The Government is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, ensuring victims and survivors receive appropriate care and support and pursuing offenders and bringing them to justice.

Operation Fernbridge was a police‑led investigation that has now closed. The Operation resulted in one conviction for the sexual assault of a child at Grafton Close. Decisions about the scope, conduct and timing of individual police investigations are a matter for the police, who are operationally independent of Government.

The Government expects the police to robustly investigate all allegations of child sexual abuse and are investing in a range of capabilities to improve the policing response. More generally, the Government is driving forward work to act on the recommendations and learnings from IICSA, as part of a broader comprehensive approach to preventing, identifying and responding to all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, as set out in in the ‘Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update’ published in April 2025.

The Government is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, ensuring victims and survivors receive appropriate care and support and pursuing offenders and bringing them to justice.

Operation Fernbridge was a police‑led investigation that has now closed. The Operation resulted in one conviction for the sexual assault of a child at Grafton Close. Decisions about the scope, conduct and timing of individual police investigations are a matter for the police, who are operationally independent of Government.

The Government expects the police to robustly investigate all allegations of child sexual abuse and are investing in a range of capabilities to improve the policing response. More generally, the Government is driving forward work to act on the recommendations and learnings from IICSA, as part of a broader comprehensive approach to preventing, identifying and responding to all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, as set out in in the ‘Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update’ published in April 2025.

The College of Policing is responsible for recording the number of specialists trained officers in each police force, such as those with specialist training in responding to sexual offences.

The Home Secretary has instructed all police forces in England and Wales, including Surrey, to implement a specialist rape and sexual offences team by 2029. These measures will mean that by the end of this Parliament, victims and their supporters can be confident that, wherever they live police forces have the specialist skills, knowledge and capability to necessary to bring offenders to justice.

More broadly, we have committed to strengthen training on violence against women and girls for policing and are working closely with the new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection to delivery this.

Public inquiries operate independently of criminal proceedings.

Findings of an inquiry do not constitute criminal findings, but they can inform subsequent police investigations.

Inquiries have processes whereby information indicating potential criminal conduct can be shared directly with the police or other relevant authorities, such as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Public inquiries operate independently of criminal proceedings.

Findings of an inquiry do not constitute criminal findings, but they can inform subsequent police investigations.

Inquiries have processes whereby information indicating potential criminal conduct can be shared directly with the police or other relevant authorities, such as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Public inquiries operate independently of criminal proceedings.

Findings of an inquiry do not constitute criminal findings, but they can inform subsequent police investigations.

Inquiries have processes whereby information indicating potential criminal conduct can be shared directly with the police or other relevant authorities, such as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

I refer the Hon. Member to the response given to UIN 127995 on 21^st April 2026.

The Home Office funded police forces who were yet to undertake the Domestic Abuse Matters training which provides specialist domestic abuse training to police. In 2024/ 2025 we provided £83,056 funding to Norfolk to deliver this training.

Support for victims and survivors of VAWG crimes at a local level is funded through local Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) rather than the Home Office. The Home Office invested over £20 million in 2025/26 to support victims of VAWG and raise awareness of these horrific crimes, including over £6 million for VAWG Helplines and over £2.6 million for the Flexible Fund, which offers direct cash payments for victims fleeing domestic abuse. These schemes are available for all victims across England and Wales.

Through the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk has been allocated £1,082,500 across the financial years 2023-24 to 2026-27. This funding aims to improve the safety, and feeling of safety, of victims and their children, by reducing the risk posed by perpetrators through locally commissioned perpetrator interventions.

The Home Office does not hold or publish data on whether victims of modern slavery with a positive Conclusive Grounds decision were eligible for local authority housing, as housing eligibility decisions are made by local authorities and are not recorded in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) datasets.

As set out in the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry, published on 31 March 2026, the final report of the Inquiry must be submitted to the Home Secretary by 31 March 2029. It is supported by a £65 million budget.

In addition, within three months of the formal setting up date of the Inquiry, the Chair and Panel must determine what must be delivered within this timeframe and budget and agree that assessment with the Home Secretary.

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Baroness Casey made clear in her audit into Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies should be required not to destroy any relevant records. Once the government responded to Baroness Casey’s report and accepted all her recommendations in June 2025, including establishing an Inquiry, organisations already had additional legal obligations to protect relevant information.

Alongside her appointment on 9 December 2025, the Chair of the Inquiry wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to highlight the publication of the draft Terms of Reference at the earliest possible opportunity, to ensure that organisations were retaining information in line with the specific scope that the draft Terms of Reference established, including the time period, organisations, and issues likely to be examined. This letter highlighted the need for relevant local and national bodies to be ready to meet their legal obligations to provide relevant records, information and data to the Inquiry as it is requested.

This letter was shared with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to cascade the requirement to retain records to their relevant sectors, including local councils, health agencies and police forces.

Following this, on 14 January 2026 the Home Office Permanent Secretary wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other arm’s length bodies to pass on the Chair’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary, to set out the need for full transparency and cooperation with the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has full statutory powers to compel evidence and witnesses and the Inquiry Chair has been clear that any gaps in evidence will be identified and investigated. If the Inquiry identifies potential criminal wrongdoing, including the destruction of evidence that should have been retained, this will be passed to law enforcement to assess.

We expect organisations to comply with the law on record retention and do not intend to issue further guidance. The Inquiry may choose to write to affected organisations on record retention in due course now it has been formally established.

Modern slavery crimes are complex to investigate and prosecute, and ensuring a consistent and coordinated national policing response to modern slavery remains a priority for the Home Office.

The Department worked closely with the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit (MSOICU) and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to review the programme’s functions and agree contingency arrangements to ensure key functions are preserved to maintain national coordination following the programme’s closure.

This includes issuing an expression of interest to appoint a new National Police Chief Council (NPCC) lead for modern slavery to continue to provide national leadership on the policing response to modern slavery. Once appointed, the Home Office will work closely with the NPCC lead and the NCA to ensure modern slavery remains a policing priority.

Forces will continue to receive relevant updates from the Home Office on modern slavery and human trafficking through existing stakeholder forums, such as the Modern Slavery Engagement Forum and the First Responder Forum.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. The Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 estimated that 3.5% of people aged 16 to 59 years had experienced stalking in the last year. The trend has been relatively flat over the last 10 years. This Government is fully committed to tackling stalking and doing all that it can to protect victims.

The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. This helpline ensures that victims have 24/7 access to support, advice and practical information. In FY2025-2026, the Home Office has provided £193,430.

More broadly, the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December set out clear action to tackle stalking, including the appointment of Richard Wright KC to lead the Stalking Legislation Review, ensuring the criminal law on stalking is fit for purpose. A commitment was also made to strengthen the use of Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). This includes setting up SPO intensification sites in select forces which aim to drive up use of SPOs and provide opportunities to test innovative approaches to enforce conditions and monitor breaches, which could be adopted nationwide.

In addition, we are improving police understanding, identification and response to stalking, by ensuring all police forces implement changes following the stalking super-complaint. To provide a framework to support police and other agencies to coordinate their response to stalking cases, we are also introducing a power for the Secretary of State to issue multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking through the Crime and Policing Bill.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. The Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 estimated that 3.5% of people aged 16 to 59 years had experienced stalking in the last year. The trend has been relatively flat over the last 10 years. This Government is fully committed to tackling stalking and doing all that it can to protect victims.

The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. This helpline ensures that victims have 24/7 access to support, advice and practical information. In FY2025-2026, the Home Office has provided £193,430.

More broadly, the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December set out clear action to tackle stalking, including the appointment of Richard Wright KC to lead the Stalking Legislation Review, ensuring the criminal law on stalking is fit for purpose. A commitment was also made to strengthen the use of Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). This includes setting up SPO intensification sites in select forces which aim to drive up use of SPOs and provide opportunities to test innovative approaches to enforce conditions and monitor breaches, which could be adopted nationwide.

In addition, we are improving police understanding, identification and response to stalking, by ensuring all police forces implement changes following the stalking super-complaint. To provide a framework to support police and other agencies to coordinate their response to stalking cases, we are also introducing a power for the Secretary of State to issue multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking through the Crime and Policing Bill.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. The Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 estimated that 3.5% of people aged 16 to 59 years had experienced stalking in the last year. The trend has been relatively flat over the last 10 years. This Government is fully committed to tackling stalking and doing all that it can to protect victims.

The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. This helpline ensures that victims have 24/7 access to support, advice and practical information. In FY2025-2026, the Home Office has provided £193,430.

More broadly, the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December set out clear action to tackle stalking, including the appointment of Richard Wright KC to lead the Stalking Legislation Review, ensuring the criminal law on stalking is fit for purpose. A commitment was also made to strengthen the use of Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). This includes setting up SPO intensification sites in select forces which aim to drive up use of SPOs and provide opportunities to test innovative approaches to enforce conditions and monitor breaches, which could be adopted nationwide.

In addition, we are improving police understanding, identification and response to stalking, by ensuring all police forces implement changes following the stalking super-complaint. To provide a framework to support police and other agencies to coordinate their response to stalking cases, we are also introducing a power for the Secretary of State to issue multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking through the Crime and Policing Bill.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. The Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 estimated that 3.5% of people aged 16 to 59 years had experienced stalking in the last year. The trend has been relatively flat over the last 10 years. This Government is fully committed to tackling stalking and doing all that it can to protect victims.

The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. This helpline ensures that victims have 24/7 access to support, advice and practical information. In FY2025-2026, the Home Office has provided £193,430.

More broadly, the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December set out clear action to tackle stalking, including the appointment of Richard Wright KC to lead the Stalking Legislation Review, ensuring the criminal law on stalking is fit for purpose. A commitment was also made to strengthen the use of Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). This includes setting up SPO intensification sites in select forces which aim to drive up use of SPOs and provide opportunities to test innovative approaches to enforce conditions and monitor breaches, which could be adopted nationwide.

In addition, we are improving police understanding, identification and response to stalking, by ensuring all police forces implement changes following the stalking super-complaint. To provide a framework to support police and other agencies to coordinate their response to stalking cases, we are also introducing a power for the Secretary of State to issue multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking through the Crime and Policing Bill.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can leave victims living in fear just going about their daily lives. The Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 estimated that 3.5% of people aged 16 to 59 years had experienced stalking in the last year. The trend has been relatively flat over the last 10 years. This Government is fully committed to tackling stalking and doing all that it can to protect victims.

The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. This helpline ensures that victims have 24/7 access to support, advice and practical information. In FY2025-2026, the Home Office has provided £193,430.

More broadly, the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December set out clear action to tackle stalking, including the appointment of Richard Wright KC to lead the Stalking Legislation Review, ensuring the criminal law on stalking is fit for purpose. A commitment was also made to strengthen the use of Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). This includes setting up SPO intensification sites in select forces which aim to drive up use of SPOs and provide opportunities to test innovative approaches to enforce conditions and monitor breaches, which could be adopted nationwide.

In addition, we are improving police understanding, identification and response to stalking, by ensuring all police forces implement changes following the stalking super-complaint. To provide a framework to support police and other agencies to coordinate their response to stalking cases, we are also introducing a power for the Secretary of State to issue multi-agency statutory guidance on stalking through the Crime and Policing Bill.