Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Final Police Funding Settlement (England and Wales) 2026-27, how much funding her Department has specifically provided for violence reduction units in the 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Violence prevention is crucial to achieving our ambition of halving knife crime and making our streets safer.
The 2026/27 Police Funding Settlement included an allocation of £66.6m for Serious Violence Reduction Programmes.
This funding will be used to maintain our network of 20 Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in the areas of England and Wales which are experiencing over 80% of knife crime; support public sector bodies to fulfil their statutory requirements under the Serious Violence Duty and continue the promising work of the Young Futures Panel pilots, which are identifying young people at risk of being drawn into crime and intervening earlier with positive, diversionary support.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment the Department has made of the effectiveness of A&E navigator programmes in reducing a) youth violence and b) exploitation of young people.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
According to the Youth Endowment Fund toolkit, the available studies suggest that A&E navigator programmes could have a high impact on preventing further involvement in violence.
The majority of Violence Reduction Units in England and Wales deliver A&E navigator programmes. We will continue to learn from the ongoing delivery of A&E navigators to ensure victims of violence and exploitation are effectively supported.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects RAND Europe to deliver the process evaluation and feasibility impact study of its Young Futures Panel pilots.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
RAND Europe’s process evaluation and feasibility impact study of the Young Futures Panel pilots is ongoing and will be sent for independent peer review by academics with relevant expertise in due course.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendation from the Environmental Audit Committee's Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life report of 2019 to end the use of the ‘match and fillings’ tests; and whether he plans to prioritise the removal of chemical contaminants at source alongside existing cleaning protocols.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Whilst the government is not aware of any evidence that directly links elevated cancer rates to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (the FFRs), we recognise that there is an increasing body of evidence to support action to reduce the volume of chemical flame retardants (CFRs) which are used to ensure that upholstered furniture passes flammability tests.
The policy paper 'The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture', published on 22 January 2025, set out the Government’s commitment to delivering reforms to the FFRs that maintain a high level of fire safety while also facilitating a reduction in the use of CFRs.
Since publication, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken targeted engagement to inform next steps, including a roundtable in July 2025 that considered the issue of open-flame testing. The Government will provide an update on this in due course.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Department has made any assessment of the link between the 1988 Furniture Regulations and the 323% elevated cancer rates among young firefighters cited in London Assembly's Exposure to fire contaminants in London: A hidden, growing risk? - Fire Committee report (February 2026).
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Whilst the government is not aware of any evidence that directly links elevated cancer rates to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (the FFRs), we recognise that there is an increasing body of evidence to support action to reduce the volume of chemical flame retardants (CFRs) which are used to ensure that upholstered furniture passes flammability tests.
The policy paper 'The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture', published on 22 January 2025, set out the Government’s commitment to delivering reforms to the FFRs that maintain a high level of fire safety while also facilitating a reduction in the use of CFRs.
Since publication, the Department for Business and Trade has undertaken targeted engagement to inform next steps, including a roundtable in July 2025 that considered the issue of open-flame testing. The Government will provide an update on this in due course.