Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Whether named neighbourhood police officer coverage will be available 24 hours per day.

As the Prime Minister announced on 10 April, by July, every community will have named, and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities as part of the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. Police forces will ensure that neighbourhood policing teams spend the majority of their time in communities, providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses, providing them opportunities to raise concerns and priorities through regular beat meetings.There will also be a guaranteed response time to neighbourhood queries of 72 hours. There will be a clear process in place for the public to seek recourse if this response time is not met.The police are contactable 24 hours a day via force websites or by phoning 101 for non-emergency enquiries and concerns and the public should call the police on 999 in an emergency.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 46182 on Cambridgeshire Constabulary: Recruitment, how her Department calculated the number of additional (a) police officers, (b) Police Community Support Officers and (c) special constables each force required to meet the target of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police.

As set out in the 2025/26 police funding settlement, £200 million of funding has been allocated to forces in England and Wales, starting in April 2025 for the financial year 2025/26, to deliver the first steps towards placing 13,000 additional officers into neighbourhood policing roles by the end of this Parliament.The approach to delivery in 2025/26, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible and can be adapted to the local context and varied crime demands. An assessment of progress and learnings from year 1 of delivery will be used to inform delivery models for future phases of the programme.

How many instances of fraudulent use of Aspen cards have been (a) reported and (b) discovered since 5 July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on the 01 May 2025 to UIN 47395, 47396 & 47903.

How many people had asylum applications refused and were living in Government-funded accommodation as of 1 April 2025.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum seekers in receipt of support is published in table Asy_D09 of the ‘Asylum support detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to as at 31 December 2024. Data for as at 31 March 2025 will be published on 22 May 2025.Data on refusals on asylum claims is published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to 2024. This data will include all asylum seekers, not just those in receipt of support.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

What information her Department holds on the number of dogs bred for use in scientific testing which were (a) used and (b) not used in scientific procedures in (i) 2021-22, (ii) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25.

The following data provides the number of dogs used for the first time in scientific procedures for each year:2021 - 2,579 dogs2022 - 2,683 dogs2023 - 2,477 dogsEach year the Home Office publishes annual statistics relating to scientific procedures performed on living animals (www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics). These statistics provide further information on these procedures such as procedure purpose (Table 1.3) and place of birth (Table 2.1).The statistics for 2024 are being prepared for a planned publication in July of this year.Statistics for 2025 will be published next year in the annual statistics.Additional statistics on animals that were bred for use for scientific procedures but were killed or died without being used in procedures, were previously provided as required by European Directive 2010/63/EU. In 2017, the Home Office published these additional statistics covering the number of non-genetically altered animals that were bred for scientific procedures but were killed or died without being used in procedures; and the number of animals (genetically altered and non-genetically altered) subject to tissue sampling for the purposes of genotyping.Future publication of this data is under review.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to question 47394 on Gender Based Violence: Men, what policing framework do police forces use for male victims of (a) domestic abuse, (b) rape and sexual assault, (c) forced marriage and (d) honour-based violence.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 28 April 2025 to UIN 47394.

How many and what proportion of people who arrived illegally via small boat since 5 July 2024 have been granted asylum.

The Home Office publishes statistics on detected small boat arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on small boat arrivals claiming asylum and the outcomes of these asylum claims, by arrival year and quarter, is published in tables Irr_D02 and Irr_D03 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of December 2024. Data up to the end of March 2025 will be published on 22 May 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of the 28 April 2025 to Question 44693 on Neighbourhood Policing, how the figure of an additional 13,000 neighbourhood police officers was calculated.

As set out in the Labour Party Manifesto, this Government has a clear commitment to recruit 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers.Neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of the British policing model. Every community deserves visible, pro-active and accessible neighbourhood policing with officers tackling the issues that matter to them.

With reference to her Department’s publication entitled Cambridgeshire Constabulary, published on 9 April 2025, whether the figures apply only to year one of the four year neighbourhood policing grant.

The figures published on Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK relate to the first year of the neighbourhood policing programme only.This marks the first year towards increasing neighbourhood policing by 13,000 officers by the end of this Parliament.

How many police officers Cambridgeshire Constabulary expects to recruit in (a) 2025-2026, (b) 2026-2027, (c) 2027-2028 and (d) 2028-2029.

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. We are clear that visible policing is essential to restoring public confidence in the police. The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement. This includes up to £376.8 million, allocated to directly support the maintenance of police officers across England and Wales in 2025-26, as well as £200 million to kickstart the first phase of delivering 13,000 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles.

What information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) duration of shifts required to provide continued cover for the same full-time equivalent warranted police officer patrolling role (i) in a vehicle, (ii) on foot and (iii) in a firearms capacity over a 24 hour period.

The Home Office does not hold this data.

How much funding her Department has provided to (a) Respect, (b) Galop, (c) SignHealth and (d) Hourglass in each of the last three financial years; and how much it will provide in 2025-26.

The table below outlines funding allocated by the Home Office to these organisations for tackling violence against women and girls. The table covers the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years. Funding for these organisations in this financial year (2025-26) is subject to final commercial approvals and will be announced soon.Name of organisationFY2022-23 Allocation FY2023-24 AllocationFY2024-25 Allocation(a) Respect£350,000£440,585£440,000(b) Galop£348,000£348,000£520,000(c) SignHealth£125,000£824,984£895,580(d) Hourglass£50,000£361,109£432,121Total£873,000£1,974,678£2,287,701

How many one-off maternity payments of £300 have been granted to asylum seekers whose baby was (a) due in 11 weeks or less and (b) under 6 months old.

The data held centrally by the Home Office on support for asylum seekers does not disaggregate payments according to the age of the children or due to the date of their mothers. However, the Home Office publishes information on overall asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report all relevant payments are included in this data.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 46185 on Police: Recruitment, and with reference to the document entitled Transparency data: Cambridgeshire Constabulary, published on 9 April 2025, whether the projected growth for Cambridgeshire Constabulary is the only police recruitment budgeted for in Cambridgeshire in the 2025-26 financial year.

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to tackle crime effectively and protect the communities they serve. We have been clear with all forces that they are required to deliver sufficient recruitment to maintain officer numbers through funding provided in the 2025-26 police funding settlement in parallel with neighbourhood policing commitments.Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement – a significant increase, and more than the increase last year. This equates to a 7.1% cash increase, and 4.6% real terms increase in funding. This includes funding to support the costs of the 2024-25 pay award, the increase in the employer national insurance contributions, funding for officer maintenance and an additional £200 million to kickstart the first phase of 13,000 additional police personnel into neighbourhood policing roles.A total of up to £376.8 million has been allocated to support the maintenance of police officer numbers in England and Wales in 2025-26. It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to put in place robust workforce plans that will ensure forces can continue to manage budgets whilst delivering sufficient recruitment to maintain officer numbers and their neighbourhood policing commitments.

How many people who arrived illegally via small boat (a) before and (b) since 5 July 2024 are living in hotel accommodation.

The Home Office does not publish asylum support statistics broken down by method of arrival.However, data is published quarterly, on both the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and the number of small boat arrivals, and can be found at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

What the (a) daily and (b) weekly cost to the public purse was of accommodation for people who arrived illegally via small boat on 1 April 2025.

Information on asylum expenditure is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).

What steps she is taking to improve support for male victims of crime categorised as violence against women and girls.

The definition of VAWG (Violence against Women and Girls) encompasses crimes which disproportionately, but not exclusively, affect women and girls. We recognise that men and boys experience abusive and violent crimes, such as stalking, domestic abuse, and sexual abuse and we are committed to ensuring that male victims and survivors also get the support that they need. The Home Office have invested in services, such as Respect, Galop, SignHealth, and Hourglass, which provide essential support to male victims. We will publish a new VAWG strategy this year to better support all victims of these appalling crimes.

Whether her Department has a strategy to reduce instances of male rape.

The Government’s definition of violence against women and girls (VAWG) encompasses crimes which disproportionately, but not exclusively, affect women and girls. We recognise that men and boys experience these crimes, including rape, and we are committed to ensuring that male victims and survivors get the support that they need. The Government has made several commitments to transform the criminal justice response to sexual offences for all victims. This includes introducing free, independent legal advice advisors for victims of adult rape; and fast-tracking rape cases.In far too many cases, we know victims aren’t getting the justice they deserve. That's why it is so important that police and prosecutors continue to drive forward the transformational change through Operation Soteria, a joint policing and Crown Prosecution Service programme, that has developed new national operating models for the investigation and prosecution of adult rape. We are continuing to fund Operation Soteria to support policing and prosecutors to build the strongest possible, suspect-focused cases. In addition, the Home Office has invested in specialist support services, such as Respect, Galop, SignHealth, and Hourglass, which provide essential support to male victims. We will publish a new VAWG Strategy this year to help ensure all victims of these crimes are better supported.

How many ASPEN cards have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen since 5 July 2024.

Aspen cards are issued only to the main applicants on claims for Asylum Support and can only be used for chip and pin payments. Asylum seekers are able to report any difficulties, including loss or theft of their Aspen card, by calling Migrant Help, available 24/7 by telephone, webchat or email.The Home Office publishes regular information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, but the specific cost data requested is considered commercially sensitive, and its disclosure could undermine the ability of the Home Office to secure maximum value for money in future contract negotiations.

How many asylum claims have been (a) made and (b) processed since 5 July 2024.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum claims and initial decisions on asylum claims is published in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to 2024.