Written questions by McMurdock.

What assessment she has made of the level of future requirement for (a) standard and (b) fast charging points installed in police car parks for electric police vehicles.

Decisions around the procurement and deployment of electric vehicles, as well as infrastructure to support them, is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or Mayoral equivalents.We would expect decisions to be made with consideration to the needs of the force, their local community, and within their existing budget allocation.

What steps she is taking to provide public charging infrastructure specifically for police officers and electric police vehicles.

Decisions around the procurement and deployment of electric vehicles, as well as infrastructure to support them, is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or Mayoral equivalents.We would expect decisions to be made with consideration to the needs of the force, their local community, and within their existing budget allocation.

What assessment she has made of the potential relative needs of (a) urban, (b) suburban and (c) rural police stations in the context of the electrification of local police forces’ car fleets.

Decisions around the procurement and deployment of electric vehicles, as well as infrastructure to support them, is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or Mayoral equivalents.We would expect decisions to be made with consideration to the needs of the force, their local community, and within their existing budget allocation.

What steps she plans to take to support (a) social and (b) cultural assimilation of legal immigrants arriving in the UK.

The Immigration White Paper, published on Monday 12 May, announced proposals on a wide range of reforms, including in the areas of community cohesion, integration and English language requirements, further details of which will be set out in due course.

What her plans are for the asylum seekers housed in hotels, in the context of the Chancellor’s recent pledge to end all hotel accommodation for asylum seekers by 2029.

The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels by the end of this Parliament.

What steps her Department is taking to identify immigrants who arrive illegally on small boats.

We collect biographic and biometric data from all those arriving illegally in the UK. Checks are then run against a range of data sources to identify relevant information.

Whether she plans to take steps to help ensure that small businesses receive funding through initiatives funded by the National Business Crime Centre.

We are investing £2 million over three financial years (25/26 – 27/28) in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime. We are currently working with the NBCC to agree details of how the funding will be used.Funding will be provided through the usual Government funding process, via a grant agreement. This includes an agreed delivery plan and Key Performance Indicators, and ongoing monitoring throughout the period of the grant. An evaluation will be undertaken to ensure the aims of the funding are delivered, and it represents appropriate use of public money.

Whether she plans to publish annual performance metrics for the National Business Crime Centre to assess the effectiveness of additional funding.

We are investing £2 million over three financial years (25/26 – 27/28) in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime. We are currently working with the NBCC to agree details of how the funding will be used.Funding will be provided through the usual Government funding process, via a grant agreement. This includes an agreed delivery plan and Key Performance Indicators, and ongoing monitoring throughout the period of the grant. An evaluation will be undertaken to ensure the aims of the funding are delivered, and it represents appropriate use of public money.

What mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of the Hotspot Action Fund in reducing (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) serious violence.

The Hot Spot Action Fund for 25/26 is being evaluated for effectiveness using the same approach as for hot spot policing programmes funded by the Home Office since 21/22.Details of the evaluation method along with previous results can be found within published reports on the Home Office research section of the GOV.UK website. including impact on anti-social behaviour) and to be published in 2026.

What discussions has she had with retail industry representatives on the (a) design and (b) implementation of the training funded through the National Police Chiefs' Council.

We are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.We work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the retail industry on the design of training funded by the Home Office, to ensure it delivers what is needed to help prevent and tackle crime and is an appropriate use of public money.Furthermore, I am committed to chairing the Retail Crime Forum which brings together the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement agencies to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration, share best practice and to work collectively to tackle the serious issue of retail crime. This includes the development of a new strategy to tackle shop theft published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft – Tackling Retail Crime Together. The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.The National Police Chiefs’ Council have an operational Retail Crime Action Plan, which has been in place since October 2023. This plan contains a commitment for police across England and Wales to prioritise attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel.

Whether the recent cyberattacks on Marks and Spencer have been investigated by the relevant authorities.

The National Cyber Security Centre and National Crime Agency are working to fully understand the nature of these attacks, and to provide support and expert advice to the affected organisations, as well as the wider sector.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle the causes of retail crime.

This Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and retail crime and its causes, as a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. Key to this is our plan to transform neighbourhood policing through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. We will deliver 13,000 more neighbourhood police by the end of the Parliament, whilst also ensuring each community has a named, contactable officer to turn to.To help tackle retail crime, we will provide £5 million over the next three years to continue to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the national policing intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime.We will also invest £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.Further, the National Police Chiefs' Council will receive funding to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. The training will aim to empower retailers to develop and implement tactics to prevent retail crime.Finally, the Home Office is providing funding through the Hotspot Action Fund programme to all 43 Police Force Areas in England and Wales in 2025/26, of £66.3 million. This funding is to implement additional, high visibility patrolling and problem-solving policing in serious violence and anti-social behaviour hotspots.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of larger police presence in neighbourhoods on rates of (a) retail crime and (b) anti-social behaviour.

This Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and retail crime and its causes, as a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. Key to this is our plan to transform neighbourhood policing through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. We will deliver 13,000 more neighbourhood police by the end of the Parliament, whilst also ensuring each community has a named, contactable officer to turn to.To help tackle retail crime, we will provide £5 million over the next three years to continue to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the national policing intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime.We will also invest £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.Further, the National Police Chiefs' Council will receive funding to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. The training will aim to empower retailers to develop and implement tactics to prevent retail crime.Finally, the Home Office is providing funding through the Hotspot Action Fund programme to all 43 Police Force Areas in England and Wales in 2025/26, of £66.3 million. This funding is to implement additional, high visibility patrolling and problem-solving policing in serious violence and anti-social behaviour hotspots.

What information her Department holds on the number of British nationals who have emigrated to India to work.

The Home Office does not hold this information.

How many Indian nationals have emigrated to the UK to work in each of the last five years.

Statistics regarding UK immigration and emigration are a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). Contact details can be found on their website at Making a request - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by nationality, year and visa type in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visas granted are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the ‘detailed entry clearance dataset’. A visa grant does not necessarily correspond to the person arriving or remaining long-term in the UK. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data is from January 2005 up to the end of December 2024.

What plans she has to ensure (a) appropriate funding for and (b) the retention of officers in Essex Police neighbourhood teams amid increasing demand.

Essex Police’s total police settlement for 2025-26 is up to £434.1m, an increase of £27.9m compared to 2024-25. Of this, £4,495,599 has been made available in the Neighbourhood Policing Grant.Enabled by this funding, Essex Police has a 2025-26 delivery plan to grow it’s neighbourhood policing cohort by 74 police officers (FTE).Funding beyond 2025-26 will be confirmed in the second phase of the Spending Review.

What assessment she has made of the effect of neighbourhood policing in (a) reducing crime and (b) improving public trust in the police.

The Home Office has worked with the College of Policing and the NPCC to develop a performance framework which outlines to forces and the public the performance measures which are being assessed to monitor the progress of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.The framework is attached at the following link Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee performance framework - GOV.UK.

What steps she is taking to support retail workers in reporting incidents of abuse, threats and violence to the police.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this.This Government is committed to effectively tackling retail crime. In the Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to Parliament on 25 February, we brought a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also repealing 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.There were 44,048 shoplifting offences recorded by the police in the East of England region in the year ending September 2024, a 19% increase on the previous year (37,166 offences). This was a 41% increase when compared with the year ending March 2010 (31,154 offences).There were 13,266 shoplifting offences recorded by Essex police in the year ending September 2024, a 20% increase on the previous year (11,101 offences). This was a 44% increase when compared with the year ending March 2010 (9,190 offences).We will provide £100,000 additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics, as well as investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other.I chair the Retail Crime Forum to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement.

What assessment she has made of recent trends in the level of retail crime in Essex.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this.This Government is committed to effectively tackling retail crime. In the Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to Parliament on 25 February, we brought a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also repealing 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.There were 44,048 shoplifting offences recorded by the police in the East of England region in the year ending September 2024, a 19% increase on the previous year (37,166 offences). This was a 41% increase when compared with the year ending March 2010 (31,154 offences).There were 13,266 shoplifting offences recorded by Essex police in the year ending September 2024, a 20% increase on the previous year (11,101 offences). This was a 44% increase when compared with the year ending March 2010 (9,190 offences).We will provide £100,000 additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics, as well as investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other.I chair the Retail Crime Forum to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement.

What discussions has she had with police forces on preventing reoffenders from committing retail crimes.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this.This Government is committed to effectively tackling retail crime. In the Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to Parliament on 25 February, we brought a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We are also repealing 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.There were 44,048 shoplifting offences recorded by the police in the East of England region in the year ending September 2024, a 19% increase on the previous year (37,166 offences). This was a 41% increase when compared with the year ending March 2010 (31,154 offences).There were 13,266 shoplifting offences recorded by Essex police in the year ending September 2024, a 20% increase on the previous year (11,101 offences). This was a 44% increase when compared with the year ending March 2010 (9,190 offences).We will provide £100,000 additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics, as well as investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other.I chair the Retail Crime Forum to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration between the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement.