Written questions by Morello.

What steps her Department has taken to prevent parcel thieves taking parcels which have already been delivered to people’s homes.

This Government is committed to reducing crime and restoring public confidence in policing and we are getting on with this through our Safer Streets Mission, including through delivery of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. As part of this, each neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues that communities are experiencing.In January 2025, the Government announced £200 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 neighbourhood personnel, ensuring the police are visible in every community, deterring and preventing crime.A key part of making acquisitive crime, including theft, less attractive to criminals is making stolen goods harder to sell on. We are working closely with policing and academic leads to examine what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the ability to profit from this criminality.

What her Department's planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to make disability hate crime an aggravated offence.

We have committed to ensuring parity of protection for disabled and LGBT+ people under the aggravated offences and will implement this change in an appropriate legislative vehicle in due course.The College of Policing is responsible for police training in England and Wales and publishes operational guidance for police, known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP), on how to deal with different types of crimes and incidents, including hate crimes. The College of Policing keeps its APP is under review.The Government funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

What steps she is taking to ensure police training is updated so that victims of disability hate crime are appropriately supported.

We have committed to ensuring parity of protection for disabled and LGBT+ people under the aggravated offences and will implement this change in an appropriate legislative vehicle in due course.The College of Policing is responsible for police training in England and Wales and publishes operational guidance for police, known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP), on how to deal with different types of crimes and incidents, including hate crimes. The College of Policing keeps its APP is under review.The Government funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) improve reporting rates of disability hate crime.

Disability hate crimes are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling these appalling crimes.We have a robust legislative framework in place in England and Wales to respond to hate crimes, including those which target disability, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these offences.We are carefully considering next steps to tackle the full range of hate crime offences.The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal, True Vision, that was designed so that victims of all types of hate crime - including disability hate crime - do not have to visit a police station to report. The Government also funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the current funding model on rural constituencies.

The majority of public funding for police forces in England and Wales is provided by the Home Office and is agreed by the House of Commons on an annual basis at the police funding settlement. Each year the Home Office produces a Police Grant Report which is published and voted on by Parliament and contains grant funding allocations for the following year to be paid out under the Police Act 1996.The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces. A copy of the most recent Grant Report for 2024-25 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can be found online:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b913a1ee7d49000d9849d4/E03063051_-_Police_Grant_Report__England_and_Wales__24-25_Accessible.pdfAs announced at the Autumn budget 2024, the settlement will increase the core government grant for police forces in 2025-26 and help support frontline policing levels across the country, force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.

If she will undertake a review of police funding allocations.

The government will consider police funding, including the allocation of funding to forces, in the round as part of phase 2 of the Spending Review.

What steps the Department is taking to ensure rural police forces receive adequate funding to meet increasing demands in areas with low-population density.

The majority of public funding for police forces in England and Wales is provided by the Home Office and is agreed by the House of Commons on an annual basis at the police funding settlement. Each year the Home Office produces a Police Grant Report which is published and voted on by Parliament and contains grant funding allocations for the following year to be paid out under the Police Act 1996.The funding formula used for distributing Home Office Police Main Grant divides funds between different activities that the police undertake. A portion of total funding is also distributed according to population sparsity, to address the specific needs of rural forces. A copy of the most recent Grant Report for 2024-25 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can be found online:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b913a1ee7d49000d9849d4/E03063051_-_Police_Grant_Report__England_and_Wales__24-25_Accessible.pdfAs announced at the Autumn budget 2024, the settlement will increase the core government grant for police forces in 2025-26 and help support frontline policing levels across the country, force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the forthcoming police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of restricting the use of live facial recognition software.

Live facial technology is being used effectively by some police forces to identify suspects more quickly and accurately. Its use is governed by data protection, equality, and human rights legislation supplemented by specific policing guidance.At a Westminster Hall Debate on live facial recognition on 13 November, I was clear that the government wants to take time to think carefully about how much support the police may need from Government and Parliament to set and manage the rules for the use of this technology.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve access to mental health services for police officers in rural constituencies.

The Government has been clear that the wellbeing of our police is a priority. We want to ensure that all police officers and staff have the appropriate support in place to thrive in their careers and continue to serve the public.  Chief Constables have a responsibility to manage their workforce effectively and this includes ensuring the wellbeing of all officers and staff. Through the Police Covenant, we continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service to provide evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources to support forces and individual officers, including guidance on mental health support for the police. The NPWS is helping all forces to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health. They are working with forces, developing work to build resilience, and putting in place support for those who need it.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that rural fire services are adequately resourced to respond to emergencies in isolated areas.

The final Local Government Settlement 2024/25 has determined that overall fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion this year to continue protecting our communities at the highest standard. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities including Dorset and Wiltshire will see an increase in core spending power of £95.4 million in 2024/25. This is an increase of 5.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2023/24. It is the responsibility of each fire and rescue authority to determine how to allocate that funding based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances. Funding allocations for 2025/26 will be set out at the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement next month. In the meantime, the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to keep the public safe.

How much funding her Department has provided to rural fire services to help (a) reduce response times and (b) cover greater distances in the 2024-25 financial year.

The final Local Government Settlement 2024/25 has determined that overall fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion this year to continue protecting our communities at the highest standard. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities including Dorset and Wiltshire will see an increase in core spending power of £95.4 million in 2024/25. This is an increase of 5.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2023/24. It is the responsibility of each fire and rescue authority to determine how to allocate that funding based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances. Funding allocations for 2025/26 will be set out at the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement next month. In the meantime, the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to keep the public safe.

What steps she is taking to consider the needs of rural areas when determining police funding allocations.

This Government is committed to reducing crime and disorder in rural areas, given the devastating impact rural crime can have on communities. Under our reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver thousands of additional neighbourhood police, police community support officers and Special Constables, across England and Wales, including in rural areas, to speed up response times and build public confidence.The majority of public funding for police forces in England and Wales is provided by the Home Office and is agreed by the House of Commons on an annual basis at the police funding settlement. Each year the Home Office produces a Police Grant Report which is published and voted on by Parliament and contains grant funding allocations for the following year to be paid out under the Police Act 1996.A copy of the most recent Grant Report for 2024-25 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can be found online:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b913a1ee7d49000d9849d4/E03063051_-_Police_Grant_Report__England_and_Wales__24-25_Accessible.pdf

What steps her Department is taking to support (a) recruitment and (b) retention in rural police forces.

It is important that all forces recruit and retain the skills they need. Decisions about police recruitment, including how recruitment and selection processes are run, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners and are therefore managed locally by forces.We recognise the importance of tackling rural crime. We are committed to safeguarding rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing, and stronger laws to prevent farm theft and fly tippers.