Written questions by McMurdock.

If she will make a comparative assessment of recent trends in the level of retail worker assaults reported in (a) the East of England and (b) other regions of England in the last 12 months.

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 steps she is taking to with retailers in Essex to increase (a) the provision of security personnel and (b) local police presence in stores to help deter (i) violence and (ii) abuse against staff.

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.

How much her Department has spent on housing asylum seekers in (a) Essex and (b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency since 2022.

Information on asylum expenditure is published on gov.uk in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.

How many people were overstaying legitimately-granted visas in the UK as of 25 February 2025.

As set out in legislation, an individual is liable to removal from the UK if "the person requires leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom but does not have it". The Home Office does not routinely categorise immigration offenders by the manner in which they became liable to removal, and to do so could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.We have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, with almost 19,000 returns recorded between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.Further data on returns activity is published quarterly and can be found on gov.uk at Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in a new tab).

What steps she is taking to ensure that the removal of Apple's encryption system for users in Britain will not lead to (a) abuse and (b) misuse by the (i) police and (ii) security services.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

Whether her Department has had discussions with technology companies other than Apple on the removal of advanced data protection systems.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

What (a) authorisations and (b) warrants are required for Government access to data following Apple's removal of advance data protections.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

What steps she is taking to support (a) small and (b) independent retailers in implementing measures to protect employees from (i) violence and (ii) abuse.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February, this Government has brought forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, to protect hardworking and dedicated shop workers, including small and independent retailers. The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or unlimited fine, as well as a presumption on the courts to impose a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide £100,000 of additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. We will also invest £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 to prevent and combat crime. This will build on funding provided this financial year to the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, for development of training materials for both police and retailers to help combat retail crime and promote partnership working.We will continue to work closely with the police to consider further training opportunities, including through our Retail Crime Forum, and are delivering on our wider commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing.

Whether hier Department made an assessment of the potential risk of (a) cyber threats and (b) malicious exploitation of Apple users prior to the removal of the security encryption feature for Apple cloud data in Britain.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

Whether she has had discussions with the (a) police and (b) security services on the removal of Apple's Advanced Data Protection.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

What plans she has to implement the proposed offence of assaulting a shopworker; and what the anticipated penalties are associated with this offence.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February, this Government has brought forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, to protect hardworking and dedicated shop workers, including small and independent retailers. The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or unlimited fine, as well as a presumption on the courts to impose a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide £100,000 of additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. We will also invest £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 to prevent and combat crime. This will build on funding provided this financial year to the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, for development of training materials for both police and retailers to help combat retail crime and promote partnership working.We will continue to work closely with the police to consider further training opportunities, including through our Retail Crime Forum, and are delivering on our wider commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing.

Whether the Government plans to request access to encrypted user data on Android phones.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

Whether she has plans to have discussions with Apple on reintroducing its Advanced Data Protection encryption service for UK users.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 29388, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of her Department holding information centrally on local council spending on housing for asylum seekers.

The cost of housing for asylum seekers is borne by the Home Office and not local government.

Whether her Department had discussions with Apple prior to the Government's issuing of an order under the Investigatory Act 2016 asking for access to fully encrypted files from Apple users.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision by Apple to withdraw its advanced data protection system in the UK on the privacy of users.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to PQ 33378 answered on 3 March 2025.

What (a) training and (b) resources she is providing to law enforcement to ensure effective enforcement of the proposed offence of assaulting a shopworker.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, introduced on 25 February, this Government has brought forward a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, to protect hardworking and dedicated shop workers, including small and independent retailers. The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or unlimited fine, as well as a presumption on the courts to impose a Criminal Behaviour Order. This will prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order, which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress, or preventing an offender from visiting specific premises.As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide £100,000 of additional funding next financial year for the National Police Chiefs' Council to give further training to police and retailers on prevention tactics. We will also invest £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 to prevent and combat crime. This will build on funding provided this financial year to the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, for development of training materials for both police and retailers to help combat retail crime and promote partnership working.We will continue to work closely with the police to consider further training opportunities, including through our Retail Crime Forum, and are delivering on our wider commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing.

What steps she is taking with telecommunications providers to help prevent fraud through (a) scam calls and (b) text messages.

This Government is working extremely closely with industry, regulators, law enforcement and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit in telecoms networks to stop scams reaching people. The Government and Industry are currently developing a second Telecommunications Fraud Charter to build on previous voluntary action taken by the country’s biggest Telecoms companies. This new Charter will go further in encouraging companies to identify, prevent, and disrupt high volume telecoms fraud.In addition to this, we are also pursuing legislation that aims to ban ‘SIM farms’, which are technical devices which allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at the same time. Additionally, this Government is working with Ofcom to stop more cases of number ‘spoofing’, where scammers impersonate UK numbers to persuade people that they are speaking to banks, telephone companies or other legitimate businesses.

Whether she plans to deport the migrants arrested for working illegally in raids in January 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave on 14 February to Question 30090.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration on (a) UK immigration laws and (b) legal challenges to border control policies.

The Global Compact for Migration, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, aims to foster international cooperation on migration in a comprehensive way. The Global Compact reaffirms the sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction, in conformity with international law.An effective well-managed migration system is a fundamental part of the UK’s approach to ensuring the security and control of our borders and the UK remains committed to working with partners to address shared challenges.