Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions has she had with retailers on the potential impact of the Crime and Policing Bill on the retail sector.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.
Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence.
Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.
Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.
Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.
We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with retail companies on the safety of home delivery drivers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.
Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence.
Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.
Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.
Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.
We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take legislative steps to help protect the safety of retail home delivery drivers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.
Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We want to send a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. This Government and the retail sector have long championed the new offence.
Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.
Our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Those workers whose roles are not included within the definition are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.
Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those working in retail and other public-facing roles.
We will use the parliamentary process to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and will consider carefully amendments tabled as well as evidence put forward in support of such amendments.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the use of AI in their Department on security.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK government is dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance public services safely and securely. The AI Playbook for the UK Government security section (p. 74) includes an assessment of the risks coming from the use of AI. The Playbook includes worked scenarios for AI use which detail potential impacts for the different types of risk. All AI services must adhere to Secure by Design principles and conduct risk assessments, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).
All use of AI in the department is considered carefully. We conduct assurance of AI tools in line with industry guidance and regulatory standards for AI, including HMG AI frameworks.
The department has completed a range of assessments against various AI solutions based on a robust risk and assurance process. Where risks have been identified, the department has put appropriate adjustments in place to minimise those risks.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help prevent online intimate image abuse.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government. This is why we have set out an unprecedented ambition to halve it in a decade.
As of 17 March 2025, online platforms have new legal duties to assess the risk of illegal harms on their services and to take additional steps to tackle priority offences. These priority offences include sharing and threatening to share intimate images including 'deepfake' pornography without consent.
We have also announced our intention to legislate to make the creation of intimate images, including sexually explicit deepfake images, a criminal offence. In addition, Ofcom are required to produce guidance setting out how providers can take action on harmful content and activity that disproportionately affects women and girls. The consultation on their draft guidance is currently open and closes on 23 May 2025.
The Government is also funding the Revenge Porn Helpline. The helpline provides high-quality support and advice to victims of intimate image abuse, engages with law enforcement and other stakeholders to improve processes to respond to intimate image abuse, and raises awareness of the nature of intimate image abuse and the harm that it can cause.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The median age of computers issued to officials is 1.8 years old.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she had with local police forces on smartphone thefts.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the Hon. Member to my response to UIN 33968 and 33969 on 7th March 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We are committed to going further than ever before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to tackling violence against women and girls, which will be underpinned by a new VAWG strategy later this year.
We are investing £13.1 million pounds next financial year (25/26) to set up a new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection to transform the police response to these devastating crimes. Alongside that, we have begun the roll-out of domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms as part of Raneem’s Law, and launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts.
We recently launched a package of six new measures to tackle stalking, including plans to give stalking victims the right to know the identity of online stalkers, following the formidable campaigning of Nicola Thorp.
Our Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a new criminal offence of spiking, new laws to tackle intimate image abuse, and stronger arrangements for the management of sex offenders.
These are just some of the crucial first steps we are taking as part of our unprecedented mission to halve VAWG in a decade.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on the prevention of femicide.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government has set out a mission to halve these crimes over the next decade. This is an ambitious aim that will require a transformative approach to the way we work together across Government through the safer streets mission.
We will be publishing a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy later this year, which will cover all forms of violence and abuse which disproportionately impact women, including femicide.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of suspected age misidentifications at the UK border in each of the last five years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is no single age assessment technique, or combination of techniques, able to determine age with complete precision, but the Government continues to work to establish the best available processes and techniques to improve the accuracy of our age assessment results.