Written questions by Costa.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of levels of contested parish council elections on accountability in local government.

Contested town and parish elections strengthen local accountability, by encouraging broader representation and democratic engagement. Town and parish councils rely on individuals stepping forward to serve their communities, and a greater number of candidates increases the likelihood of contested elections. We continue to value the role of town and parish councils in driving forward community priorities and delivering effective local services.

Whether forthcoming legislative proposals on the use of non-disclosure agreements would apply retrospectively.

Victims are always able to report crimes to the police under the common law, even if their Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) suggests otherwise and irrespective of when the NDA was entered into. However, since 1 October 2025, section 17 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 allows individuals who are victims of crime, or reasonably believe they are, to share information with specified parties for certain purposes related to the criminal conduct, even if their NDA appears to preclude them from doing so. Additionally, clause 24 of the Employment Rights Bill will void any provision in an agreement between a worker and their employer to the extent that it seeks to prevent a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment and discrimination, unless conditions for an “excepted agreement” to be set in regulations are met. This measure is not yet in force and is subject to the Bill gaining Royal Assent.Neither of these initiatives would apply retrospectively. They would not apply to NDAs entered into before the date on which the relevant legislation comes into force. This is in line with the rule of law principle that policy changes generally apply prospectively, to provide certainty for individuals and businesses about the rules governing their conduct.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that every police force has specialist officers trained to investigate cyber crime.

We are committed to ensuring we have the workforce needed to tackle the threat of cyber crime and protect our people and businesses. Since 2017, in partnership with local Police and Crime Commissioners, the Home Office has directly funded a national network of specialist officers trained to investigate cyber crime and support local communities in efforts to prevent crimes that occur online. In the financial year 2025/26, this has included funding of c.£30m.Across England and Wales, Regional Cyber Crime Units (RCCUs) operate in the Metropolitan Police and each Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU). Each of the 43 local police forces has a dedicated Force Cyber Crime Unit (FCCU). These teams have the specialist skills required to respond to cyber crime and are provided with ongoing training to ensure they can respond to the rapid pace of technological change and the increasingly complexity of cyber crime investigations.Close collaboration between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and wider policing is vital in ensuring an effective response. The NCA play an important role in leading and coordinating the cyber crime network, supported in policing by the City of London Police as the Lead Force for fraud and cyber crime. The NCA’s operational leadership is driven by statutory national governance structures that drive strategic coordination of the law enforcement response and strengthen the relationship between the NCA and wider policing to effectively respond to cyber crime incidents.The size of the cyber crime network is under constant review. The Home Office is currently in internal negotiations on the distribution of the departmental allocation provided as part of the recent Spending Review. As part of this process, we will consider the number of officers in policing required to tackle the challenge of cyber crime over the next three years.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of collaboration between the National Crime Agency and local police forces in responding to cyber crime incidents.

We are committed to ensuring we have the workforce needed to tackle the threat of cyber crime and protect our people and businesses. Since 2017, in partnership with local Police and Crime Commissioners, the Home Office has directly funded a national network of specialist officers trained to investigate cyber crime and support local communities in efforts to prevent crimes that occur online. In the financial year 2025/26, this has included funding of c.£30m.Across England and Wales, Regional Cyber Crime Units (RCCUs) operate in the Metropolitan Police and each Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU). Each of the 43 local police forces has a dedicated Force Cyber Crime Unit (FCCU). These teams have the specialist skills required to respond to cyber crime and are provided with ongoing training to ensure they can respond to the rapid pace of technological change and the increasingly complexity of cyber crime investigations.Close collaboration between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and wider policing is vital in ensuring an effective response. The NCA play an important role in leading and coordinating the cyber crime network, supported in policing by the City of London Police as the Lead Force for fraud and cyber crime. The NCA’s operational leadership is driven by statutory national governance structures that drive strategic coordination of the law enforcement response and strengthen the relationship between the NCA and wider policing to effectively respond to cyber crime incidents.The size of the cyber crime network is under constant review. The Home Office is currently in internal negotiations on the distribution of the departmental allocation provided as part of the recent Spending Review. As part of this process, we will consider the number of officers in policing required to tackle the challenge of cyber crime over the next three years.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that information on (a) settlement payments and (b) legal costs incurred by local authorities in cases of staff misconduct is shared with (i) relevant board members and (ii) the public.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. This includes responsibility for cases of staff misconduct.

Whether his Department plans to increase the number of police officers with expertise in tackling cyber crime in the next three years.

We are committed to ensuring we have the workforce needed to tackle the threat of cyber crime and protect our people and businesses. Since 2017, in partnership with local Police and Crime Commissioners, the Home Office has directly funded a national network of specialist officers trained to investigate cyber crime and support local communities in efforts to prevent crimes that occur online. In the financial year 2025/26, this has included funding of c.£30m.Across England and Wales, Regional Cyber Crime Units (RCCUs) operate in the Metropolitan Police and each Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU). Each of the 43 local police forces has a dedicated Force Cyber Crime Unit (FCCU). These teams have the specialist skills required to respond to cyber crime and are provided with ongoing training to ensure they can respond to the rapid pace of technological change and the increasingly complexity of cyber crime investigations.Close collaboration between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and wider policing is vital in ensuring an effective response. The NCA play an important role in leading and coordinating the cyber crime network, supported in policing by the City of London Police as the Lead Force for fraud and cyber crime. The NCA’s operational leadership is driven by statutory national governance structures that drive strategic coordination of the law enforcement response and strengthen the relationship between the NCA and wider policing to effectively respond to cyber crime incidents.The size of the cyber crime network is under constant review. The Home Office is currently in internal negotiations on the distribution of the departmental allocation provided as part of the recent Spending Review. As part of this process, we will consider the number of officers in policing required to tackle the challenge of cyber crime over the next three years.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to require parish councils to submit annual governance reports to their principal authorities.

The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 require parish councils and other smaller authorities to produce an Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR). Parish councils are accountable to their local electorate rather than their principal authority. The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 require councils to make their unaudited AGAR available for public inspection. Councils are also required to publish their AGAR (including the external auditor's report and certificate) online and/or on noticeboards by the end of September following the end of the financial year to which the statement relates.

Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of technical support offered by technology companies to people who report cyber crime incidents affecting their products.

The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act (2022) places a legal obligation on the manufacturers of internet-connected devices to offer a vulnerability reporting process. This means anyone - including users, security researchers and cyber crime victims - must have a clear, secure way to report vulnerabilities to device manufacturers. The Act also places a legal obligation on device manufacturers to support their products with software and security updates for a defined period. Technical support for cyber crime victims is not regulated under the Act. Victims should report cyber crimes to the police via the Action Fraud website or phone line.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing mutual recognition of commercial pilot licences between the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency; and what steps she is taking to help streamline the current licence conversion process for European Union Aviation Safety Agency-qualified pilots seeking to work in the UK.

The Government has been clear that it will work to reset the relationship with Europe, to strengthen ties and tackle barriers to trade. Agreements on UK-EU licensing recognition must be established through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and agreed by the UK-EU Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety. The Government continues to seek expansions to the Aviation Safety Chapter of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement where appropriate. An effective aviation licensing regime that supports UK aviation remains a priority, and the UK is keen to establish closer cooperation on personnel licensing where possible to ease the current burden on UK and EU personnel and industry.

What funding strategies his Department is considering to ensure hospices remain (a) competitive and (b) sustainable.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include the hospice services available within the ICB catchment.As set out in the Government’s recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we are determined to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift, and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end-of-life care services to support a reduction in variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

What steps his Department plans to take to support hospices to (a) attract and (b) retain their workforce.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services.  As independent organisations, charitable hospices are responsible for their own recruitment and employment terms. They are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The funding will alleviate immediate pressures on hospice finances, enabling them to invest in infrastructure over the longer term. It will allow hospices to create an improved physical environment with enhanced facilities and will allow them to focus their attention and wider resources on providing the best quality care to patients.Some hospices, however, are NHS services. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create an NHS workforce in England ready to deliver a transformed service. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. From now on, we will ensure that staff will be better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future, so they can achieve more.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an independent appeal or review mechanism for complainants who are dissatisfied with decisions made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's decisions on complaints are typically final, and can only be challenged through the courts on points of law. The government has no plans to change this.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that British nationals who are the victims of violent attacks are adequately supported by the British Embassy in Portugal; and whether his Department plans to issue travel advice on the risk of violence towards British nationals by private security personnel.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the UK's embassies, high commissions and consulates provide consular support to British nationals abroad. We are contactable 24/7, 365 days a year, around the world. In Portugal, we have staff based in Lisbon and Portimao who provide consular assistance to British nationals who require it, including victims of crime. FCDO travel advice reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals, including from crime.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of homelessness among armed forces veterans; and what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help prevent veterans from becoming homeless after leaving the military.

This is a Government that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government to ensure veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing, as well as health, employment and other areas. In November 2024 the Prime Minister announced an additional £3.5 million for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme, including Op FORTITUDE. This is in addition to the reforms which mean that veterans are now exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England. This Government has removed local connection requirements for veterans applying for social housing, ensuring that those who have served our nation can access housing where they choose to. We are taking a cross-Government approach to tackling homelessness more broadly, developing a strategy alongside Mayors and Councils across the country, to put Britain back on track to ending homelessness. I attend the regular meetings chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister to represent veterans in the formulation of this strategy. Finally, the Defence Housing Strategy will turbocharge the development of surplus military land, supporting the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain as part of the government’s Plan for Change. Through these measures, the Government is ensuring that homes will be there for heroes.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that armed forces veterans are given priority status on local authority housing registers.

Local authorities are responsible for designing and managing their own housing allocations policies to meet local need within the framework of legislation under which certain categories of people must be given priority.By law, local authorities must give ‘additional preference’ (high priority) to veterans where they fall within one or more of the ‘reasonable preference’ (priority) categories and have urgent housing needs. Social housing allocations guidance can be found on gov.uk here.In addition, we have made changes to social housing allocations regulations to exempt all veterans from local connection and residency tests, where these apply, to facilitate their access to social housing. The regulations came into force on 18 December 2024.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the regulation of televised advertisements depicting (a) violent imagery, (b) knifes and (c) other weapons during family viewing hours; and what steps she is taking to ensure such content does not undermine public messaging around knife crime prevention.

Although we have not had specific such conversations with Ofcom, we take the issue seriously. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) co-regulates broadcast advertising under contract with Ofcom and its sister organisation, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, sets the advertising codes. The Code requires that advertisements do not cause serious offence or harm, particularly to children under the age of 18, distress the audience without justifiable reason, or condone or encourage violence, crime, disorder or anti-social behaviour. Adverts for offensive weapons are considered unacceptable, and violent material must not be advertised in or adjacent to programmes targeted particularly at audiences below the age of 18. All broadcast advertising is required to be pre-approved through the Clearcast system before it is aired.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to introduce a statutory exemption from the long-term empty homes council tax premium for properties that have been inherited and are being marketed for sale.

When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), a further six months exemption is possible, so long as the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to someone else. Furthermore, the government has regulated to introduce an exception, to council tax premiums, for up to 12 months following a grant of probate. A further 12-month exception is available for dwellings actively marketed for sale or let. Exceptions to premiums may apply concurrently where the dwelling qualifies for both. The government does not collect data on the number of properties which are empty due to probate. However, we do collect data on the number of dwellings which are exempt from council tax due to the death of the occupant. As of the latest available data, 132,883 dwellings were receiving this exemption.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department monitors the number of households charged the council tax premium on long-term empty homes following (a) bereavement and (b) inheritance.

When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), a further six months exemption is possible, so long as the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to someone else. Furthermore, the government has regulated to introduce an exception, to council tax premiums, for up to 12 months following a grant of probate. A further 12-month exception is available for dwellings actively marketed for sale or let. Exceptions to premiums may apply concurrently where the dwelling qualifies for both. The government does not collect data on the number of properties which are empty due to probate. However, we do collect data on the number of dwellings which are exempt from council tax due to the death of the occupant. As of the latest available data, 132,883 dwellings were receiving this exemption.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward proposals to (a) support and (b) incentivise the resale of retirement or sheltered housing units.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 40972 on 1 April 2025.

What estimate she has made of the number of private prosecution cases brought by the RSPCA being heard in the Crown Court since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021.

Based on extracted management information data, the RSPCA has initiated 15,070 prosecutions since the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force in April 2007. This figure is taken as of September 2024 in line with published statistics.There have been 198 Crown Court receipts of prosecutions initiated by the RSPCA since the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021 came into force in June 2021.As the CPS has the power to take over any private prosecution, it is not possible to identify any such cases from the figures provided, and therefore these figures may include prosecutions taken over by the CPS.This Government recognises that greater transparency is needed in relation to private prosecutions, in order to improve confidence in the criminal justice system. This is why we have launched a public consultation on options to improve the oversight, regulation, and transparency of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system, which closes on 08 May. The consultation seeks respondents’ views on improvements to the available data on private prosecutors and the prosecutions they bring.