Written questions by Dance.

What steps she is taking to protect (a) residents in Yeovil constituency and (b) their property from malfunctioning drones.

Awaiting answer.

If she will provide a timeline for the bringing into force of section 47 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026.

Through our Crime and Policing Act, which recently received Royal Assent, we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.Commencement of individual provisions, including section 47, will be brought forward through regulations at the appropriate time, and the Government will set out further details in due course.We are working also in close partnership with the police and retail sector to mobilise the actions that will make the most difference through our Retail Crime Forum, chaired by the Minister for Crime and Policing.This includes tackling the most prolific retail offenders where a few individuals can drive a large proportion of the local crime problem. We are testing better approaches to identify and target these individuals.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to strengthen protections for victims of sexual abuse from (a) harassment and (b) threatening or coercive communication online.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resources available to Avon and Somerset police to tackle rural crime.

This Government is introducing the most radical and comprehensive policing reforms in nearly 200 years. We will modernise policing in this country – equipping it to tackle more sophisticated, online, and cross-border crimes (like wildlife crime and organised equipment theft), while also restoring neighbourhood policing.We have hit our target of 3,000 more neighbourhood officers in March – and our target remains 13k by the end of the parliament. With the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets a named contactable officer and a response to non-urgent queries in 72 hours. Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.This financial year (FY25/26) we are providing £800,000 of funding to the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and we will be providing the same level of funding in 26/27. These capabilities play key roles in helping police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt serious and organised crime groups, which can pose unique challenges for policing in large and isolated rural areas.The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing investment in rural crime teams in (a) Somerset and (b) England.

This Government is introducing the most radical and comprehensive policing reforms in nearly 200 years. We will modernise policing in this country – equipping it to tackle more sophisticated, online, and cross-border crimes (like wildlife crime and organised equipment theft), while also restoring neighbourhood policing.We have hit our target of 3,000 more neighbourhood officers in March – and our target remains 13k by the end of the parliament. With the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets a named contactable officer and a response to non-urgent queries in 72 hours. Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.This financial year (FY25/26) we are providing £800,000 of funding to the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and we will be providing the same level of funding in 26/27. These capabilities play key roles in helping police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt serious and organised crime groups, which can pose unique challenges for policing in large and isolated rural areas.The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

What steps she is taking to support local prevention work in Yeovil constituency, including programmes focused on (a) men and boys and (b) reducing reoffending.

The Government has allocated over £1.8m to Avon and Somerset in FY 26/27 to maintain investment in their Violence Reduction Unit, support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty and continue their Young Futures Panels pilot which is identifying young people at risk of being drawn into crime and intervening earlier with positive, diversionary support. This investment will include programmes aimed specifically at men and boys.Early intervention and prevention also underpins the governments Turnaround programme which supports children on the cusp of the youth justice system across England and Wales and is being delivered through multi-year investment of over £15m a year to March 2029.At the same time we have equipped policing with the powers they need to prevent reoffending including, the appropriate use of out of court resolutions, to address the underlying causes of offending and support effective intervention.

What proportion of funding announced under the Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls is (a) new funding and (b) reallocated from existing budgets.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. The cross-government VAWG Strategy, published on 18 December 2025, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, and to deliver our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG in a decade.The Strategy is supported by at least £1 billion of government funding over the Spending Review period, alongside much wider investment across the whole of government. All commitments within the Strategy are fully funded and funding allocations will be announced by the departments leading individual policy measures in the normal wayIn December 2025, the Home Office confirmed the continuation of funding for some of the current vital frontline support services to victims of VAWG, including improving the police response to VAWG and tackling the root causes of VAWG, ahead of anticipated future funding. Future funding will be dependent on the scope and eligibility criteria of the competitions. Further information about future opportunities for funding will be communicated openly, including on ‘Find Government Grants’ - GOV.UK.

How much funding announced under the Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls will be provided directly to (a) local authorities and (b) Somerset Council to support delivery in areas such as Yeovil constituency.

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. The cross-government VAWG Strategy, published on 18 December 2025, sets out the strategic direction and concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetrators, and support victims, and to deliver our unprecedented commitment to halve VAWG in a decade.The Strategy is supported by at least £1 billion of government funding over the Spending Review period, alongside much wider investment across the whole of government. All commitments within the Strategy are fully funded and funding allocations will be announced by the departments leading individual policy measures in the normal wayIn December 2025, the Home Office confirmed the continuation of funding for some of the current vital frontline support services to victims of VAWG, including improving the police response to VAWG and tackling the root causes of VAWG, ahead of anticipated future funding. Future funding will be dependent on the scope and eligibility criteria of the competitions. Further information about future opportunities for funding will be communicated openly, including on ‘Find Government Grants’ - GOV.UK.

What her timeline is for the implementation of regulations to apply forensic marking to new GPS units for use in agricultural and commercial settings.

Equipment theft, including the theft of GPS systems, can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector.That is why we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its intentions to prevent the theft and re-sale of All-Terrain Vehicles, quad bikes and GPS systems.The legislation will require new ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems to be forensically marked and registered on an appropriate database. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when parliamentary time allows.

When she plans to introduce regulations to apply forensic marking to new GPS units for use in agricultural and commercial settings.

Equipment theft, including the theft of GPS systems, can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector.That is why we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its intentions to prevent the theft and re-sale of All-Terrain Vehicles, quad bikes and GPS systems.The legislation will require new ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems to be forensically marked and registered on an appropriate database. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when parliamentary time allows.

What steps she is taking to support Avon and Somerset Police to increase levels of community policing in communities in Yeovil constituency.

This year, £200 million has been made available to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament, including up to 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers by March 2026.This major investment supports the commitment to make the country’s streets safer and reflects the scale of the challenges that many forces face and the Government’s determination to address them.Based on their funding allocation of £4,574,856, Avon and Somerset Police’s projected growth over 2025 to 2026 in their neighbourhood teams will be 70 Police Officers. The local deployment of these officers remains an operational policing decision.Additionally, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee (NPG) is now being delivered across England and Wales to ensure consistent and high-quality neighbourhood policing. Every neighbourhood in Yeovil, now has named and contactable officers. As a result of the Guarantee, communities are benefitting from neighbourhood policing teams that are spending the majority of their time within their communities, delivering visible patrols and actively engaging with residents and businesses.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of funding twenty years' service medals for Police Community Support Officers as recognition of their service to their community.

The Home Office will consider any proposal for national long service recognition for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). It is only right that we recognise the commitment shown by PCSOs across the country and whose role are undeniably at the sharp end of policing, diffusing community tensions and providing visible policing presence in our communities.

What steps she plans to take to help tackle the transportation of illegal drugs through county lines in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.

To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this vile trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Avon & Somerset Police.As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place between 25 November to 1 December 2024, during which Avon and Somerset Police made 17 arrests, seized 5 drug lines and referred 5 vulnerable people to safeguarding services.As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime.We are also providing specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation and will deliver on our manifesto commitment to roll out further support through Prevention Partnerships to intervene earlier to ensure young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.

What steps she is taking to help prevent the exploitation of vulnerable children by county lines gangs in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.

To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation.Through the County Lines Programme, we will continue to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this vile trade. Between July and September 2024, policing activity delivered through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 deal lines being closed, the arrest and charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.While the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue. This is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. In addition, we have a dedicated surge fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Avon & Somerset Police.As part of the Programme, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place between 25 November to 1 December 2024, during which Avon and Somerset Police made 17 arrests, seized 5 drug lines and referred 5 vulnerable people to safeguarding services.As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime.We are also providing specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation and will deliver on our manifesto commitment to roll out further support through Prevention Partnerships to intervene earlier to ensure young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.

For what reason she removed the five year settled status pathway for Ukrainians living in the UK.

We continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes under review to ensure they continue to meet the needs of Ukrainians in the UK.We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes. This is why we have always been clear that the Ukraine schemes provide temporary sanctuary, and not a route to permanent settlement in the UK. There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.

If she will make it her policy to enable Ukrainians living and working in (a) Yeovil Constituency, (b) Somerset, and (c) the South West of England to stay in the UK if there is peace in Ukraine.

We continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes under review to ensure they continue to meet the needs of Ukrainians in the UK.We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes. This is why we have always been clear that the Ukraine schemes provide temporary sanctuary, and not a route to permanent settlement in the UK. There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the application window for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme to three months.

The 28-day window for applications to be submitted helps ensure effective operational planning and sufficient biometric enrolment capacity across all visa routes, which ultimately allows us to deliver the most efficient service for customers.Those who apply before their current permission expires will retain the conditions of their current visa while their application is under consideration, enabling them to continue to exercise their rights to work, study, and live in the UK.As with all aspects of our service delivery, this will continue to be monitored.

What discussions she has had with stakeholders in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West on the proposed increase in firearms licencing fees.

On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.The fees were previously increased in 2015 and they no longer met the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that the fees provide full-cost recovery so that service improvements can be made. The need to increase firearms licensing fees to help address shortcomings in firearms licensing was highlighted by the Senior Coroner in his Preventing Future Deaths reports into the fatal shootings in Plymouth in August 2021.The new fees are based on data produced by a 2023 review of firearms licensing costs in 31 police forces, including Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. This data has since been updated to reflect increases in costs since then. The review was discussed at the Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office, which met in 2022 and 2023, and which included representation from the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, and national representative shooting organisations, including the British Shooting Sports Council, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Gun Trade Association, the National Rifle Association, the Countryside Alliance and the National Gamekeepers Organisation.It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that full cost recovery fees were introduced. I have written to all Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables, including those in the South-West, to make clear that the income from increased fees must be invested into their firearms licensing operations, in the interests of both public safety and to support improvements in the service provided by their firearms licensing teams.