Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent police officers were recorded for Essex Police in each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; and what comparative data the Government holds on changes in officer numbers for Essex Police since 2019.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
Data for this release are collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level as a snapshot at 31 March and 30 September only. As such, data for Essex Police as at 1 July 2024 is not available.
The latest information covers the situation as at 31 March 2025. Information on the number of police officers (on both a full-time equivalent and headcount basis), broken down by PFA, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2025 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f314d8adf4250705c96fa/open-data-table-police-workforce-230725.ods.
Data on the police workforce as at 30 September 2025 is due to be published on 28 January 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) headcount and (b) full time equivalent police officer workforce was on (a) 1 July 2024 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available in Essex Police; and what the net change was over that period.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
Data for this release are collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level as a snapshot at 31 March and 30 September only. As such, data for Essex Police as at 1 July 2024 is not available.
The latest information covers the situation as at 31 March 2025. Information on the number of police officers (on both a full-time equivalent and headcount basis), broken down by PFA, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2025 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f314d8adf4250705c96fa/open-data-table-police-workforce-230725.ods.
Data on the police workforce as at 30 September 2025 is due to be published on 28 January 2026.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to genomic testing in Lancashire for the (a) 2026-27 (b) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29 financial years.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is responsible for commissioning the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) for patients in the National Health Service in England. Genomic testing is currently delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). This includes the North West NHS GLH, which delivers genomic testing for patients in the North West of England, including those in the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England has undertaken a procurement of the NHS GMS lead providers for services to be delivered from 1 April 2026, including genomic testing. The 2026/27 contract, that will include the financial value for the NHS GMS lead providers, will be complete by Quarter four of 2025/26. Financial values for subsequent years are to be agreed on an annual basis thereafter.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India about the detention of Associate Professor Hany Babu.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has a broad and respectful dialogue with Indian interlocutors about human rights and rule of law. In the case of Professor Babu, it was reported in December that he has now been released from detention on bail.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce male suicide rates through access to timely mental health care, follow-up after (a) self-harm and (b) crisis presentations and support for men at high-risk due to (i) relationship breakdown and (ii) trauma.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres which are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, improving assertive outreach and access to timely mental health care, expanding talking therapies, and giving patients better access to all-hours support directly through the NHS App. These services are available to men at high-risk due to relationship breakdown and trauma.
The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published in 2023, identifies middle aged men and people who have self-harmed as a priority group for targeted and tailored support at a national level.
On 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The Strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.
Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we are launching a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve mental health literacy, by embedding health messaging into the matchday experience.
We also announced the Suicide Prevention Support Pathfinders programme for middle-aged men. This program will invest up to £3.6 million over three years in areas of England where middle-aged men are at most risk taking their own lives and will tackle the barriers that they face in seeking support.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what economic steps she has taken against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We have stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine and against Putin’s illegal invasion. This government has significantly increased our economic pressure on Russia. This includes our recent sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft last October, which means the largest Russian oil companies are now sanctioned. This action was closely followed by the US. We also recently announced a maritime services ban on Russian Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), in parallel with the EU, which will ban the involvement of UK service providers in the global trade of Russian LNG. We will use all the economic tools at our disposal to stand up for what is right.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taken to reduce the waiting times for a decision on Access to Work claims from Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. Following over 47,500 responses from individuals, charities and other stakeholders, as well as 18 consultation events, we published our summary of the responses to the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation on 30 October 2025.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the restriction on tax relief for banks' compensation payments for motor finance compensation payments.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are monitoring the redress situation closely and want to see it resolved in an efficient way that provides certainty for consumers and firms.
In line with international norms, companies generally obtain Corporation Tax deductions for compensation payments, though the bank compensation restriction which was introduced as part of a wider bank tax regime, prevents banks from doing so.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department recognises problem debt as a public health issue; and what support the NHS and social care services provide to people with problem debt.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research shows that there is a link between health and financial health with a large amount of people who experience mental health problems also struggling with their finances.
NHS Talking Therapies has recently collaborated with the Money and Pensions Service to promote the Money Guiders programme that helps equip mental health practitioners to have money conversations with their patients. In addition, each NHS Talking Therapies service has embedded employment advisors who provide a non-clinical support service to help patients using Talking Therapies to address work-related issues, offering practical support and solutions for any work barriers which can include unemployment and returning to work.
The Individual Placement and Support is a well‑evidenced, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence‑approved employment programme, funded by NHS England, that offers intensive, individually tailored support to get people into work, with ongoing support for the employer and employee to help ensure the person keeps their job.
Individuals may also be able to access the Breathing Space Scheme, which was set up to encourage more people in problem debt to access professional debt advice. A standard breathing space provides a 60-day period of protection by pausing creditor enforcement action and most interest, fees, and charges. Given the link between problem debt and mental health difficulties, the Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space was also established for individuals who are receiving mental health crisis treatment.
Where debt is the result of gambling addiction, individuals can access their local National Health Service gambling service via self- or professional referral.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to enforce waterway maintenance responsibilities by riparian owners in Huntingdonshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Huntingdonshire, the Environment Agency (EA) has undertaken targeted enforcement across Brampton Brook, Alconbury Brook, Ellington Brook and St Ives to encourage voluntary compliance and to inform and educate landowners on riparian responsibilities.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, the EA visited 35 properties on Brampton Brook to address vegetation overgrowth, waste, fallen trees and unpermitted structures. All necessary actions were completed by landowners, and no further action was required.
Where maintenance presents a flood‑risk concern and voluntary action is not taken, the EA can issue a formal Section 25 Enforcement Notice requiring the owner to complete specific maintenance works. Failure to comply is an offence, and the EA may undertake the work itself and recover costs from the landowner.