Written questions by Baker.

What steps she is taking to prevent knife crime in Aldershot constituency.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s mission to take back our streets. The Government is taking a range of steps to realise this ambition.The government introduced a ban of zombie style knives and zombie style machetes. A surrender scheme was launched on 26 August to remove these knives from our streets. Following this, the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes was outlawed on 24 September 2024.  The government will soon so go further by publishing a consultation on the ban of lethal ninja swords.We will also create a new Young Futures programme - intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most and we will be introducing Prevention Partnerships and Young Futures Hubs to help deliver this.

What (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help prevent crime in (i) Aldershot constituency, (ii) Hampshire, and (iii) England.

The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion. Hampshire Police’s funding will be up to £461.9m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4.2m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.Across all funding rounds of the Safer Streets Fund and the Safety of Women at Night Fund, the Hampshire police force area has received over £4.2 million, supporting 12 projects. This includes just over £820,000 through the latest, fifth round of funding to deliver three projects across various locations, including in Rushmoor, Hart, Portsmouth, and Southampton, which have a focus on preventing Anti-Social Behaviour, violence against women and girls, and neighbourhood crime.Further funding has been provided through the Hotspot Response Programme, under which Hampshire and Isle of Wight have been allocated (2024-25) around £1.5m to deliver additional high-visibility patrols in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti-Social Behaviour.More broadly, this Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and we will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.Finally, this Government has put prevention front and centre of our plans to improve the lives of people across the country. We have committed to rolling out a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need. We will be engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the hubs and explore options for their delivery.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle street crime against women and girls in Aldershot constituency.

The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides funding of up to £18.5 billion. Hampshire Police’s funding will be up to £461.9m in 2024-25. This is in addition to £4.2m provided for the 2024-25 pay award which has been allocated outside of the police funding settlement.Across all funding rounds of the Safer Streets Fund and the Safety of Women at Night Fund, the Hampshire police force area has received over £4.2 million, supporting 12 projects. This includes just over £820,000 through the latest, fifth round of funding to deliver three projects across various locations, including in Rushmoor, Hart, Portsmouth, and Southampton, which have a focus on preventing Anti-Social Behaviour, violence against women and girls, and neighbourhood crime.Further funding has been provided through the Hotspot Response Programme, under which Hampshire and Isle of Wight have been allocated (2024-25) around £1.5m to deliver additional high-visibility patrols in the streets and neighbourhoods worst affected by serious violence and Anti-Social Behaviour.More broadly, this Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and we will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence.Finally, this Government has put prevention front and centre of our plans to improve the lives of people across the country. We have committed to rolling out a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need. We will be engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the hubs and explore options for their delivery.

How many child play areas there are across the defence estate; and what the annual cost is of their upkeep.

There are 618 play areas across the defence estate. It is not possible to break down the annual cost of their upkeep as their maintenance forms part of the wider Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) contracts and it is not possible to isolate these specific costs.

What recent assessment she has made of trends in the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

The Office for National Statistics estimate that nearly 1 in 8 young people are not in education, employment or training. This is 872,000 young people, a number which has risen by 74,000 over the last year.