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1305138

registered interest
date	23/03/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Harlow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the number of police officers in Harlow.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	174094
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to increasing the number of police officers in England and Wales by 20,000 by the end of March 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Essex Police was allocated 135 additional officers in the first year of the police uplift which covers the period to the end of March 2021. In 2020/21 the force received funding of £320.2m. As at 31 December 2020, Essex Police had recruited 101 additional officers.</p><p> </p><p>As announced in the Police Settlement 2021/22, Essex Police has been allocated 132 additional officers for year two of the Police Uplift Programme. Essex Police will receive funding of up to £339m in 2021/22, an increase of up to £18.8m since 2020/21.</p><p> </p><p>The deployment of these officers is an operational decision for the Chief Constable of Essex Police.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 31/03/2021 09:41:54 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1304809

registered interest
date	22/03/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Knives: Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent knife crime.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	172977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2021 answer text <p>This Government is determined to turn the tide on knife crime in all areas, wherever it occurs.</p><p> </p><p>On 4 February 2021, the Government published a total police funding settlement of up to £15.8 billion in 2021/22, an increase of up to £636 million compared to 2020/21. Across England and Wales, we are also recruiting 20,000 additional police officers by the end of March 2023.</p><p>From 2019 to 2022, this government will have provided over £242 million, through the Serious Violence Fund (SVF), to address the drivers of serious violence at the local level and significantly bolster the police response in 18 Police Force areas most affected by serious violence across England and Wales.</p><p>We have also invested £200 million through the 10-Year Youth Endowment Fund to ensure those most at risk are given the opportunity to turn away from violence and lead positive lives.</p><p>We have also made it easier for the police to use enhanced stop and search powers and we have introduced Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill which will give the police powers to make it easier to stop and search those already convicted of knife and offensive weapon offences.</p><p> </p><p>Through the PCSC bill, we have also introduced legislation which will place new duties on a range of specified agencies across different sectors, such as local government, youth offending, and health and probation, to work collaboratively, share data and information, and put in place plans to prevent and reduce serious violence.</p><p> </p><p>The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 includes specific measures for knife offences, in particular making it an offence to possess certain offensive weapons in private, and stopping knives being sent 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. The measures on knives in the Act also include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>changing the legal definition for threatening with an offensive weapon to make prosecutions more straightforward;</li><li>banning the possession of a knife on a further education premises;</li><li>updating the definition of a flick knife to reflect changing weapon designs;</li><li>introducing Knife Crime Prevention Orders (KCPOs) to help the police target those most at risk of being drawn into serious violence, to set them on a more positive path.</li></ul> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 25/03/2021 09:09:58 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1290007

registered interest
date	25/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Telephone Services: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle fraudulent calling.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	158910
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2021 answer text <p>Fraudulent calls can be particularly stressful and damaging for the most vulnerable in society. Nuisance calls and cold calling can be a gateway to scams, with opportunistic criminals targeting potential victims.</p><p>The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the number of these calls - it has banned cold calls from personal injury firms and pensions providers unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to be contacted. It has introduced director liability for nuisance calls and has supported the National Trading Standards Scams Team to roll out call blocking devices to vulnerable people. DCMS have provided over £1 million in the last 3 years to National Trading Standards for distribution of call blocking devices to vulnerable people. This funding has helped protect some of the most vulnerable in society from nuisance calls and scams, including those originating from overseas.</p><p>However, the Government recognises there is more to do and is working closely with industry, regulators and consumer groups to consider further legislative and non-legislative solutions.</p><p>The Government is also aware that criminals are exploiting the pandemic to commit opportunistic crimes such as fraud. Although Covid-19 related fraud represents a small proportion of overall fraud reporting, we understand the devastating impact it can have on individuals. Along with partners, we have been implementing measures to ensure the public has the protection and advice needed to shield themselves from these crimes.</p><p>We have published guidance for the public to spot potential frauds and the steps they can take to avoid them. This advice can currently be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 158911 158912 question first answered 02/03/2021 17:06:52 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1290008

registered interest
date	25/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Telephone Services: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to strengthen measures to prevent fraudulent calling.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	158911
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2021 answer text <p>Fraudulent calls can be particularly stressful and damaging for the most vulnerable in society. Nuisance calls and cold calling can be a gateway to scams, with opportunistic criminals targeting potential victims.</p><p>The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the number of these calls - it has banned cold calls from personal injury firms and pensions providers unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to be contacted. It has introduced director liability for nuisance calls and has supported the National Trading Standards Scams Team to roll out call blocking devices to vulnerable people. DCMS have provided over £1 million in the last 3 years to National Trading Standards for distribution of call blocking devices to vulnerable people. This funding has helped protect some of the most vulnerable in society from nuisance calls and scams, including those originating from overseas.</p><p>However, the Government recognises there is more to do and is working closely with industry, regulators and consumer groups to consider further legislative and non-legislative solutions.</p><p>The Government is also aware that criminals are exploiting the pandemic to commit opportunistic crimes such as fraud. Although Covid-19 related fraud represents a small proportion of overall fraud reporting, we understand the devastating impact it can have on individuals. Along with partners, we have been implementing measures to ensure the public has the protection and advice needed to shield themselves from these crimes.</p><p>We have published guidance for the public to spot potential frauds and the steps they can take to avoid them. This advice can currently be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 158910 158912 question first answered 02/03/2021 17:06:52 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1290009

registered interest
date	25/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Telephone Services: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of changes in the level of incidents relating to fraudulent calling during the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	158912
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2021 answer text <p>Fraudulent calls can be particularly stressful and damaging for the most vulnerable in society. Nuisance calls and cold calling can be a gateway to scams, with opportunistic criminals targeting potential victims.</p><p>The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the number of these calls - it has banned cold calls from personal injury firms and pensions providers unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to be contacted. It has introduced director liability for nuisance calls and has supported the National Trading Standards Scams Team to roll out call blocking devices to vulnerable people. DCMS have provided over £1 million in the last 3 years to National Trading Standards for distribution of call blocking devices to vulnerable people. This funding has helped protect some of the most vulnerable in society from nuisance calls and scams, including those originating from overseas.</p><p>However, the Government recognises there is more to do and is working closely with industry, regulators and consumer groups to consider further legislative and non-legislative solutions.</p><p>The Government is also aware that criminals are exploiting the pandemic to commit opportunistic crimes such as fraud. Although Covid-19 related fraud represents a small proportion of overall fraud reporting, we understand the devastating impact it can have on individuals. Along with partners, we have been implementing measures to ensure the public has the protection and advice needed to shield themselves from these crimes.</p><p>We have published guidance for the public to spot potential frauds and the steps they can take to avoid them. This advice can currently be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 158910 158911 question first answered 02/03/2021 17:06:52 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1285482

registered interest
date	10/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Crime: Harlow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on levels of crime in Harlow of the recent uplift in funding for the police.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	152482
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office collects data from police forces on police recorded crime, broken down by Police Force Area and Community Safety Partnership Area, including Harlow.</p><p>The latest data can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables</a></p><p>On the 4th February 2021, the Government published a total police funding settlement of up to £15.8 billion in 2021/22, an increase of up to £636 million compared to 2020/21. Overall police funding available to PCCs will increase by up to £703 million (5.4% in cash terms) next year.</p><p>Essex police’s funding will be up to £339 million in 2021/22, an increase of up to £18.8 million. In 2020/21, they are receiving up to £320.2 million in funding.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 26/02/2021 14:31:06 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1285129

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Harlow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been employed in Harlow in each year since the financial year 2018-19.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	151668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2021 answer text <p>The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce by Police Force Area in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.</p><p>Data are collected at Police Force Area level only, and lower levels of geography such as Harlow are not held by the Home Office.</p><p>The latest available data for the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) officers employed in each Police Force Area, covering the situation as at 30 September 2020, are available here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales</a></p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 17/02/2021 11:15:49 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1235547

registered interest
date	17/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Home Office: Apprentices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department is making on meeting the 2.3 per cent public sector apprenticeship target; and when her Department will meet that target.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	91612
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2020 answer text <p>Departments are committed to increasing the number of apprentices across the Civil Service and continue to work towards the 2.3% target. The impact of the current pandemic has slowed recruitment due to priority work and logistics. With the current strategy and targets coming to an end in April 2021, the Civil Service is already focusing on how to continue to support the apprenticeship agenda and drive forward apprenticeship recruitment, pulling on the Plan for Jobs initiative and considering the current economic situation.</p><p>As of 31 March 2020, the Civil Service has achieved a total of 2.1% of its total workforce as apprentices against the legislative target for the public sector of 2.3% by March 2021.</p><p>As of 31 March 2020, the Home Office had achieved 1.1 % of the total staff employed within the department at this time.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 22/09/2020 14:43:57 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1224984

registered interest
date	15/07/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Home Office: Apprentices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reach the public sector apprenticeship target.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	74508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office is six months into the implementation of the Apprenticeships Operating Model (AOM) designed to centralise all HR end-to-end processes (including streamlining recruitment activities through to programme onboarding). The growth of a dedicated team has been stood up to increase the quality and quality of apprenticeships for the future. This industry tested model has the capacity and capability to meet the minimum 2.3% statutory target (England workforce) annually. To enable delivery, there are strong governance frameworks in place which are closely connected to the Home Office People Strategy 2018 – 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The refreshed AOM and strengthened workforce planning enables the dept. to address the target shortfall and annual ministerial commitments within a two-year period. Key to assessing performance is through the delivery of a robust Assurance Framework to ensure demand and delivery are aligned and reviewed quarterly and RAG status at Director General level.</p><p> </p><p>In the coming six months, the Home Office is committed to prioritising apprenticeships recruitment across operational delivery (largest population in the department), policy and digital professions. This demonstrates the Home Office’s pledge to future skills development: attracting the best talent from the external labour market whilst creating opportunities for internal professional capability building.</p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 20/07/2020 16:33:46 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1180333

registered interest
date	25/02/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Home Office: Civil Society
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding she has allocated to civil society and campaigning bodies in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	20454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2020 answer text <p>Civil Society forms an essential part of our communities up and down the country. It includes large, national charities, social enterprises, volunteers and small grassroots organisations but what joins them all is the idea of creating social value to help build a better society.</p><p>Government funding to civil society is ring-fenced for particular projects or programmes. Grant agreement terms and conditions prohibit grant funding being used for paid for lobbying and political campaigning.</p><p>Information on grants awarded to civil society can be found be here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-grants-register" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-grants-register</a></p><p>Published grant funding that was approved and was made available to organisations categorised as civil societies by the Home Office for following financial years was:</p><p>2017-18: £23,608,511</p><p>2016-17: £24,563,857</p><p>2015-16: £20,642,744</p><p>Information for financial year 2018-19 is not yet published.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 04/03/2020 16:27:57 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon