Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of whether the stakeholder engagement undertaken during the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent attached equal weight to views expressed by (a) faith groups and (b) non-religious belief organisations.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) relevance and (b) accuracy of stakeholder feedback from faith groups gathered during the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department uses stakeholder feedback from faith groups gathered during the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent in developing current Prevent policy and guidance.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a summary of the feedback provided by faith groups during the previous administration’s Independent Review of Prevent.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which (a) faith groups, (b) religious organisations and (c) non-religious belief organisations were consulted in the previous Administration’s Independent Review of Prevent.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will publish any cost‑benefit analyses prepared in relation to managed realignment options under Shoreline Management Plan 6 for the Winterton‑on‑Sea to Scratby coastline within Policy Unit 6.14.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed by a partnership led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. High-level economic appraisal informed policy development and is published within the plan and Appendix H.

GYBC is the Risk Management Authority for the erodible coast between Winterton-on-Sea and Scratby, including Hemsby, and is best placed to carry out detailed assessments of coastal risk management options, costs and benefits using local knowledge and data. In 2018, GYBC published a high-level review of options for managing coastal erosion at Hemsby. The EA recognises the technical and economic challenges associated with providing coastal protection at Hemsby.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether cost‑benefit analyses for managed realignment on the Winterton‑on‑Sea to Scratby coastline within Policy Unit 6.14 include consideration of social, health, and community impacts on affected residents, in addition to economic and environmental factors.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed by a partnership led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. High-level economic appraisal informed policy development and is published within the plan and Appendix H.

GYBC is the Risk Management Authority for the erodible coast between Winterton-on-Sea and Scratby, including Hemsby, and is best placed to carry out detailed assessments of coastal risk management options, costs and benefits using local knowledge and data. In 2018, GYBC published a high-level review of options for managing coastal erosion at Hemsby. The EA recognises the technical and economic challenges associated with providing coastal protection at Hemsby.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what factors are routinely considered in cost‑benefit analyses undertaken in support of managed realignment options under Shoreline Management Plan 6, including whether impacts on residents’ ongoing welfare and well‑being are assessed.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed by a partnership led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. High-level economic appraisal informed policy development and is published within the plan and Appendix H.

GYBC is the Risk Management Authority for the erodible coast between Winterton-on-Sea and Scratby, including Hemsby, and is best placed to carry out detailed assessments of coastal risk management options, costs and benefits using local knowledge and data. In 2018, GYBC published a high-level review of options for managing coastal erosion at Hemsby. The EA recognises the technical and economic challenges associated with providing coastal protection at Hemsby.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the evidence base, appraisal assumptions, and analytical workings used to inform decisions on Policy Unit 6.14 under Shoreline Management Plan 6 will be made publicly available.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed by a partnership led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. High-level economic appraisal informed policy development and is published within the plan and Appendix H.

GYBC is the Risk Management Authority for the erodible coast between Winterton-on-Sea and Scratby, including Hemsby, and is best placed to carry out detailed assessments of coastal risk management options, costs and benefits using local knowledge and data. In 2018, GYBC published a high-level review of options for managing coastal erosion at Hemsby. The EA recognises the technical and economic challenges associated with providing coastal protection at Hemsby.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there are plans to review the policy approach for Policy Unit 6.14 under Shoreline Management Plan 6, including the Winterton‑on‑Sea to Scratby coastline.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed by a partnership led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. High-level economic appraisal informed policy development and is published within the plan and Appendix H.

GYBC is the Risk Management Authority for the erodible coast between Winterton-on-Sea and Scratby, including Hemsby, and is best placed to carry out detailed assessments of coastal risk management options, costs and benefits using local knowledge and data. In 2018, GYBC published a high-level review of options for managing coastal erosion at Hemsby. The EA recognises the technical and economic challenges associated with providing coastal protection at Hemsby.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what cost‑benefit assessments have been undertaken to support decisions on managed realignment for the Winterton‑on‑Sea to Scratby section of Shoreline Management Plan 6.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed by a partnership led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. High-level economic appraisal informed policy development and is published within the plan and Appendix H.

GYBC is the Risk Management Authority for the erodible coast between Winterton-on-Sea and Scratby, including Hemsby, and is best placed to carry out detailed assessments of coastal risk management options, costs and benefits using local knowledge and data. In 2018, GYBC published a high-level review of options for managing coastal erosion at Hemsby. The EA recognises the technical and economic challenges associated with providing coastal protection at Hemsby.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will issue guidance to local authorities and other public bodies on the retention of historic records that may be relevant to investigations into group-based child sexual exploitation.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the risk that relevant records may have been destroyed before formal retention notices were issued; and what steps she has taken to ensure no loss of material occurs.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether all relevant public bodies have taken the necessary steps to preserve records that may be required by the independent inquiry into grooming gangs.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what systems her department has put in place to ensure that local authorities, police forces and other agencies cannot delete or destroy records that may be relevant to the independent inquiry into grooming gangs.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reoffending rate is for foreign national offenders convicted of sexual or violent offences against women in Great Yarmouth, compared with UK nationals convicted of comparable offences.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data which would enable us to identify sexual or violent offences committed against women in Great Yarmouth.

Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced. We refer all foreign national offenders (FNOs) in receipt of custodial sentences to the Home Office where they are considered for removal under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS). The ERS enables the removal of FNOs at an earlier point in their sentence than would otherwise be possible. It is the most effective mechanism for removing eligible FNOs as quickly as possible, freeing up prison spaces and saving taxpayer money.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which local stakeholders were involved or consulted in the development of Shoreline Management Plan 6, Policy Unit 6.14, including the Winterton‑on‑Sea to Scratby coastline, and what forms that engagement took.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed locally by the East Anglia Coastal Group; led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency and Natural England.

Local stakeholder engagement was undertaken through a formal public consultation, which invited local residents, businesses, parish councils, key organisations and other interested parties to comment on the long‑term shoreline management proposals. This was supported by public exhibitions, enabling direct discussion with local authority and Environment Agency officers, and by targeted presentations delivered to parish council representatives and local businesses.

Full details of the stakeholder engagement undertaken can be found in Appendix B of the published document. Ref: Kelling Hard to Lowestoft SMP6 | Shoreline Management Plans.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what cost‑benefit analyses or appraisal work were undertaken in support of the policy approach for Policy Unit 6.14 under Shoreline Management Plan 6, and to what extent the views of local residents and businesses were considered and weighted within those assessments.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Kelling Hard to Lowestoft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6), covering Winterton-on-Sea to Scratby, was adopted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) in 2012. The plan was developed locally by the East Anglia Coastal Group; led by North Norfolk District Council, with GYBC, Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk), the Environment Agency and Natural England, and included local consultation. High-level economic appraisal informed policy development and is published within the plan and Appendix H. Full details of the stakeholder engagement undertaken can be found in Appendix B of the published document. Ref: Kelling Hard to Lowestoft SMP6 | Shoreline Management Plans.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportations of foreign national offenders convicted of offences against women in Great Yarmouth in the last five years were delayed or prevented due to legal barriers, including outstanding appeals, asylum claims, human rights challenges, or lack of documentation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are fully committed to making our communities safer by returning those who break our laws. In the period between this government coming to power and January 2026, over 8,700 foreign national offenders (FNOs) have been returned from the UK. This is a 32% increase on the FNO returns recorded in the previous nineteen-month period ending June 2024, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.

The information that you have requested regarding FNOs in Great Yarmouth is not available from published statistics.

Work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time was between conviction and removal from the UK for foreign national offenders convicted of sexual or violent offences against women in Great Yarmouth in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are fully committed to making our communities safer by returning those who break our laws. In the period between this government coming to power and January 2026, over 8,700 foreign national offenders (FNOs) have been returned from the UK. This is a 32% increase on the FNO returns recorded in the previous nineteen-month period ending June 2024, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.

The information that you have requested regarding FNOs in Great Yarmouth is not available from published statistics.

Work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders convicted of sexual or violent offences against women in the Great Yarmouth area in each of the last five years were subject to deportation action, and how many have been removed from the UK.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are fully committed to making our communities safer by returning those who break our laws. In the period between this government coming to power and January 2026, over 8,700 foreign national offenders (FNOs) have been returned from the UK. This is a 32% increase on the FNO returns recorded in the previous nineteen-month period ending June 2024, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.

The information that you have requested regarding FNOs in Great Yarmouth is not available from published statistics.

Work is currently underway to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Great Yarmouth has been identified for any place-based or targeted intervention relating to the removal of foreign national sexual offenders, and what criteria are used to determine whether additional enforcement activity is directed to specific local areas.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not hold information related to enforcement operations and/ or compliance visits targeting foreign national offenders at risk of reoffending in Great Yarmouth.

The Home Office takes reports of immigration offences very seriously and encourages reporting via the public allegations form available at: https://www.imsallegations.homeoffice.gov.uk/start.

Any suggestion of sexual offences should be reported to the police immediately.

Immigration Enforcement operations can only be mounted where relevant, current information and / or intelligence suggests that individuals in breach of immigration law may be found at a particular location.

We work closely with Policing partners to use immigration powers to disrupt criminal activity including those who commit serious crimes including sexual offences.

Where Foreign National Offenders are required to report to police (as part of their strict immigration bail conditions) are identified as being removable from the United Kingdom we will take steps to detain and enforce their removal.

To intensify these efforts we have redeployed staff and expanded our detention estate to bolster our capacity for swift, firm and fair returns.

The latest published statistics for the removal of Foreign National Offenders and overall enforcement visits can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/returns-from-the-uk-and-illegal-working-activity-since-july-2024/illegal-working-and-enforcement-activity-to-the-end-of-september-2025

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are plans to increase or prioritise the deportation of foreign national offenders convicted of sexual offences in the Great Yarmouth area, and whether any targeted immigration enforcement activity is planned locally for this purpose.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not hold information related to enforcement operations and/ or compliance visits targeting foreign national offenders at risk of reoffending in Great Yarmouth.

The Home Office takes reports of immigration offences very seriously and encourages reporting via the public allegations form available at: https://www.imsallegations.homeoffice.gov.uk/start.

Any suggestion of sexual offences should be reported to the police immediately.

Immigration Enforcement operations can only be mounted where relevant, current information and / or intelligence suggests that individuals in breach of immigration law may be found at a particular location.

We work closely with Policing partners to use immigration powers to disrupt criminal activity including those who commit serious crimes including sexual offences.

Where Foreign National Offenders are required to report to police (as part of their strict immigration bail conditions) are identified as being removable from the United Kingdom we will take steps to detain and enforce their removal.

To intensify these efforts we have redeployed staff and expanded our detention estate to bolster our capacity for swift, firm and fair returns.

The latest published statistics for the removal of Foreign National Offenders and overall enforcement visits can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/returns-from-the-uk-and-illegal-working-activity-since-july-2024/illegal-working-and-enforcement-activity-to-the-end-of-september-2025

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many enforcement operations or compliance visits targeting foreign national offenders at risk of reoffending were carried out in the Great Yarmouth area in each of the last five years, and what outcomes resulted from those operations.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not hold information related to enforcement operations and/ or compliance visits targeting foreign national offenders at risk of reoffending in Great Yarmouth.

The Home Office takes reports of immigration offences very seriously and encourages reporting via the public allegations form available at: https://www.imsallegations.homeoffice.gov.uk/start.

Any suggestion of sexual offences should be reported to the police immediately.

Immigration Enforcement operations can only be mounted where relevant, current information and / or intelligence suggests that individuals in breach of immigration law may be found at a particular location.

We work closely with Policing partners to use immigration powers to disrupt criminal activity including those who commit serious crimes including sexual offences.

Where Foreign National Offenders are required to report to police (as part of their strict immigration bail conditions) are identified as being removable from the United Kingdom we will take steps to detain and enforce their removal.

To intensify these efforts we have redeployed staff and expanded our detention estate to bolster our capacity for swift, firm and fair returns.

The latest published statistics for the removal of Foreign National Offenders and overall enforcement visits can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/returns-from-the-uk-and-illegal-working-activity-since-july-2024/illegal-working-and-enforcement-activity-to-the-end-of-september-2025

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional resources have been allocated to Norfolk Constabulary specifically for the prevention of violence against women and girls in the Great Yarmouth area over the last five years.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office funded police forces who were yet to undertake the Domestic Abuse Matters training which provides specialist domestic abuse training to police. In 2024/ 2025 we provided £83,056 funding to Norfolk to deliver this training.

Support for victims and survivors of VAWG crimes at a local level is funded through local Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) rather than the Home Office. The Home Office invested over £20 million in 2025/26 to support victims of VAWG and raise awareness of these horrific crimes, including over £6 million for VAWG Helplines and over £2.6 million for the Flexible Fund, which offers direct cash payments for victims fleeing domestic abuse. These schemes are available for all victims across England and Wales.

Through the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk has been allocated £1,082,500 across the financial years 2023-24 to 2026-27. This funding aims to improve the safety, and feeling of safety, of victims and their children, by reducing the risk posed by perpetrators through locally commissioned perpetrator interventions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the immigration status, including eligibility for indefinite leave to remain, of non‑UK nationals granted leave on asylum, refugee, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave, resettlement and other non‑standard and exceptional protection routes, who do not engage with statutory support, safeguarding and risk‑management interventions offered by public authorities.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government has set out significant reforms to the asylum system, which are designed to restore control, fairness and public confidence, while ensuring those in genuine need of protection receive that protection.

The new core protection model carries clear expectations around integration, lawful behaviour and compliance. Protection status granted through the asylum system, including refugee status and humanitarian protection, will be limited to 30 months, subject to review and will be conditional as opposed to leading automatically to settlement. Decisions on any future grant of indefinite leave to remain under a protection route will take account of an individual’s conduct, compliance with the conditions of their leave, and engagement with the UK’s laws and institutions, in line with the Immigration Rules.

The Home Office already has powers to review and, where appropriate, curtail leave where individuals breach conditions or fail to comply with requirements placed upon them. Protection status will be revoked where evidence emerges that it was obtained by deception; where protection is no longer needed such that they cease to qualify for refugee status or humanitarian protection; or where an individual commits a serious crime or represents a threat to our national security. These powers will continue to be used on a case‑by‑case basis, taking account of safeguarding responsibilities and the United Kingdom’s international obligations.

The Government keeps the operation of the immigration system under continual review and will ensure that the new framework supports integration, protects the public, and maintains the integrity of the asylum system.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department or the Student Loans Company have entered into (a) contracts, (b) memoranda of understanding and (c) advisory agreements with Islamic finance advisory organisations regarding the Alternative Student Finance model.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department intends to maintain ongoing engagement with Islamic finance advisory bodies to review the continued Sharia compliance of the Alternative Student Finance model; what form that engagement will take; and whether the cost of such engagement will be met from the public purse.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contracts, memoranda of understanding, or advisory agreements her Department or the Student Loans Company have entered into with Islamic finance advisory organisations in relation to the Alternative Student Finance model; and what the total projected cost of those agreements is over the next five years.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to maintain ongoing engagement with Islamic finance advisory bodies to review the continued sharia compliance of the Alternative Student Finance model.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Details of the department's previous engagements may be accessed on GOV.UK’s ‘Contracts Finder’ tool, which is available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Details of any future commercial engagements, including contracts, will be published on GOV.UK in line with standard arrangements.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, to publish a list of all external organisations, including women’s, men’s, and specialist advocacy groups, that received funding, consultancy fees, or formal engagement contracts during the development of revised domestic‑abuse guidance and safeguarding processes in private‑law children cases; and to set out the total expenditure associated with this work.

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

Under this Government the Ministry of Justice has not provided funding, paid consultancy fees, or entered into formal engagement contracts with external organisations in developing revised domestic abuse guidance or safeguarding processes in private law children cases.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Great Yarmouth constituency receive Universal Credit with a health‑related requirement or award.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work, by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency are published in the UC Health Caseload dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to December 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review current guidance and training to ensure that equality considerations do not inhibit proportionate and effective statutory action in safeguarding and youth justice contexts.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Where there are safeguarding concerns, or where youth justice services are involved with an individual, decisions on these cases must be based on the individual circumstances of the case alone. Protected characteristics, such as ethnicity, should not influence the judgement of risk relating to that individual, or the assessment of whether statutory provision should be made.

As the Home Secretary said in the House of Commons debate on the Southport Inquiry, the only factors that should be taken into account are the potential risks posed by an individual and how best to manage those risks.

The Department for Education is developing a set of practice standards and training for Lead Child Protection Practitioners (LCPPs). The standards will describe the knowledge and skills expected of LCPPs to work effectively in Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, to take evidence-informed child protection decisions. The standards will reflect the importance of not letting social bias or professional anxiety influence actions or outcomes when working with children and adults from different cultural and racial backgrounds.

Youth justice services are supported to identify and assess safeguarding risk through case management guidance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider bringing forward legislation jointly with the Secretary of State for Justice to help tackle cases in which parents or carers knowingly conceal from law-enforcement authorities a child’s procurement or possession of knives or other prohibited weapons.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

There is no existing standalone legal duty to compel a parent, carer or any other bystander to report any criminality, including the procurement or possession of knives and weapons.

Where parents are unable or unwilling to respond to potential safeguarding risk relating to knives, the strength of the system around the child (including schools, children’s services, police and youth justice) is vital in spotting concerns and linking children to support.

The Government keeps legislation around knives under constant review. We are clear that knives should not be sold to those under 18 and measures in the Crime and Policing Bill (currently going through Parliament) are strengthening the legislation in this area by introducing a new two-step age verification process for online sale and delivery of knives. This will require buyers to provide a copy of their identification document, alongside a current photo, which will be verified at the point of sale and on delivery. It will be unlawful to deliver a parcel containing a knife to anyone except the verified buyer or to leave it on the doorstep or with a neighbour.

We are also creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence, a duty on sellers to report bulk sales, and giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence. Additionally, measures are being introduced to provide the police with the power to require social media, marketplaces, and search services to take down content about illegal knives and offensive weapons.

In relation to bringing forward new legislation, the Chair of the Southport Inquiry recommended that the Law Commission review the merits of legal reform to introduce a legal duty on specified categories of person to report the criminality of another person. The Government will provide a full response to the recommendations from the Phase 1 report by the summer 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of laws to address cases in which parents or carers intentionally conceal, obscure, or fail to disclose a child’s procurement or possession of knives or other prohibited weapons.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

There is no existing standalone legal duty to compel a parent, carer or any other bystander to report any criminality, including the procurement or possession of knives and weapons.

Where parents are unable or unwilling to respond to potential safeguarding risk relating to knives, the strength of the system around the child (including schools, children’s services, police and youth justice) is vital in spotting concerns and linking children to support.

The Government keeps legislation around knives under constant review. We are clear that knives should not be sold to those under 18 and measures in the Crime and Policing Bill (currently going through Parliament) are strengthening the legislation in this area by introducing a new two-step age verification process for online sale and delivery of knives. This will require buyers to provide a copy of their identification document, alongside a current photo, which will be verified at the point of sale and on delivery. It will be unlawful to deliver a parcel containing a knife to anyone except the verified buyer or to leave it on the doorstep or with a neighbour.

We are also creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence, a duty on sellers to report bulk sales, and giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence. Additionally, measures are being introduced to provide the police with the power to require social media, marketplaces, and search services to take down content about illegal knives and offensive weapons.

In relation to bringing forward new legislation, the Chair of the Southport Inquiry recommended that the Law Commission review the merits of legal reform to introduce a legal duty on specified categories of person to report the criminality of another person. The Government will provide a full response to the recommendations from the Phase 1 report by the summer 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contracts, grants, or commissioned research projects were issued by his Department or by Cafcass in connection with the revision of domestic‑abuse practice frameworks since 2016; what the value of each contract was; and which external advocacy, stakeholder, or specialist organisations were recipients.

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

Over the last two years as Cafcass has been developing its domestic abuse policy and updating its guidance, it has worked with key partners, including fathers’ groups.

In addition to this, Cafcass works with external organisations to support the development of its domestic abuse policy and the child impact and assessment framework. This includes engagement through the Domestic Abuse Practice Reference Group. This group, established in November 2023, includes specialist domestic abuse expertise and individuals with lived experience. The group is co‑chaired by the Family Justice Young People’s Board and the domestic abuse charity SafeLives. SafeLives is a charity focused on survivors of domestic abuse regardless of the gender of either the victim or the perpetrator.

Cafcass works in partnership with SafeLives, including through seconded specialist advisers, to inform ongoing practice improvement. The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of the balance of Cafcass’ stakeholder representation.

Senior leaders engage regularly with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and her team.  As part of its commitment to learning from practice, Cafcass managers and leaders will meet with adults and children in proceedings if it is considered appropriate. This could include as part of complaints resolution, audit feedback and/or in response to an incident where the quality of practice is considered to have been less than good.

Neither Cafcass nor the Ministry of Justice has entered into any contracts, awarded grants, or commissioned research projects in connection with the revision of domestic abuse practice frameworks since 2016.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which men’s or fathers’ organisations Cafcass has consulted in the development of its domestic‑abuse guidance, safeguarding practice, and private‑law policy frameworks; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the balance of stakeholder representation in that engagement.

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

Over the last two years as Cafcass has been developing its domestic abuse policy and updating its guidance, it has worked with key partners, including fathers’ groups.

In addition to this, Cafcass works with external organisations to support the development of its domestic abuse policy and the child impact and assessment framework. This includes engagement through the Domestic Abuse Practice Reference Group. This group, established in November 2023, includes specialist domestic abuse expertise and individuals with lived experience. The group is co‑chaired by the Family Justice Young People’s Board and the domestic abuse charity SafeLives. SafeLives is a charity focused on survivors of domestic abuse regardless of the gender of either the victim or the perpetrator.

Cafcass works in partnership with SafeLives, including through seconded specialist advisers, to inform ongoing practice improvement. The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of the balance of Cafcass’ stakeholder representation.

Senior leaders engage regularly with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and her team.  As part of its commitment to learning from practice, Cafcass managers and leaders will meet with adults and children in proceedings if it is considered appropriate. This could include as part of complaints resolution, audit feedback and/or in response to an incident where the quality of practice is considered to have been less than good.

Neither Cafcass nor the Ministry of Justice has entered into any contracts, awarded grants, or commissioned research projects in connection with the revision of domestic abuse practice frameworks since 2016.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which external organisations Cafcass engages with in the development of its domestic‑abuse guidance and practice frameworks; and whether this includes any women’s advocacy groups or specialist women’s services.

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

Over the last two years as Cafcass has been developing its domestic abuse policy and updating its guidance, it has worked with key partners, including fathers’ groups.

In addition to this, Cafcass works with external organisations to support the development of its domestic abuse policy and the child impact and assessment framework. This includes engagement through the Domestic Abuse Practice Reference Group. This group, established in November 2023, includes specialist domestic abuse expertise and individuals with lived experience. The group is co‑chaired by the Family Justice Young People’s Board and the domestic abuse charity SafeLives. SafeLives is a charity focused on survivors of domestic abuse regardless of the gender of either the victim or the perpetrator.

Cafcass works in partnership with SafeLives, including through seconded specialist advisers, to inform ongoing practice improvement. The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of the balance of Cafcass’ stakeholder representation.

Senior leaders engage regularly with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and her team.  As part of its commitment to learning from practice, Cafcass managers and leaders will meet with adults and children in proceedings if it is considered appropriate. This could include as part of complaints resolution, audit feedback and/or in response to an incident where the quality of practice is considered to have been less than good.

Neither Cafcass nor the Ministry of Justice has entered into any contracts, awarded grants, or commissioned research projects in connection with the revision of domestic abuse practice frameworks since 2016.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of private‑law children cases in the last five years involved Cafcass recommending a temporary pause or restriction on a father’s contact with his child following an allegation of domestic abuse before the completion of any investigative fact‑finding process.

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

Cafcass does not record structured data in its case management system to enable the identification of the proportion of private-law children's cases in which a recommendation was made to pause or restrict a father’s contact following an allegation of domestic abuse prior to the completion of fact-finding proceedings. This information is not recorded centrally, and the data would only be available from individual case file review at a disproportionate cost.

The Cafcass safeguarding and domestic abuse policies are clear that where existing contact arrangements are considered unsafe for children, advice will be given to the court that the contact ceases whilst an assessment of harm and risk of further harm is considered as part of the safeguarding and/or work after the first hearing.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 101253, in which categories of private‑law children cases Cafcass or the family courts apply a domestic‑abuse‑first assessment as the initial step in their safeguarding or case‑analysis process; and what other circumstances automatically trigger domestic‑abuse screening as the primary explanatory framework.

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

Practice Direction 12J (PD12J) sets out what the court should do in any case in which domestic abuse is alleged or admitted or there is other reason to believe that a child or party has experienced abuse perpetrated by another party or that there is a risk of such abuse.

Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy sets out the actions that Cafcass practitioners and managers must undertake when working with children and adults who have or may have experienced domestic abuse and for whom, therefore, the requirements and definitions of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and its accompanying statutory guidance apply. It is informed by Practice Direction 12J and by our understanding of the impact of domestic abuse and harmful parenting on a child and the child’s primary and protective carers. The protection of children from harm or further harm is the central and fundamental purpose of this policy.

Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway and Guidance supports practitioners in applying a structured, sensitive approach to assessing domestic abuse in Family Court proceedings. It reflects the statutory responsibilities outlined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and is aligned with the Cafcass Domestic Abuse Practice Policy (2025) and Practice Quality Standards.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department will publish the full list of case types, behavioural indicators, or presenting circumstances in which Cafcass or the family courts are instructed to prioritise domestic‑abuse considerations as the initial step in their assessment; and to specify the statutory or policy basis for each such trigger.

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

Practice Direction 12J (PD12J) sets out what the court should do in any case in which domestic abuse is alleged or admitted or there is other reason to believe that a child or party has experienced abuse perpetrated by another party or that there is a risk of such abuse.

Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy sets out the actions that Cafcass practitioners and managers must undertake when working with children and adults who have or may have experienced domestic abuse and for whom, therefore, the requirements and definitions of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and its accompanying statutory guidance apply. It is informed by Practice Direction 12J and by our understanding of the impact of domestic abuse and harmful parenting on a child and the child’s primary and protective carers. The protection of children from harm or further harm is the central and fundamental purpose of this policy.

Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway and Guidance supports practitioners in applying a structured, sensitive approach to assessing domestic abuse in Family Court proceedings. It reflects the statutory responsibilities outlined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and is aligned with the Cafcass Domestic Abuse Practice Policy (2025) and Practice Quality Standards.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contracts, grants, or commissioned training programmes have been awarded to Women’s Aid by his Department, Cafcass, or the family courts in the last five years; and whether Women’s Aid undertakes work within the family justice system.

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

The Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment into victim support services to date. This includes funding for the 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales to commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes:

• ‘Core’ funding, which is for PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.

• Funding that is ringfenced for sexual violence and domestic abuse services.

PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet the need of victims in their area. Many PCCs across England and Wales provide funding to local Women’s Aid centres to deliver vital victim support services within their area.

We do not routinely publish the full Ministry of Jusice budget or details of grant agreements or contracts for victim and witness support services. The budgets for individual PCC areas are published on each area’s website. A breakdown of grant funding for the previous financial year is published on an annual basis on the Government Grants Information System.

Turning specifically to the Family Courts, since 13 January 2025, a process has operated that allows court staff to ensure the safe service of court documents to those who are residing at a refuge. This service ensures that courts can protect the individual’s safety (and that of everyone living in the refuge) while also supporting the right to a fair trial for all parties. Practice Direction 6D makes provision for this service.

The Ministry of Justice awarded a grant to Women's Aid Federation of England and Welsh Women's Aid to develop and deliver this service. Details of this will be published as part of the Government Grants publication which can be found here: Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK. Routine funding is now provided to both organisations to continue its operation.

Cafcass does not hold any contracts, service agreements, training arrangements or other formal partnership arrangements with Women’s Aid.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department will publish details of any contracts, consultancy arrangements, training programmes, or formal partnerships between Women’s Aid and (a) Cafcass and (b) the family courts.

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

The Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment into victim support services to date. This includes funding for the 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales to commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes:

• ‘Core’ funding, which is for PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.

• Funding that is ringfenced for sexual violence and domestic abuse services.

PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet the need of victims in their area. Many PCCs across England and Wales provide funding to local Women’s Aid centres to deliver vital victim support services within their area.

We do not routinely publish the full Ministry of Jusice budget or details of grant agreements or contracts for victim and witness support services. The budgets for individual PCC areas are published on each area’s website. A breakdown of grant funding for the previous financial year is published on an annual basis on the Government Grants Information System.

Turning specifically to the Family Courts, since 13 January 2025, a process has operated that allows court staff to ensure the safe service of court documents to those who are residing at a refuge. This service ensures that courts can protect the individual’s safety (and that of everyone living in the refuge) while also supporting the right to a fair trial for all parties. Practice Direction 6D makes provision for this service.

The Ministry of Justice awarded a grant to Women's Aid Federation of England and Welsh Women's Aid to develop and deliver this service. Details of this will be published as part of the Government Grants publication which can be found here: Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK. Routine funding is now provided to both organisations to continue its operation.

Cafcass does not hold any contracts, service agreements, training arrangements or other formal partnership arrangements with Women’s Aid.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Cafcass or the family courts hold any contracts, service agreements, or training arrangements with Women’s Aid; and whether Women’s Aid currently undertakes any funded or formal work with the family justice system.

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

The Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment into victim support services to date. This includes funding for the 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales to commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes:

• ‘Core’ funding, which is for PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.

• Funding that is ringfenced for sexual violence and domestic abuse services.

PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet the need of victims in their area. Many PCCs across England and Wales provide funding to local Women’s Aid centres to deliver vital victim support services within their area.

We do not routinely publish the full Ministry of Jusice budget or details of grant agreements or contracts for victim and witness support services. The budgets for individual PCC areas are published on each area’s website. A breakdown of grant funding for the previous financial year is published on an annual basis on the Government Grants Information System.

Turning specifically to the Family Courts, since 13 January 2025, a process has operated that allows court staff to ensure the safe service of court documents to those who are residing at a refuge. This service ensures that courts can protect the individual’s safety (and that of everyone living in the refuge) while also supporting the right to a fair trial for all parties. Practice Direction 6D makes provision for this service.

The Ministry of Justice awarded a grant to Women's Aid Federation of England and Welsh Women's Aid to develop and deliver this service. Details of this will be published as part of the Government Grants publication which can be found here: Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK. Routine funding is now provided to both organisations to continue its operation.

Cafcass does not hold any contracts, service agreements, training arrangements or other formal partnership arrangements with Women’s Aid.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative estimate of the costs to the Food Standards Agency of supervising (a) non‑stun slaughter and (b) stunned slaughter; and what proportion of those costs are recovered from industry.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Operators of Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouses may use any legally permitted method of slaughter to meet their customer needs, provided all relevant legislative and animal welfare requirements are met. There is no legal requirement for operators to seek approval from the FSA for a particular slaughter method. As a result, slaughterhouses may lawfully carry out stunned slaughter, non‑stunned slaughter, or a combination of both.

The FSA does not record Official Veterinarian or Official Auxiliary time, associated costs, or enforcement activity by slaughter method. Consequently, the FSA does not hold data that would allow a direct comparison between stunned and non‑stunned slaughter in respect of supervision time, inspection or enforcement costs, or animal welfare non‑compliances.

Data regarding the volume of meat resulting from animals slaughtered without stunning is not collected.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of (a) recorded animal welfare non‑compliances and (b) the potential impact on the Food Standards Agency's inspection costs associated with (i) stunned and (ii) non‑stun slaughter.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Operators of Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouses may use any legally permitted method of slaughter to meet their customer needs, provided all relevant legislative and animal welfare requirements are met. There is no legal requirement for operators to seek approval from the FSA for a particular slaughter method. As a result, slaughterhouses may lawfully carry out stunned slaughter, non‑stunned slaughter, or a combination of both.

The FSA does not record Official Veterinarian or Official Auxiliary time, associated costs, or enforcement activity by slaughter method. Consequently, the FSA does not hold data that would allow a direct comparison between stunned and non‑stunned slaughter in respect of supervision time, inspection or enforcement costs, or animal welfare non‑compliances.

Data regarding the volume of meat resulting from animals slaughtered without stunning is not collected.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hours of Official Veterinarian and Meat Hygiene Inspector time were spent supervising non‑stun slaughter in each of the last five years; and what the cost of that time was.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Operators of Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouses may use any legally permitted method of slaughter to meet their customer needs, provided all relevant legislative and animal welfare requirements are met. There is no legal requirement for operators to seek approval from the FSA for a particular slaughter method. As a result, slaughterhouses may lawfully carry out stunned slaughter, non‑stunned slaughter, or a combination of both.

The FSA does not record Official Veterinarian or Official Auxiliary time, associated costs, or enforcement activity by slaughter method. Consequently, the FSA does not hold data that would allow a direct comparison between stunned and non‑stunned slaughter in respect of supervision time, inspection or enforcement costs, or animal welfare non‑compliances.

Data regarding the volume of meat resulting from animals slaughtered without stunning is not collected.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the (a) inspection and enforcement time required for non‑stun slaughter and (b) volume of non‑stun meat produced in the UK.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Operators of Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouses may use any legally permitted method of slaughter to meet their customer needs, provided all relevant legislative and animal welfare requirements are met. There is no legal requirement for operators to seek approval from the FSA for a particular slaughter method. As a result, slaughterhouses may lawfully carry out stunned slaughter, non‑stunned slaughter, or a combination of both.

The FSA does not record Official Veterinarian or Official Auxiliary time, associated costs, or enforcement activity by slaughter method. Consequently, the FSA does not hold data that would allow a direct comparison between stunned and non‑stunned slaughter in respect of supervision time, inspection or enforcement costs, or animal welfare non‑compliances.

Data regarding the volume of meat resulting from animals slaughtered without stunning is not collected.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of victim support services for women in Great Yarmouth, including access to crisis accommodation, counselling, and legal advice, and whether any additional funding has been provided.

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

The Ministry of Justice is investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date. We will be increasing funding for victim support services year on year, from 2026 to 2029, recognising the need to meet the rising cost pressures of delivery.

In addition, £6 million will be invested over the next two years to deliver free, independent legal advice for victims and survivors of adult rape across England and Wales, to help them understand their legal rights.

The Ministry of Justice provides all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales with core grant funding to commission support services, such as counselling, for victims of all crime types. In addition, they receive ring-fenced funding for domestic and sexual abuse services. PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities, and to commission appropriate support to meet the needs of victims in their area.

The Department’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) provide grants to over 60 specialist organisations. Funded activities provide holistic, trauma-informed support to victims within the Norfolk area.

Under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Tier 1 local authorities in England are required to assess local need for, and commission, support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within relevant safe accommodation, for example, refuges. To support delivery of the duty, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has provided £499 million to local authorities over the next three years.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Personal Independence Payment claims were made by residents of Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last three years; and how many of those claims were successful.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The requested information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registrations and clearances by constituency can be found on Stat Xplore.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the exemption from stunning for religious slaughter on the Food Standards Agency's inspection and enforcement costs.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Food Standards Agency apply animal welfare controls within approved slaughterhouses in England and Wales under a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.

We assess the impact of inspection and enforcement requirements on costs as part of the annual process of reviewing the Service Level Agreement. The Agreement applies to all of FSA’s monitoring and enforcement of the relevant animal welfare requirements, and does not consider slaughter without stunning separately.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) make an assessment of the adequacy of the statutory framework for agencies to investigate and respond where parents and carers actively hinder, obstruct and decline to engage with safeguarding and youth justice processes in cases involving credible ongoing risk and (b) bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen oversight and investigatory powers in such circumstances.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Where existing statutory frameworks underpin safeguarding processes, there is no requirement for parents or carers to co-operate. However, parental or carer consent is not required for agencies to share information relating to safeguarding and child protection. This is set out in Department for Education guidance on information sharing for safeguarding practitioners.

Government is making this even clearer through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which includes a new Information Sharing Duty for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and will be accompanied by statutory guidance to support frontline practitioners to understand their responsibilities.

Where a safeguarding concern has been identified relating to a child or young person, or there is suspected criminality relating to knife-related violence, multi-agency and law-enforcement partners can share information and conduct investigations without the consent of the relevant parent or guardian.

In relation to Youth Justice processes, there are legal obligations that can be placed on parents and carers, to ensure that any risk relating to a minor can be appropriately managed. A court can issue a Parenting Order in a number of different circumstances, where children are engaged in criminal or antisocial behaviour. Parenting Orders require the parent or guardian to attend counselling or parenting support sessions and comply with other requirements the court considers necessary. Non-compliance can lead to breach proceedings in court and is punishable with a fine.

Criminal orders that are placed on a child or young person themselves are applied by the court and generally (with few exceptions) parental or carer consent is not required.

Where there are concerns that a child or young person is involved in criminality, and to protect public safety and prevent harm, the police will take forward their enquiries as appropriate, and parental or carer cooperation is not required to share information, conduct an investigation, place a minor under caution, or charge a minor with a criminal offence.

The law already provides significant stop and search and wider enforcement powers, enabling police to disrupt immediate risk and remove weapons from the streets, including without the need for reasonable suspicion. Police can also arrest suspects, seize weapons, and evidence, and conduct searches of persons and premises where legal thresholds are met. These powers apply to children as well as adults. Where these powers are used on children, they are subject to additional statutory safeguards under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its Codes of Practice to protect welfare and ensure proportionality.

The Southport Inquiry Phase 1 report, published on 13 April, considers in detail the actions of the perpetrator’s parents and many of the issues raised here. The Chair has rightly raised the challenging question of how to minimise the risk that parents may choose not to co-operate or report concerns to safeguarding agencies such as social care or healthcare, or the police about their child having knives or other weapons, and has made two recommendations relevant to parents.

In relation to future changes to strengthen oversight and powers, Government is considering these recommendations alongside the others in the report and will respond by summer 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Government's processes for responding to sustained parental or carer non‑cooperation with safeguarding or law‑enforcement authorities in cases involving escalating knife‑related violence risk within the home, including matters raised in The Southport Inquiry Report.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Where existing statutory frameworks underpin safeguarding processes, there is no requirement for parents or carers to co-operate. However, parental or carer consent is not required for agencies to share information relating to safeguarding and child protection. This is set out in Department for Education guidance on information sharing for safeguarding practitioners.

Government is making this even clearer through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which includes a new Information Sharing Duty for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and will be accompanied by statutory guidance to support frontline practitioners to understand their responsibilities.

Where a safeguarding concern has been identified relating to a child or young person, or there is suspected criminality relating to knife-related violence, multi-agency and law-enforcement partners can share information and conduct investigations without the consent of the relevant parent or guardian.

In relation to Youth Justice processes, there are legal obligations that can be placed on parents and carers, to ensure that any risk relating to a minor can be appropriately managed. A court can issue a Parenting Order in a number of different circumstances, where children are engaged in criminal or antisocial behaviour. Parenting Orders require the parent or guardian to attend counselling or parenting support sessions and comply with other requirements the court considers necessary. Non-compliance can lead to breach proceedings in court and is punishable with a fine.

Criminal orders that are placed on a child or young person themselves are applied by the court and generally (with few exceptions) parental or carer consent is not required.

Where there are concerns that a child or young person is involved in criminality, and to protect public safety and prevent harm, the police will take forward their enquiries as appropriate, and parental or carer cooperation is not required to share information, conduct an investigation, place a minor under caution, or charge a minor with a criminal offence.

The law already provides significant stop and search and wider enforcement powers, enabling police to disrupt immediate risk and remove weapons from the streets, including without the need for reasonable suspicion. Police can also arrest suspects, seize weapons, and evidence, and conduct searches of persons and premises where legal thresholds are met. These powers apply to children as well as adults. Where these powers are used on children, they are subject to additional statutory safeguards under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its Codes of Practice to protect welfare and ensure proportionality.

The Southport Inquiry Phase 1 report, published on 13 April, considers in detail the actions of the perpetrator’s parents and many of the issues raised here. The Chair has rightly raised the challenging question of how to minimise the risk that parents may choose not to co-operate or report concerns to safeguarding agencies such as social care or healthcare, or the police about their child having knives or other weapons, and has made two recommendations relevant to parents.

In relation to future changes to strengthen oversight and powers, Government is considering these recommendations alongside the others in the report and will respond by summer 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of law and statutory guidance to ensure that safeguarding, youth justice and mental health agencies can share relevant risk information without parental consent where necessary to protect public safety and prevent serious harm; and whether she plans to (a) clarify and (b) strengthen information sharing powers in such cases.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Where existing statutory frameworks underpin safeguarding processes, there is no requirement for parents or carers to co-operate. However, parental or carer consent is not required for agencies to share information relating to safeguarding and child protection. This is set out in Department for Education guidance on information sharing for safeguarding practitioners.

Government is making this even clearer through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which includes a new Information Sharing Duty for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and will be accompanied by statutory guidance to support frontline practitioners to understand their responsibilities.

Where a safeguarding concern has been identified relating to a child or young person, or there is suspected criminality relating to knife-related violence, multi-agency and law-enforcement partners can share information and conduct investigations without the consent of the relevant parent or guardian.

In relation to Youth Justice processes, there are legal obligations that can be placed on parents and carers, to ensure that any risk relating to a minor can be appropriately managed. A court can issue a Parenting Order in a number of different circumstances, where children are engaged in criminal or antisocial behaviour. Parenting Orders require the parent or guardian to attend counselling or parenting support sessions and comply with other requirements the court considers necessary. Non-compliance can lead to breach proceedings in court and is punishable with a fine.

Criminal orders that are placed on a child or young person themselves are applied by the court and generally (with few exceptions) parental or carer consent is not required.

Where there are concerns that a child or young person is involved in criminality, and to protect public safety and prevent harm, the police will take forward their enquiries as appropriate, and parental or carer cooperation is not required to share information, conduct an investigation, place a minor under caution, or charge a minor with a criminal offence.

The law already provides significant stop and search and wider enforcement powers, enabling police to disrupt immediate risk and remove weapons from the streets, including without the need for reasonable suspicion. Police can also arrest suspects, seize weapons, and evidence, and conduct searches of persons and premises where legal thresholds are met. These powers apply to children as well as adults. Where these powers are used on children, they are subject to additional statutory safeguards under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its Codes of Practice to protect welfare and ensure proportionality.

The Southport Inquiry Phase 1 report, published on 13 April, considers in detail the actions of the perpetrator’s parents and many of the issues raised here. The Chair has rightly raised the challenging question of how to minimise the risk that parents may choose not to co-operate or report concerns to safeguarding agencies such as social care or healthcare, or the police about their child having knives or other weapons, and has made two recommendations relevant to parents.

In relation to future changes to strengthen oversight and powers, Government is considering these recommendations alongside the others in the report and will respond by summer 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of households who left their last settled home due to domestic abuse held an immigration status conferring eligibility for social housing, including (a) refugee status, (b) humanitarian protection, (c) settled status, (d) pre‑settled status with a qualifying right to reside and (e) indefinite leave to remain.

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

The government publishes quarterly data on the number of applicants owed a prevention or relief duty where the reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse. This is available in tables A2P and A2R here. We do not publish separate data on the immigration status of applicants whose reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of households who left their last settled home due to domestic abuse were (a) UK nationals and (b) non‑UK nationals.

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

The government publishes quarterly data on the number of applicants owed a prevention or relief duty where the reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse. This is available in tables A2P and A2R here. We do not publish separate data on the immigration status of applicants whose reason for loss of last settled home was domestic abuse.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of cross‑government preparedness to address the social and housing impacts of coastal erosion.

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

The government recognises coastal erosion as a long‑term risk to some communities.

Local preparedness is coordinated through Local Resilience Forums, supported by national assessments of flood and coastal erosion risk and by investment in flood and coastal risk management projects that improve long‑term resilience, including to coastal erosion.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) contains robust policies on managing development in areas affected by coastal erosion.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals to further strengthen policy in respect of this matter.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of Universal Credit in Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency are published in the People on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to March 2026, with a breakdown by Employment Indicator available from November 2013 to February 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Universal Credit claimants in Great Yarmouth constituency are in employment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency are published in the People on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to March 2026, with a breakdown by Employment Indicator available from November 2013 to February 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hardship payments were made to benefit claimants in the Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last three years.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The requested information is not readily available and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of coastal erosion at Hemsby on property insurance and mortgage availability.

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

My Department engages regularly with mortgage lenders in relation to a range of issues affecting housing and home ownership. We also engage regularly with the insurance industry and continue to monitor the impacts of climate and environmental risks on the insurance market.

A wide variety of mortgage products are available in the UK and speaking to a broker can help borrowers to find suitable products, including specialised financing to secure a mortgage in areas deemed higher risk by lenders, such as those affected by coastal erosion.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is engaging with insurers and mortgage lenders regarding coastal erosion risks in places such as Hemsby.

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

My Department engages regularly with mortgage lenders in relation to a range of issues affecting housing and home ownership. We also engage regularly with the insurance industry and continue to monitor the impacts of climate and environmental risks on the insurance market.

A wide variety of mortgage products are available in the UK and speaking to a broker can help borrowers to find suitable products, including specialised financing to secure a mortgage in areas deemed higher risk by lenders, such as those affected by coastal erosion.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what minimum English language proficiency requirements apply to (a) approved driving instructors and (b) driving examiners; and whether her Department or the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has conducted any audits or assessments in the last five years of the ability of non-native English-speaking instructors and examiners to communicate effectively in English with learner drivers.

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

As with other civil service roles, driving examiners must meet the requirements of the post, including being able to communicate effectively to conduct the driving test safely and to the required standards.

To be registered as an approved driving instructor in Great Britain, individuals must meet the statutory requirements for registration and pass the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) qualifying examinations such as the Theory Test, which is only conducted in English or Welsh.

DVSA monitors performance through supervision, standards checks and quality assurance processes and will take appropriate action where required standards are not met.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for a routine GP appointment in Great Yarmouth constituency, and how this compares with the England average.

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

NHS England publishes monthly data on General Practice Appointments, including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, but this is not a proxy for “waiting times”.

There are a number of factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.

In the year to February 2026, 263,000 appointments in the Great Yarmouth constituency took place on the same day as booking and 533,000 took place more than two weeks after booking, compared with 165 million and 306.2 million appointments respectively across England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for an adult NHS dental appointment in Great Yarmouth constituency.

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

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements. Therefore, data on waiting times for NHS dental treatment is not held centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the challenges in (a) recruiting and (b) retaining GPs in coastal towns.

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

Thanks to actions taken by the Government, we have the highest number of fully qualified general practices (GPs) since 2015, and steps are being taken to grow the GP workforce further.

Since October 2024 we have funded primary care networks (PCNs) with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS). Over 2,000 individual GPs are in post as a result of the scheme, preventing them graduating into unemployment and increasing clinical capacity. This was a measure to respond to feedback from the profession and to help solve an immediate issue of GP unemployment.

We are investing £601 million in GPs in 2026/27, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to over £14 billion. This builds on the £1.1 billion boost in investment in 2025/26. As part of the 26/27 GP Contract, we are increasing the flexibility of the ARRS by removing the restriction that ARRS funding can only be used for recently qualified GPs, increasing the maximum reimbursement amount for GP roles to reflect experience, and enabling PCNs to recruit a broader range of ARRS roles, where agreed with the commissioner.

Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice. Retention efforts in GPs focus on addressing workload pressures, offering career development opportunities, providing flexible working opportunities, and implementing supportive policies.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

We know that the way GP funding is allocated across England is considered outdated and we recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country. This is why we are currently reviewing the Carr-Hill formula to ensure that resources are targeted where they are most needed.

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Found: Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane (Labour; Stirling and Strathallan) Rupert Lowe

Found: Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane (Labour; Stirling and Strathallan) Rupert Lowe

Found: Q55 Rupert Lowe: First, I agree that it is a cracking Report from Gareth and his team.