the regulatory concerns arising from their handling of client trusts.

The SRA has confirmed that it is carrying out an investigation into the former partners of the firm. As those individuals are no longer on the roll of solicitors, the SRA is limited in the enforcement action it can currently take. However, any concerns identified during the course of the investigation would be taken into account if any former partner seeks to return to legal practice.

The Ministry continues to monitor this issue through regular engagement with legal regulators and remains in contact with the SRA as it progresses its investigation. The SRA has published a public update on its website for affected clients and other interested parties: SRA | WW&J McClure and Jones Whyte | Solicitors Regulation Authority

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions her Department has had with third parties who sold trusts that then came under the authority of WW&J McClure solicitors.

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

The Ministry of Justice does not hold responsibility for informing clients about the status of their legal arrangements with private law firms. The legal profession in England and Wales is regulated independently of government. Responsibility for solicitors’ conduct lies with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), overseen by the Legal Services Board. The SRA’s role involves protecting clients and the public. The different ways in which they can provide support to consumers of legal services can be found on their website: SRA | What you can expect from us | Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The Government is aware of the issues surrounding WW&J McClures’ collapse, which involve multiple regulators responding to former clients across Scotland, England and Wales. Government officials have been engaging with the SRA, which has confirmed it is continuing to investigate the situation.

With regards to the issue of raising awareness among clients of McClures, there are requirements with respect to the advertising and publication of an insolvency so that creditors and other interested parties are made aware. The administration of McClures was advertised as required in the London Gazette. Information for former clients of McClures in Scotland was also published by Law Society of Scotland. For clients in England and Wales, the SRA also issued a public update, which remains available on their website SRA | WW&J McClure and Jones Whyte | Solicitors Regulation Authority

In addition, for clients of McClures across Great Britain, Jones Whyte published an extensive list of FAQs, covering the number of clients it had taken on, the steps it was taking to contact those clients, and the procedure for clients to transfer to another legal firm if they wished.

The Ministry of Justice has not held discussions with third-party intermediaries who were involved in selling trusts that were subsequently managed by WW&J McClures solicitors. Under the Legal Services Act 2007, the creation of a trust is not a reserved legal activity. This means that such activity may have involved individuals or organisations who were not regulated legal professionals. Where the sale of such trusts involved financial advice or services, this would be covered by the financial regulatory regime overseen by HM Treasury.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice have engaged with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regarding the collapse of WW&J McClure solicitors and the regulatory concerns arising from their handling of client trusts.

The SRA has confirmed that it is carrying out an investigation into the former partners of the firm. As those individuals are no longer on the roll of solicitors, the SRA is limited in the enforcement action it can currently take. However, any concerns identified during the course of the investigation would be taken into account if any former partner seeks to return to legal practice.

The Ministry continues to monitor this issue through regular engagement with legal regulators and remains in contact with the SRA as it progresses its investigation. The SRA has published a public update on its website for affected clients and other interested parties: SRA | WW&J McClure and Jones Whyte | Solicitors Regulation Authority

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to inform clients of WW&J McClure solicitors that their trusts are no longer viable.

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

The Ministry of Justice does not hold responsibility for informing clients about the status of their legal arrangements with private law firms. The legal profession in England and Wales is regulated independently of government. Responsibility for solicitors’ conduct lies with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), overseen by the Legal Services Board. The SRA’s role involves protecting clients and the public. The different ways in which they can provide support to consumers of legal services can be found on their website: SRA | What you can expect from us | Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The Government is aware of the issues surrounding WW&J McClures’ collapse, which involve multiple regulators responding to former clients across Scotland, England and Wales. Government officials have been engaging with the SRA, which has confirmed it is continuing to investigate the situation.

With regards to the issue of raising awareness among clients of McClures, there are requirements with respect to the advertising and publication of an insolvency so that creditors and other interested parties are made aware. The administration of McClures was advertised as required in the London Gazette. Information for former clients of McClures in Scotland was also published by Law Society of Scotland. For clients in England and Wales, the SRA also issued a public update, which remains available on their website SRA | WW&J McClure and Jones Whyte | Solicitors Regulation Authority

In addition, for clients of McClures across Great Britain, Jones Whyte published an extensive list of FAQs, covering the number of clients it had taken on, the steps it was taking to contact those clients, and the procedure for clients to transfer to another legal firm if they wished.

The Ministry of Justice has not held discussions with third-party intermediaries who were involved in selling trusts that were subsequently managed by WW&J McClures solicitors. Under the Legal Services Act 2007, the creation of a trust is not a reserved legal activity. This means that such activity may have involved individuals or organisations who were not regulated legal professionals. Where the sale of such trusts involved financial advice or services, this would be covered by the financial regulatory regime overseen by HM Treasury.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice have engaged with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regarding the collapse of WW&J McClure solicitors and the regulatory concerns arising from their handling of client trusts.

The SRA has confirmed that it is carrying out an investigation into the former partners of the firm. As those individuals are no longer on the roll of solicitors, the SRA is limited in the enforcement action it can currently take. However, any concerns identified during the course of the investigation would be taken into account if any former partner seeks to return to legal practice.

The Ministry continues to monitor this issue through regular engagement with legal regulators and remains in contact with the SRA as it progresses its investigation. The SRA has published a public update on its website for affected clients and other interested parties: SRA | WW&J McClure and Jones Whyte | Solicitors Regulation Authority

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will increase sentences for offences committed with a knife.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Tackling knife crime is a priority and this Government is determined to do all it can to break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families and communities.

The maximums available for existing knife offences include up to 4 years’ imprisonment for carrying a knife or threatening with an offensive weapon being 4 years’ imprisonment. Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that the offender may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, up to life imprisonment. Sentencing in individual cases are a matter for our independent judiciary.

We will be reforming the sentencing framework in line with most of the recommendations made by the Independent Sentencing Review in May 2025 to ensure that our prisons never run out of space again, which would place the public at unconscionable risk.

Found: Current membership Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker; Chorley) (Chair) Lee Anderson (Reform UK; Ashfield) Mr

Found: Current membership Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker; Chorley) (Chair)Lee Anderson (Reform UK; Ashfield) Mr

Found: _NC16 Jim Allister Sir Desmond Swayne Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Alex

Found: Not called_NC40 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin 33 REPORT STAGE