Written questions by Holden.

With reference to page 26 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Anti-Corruption Strategy.

The Anit-Corruption Strategy will be published later this year, and will be set out to Parliament in the normal way.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of local authorities’ (a) powers and (b) resources to enforce Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) requiring dogs to be kept on leads in public parks; and what steps her Department is taking to support councils in (i) extending PSPO coverage where necessary and (ii) improving public (A) awareness and (B) enforcement to reduce dog-related incidents in shared green spaces.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police and local authorities with a range of flexible tools and powers, including Public Spaces Protection Orders, that they can use to tackle dog-related incidents in public spaces.Appropriate use of the powers is a local decision for local authorities, police and other agencies. The Home Office regularly engages with police and local authority partners to discuss the effectiveness of the legislation.We are making changes to some of the powers in the 2014 Act via the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure the powers – based on engagement with police and local authorities – are as effective as possible. These changes include increasing the upper limit for a fixed penalty notice for breach of a Public Spaces Protection Order from £100 to £500 to act as a stronger deterrent to anti-social behaviour, including dog-related incidents in public spaces.

What recent assessment she has made of the (a) legal and (b) operational feasibility of local councils (i) establishing or (ii) co-funding neighbourhood policing constabularies under the Police Act 1996 in partnership with Police and Crime Commissioners.

The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring strong neighbourhood policing across England and Wales. The 43 territorial police forces across England and Wales are responsible for neighbourhoods policing in their areas.To reinforce neighbourhood policing teams, we are providing £200 million to police forces in the 2025/26 financial year to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales. Essex Police has been allocated £4,495,599 from the £200 million fund for 2025/26. Based on their funding allocation, the projected growth for neighbourhood officers in Essex Police over 2025/26 will be 74 (FTE) police officers.The Government has also announced that by July, every community will have named, contactable officers dedicated to addressing local issues as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging police forces to establish ringfenced neighbourhood policing units with a dedicated remit to tackle (a) illegal e-scooter use, (b) public disorder, (c) low-level crime and (d) other antisocial behaviour.

Restoring neighbourhood policing is at the heart of the Government’s Plan for Change and on 10 April the Prime Minister and Home Secretary outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.Through the Guarantee, by July, every community will have named, and contactable officers dedicated to addressing local issues. These officers will play a vital role in preventing and responding to crime at all levels by building trust, gathering intelligence, and maintaining a visible presence in communities.The Guarantee will also ensure that neighbourhood policing teams hold regular local beat meetings that residents and businesses can use to raise concerns and help shape local policing priorities.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to police and other relevant agencies under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to improve the tools agencies have at their disposal to tackle ASB. This includes introducing new Respect Orders to tackle the most persistent adult ASB offenders, extending the maximum exclusion period for dispersal directions from 48 to 72 hours, and increasing the upper limit for a fixed penalty notice for breaches of a Public Spaces Protection Orders or a Community Protection Notice from £100 to £500.The Bill will also enhance the powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, and other vehicles which are being used in an anti-social manner, without having to first give a warning to the offender.To reinforce neighbourhood policing teams, we have made £200 million available in FY 25/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood personnel across England and Wales, including up to 3000 additional neighbourhood officers by 31 March 2026.

What steps she has taken with his German counterparts to facilitate more bi-lateral school visits since July 4 2024.

During the Prime Minister's successful visit to Berlin on 28 August 2024, Chancellor Scholz and he agreed to work on a once-in-a-generation bilateral treaty between our countries, rooted in our shared values and common goals. Within the context of wider and strengthened migration cooperation, we agreed to develop arrangements with Germany similar to those we already have with France on school group travel. Significant progress has been made at working level on both the wider agreement and school group arrangements. The Government will provide updates on the rules regarding school groups travel in advance of any change.

What the threshold is for police to make a proactive disclosure under the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme in the absence of a named child at immediate risk; and if she will review that threshold in the context of voluntary youth organisations.

The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme was introduced in 2011 and allows members of the public to make an application to police for information about a person who has contact with a child. The police guidance for the Scheme was updated in April 2023, which both modernised the Scheme and also formalised the process by which the police can make proactive disclosures when they are in receipt of information about a risk to a child or children without the need for an application by a member of the public.The police have the common law power to disclose information about an individual where it is necessary to do so to protect another individual from harm. The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, including its proactive disclosure route, does not replace statutory safeguarding processes in place – such as the Disclosure and Barring Service, Subject Access requests, or Freedom of Information requests – and relevant referrals will still need to be made as required.That being said, through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are working to place the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme on a statutory footing. This will ensure that police officers follow published guidance as they consider the disclosure of information when they suspect someone might pose a risk of sexual harm.

Whether her Department holds data on the number of instances where police have been unable to disclose (a) cautions and (b) convictions for child sexual offences to voluntary youth organisations due to legal restrictions.

The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme was introduced in 2011 and allows members of the public to make an application to police for information about a person who has contact with a child. The police guidance for the Scheme was updated in April 2023, which both modernised the Scheme and also formalised the process by which the police can make proactive disclosures when they are in receipt of information about a risk to a child or children without the need for an application by a member of the public.The police have the common law power to disclose information about an individual where it is necessary to do so to protect another individual from harm. The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, including its proactive disclosure route, does not replace statutory safeguarding processes in place – such as the Disclosure and Barring Service, Subject Access requests, or Freedom of Information requests – and relevant referrals will still need to be made as required.That being said, through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are working to place the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme on a statutory footing. This will ensure that police officers follow published guidance as they consider the disclosure of information when they suspect someone might pose a risk of sexual harm.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Data (Use and Access) Bill [Lords] on legal professional privilege, in the context of Information Commissioner powers to review documents covered by legal professional privilege.

An assessment of the impact of all of the measures contained in the Bill, including legal professional privilege, was published [on the 24th October] Parliament website at: https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/56548/documents/5221 [prior to Second Reading in the Lords].The Government has no plans to carry out any further assessments of the impact of LPP, (on the Information Commissioner or any other body).

When she expects the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse to be published.

Baroness Louise Casey is currently completing her audit into the nature, scale and characteristics of grooming gangs offending.I updated the House on 2 June that Baroness Casey has requested a short extension to her work from the Home Secretary to allow her to speak directly to victims, fully access the scale of the issue, and submit meaningful evidence-based recommendations to further tackle this abhorrent criminality.We expect to receive the report very shortly. We will then set out a comprehensive response, as well as next steps on the action we have already announced.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the continued operation of UK-registered charities with links to hostile foreign regimes on national security.

The Government's first duty is to protect our national security and keep our country safe. In concert with partners, we will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from state threats. We do not routinely comment on the detail of operational matters or specific threats.The Charity Commission for England and Wales has a statutory function to identify and investigate misconduct and mismanagement in charities. We are confident that it has the expertise to do so effectively.

Whether her Department has provided guidance to the police on pro-Palestinian encampments at universities.

The College of Policing is responsible for providing guidance to police.The College’s Public Order Public Safety authorised professional practice covers a wide range of events and operations, including protests and disorder.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) section 21 and (b) other provisions within the Renters' Rights Bill on fixed-term asylum accommodation procured by her Department.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

Whether (a) rules and (b) processes for the extradition of dual nationals differ to UK nationals.

The rules and processes under UK Extradition law and practice apply equally irrespective of the nationality of the Requested Person.

With reference to the letter from Lord Sharpe to the Chair of the Animals in Science Committee, published on 1 March 2024, whether the Home Office will issue a policy advice note to (a) discourage and (b) prohibit the use of the Forced Swim Test.

The letter from Lord Sharpe was issued under the previous Government. I can however, issue an update. The Home Office Regulator has reviewed all licences authorising the use of the Forced Swim Test (FST) under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Regulator has subsequently liaised with licence holders where necessary to implement the recommendations of the Animals in Science Committee.The number of project licences that authorises the FST in Great Britain has decreased from nine on the 1 March 2024, to a current total of only four licences. All of these licences are due to expire by 2028.The Home Office Regulator will, through audit and regulatory processes, assure that relevant establishments apply robust scientific justification, ethical oversight and the 3Rs fully and consistently across all applicable licences.This Government has set a manifesto commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing” and will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing later this year. This strategy supports the current scientific direction on reducing use of the FST (www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230021001434).

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of unregulated online pornography on violence against women and girls.

The Government published the final report of the Independent Pornography Review on 27 February 2025 and issued an initial statement in response addressing the important issues it raised. . The findings of the Review continue to be assessed by the Government, including as part of our work to halve Violence Against Women and Girls in a decade, and a further update will be provided in due course.Already, from 17 March 2025 services in scope of the Online Safety Act must take action to tackle illegal pornographic content. By July 2025, all services that allow pornography will also need to have highly effective age-checks in place to protect children from accessing it.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37318 on Animal Experiments: Animal Welfare, how many animals were bred for use in procedures licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 but deemed surplus and disposed of without being used for scientific purposes in the last full calendar year for which data is available.

The most recent statistics in this category were published in 2017, when 1.81 million non-genetically altered (non-GA) animals were bred for scientific procedures but were killed or died without being used in regulated procedures. These statistics can be found here:Additional statistics on breeding and genotyping of animals for scientific procedures, Great Britain, 2017

For what reasons the National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange has been closed.

The functions of National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange will be taken forward within other national security teams, building on the capabilities, practices and networks successfully established since it was formed in 2021.

How many animals were housed in UK (a) laboratories, (b) breeding centres and (c) universities but not used in scientific procedures in 2023; and how many animals were not used in scientific procedures and euthanised in 2023.

The available data in this area was most recently set out in Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, published on 11 September 2024. The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken. The 2023 Annual Statistics show that 2.68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2023; this is a decrease of 3% on last year and the lowest number since 2001.

For what reason international students from countries with Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results above the UK’s own in English are required to take additional English tests when they apply to UK universities.

The Government has no plans to weaken the UK’s immigration controls on English language requirements in the way suggested by the Honourable Member for Basildon and Billericay.To ensure that all those coming to the UK to study under the Student route are genuine students who can follow a course of study, the Home Office sets minimum requirements for English language competency as specified in the Immigration Rules.Sponsors who are Higher Education Providers (HEP) with a track record of compliance offering courses at degree level or above can also choose to set higher requirements and use their own methods to assess the students’ English language ability.It is important that the English language requirements set out in our Immigration Rules continue to be applied to each individual based on their personal aptitude, rather than handing blanket approval to all students based on the PISA results of their country of origin.

If she will take legislative steps to authorise the police to inform youth clubs when people (a) attending and (b) running them have received a police caution for sexual offences.

Ensuring the system for managing sex offenders and those who pose a risk is as robust as possible is a crucial part of preventing sexual violence and delivering our mission to halve violence against women and girls. The disclosure and barring regime protects children and vulnerable adults through the disclosure of relevant criminal records to help employers make informed recruitment decisions. Where an individual is seeking to work in a role that involve special risks and sensitivities, such as working closely with children, an employer may request they obtain an enhanced criminal record certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service. These certificates include details of spent and unspent cautions and convictions recorded on the Police National Computer, subject to filtering rules. Except in some sectors like health and education, the use of DBS checks is at the employer’s discretion. In addition, police can share information about individuals who may pose a risk where disclosure is required to protect the public, including children or vulnerable adults. This can be done either proactively or on request.