Westminster Hall Scrutiny Without Division as Ministers Signal New Strategies

High-Level Summary

Westminster Hall hosted five debates on town and city centre safety, taxation of SMEs, transport in the South East, educational outcomes for disadvantaged boys and young men, and the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s 2024 report. Members set out local experiences and policy asks; Ministers responded with current actions and forthcoming plans. No divisions were held; each motion ended with the House resolving that it had considered the subject. Notable forward looks included the Road Investment Strategy 3, an integrated transport strategy, a schools White Paper, and priorities to accelerate alternatives to animal testing.

Detailed Summary

Town and City Centre Safety — Westminster Hall (Peter Dowd in the Chair)

Baggy Shanker opened the debate by tying regeneration to public confidence and calling for visible, neighbourhood policing and coordinated local action on issues such as illegal e‑bikes, shoplifting, PSPOs and CCTV. He said “people need to feel safe in our city centre” and, on illegal e‑bikes, “if they are illegal, they should be banned”. He and others attributed reduced police presence and high street decline to earlier austerity, stating “Austerity took bobbies off the beat… with PCSO numbers halved”.

Minister Sarah Jones highlighted increased neighbourhood policing and legislative measures, reporting “there are now 2,400 more officers in our neighbourhoods… there will be 13,000 more by the end of the Parliament” and that “knife crime is down 8%” since the Government took office. She referenced measures in the Crime and Policing Bill and backing for violence reduction units. Outcome: “Question put and agreed to… Resolved, That this House has considered town and city centre safety”. Next steps included continued implementation of neighbourhood policing uplift and Bill measures.

Taxation: Small and Medium‑sized Enterprises (Peter Dowd in the Chair)

Gregory Stafford argued SMEs face rising post‑Budget costs, focusing on business rates, employer NICs and the VAT threshold which he said discourages growth. He opened: “Small and medium sized‑enterprises are the backbone of our economy… since the autumn Budget 2024, they have been met with higher taxes”, and cited sector pressures and local examples. Members called for rates reform and action on economic crime.

Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson defended the Government’s approach, citing macroeconomic stability and targeted reliefs: “We have seen six interest rate cuts since this Government took office”. He said the reformed business rates multiplier means “the multiplier… for large online giants and their warehouses is now 33% higher than for a high street business”, with transitional relief so “many… will see their increases… capped at 15%”. He announced a pubs valuation methodology review and a forthcoming high streets strategy. Outcome: “Question put and agreed to”. Next steps include the methodology review and publishing the high streets strategy.

Transport in the South‑East — Westminster Hall (Sir John Hayes in the Chair)

Jessica Brown‑Fuller led a broad debate on roads, rail and buses, emphasising A27 congestion, resilience and public transport gaps: “How we move around our communities affects everybody”, and she said that on the A27 she could “guarantee we would be caught in congestion” at almost any time. Members across the region raised potholes, rural bus cuts, the Croydon rail bottleneck and funding for safety and resilience.

Minister for Local Transport Lilian Greenwood outlined current and planned investments. She said the status of pipeline schemes, “including the Chichester bypass, will be confirmed when road investment strategy 3 is published next month”, highlighted “a record £7.3 billion investment in local highways maintenance funding over the next four years”, and added “we will shortly be publishing our integrated transport strategy”. Outcome: the House resolved that it had considered the subject. Next steps include RIS3 publication and the integrated transport strategy.

Educational Outcomes: Disadvantaged Boys and Young Men — Westminster Hall (Sir John Hayes in the Chair)

Alistair Strathern urged policymakers to address specific challenges facing boys, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, advocating earlier intervention and a relational approach in schools. He argued progressives should be “confident… speaking up about some of the challenges that men and boys… face”, noting an attainment gap where boys “achieve on average half a grade lower” at GCSE. Drawing on teaching, he said effective support “came down… to one thing—the quality of the relationship I was able to build with them”.

Minister Olivia Bailey set out plans to improve early years readiness, literacy and support in schools, referencing an upcoming schools White Paper and a National Year of Reading with a focus on boys: “our upcoming schools White Paper will set out our vision” and “there is a focus on boys aged 10 to 16” in the reading campaign. She added the Government are “keen to see more male teachers” and to expand school mental health support teams. Outcome: motion agreed to without a division. Next steps include the White Paper and delivery of the reading campaign.

Animals in Science Regulation Unit: Annual Report 2024 — Westminster Hall (Sir John Hayes in the Chair)

Seamus Logan highlighted serious non‑compliance cases in ASRU’s report and called for a clear transition away from animal testing, including Herbie’s law. He cited incidents such as animals “that have starved to death or drowned” and noted, “In 2024, 2.64 million procedures using animals took place in UK labs”. He warned oversight is weak, with “75% of cases—the only sanction was ‘inspector advice’”, and pressed for stronger enforcement and a timeline for replacement methods.

Minister Sarah Jones said the Government share the goal of ending animal testing as quickly as science allows, stating “we are all united in wanting to phase out animal testing as quickly as possible”. She pointed to the replacement strategy, including that “we will publish biennially a list of alternative methods… priorities” and that “we have put £75 million behind the programme to phase out animal testing”, alongside increased inspector capacity. Outcome: the House resolved that it had considered the report. Next steps include delivery of the replacement strategy and regulator reform.