Topical Questions 2025-02-24
2025-02-24
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Thames Valley police is down £1.9 million this year due to a flawed formula for distributing funds after pay awards.
Why has Thames Valley police lost £1.9 million this year because of the flawed formula for distributing funds after pay awards, and when will this historical anomaly be fixed?
I will just point out to the hon. Gentleman that his party had 14 years to address all the things he is so concerned about now. This Government have increased funding for policing by up to £1.1 billion next year, including £200 million to start redressing the huge cuts in neighbourhood policing that we have seen on our streets in Thames Valley and right across the country, because we need to get police back on the streets.
▸
Assessment & feedback
did not address when the historical anomaly will be fixed
Acknowledged Past But Focused On Current Actions
Response accuracy
Q2
Direct Answer
▸
Context
The UK spends 27% of its official development assistance on housing asylum claimants, which is almost double the OECD average. The overseas spend was cut by the previous government.
Does she agree that to reduce the number of asylum claimants in the UK, the Government should increase the spend on building peace and security abroad?
My hon. Friend is right to say that asylum costs make up the bulk of Home Office spend classified as ODA spending and that we are committed to reducing them, including by ending the use of hotels, which will mean that we can return that ODA resource so that it can be used upstream to prevent migratory flows from happening in the first place.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Between the July election and yesterday, 25,135 people illegally crossed the English channel, a 28% increase compared to the same period last year. The National Crime Agency advised that law enforcement alone is not enough and a removals deterrent is needed.
Does the Home Secretary now regret ignoring the National Crime Agency’s advice that law enforcement alone is not enough and that a removals deterrent is needed?
I will just point out to the shadow Home Secretary that when the Conservatives were in government, we saw that many people arrive in the space of just over 100 days, because they completely lost control of our borders and let criminal gangs take hold along the channel. Some 84,000 people arrived on small boats while the Rwanda policy that he somehow wants to reintroduce managed to send just four volunteers. We have increased returns by over 20% to 19,000, which is important.
▸
Assessment & feedback
did not directly address regretting ignoring advice
Pointed Out Previous Government'S Failures
Response accuracy
Q4
Direct Answer
▸
Context
Posting a prostitution ad in a phone box is illegal, yet the same advert can be posted online without restriction. Websites profit from prostitution and make it easy for pimps to exploit women.
Does the Minister agree that we must urgently update our anti-pimping laws to make it a criminal offence to enable or profit from the prostitution of another person online or offline?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important point. The Government are clear that online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation, and must be responsible and held accountable for the content of their sites, including taking proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals. We are implementing the Online Safety Act 2023, which sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
▸
Context
A constituent named Kia McNicoll's three-year-old child was recently diagnosed with cancer. Her family has applied for a visa extension so that they can receive help from her mother-in-law, but the application was rejected.
My constituent Kia McNicoll is a mother of four children, and her three-year-old, Patryk, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Kia’s mother-in-law recently applied for a visa extension so that she can help the family with childcare through these most horrific circumstances, but her application was rejected. Forgive me, Mr Speaker, but I cannot tell the difference between this Labour Government and the Tories who came before them. Will the Minister commit to looking at this application again, so that my constituent can focus on what matters most: the health of her son?
I thank the hon. Member for his question, and if he wants to write to me about that case, I will be very happy to look at it.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Commitment to review specific visa application
If He Wants To Write To Me
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Eenie and Meenie, two white cats from Stanbridge, were recently shot and killed.
Eenie and Meenie, two white cats from Stanbridge, were recently shot and killed. Could the Minister outline what discussions she has had with local police to ensure that these crimes are properly investigated and that the law is upheld?
The abuse of animals using weapons of any type is an incredibly serious matter, and there are such provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. There is a range of offences, and I encourage anyone who witnesses this kind of event to report it to the police. I will certainly discuss what more we can do with my colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Specific discussions with local police
Discuss What More We Can Do
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The UK has slid down the international league table on tackling corruption.
In recent years, the UK has slid down the international league table on tackling corruption. Given the threat of corruption to our democracy, economy and national security, will the Minister say whether the Government intend to publish a new comprehensive anti-corruption strategy?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the work he does on the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax. I can confirm that the Government take the threat of corruption, illicit finance and kleptocracy extremely seriously, which is why we announced that we will publish a new UK anti-corruption strategy this year. The new strategy will include measures that make it harder for corrupt actors to operate, strengthen global resilience to corruption, and address the UK’s vulnerabilities to corruption, including through ways to ensure that all those in public service are held to the highest standards.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q8
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Bedfordshire police rely heavily on specific grants to tackle serious, violent and organised crime.
On Friday night, I joined Bedfordshire police officers on a ride-a-long to see first hand the great work they do to help vulnerable people. However, the Policing Minister knows that Bedfordshire police rely heavily on specific grants to tackle serious, violent and organised crime. Will she confirm that those grants will continue, and when we might we hear about that?
I visited Bedfordshire police before Christmas, and I agree that it is an excellent force. Decisions around funding will be made in due course.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Confirmation of grant continuation
Decisions Around Funding Will Be Made In Due Course
Response accuracy
Q9
Direct Answer
▸
Context
A nine-year-old boy with specific health needs is staying in an asylum hotel and has not received a requested wheelchair. The case highlights the unsuitability of such accommodations for vulnerable children.
No child, especially one with these needs, should have to go without the equipment that gives them the dignity to live. Does the Minister agree that such hotels are unsuitable for vulnerable children, and will she personally intervene to help me to get this young lad a wheelchair?
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this matter to my attention. My officials have investigated, and Serco has referred the case to healthcare partners, who are currently in the process of providing a suitable wheelchair following a thorough assessment of the child’s needs. Officials are monitoring the situation closely to ensure the family receive the support they require.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q10
Direct Answer
▸
Context
Persistent antisocial behaviour is making residents feel unsafe in Basingstoke, creating a barrier to businesses thriving. The question raises the need for reassurances about progress in restoring town centre patrols.
What reassurances can the Home Secretary give businesses and constituents in Basingstoke that this Government are making progress in restoring town centre patrols?
My hon. Friend is right to raise this matter, for both Basingstoke and towns right across the country. Town centres were blighted by a 60% increase in shop theft in the two years before the election, as well antisocial behaviour. That is why tackling town centre crime will be at the heart of the crime and policing Bill, introduced tomorrow.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy