Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the enforcement of regulations on the sale of bladed items (a) to and (b) by persons under the age of 18.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £5 million of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit in Wales (known as the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)) which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime. Over the same period, we have invested c.£3.5 million (including c.£535k in 2023/24) in ‘hotspot policing’ to boost the policing response to serious violence in South Wales. In 24/25, we are providing c.£4.4 million of funding to all force areas in Wales under the Hotspot Response fund to deliver high-visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti Social Behaviour.
The Wales VPU is tasked with investing in evidence-based approaches designed to steer vulnerable young people away from involvement in violence. As part of this approach, the VPU is funding local interventions including A&E Navigators, delivering advice, support and guidance to patients of any age who have experienced violence with injury, with the aim of engaging with those injured whilst they are in hospital to help break the cycle of violence at the point of crisis. The VPU is also funding youth workers to deliver sessions to young people within both education and community settings covering issues such as knife crime. Additionally, just under £1m was awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty across Wales.
We have also introduced new legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will ban zombie-style knives and machetes from 24 September 2024. Through the Criminal Justice Bill 2023, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.
It is an offence to sell bladed articles to people under the age of 18 and with measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we strengthened the requirements for age verification, and made it an offence to send bladed articles to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This legislation is enforced by Trading Standards and the police. The Home Office does not hold enforcement data in relation to breaches of this legislation.
The Online Safety Act 2023 has finished its parliamentary passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Government's intention is to have the regime operational as soon as possible.
Ofcom published the first draft codes of practice on illegal content for consultation on 9 November 2023. The Government expects these to be finalised in late 2024. These codes of practice will set out the steps companies can take to fulfil the duties for illegal content. In scope services will either need to follow these codes, or show their approach is equally effective. Tech companies will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.
Schedule 7 of the Act sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity or to share this illegal content, to design their services to mitigate the risk of this occurring and to remove any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle fly tipping in rural areas.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We appreciate the difficulty that fly-tipping poses to landowners. We are working with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.
As part of the government’s commitment to unleash rural opportunity, we are currently funding a post within the new National Rural Crime Unit to explore how the police’s role in tacking fly-tipping can be optimised, with a focus on rural areas.
Across two rounds of our fly-tipping grant scheme, we have awarded nearly £1.2m to help more than 30 councils tackle fly-tipping at known hot-spots, including in rural areas, such as by installing CCTV. Round three is currently in progress and should see a further £1 million handed out in the spring to help even more councils tackle fly-tipping.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has had recent discussions with the police on taking steps to help tackle shoplifting in rural areas.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities, and consumers. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 48% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.
However, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 32% in the 12 months to September 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 34% in the year ending September 2023, showing that police are taking action.
We have recently taken significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime, including shoplifting.
In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.
This builds on the NPCC commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.
October also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership, which involves retailers providing data, intelligence and evidence to Opal, the national police intelligence unit on organised acquisitive crime, to develop a better strategic picture and help forces crack down on serious offenders.
The Government’s plan – "Fighting retail crime: more action" was launched on 10 April, which highlights five areas of work this Government will drive forward to tackle retail crime:
This builds on the police-led Retail Crime Action Plan.
We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), which meets on a quarterly basis, to ensure the response to retail crime, including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.
Asked by: Paul Howell (Conservative - Sedgefield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answers of 23 October 2006, Official Report, column 1679WA and 8 October 2007, Official Report, column 227W, and pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2024 to Question 16860 on Housing: Valuation, whether the Valuation Office Agency uses locality adjustment factors to calibrate the automated valuation model for multiple regression analysis; and how many localities the Valuation Office Agency has created for the model.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency’s Automated Valuation Model (AVM) methodology for Wales has been updated substantially since the cancelled 2007 English revaluation. The new AVM uses spatial modelling techniques of which location is a key element. The spatial model estimates a continuous field of location factors (which are influenced by various aspects such as transport links, crime rates, quality of nearby schools) rather than the discrete localities.
I would observe that this is a policy proposed by the Welsh Government, and does not represent the policy position of the UK Government in England.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of allegations of rape of Israeli women by members of Hamas in its attack on 7 October 2023, and the implications for international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Reports of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October 2023 detail abhorrent acts of violence against Israeli women and girls. The UK stands in solidarity with all of the victims and survivors.
We condemn sexual violence unequivocally and without exception. These reports must be fully investigated to ensure justice for survivors and victims.
The international community should be clear in condemning sexual violence wherever it occurs, including in Israel.
Conflict-related sexual violence is an abuse of human rights and when perpetrated in the context of an armed conflict, can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law such as a war crime.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of people employed to the Crime and Policing Programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory was in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and across Government. Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking.
Dstl’s structure, and the wide range of expertise within the organisation, allows expertise to be brought in, as required, to support the dedicated programme technical teams deliver its S&T Programmes.
Whilst information relating to Dstl’s workforce is published annually in its Annual Report and Accounts, detailed FTE staffing details in respect of named Programmes cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) police forces and (c) businesses in Wales on the incidence of shop theft in Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The UK Government continues to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to ensure the response to crimes, such as shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.
Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 32% in the 12 months leading to September 2023 in Wales and England. However, the number of people charged with shoplifting offences in the same period rose by 34%, suggesting that we are now seeing a more robust response.
We have also taken other significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime.
October 2023 saw the publication of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan. The plan includes a commitment to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel, showing the Government commitment to tackling this issue. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database as standard using facial recognition technology to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.
In addition, October 2023 also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership that will radically improve the way retailers are able to share intelligence with policing to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders. This will include development of a new information-sharing platform and training for retailers.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of unsolved crimes.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are committed to ensuring all partners across the Criminal Justice System (CJS) work better together to increase the number of cases being charged and prosecuted and improve case progression.
We welcome the commitment from police forces across England and Wales to pursue all leads where there is a reasonable chance it could result in catching a perpetrator and solving a crime.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Gender Apartheid Inquiry report Shattering Women's Rights, Shattering Lives: Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Inquiry Into The Situation Of Women And Girls In Afghanistan And Iran, published by the International Bar Association on 4 March, with particular reference to the forthcoming 79th meeting of the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee in April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is aware of the report. There are complex legal and political questions which arise in considering any new crime of 'gender apartheid'. We are considering these questions and consulting legal advisers and subject matter experts. The situations of women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran are distinct and we will consider the unique circumstances of each country when assessing the recommendations of the Inquiry.
We have repeatedly condemned Taliban and Iranian policies and actions that restrict the rights of women and girls. Officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers to reverse their harmful policies on women and girls. Since Iran's mass protests of 2022-23, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for Iran's oppressive hijab law. We will continue to work with the international community to address women and girls' rights issues in Afghanistan and Iran.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the pay of (1) Police and Crime Commissioners, and (2) Chief Officers of Police in England and Wales, has been increased since November 2012; and when these increases took place.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) makes recommendations to the Government on the pay of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). PCCs are currently placed into five salary groups aligned to the 12 force weightings used to govern chief constables’ pay. The current PCC pay bands range from £68,200 to £101,900.
PCC pay has increased twice since 2012, with uplifts taking effect from 1 May 2018 and 1 May 2022. SSRB reviews in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 pay rounds recommended that the rates of pay should remain unchanged in those years.
PCC pay has increased by 2% to 5% since November 2012. Chief police officer pay has increased by 22% to 27%. PCC pay remains above that for chief inspectors, which ranges from £64,449 to £67,017.
In its last review, the SRRB recommended adjustments to PCC remuneration, including reducing the current five groups to three. The recommendations were not accepted by the Government at that time, who concluded the issue should be considered when the future structure of chief police officer pay is settled. The next review of PCC pay is scheduled to take place in the 2025/26 pay round.