Written questions by Shastri-Hurst.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources available to the Crown Prosecution Service to meet current case volumes.

In June, the Chancellor announced a landmark increase of £96m (RDELex) in additional funding for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over the spending review period.Through the spending review process, the AGO worked with the CPS and HM Treasury to review and agree CPS resources through assessing current and anticipated future case volumes, including consideration of the number of sitting days and the growing complexity of cases. This included a zero-based review of the CPS’ budget for this financial year, which tested the value for money of their spending and ensured that they are driving efficiencies and delivering for the public.The additional funding over the next three years will mean the CPS can recruit more Crown Advocates and frontline staff to prosecute cases and better support victims. Investment in digital technology, new digital casework tools, and exploration of artificial intelligence tools will enable a more productive CPS to respond to the growing volume of cases.

How many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has discontinued in the last three years; and for what reasons.

Management information held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) shows the number of defendants whose prosecution was dropped by the CPS and the primary reason allocated to the outcome at finalisation.The table below shows the number and proportion of prosecutions dropped and the reason applied for the latest available three years ending March 2025. 2022-20232023-20242024-2025Total Prosecutions402,052419,401449,573Prosecutions Dropped45,67446,79449,553Prosecutions Dropped % of Total Prosecutions11.4%11.2%11.0%Victim or witness reasons13,33413,02314,160Victim or witness reasons % of Total Prosecutions3.3%3.1%3.1%Victim reasons10,42610,47911,351Victim reasons % of Total Prosecutions2.6%2.5%2.5% Witness reasons2,9082,5442,809 Witness reasons % of Total Prosecutions0.7%0.6%0.6%Disclosure - undermining unused material1,6372,1852,067Disclosure - undermining unused material % of Total Prosecutions0.4%0.5%0.5%Evidential18,57219,25119,622Evidential % of Total Prosecutions4.6%4.6%4.4%Public interest11,51011,72012,886Public interest % of Total Prosecutions2.9%2.8%2.9%Other621615818Other % of Total Prosecutions0.2%0.1%0.2%Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

What the average time taken is from referral to charging decision by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) management information shows that in the most recent 12 months ending March 2025 it took a mean average of 46 calendar days from the first time the CPS received a case, either a request for early advice or a referral for a charging decision, to the decision to charge and prosecute.For the above metric the median average is two calendar days.The above timeliness data includes cases where the police have submitted a file for early advice as well as those for charging decision. This data includes cases where the police were required to submit further evidence prior to a decision to charge. This generally includes more than one submission and further investigation.The timeliness of a charging decision is determined by three key factors: whether the case has been sent to the CPS for early advice during the investigative process; how quickly the police can complete the necessary enquiries; and how quickly the CPS can then review the evidence provided by the police and finalise the charging decision.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to Question 69586 on Food Supply, which (a) supermarkets and (b) food producers he has met with to discuss mitigating the risk of shortages to key food supplies in the last 12 months.

Over the last 12 months, the Secretary of State has attended a range of events across the year with both supermarkets and food producers to discuss risks to food security and explore measures to mitigate potential shortages. Minister of State also chairs a regular session with the food and farming trade bodies which includes British Retail Consortium, Food and Drink Federation, National Farmers' Union, and UK Hospitality - where the issues of food security and resilience are regularly discussed. In addition, Defra officials continue to engage with stakeholders across the food supply chain to focus on specific challenges. Recent meetings with supermarkets have focused on cyber and energy resilience.

What steps he plans to take to increase shipbuilding capacity.

This Government has an ambitious shipbuilding pipeline with major naval programmes in progress at a number of UK shipyards, recent export success of the Type 26 frigate to Norway and forthcoming civil shipbuilding programmes. The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) is leading the work for Government to engage with industry to explore further opportunities and requirements. As part of their remit, the NSO assesses current and future capacity to consider both demand and supply.

How much funding her Department has allocated to support (a) leisure, (b) recreation and (c) entertainment activities for people accommodated in asylum contingency hotels since July 2024.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of improved financial literacy in schools on levels of personal debt among young adults.

The Government fully recognises the importance of financial education and wants to ensure that all children are equipped with the skills they need to make informed financial decisions throughout their lives. HM Treasury works closely with the Department for Education, which sets the national curriculum for financial education in schools in England. In England, financial education forms a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics at key stages 1 to 4, and citizenship at key stages 3 and 4, this includes personal budgeting, saving for the future, and managing credit and debt. The Government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of key knowledge and skills, including financial education, to prepare children and young people for future life. The interim report highlighted that the Review has heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response. The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), an arm’s length body of the Government, provides comprehensive guidance to support people at every stage of their financial lives through the Money Helper website. This includes guidance for dealing with debt and signposting to free debt advice.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on strengthening financial education to improve long-term financial resilience among young people.

The Government fully recognises the importance of financial education and wants to ensure that all children are equipped with the skills they need to make informed financial decisions throughout their lives. HM Treasury works closely with the Department for Education, which sets the national curriculum for financial education in schools in England. In England, financial education forms a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics at key stages 1 to 4, and citizenship at key stages 3 and 4, this includes personal budgeting, saving for the future, and managing credit and debt. The Government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is considering whether there is sufficient coverage of key knowledge and skills, including financial education, to prepare children and young people for future life. The interim report highlighted that the Review has heard consistently from children and young people and their parents that they want more focus on the applied knowledge and skills that will equip them for later life and work, such as financial education. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response. The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), an arm’s length body of the Government, provides comprehensive guidance to support people at every stage of their financial lives through the Money Helper website. This includes guidance for dealing with debt and signposting to free debt advice.

How many open family cases there were in each Designated Family Judge area as of 23 July 2025, broken down by (a) public law and (b) private law; and what proportion of those cases involved litigants in person.

The information requested is provided in the data tables below up until 31 March 2025, aligning with the time period published in the Ministry of Justice’s official statistics. All data is taken from HMCTS administrative systems.Caseload data by Designated Family Judge area: Count of the Public Law Open Caseload as at the 31 March 2025 broken down to reflect whether parties to proceedings have legal representation Designated Family Judge AreaBoth Applicant and RespondentApplicant onlyRespondent onlyNeither Applicant nor RespondentTotalBirmingham1901101202Blackburn/Lancaster3042100325Bournemouth and Dorset7620078Brighton2051000215Bristol (A, NS and G)232601239Business Centres00000Carlisle98801107Central London5292012552Cleveland and South Durham2592403286Coventry100700107Derby158400162Devon2462001267East London5351801554Essex and Suffolk3191301332Humberside2201200232Leicester124300127Lincoln96500101Liverpool4935216552Luton119700126Manchester7213703761Medway and Canterbury342502349Milton Keynes140400144North Wales99900108North Yorkshire94502101Northampton98300101Northumbria and North Durham3972608431Norwich100300103Nottingham131700138Peterborough and Cambridge139300142Portsmouth (Hampshire and IOW)1942102217Reading239711248Royal Courts of Justice4400044South East Wales2162503244South Yorkshire2731300286Stoke on Trent1621902183Surrey8940194Swansea1001300113Swindon6310165Taunton99500104Truro6640070Watford8540291West London3851401400West Yorkshire3422903374Wolverhampton2831600299Worcester7660385 England and Wales 9,280 526 3 51 9,860 Count of the Private Law Open Caseload as at the 31 March 2025 broken down to reflect whether parties to proceedings have legal representation Designated Family Judge AreaBoth Applicant and RespondentApplicant onlyRespondent onlyNeither Applicant nor RespondentTotalBirmingham106139113232590Blackburn/Lancaster148208132388876Bournemouth and Dorset425249114257Brighton1282441797341285Bristol (A, NS and G)2232051584581044Business Centres01078Carlisle465839106249Central London3284463389852097Cleveland and South Durham1139290154449Coventry819082164417Derby1078898194487Devon171185170310836East London3464844168812127Essex and Suffolk3053943208941913Humberside7211589232508Leicester111134114273632Lincoln696951112301Liverpool2713002766081455Luton83123114318638Manchester40754842110942470Medway and Canterbury1972922607881537Milton Keynes487273169362North Wales58464255201North Yorkshire797964106328Northampton425358206359Northumbria and North Durham229209159293890Norwich9010499225518Nottingham135189140269733Peterborough and Cambridge119145100357721Portsmouth (Hampshire and IOW)1772692087811435Reading1692622064731110Royal Courts of Justice9042832281831South East Wales8310471179437South Yorkshire115140112203570Stoke on Trent8910181204475Surrey144160125395824Swansea1391266594424Swindon416044196341Taunton736467144348Truro856658170379Watford117162151386816West London4154944059532267West Yorkshire2252801734091087Wolverhampton2262431674051041Worcester787970130357 England and Wales 6,420 8,202 6,279 16,129 37,030 Notes:The HMCTS data provided above is in line with latest MoJ statistics.Self-representation is determined by the field 'legal representation' in Familyman being left blank. Therefore, this is only a proxy measure and parties without a recorded representative are not necessarily self-representing litigants in person.A party is considered 'applicant-represented' if at least one applicant has a recorded representative, and likewise for respondents.The majority of Public law applicants are public bodies with access to their own legal resources - however, this legal representation is often not recorded. To address this we introduced a methodology which assumes that all public body applicants have legal representation.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the physical fitness standards required of serving police officers on (a) public safety and (b) operational effectiveness.

Chief Constables are able to locally determine the standards and assessment at recruitment for physical fitness of police officers. At the same time, chief officers have a statutory duty of care to their officers, and the public, and they must, therefore, satisfy themselves that officers can be deployed safely in a role and fulfil the duties of a police officer.The College of Policing holds guidance to support forces on the implementation of fitness testing and standards for officers. Work is underway, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College, to commence a review of the current demands of operational policing to inform future decisions on fitness standards at recruitment.

Whether her Department plans to expand financial education provision to primary schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the curriculum in preparing young people for dealing with (a) debt, (b) savings, (c) the cost of living and (d) other financial issues.

I refer the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) apprentices and (b) young entrepreneurs have access to financial education.

Financial education is integrated into the curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 (ages 11-16) through citizenship education and elements of the mathematics curriculum. Together this covers such areas as personal budgeting, saving for the future, managing credit and debt and calculating interest.Financial education is not compulsory post-16, however, providers are free to teach it and our 16-19 study programme guidance sets an expectation that students take part in other non-qualification activity to develop life skills, including managing personal finances.There are a range of financial education-related qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds to study, in including qualifications and courses at levels 1 and 2, with both the mathematics GCSE and L2 Functional Skills Qualifications supporting financial education. At Level 3 there is the T Level in Finance and Core Maths, which also covers financial literacy.The current curriculum and assessment review will consider coverage of areas including applied knowledge and skills young people will need in life and work such as financial education.Upskilling in English and mathematics is a key feature of all apprenticeships and young apprentices aged 16-18 at the start of their apprenticeship are required to achieve English and mathematics qualifications.

What support is available to teachers to improve (a) confidence and (b) skills in delivering financial education.

I refer the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley to the answer of 7 January to Question 21190.

How many businesses have ceased trading since 4 July 2024; and what proportion of these closures were in the (a) hospitality, (b) retail and (c) construction sectors.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 22nd July is attached.

How many people have become unemployed in each region of the United Kingdom since 4 July 2024.

The number of people who have become unemployed in each region of the United Kingdom can be found here: HI00 Regional labour market: headline Labour Force Survey indicators for all regions - Office for National Statistics

How many officers in frontline roles are assigned to violent crime prevention units.

The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the primary function of police officers, as at 31 March each year, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Information is collected on the primary function of each officer, however, the specific team an officer is assigned to, such as “violent crime prevention unit”, is not collected. Information on the primary function of police officers is available in Table F1 of the data tables accompanying the ‘Police Workforce England and Wales’ publication here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f89ac37c38e28f3846871/police-workforce-mar25-tables-230725.ods.Frontline policing is comprised of visible operational frontline roles and non-visible frontline roles, each of which contains specific functions. Further information on the functions included under visible operational frontline and non-visible frontline, including the definitions of each category can be found in Table F4 of the data tables accompanying the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ publication here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f89ac37c38e28f3846871/police-workforce-mar25-tables-230725.ods

What estimate she has made of the proportion of violent crime that is linked to gang activity.

The ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and Home Office police recorded crime data contains information on violent crime and is published by the ONS (Crime in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics and the nature of violent crime: appendix tables - Office for National Statistics).

What her planned timetable is for the national rollout of digital education, health and care plans.

The government will publish a White Paper in the autumn setting out plans for reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, including any changes to education, health and care plans.More broadly the department is looking at the role new technology can play in helping improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. For example, we recently launched an assistive technology lending libraries pilot to allow up to 4,000 mainstream schools in participating areas to borrow and trial technology on a temporary basis. Combined with other SEND reforms, lending libraries have the potential to improve early intervention and enable more children and young people with SEND to achieve and thrive in a mainstream setting.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of violent crime on community cohesion in high-incidence areas.

This Government recognises the devasting effects of violence on communities, that is why we work closely with community groups, including through the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime to understand the impacts and help shape the Government’s plan to halve knife crime in ten years.To support communities in high-incidence areas, the Government has made £47m available for Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) to continue their valuable work in 2025/26. VRUs bring together local partners to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area. They facilitate the sharing of data across organisational boundaries to build a collective understanding of the root causes of violence locally.Additionally, the Government has awarded £66.3m in 25/26 to all 43 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales for the Hot Spot Action Fund. This funding is for high-visibility patrolling in the areas with the highest densities (‘hotspots’) of knife crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as problem-oriented policing to tackle the longer-term drivers of crime.