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1156432

registered interest
date	25/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Cannabis: Licensing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many licences for the cultivation of high THC cannabis are in effect in the UK; and how many have been awarded in the past 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Reigate
tabling member printed	Crispin Blunt
uin	5392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>There are currently 19 licences in extant that have been issued in the last 12 months to cultivate high THC cannabis in England, Wales and Scotland.</p><p>The licences are issued for a validity of one year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 04/11/2019 15:52:36 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	104 label Biography information for Crispin Blunt

1156081

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Safety
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 give police officers the powers and protection they need against violent offenders.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	5012
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>We are committed to ensuring that the police have the support and protection they need. The Government has outlined its commitment via the Queens Speech to bring forward a Police Protection Bill to give police the support and protection they need to do their jobs effectively and safely. This includes plans to establish a Police Covenant.</p><p>We are making it easier for the police to use stop and search to tackle serious violence and knife crime. The police are clear that stop and search is one of the most important powers they have to take deadly weapons off our streets and recent figures show that an increase in police use of stop and search has led to 22% more arrests – almost 9,500 of these for offensive weapons and firearms.</p><p>The Government has also recently announced £10 million in funding to support chief officers to buy Tasers they require and ensure frontline officers are better protected. £10 million in ring fenced funding could mean over 10,000 more police officers in England and Wales will be able to carry the devices to help protect themselves and the public from harm.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 01/11/2019 12:07:15 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1156082

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Crime Prevention: Young People
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 divert young people away from violent crime.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	5013
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>Tackling violent crime is a priority and this Government is determined to crack down on the scourge of violence devastating our communities. The Government is investing £220 million in early intervention projects to steer young people away from getting involved in serious violence and make positive life choices.</p><p>The Early Intervention Youth Fund of £22 million is supporting 40 projects endorsed by Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales. These projects include work with children and young people at risk of criminal involvement, organisations safeguarding those at risk of gang exploitation and county lines, or who have already offended to help divert them into positive life choices.</p><p>The £200 million Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a long-term fund to prevent children and young people at the highest risk of involvement in serious violence, from becoming involved in crime and violence, including reoffending. Operating independently of government, the Youth Endowment Fund will robustly test and evaluate every intervention it funds to develop a strong evidence base showing the interventions that are most effective in making a positive difference to the lives of young people. The first successful 22 bids were announced earlier this month.</p><p>The anti-knife crime Community Fund has supported 115 projects in local communities to tackle knife crime in 2017/18 and 2018/19. The third year of funding (2019-20) of £1.5m is supporting 61 projects in England and Wales this year.</p><p>The Government recognises that local youth services are an important partner in tackling violent crime. On 30 September the Government reiterated a commitment to young people, confirming £500 million investment through the new Youth Investment Fund over five years. This vital investment, the cornerstone of the Government’s offer for young people, will help build 60 new youth centres across the country, refurbish around 360 existing youth facilities, and provide over 100 mobile facilities for harder to reach areas. The fund will also support the provision and coordination of high-quality services for young people, and an investment in the youth workforce.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 01/11/2019 12:05:36 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1156107

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to make ring-fenced funding for mental health support for police officers part of the Police Covenant.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
uin	5052
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>This Government could not be clearer about the value we place on the role of the police and the importance of prioritising officer and staff wellbeing.</p><p>We have set out a vision for a new Police Covenant in Police Protection Bill recognising the bravery and commitment of officers who work night and day to keep us safe. We plan to focus on physical protection for officers, their health and wellbeing and support for their families.</p><p>We are working with policing partners and other government departments to develop the detail of what will be covered by a Covenant. This will be followed by a public consultation.</p><p>We have also invested £7.5m in a new National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The NPWS was launched in April 2019 and has developed evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources which can be accessed by forces, as well as individual officers and staff. These include resources to help forces better support officers and staff who are experiencing mental health problems.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 29/10/2019 17:59:25 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

1156111

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Rape: Criminal Investigation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of rape flagged cases were subject to digital disclosure of mobile phone data in each month since May 2019.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	5029
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office does not collect data on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that were subject to digital disclosure of mobile phone data.</p><p>The guidance issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions to police and prosecutors is explicitly clear, that seeking to examine the mobile telephones of complainants and witnesses is not a matter of course, and there will be cases where there is no requirement for police to take a complainant’s media devices at all. It is crucial that only the reasonable lines of inquiry are pursued, to avoid unnecessary intrusion into a complainant’s personal life.</p><p>It is vital that victims of sexual offences feel empowered to come forward and receive the support they need to recover from the trauma of these crimes. They must not be deterred by a perception about how their personal information is handled. They can and should expect nothing less than that it will be dealt with in a way that is consistent with both their right to privacy and with the interests of justice.</p><p>The Information Commissioner’s Office is currently conducting an investigation into this issue. The police and CPS will continue to work with victim groups and the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure their approach offers the necessary balance between the requirement for reasonable lines of inquiry and the victim’s right to privacy.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 5030 5031 question first answered 01/11/2019 11:58:05 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1156113

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Criminal Investigation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many sexual offence cases, excluding rape, were subject to digital disclosure of mobile phone data in each month since May 2019.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	5030
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office does not collect data on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that were subject to digital disclosure of mobile phone data.</p><p>The guidance issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions to police and prosecutors is explicitly clear, that seeking to examine the mobile telephones of complainants and witnesses is not a matter of course, and there will be cases where there is no requirement for police to take a complainant’s media devices at all. It is crucial that only the reasonable lines of inquiry are pursued, to avoid unnecessary intrusion into a complainant’s personal life.</p><p>It is vital that victims of sexual offences feel empowered to come forward and receive the support they need to recover from the trauma of these crimes. They must not be deterred by a perception about how their personal information is handled. They can and should expect nothing less than that it will be dealt with in a way that is consistent with both their right to privacy and with the interests of justice.</p><p>The Information Commissioner’s Office is currently conducting an investigation into this issue. The police and CPS will continue to work with victim groups and the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure their approach offers the necessary balance between the requirement for reasonable lines of inquiry and the victim’s right to privacy.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 5029 5031 question first answered 01/11/2019 11:58:05 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1156114

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Criminal Investigation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-sexual offence cases were subject to digital disclosure of mobile phone data in each month since May 2019.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	5031
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office does not collect data on the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that were subject to digital disclosure of mobile phone data.</p><p>The guidance issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions to police and prosecutors is explicitly clear, that seeking to examine the mobile telephones of complainants and witnesses is not a matter of course, and there will be cases where there is no requirement for police to take a complainant’s media devices at all. It is crucial that only the reasonable lines of inquiry are pursued, to avoid unnecessary intrusion into a complainant’s personal life.</p><p>It is vital that victims of sexual offences feel empowered to come forward and receive the support they need to recover from the trauma of these crimes. They must not be deterred by a perception about how their personal information is handled. They can and should expect nothing less than that it will be dealt with in a way that is consistent with both their right to privacy and with the interests of justice.</p><p>The Information Commissioner’s Office is currently conducting an investigation into this issue. The police and CPS will continue to work with victim groups and the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure their approach offers the necessary balance between the requirement for reasonable lines of inquiry and the victim’s right to privacy.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 5029 5030 question first answered 01/11/2019 11:58:05 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1156200

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Knives: Greater London
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 knife crime in outer London.
tabling member constituency	Bexleyheath and Crayford
tabling member printed	Sir David Evennett
uin	4941
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>Police recorded crime statistics published on 17 October by the Office for National Statistics show that across England and Wales, there has been a 7 per cent increase in offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year to June 2019, and a 44 per cent increase since 2010/11. These increases are thought to be partly a genuine increase and partly due to improvements in the police recording of these offences. The latest force data are contained in the Open Data Tables to be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839965/prc-knife-open-data-march2009-onwards-tables.ods" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839965/prc-knife-open-data-march2009-onwards-tables.ods</a></p><p>The following table shows the number of knife and sharp instrument offences recorded by the police for the financial year 2010/11 and the years ending June 2018 and June 2019, for London and England (excluding Greater Manchester):</p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p>Knife and Sharp instrument offences</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p>% change year to June 2019 compared with:</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>Year to June 2018</p></td><td><p>Year to June 2019</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>Year to June 2018</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>13,356</p></td><td><p>14,989</p></td><td><p>15,023</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>England (excl GMP)</p></td><td><p>29,879</p></td><td><p>39,891</p></td><td><p>42,677</p></td><td><p>43</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We are taking determined action to tackle knife crime and other serious violence across London and the rest of the country. This includes giving the police the resources and tools they need to keep families, communities and our country safe. We have recently launched a national campaign to begin to recruit 20,000 new police officers over the next three years, and we are making it easier for the police to use stop and search powers. We are also giving police forces an additional £10 million to allow them to increase the number of officers who carry tasers to help protect themselves and the public from harm.</p><p>Police funding is increasing by more than £1 billion this year, including council tax and additional funding through the £100 million Serious Violence Fund. This Fund includes £63.4 million for surge operational activity, £35 million to support Violence Reduction Units, and £1.6 million to help improve the quality of data on serious violence. The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £20.84 million from the Serious Violence Fund for surge police activity and £7 million for the Violence Reduction Unit. In addition, through the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, we are providing the police with more powers, and making it more difficult for young people to get hold of knives in the first place. The Act includes Knife Crime Prevention Orders which will give the police an important new tool to help them to work with people to steer them away from serious violence and knife crime.We continue to encourage all police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. The operation includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps, surrender of knives, including through amnesty bins, test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest phase of the operation took place from 17 to 22 September.</p><p>We are also addressing the root causes of crime by investing over £220 million in early intervention projects and in the Queens Speech on 14 October, it was announced that we would be bringing forward a new Serious Violence Bill to introduce a new legal duty on public bodies to prevent and tackle serious violence.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 4942 question first answered 01/11/2019 12:01:35 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	1198 label Biography information for Sir David Evennett

1156202

registered interest
date	24/10/2019
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 assessment she has made of trends in the level of knife crime in (a) London and (b) England.
tabling member constituency	Bexleyheath and Crayford
tabling member printed	Sir David Evennett
uin	4942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2019 answer text <p>Police recorded crime statistics published on 17 October by the Office for National Statistics show that across England and Wales, there has been a 7 per cent increase in offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year to June 2019, and a 44 per cent increase since 2010/11. These increases are thought to be partly a genuine increase and partly due to improvements in the police recording of these offences. The latest force data are contained in the Open Data Tables to be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839965/prc-knife-open-data-march2009-onwards-tables.ods" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839965/prc-knife-open-data-march2009-onwards-tables.ods</a></p><p>The following table shows the number of knife and sharp instrument offences recorded by the police for the financial year 2010/11 and the years ending June 2018 and June 2019, for London and England (excluding Greater Manchester):</p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p>Knife and Sharp instrument offences</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p>% change year to June 2019 compared with:</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>Year to June 2018</p></td><td><p>Year to June 2019</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>Year to June 2018</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>13,356</p></td><td><p>14,989</p></td><td><p>15,023</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>England (excl GMP)</p></td><td><p>29,879</p></td><td><p>39,891</p></td><td><p>42,677</p></td><td><p>43</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We are taking determined action to tackle knife crime and other serious violence across London and the rest of the country. This includes giving the police the resources and tools they need to keep families, communities and our country safe. We have recently launched a national campaign to begin to recruit 20,000 new police officers over the next three years, and we are making it easier for the police to use stop and search powers. We are also giving police forces an additional £10 million to allow them to increase the number of officers who carry tasers to help protect themselves and the public from harm.</p><p>Police funding is increasing by more than £1 billion this year, including council tax and additional funding through the £100 million Serious Violence Fund. This Fund includes £63.4 million for surge operational activity, £35 million to support Violence Reduction Units, and £1.6 million to help improve the quality of data on serious violence. The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £20.84 million from the Serious Violence Fund for surge police activity and £7 million for the Violence Reduction Unit. In addition, through the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, we are providing the police with more powers, and making it more difficult for young people to get hold of knives in the first place. The Act includes Knife Crime Prevention Orders which will give the police an important new tool to help them to work with people to steer them away from serious violence and knife crime.We continue to encourage all police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. The operation includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps, surrender of knives, including through amnesty bins, test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest phase of the operation took place from 17 to 22 September.</p><p>We are also addressing the root causes of crime by investing over £220 million in early intervention projects and in the Queens Speech on 14 October, it was announced that we would be bringing forward a new Serious Violence Bill to introduce a new legal duty on public bodies to prevent and tackle serious violence.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 4941 question first answered 01/11/2019 12:01:35 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	1198 label Biography information for Sir David Evennett

1151833

registered interest
date	23/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Drugs: Decriminalisation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to launch a consultation on the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	4264
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2019 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to decriminalise drug possession. It would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities. The police and criminal justice system nevertheless have a considerable amount of discretion in how they enforce the law and we support them in taking a proportionate approach.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 28/10/2019 17:07:14 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham