Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent assessment of the impact of the Hunting Act 2004 on levels of fox hunting.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not hold this data. The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with dogs except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act. Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. Those found guilty under the Act are subject to the full force of the law.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce mobile phone use in prisons.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
It is a crime to possess or operate a mobile phone in prisons, and prisoners caught with devices can face extra time behind bars.
Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, completed in March 2022, and included funding to reduce the smuggling of illicit items such as mobile phones into prisons, and our measures are producing results. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2022, we had recorded 28,626 positive indications, helping to tackle the supply mobile phones into prisons.
We have invested in a variety of mobile phone detection and blocking equipment across the prison estate to reduce mobile phone use. HMPPS also have a specialist digital team who ensure the data from illicit devices (including mobile phones) that are found in possession of prisoners can be subsequently analysed enhancing our ability to evidence criminality.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve BAME representation in ranks above Major in the Army.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
As set out in the published biannual diversity statistics, there are 70 people of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) of rank Lieutenant Colonel and above in the British Army, as at 1st April 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-april-2023
Diversity, inclusion and respect sit at the heart of the Army's values and ethos. The Army aims to recruit and retain a diversity of talent and thought, drawing from all sections of society.
The Army Race Action Plan which was published internally in April 2023 directs a number of actions to bring equity to career progression across all ranks and including personnel from ethnic minority backgrounds.
This includes improving representation at all levels, gaining better access to talent, progressing all talent based only upon merit, improving and professionalising organisational culture and improving lived experience, retention and opportunities.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many BAME officers are above the rank of Major in the Army.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
As set out in the published biannual diversity statistics, there are 70 people of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) of rank Lieutenant Colonel and above in the British Army, as at 1st April 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-april-2023
Diversity, inclusion and respect sit at the heart of the Army's values and ethos. The Army aims to recruit and retain a diversity of talent and thought, drawing from all sections of society.
The Army Race Action Plan which was published internally in April 2023 directs a number of actions to bring equity to career progression across all ranks and including personnel from ethnic minority backgrounds.
This includes improving representation at all levels, gaining better access to talent, progressing all talent based only upon merit, improving and professionalising organisational culture and improving lived experience, retention and opportunities.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he Department has had recent discussions with the Competition and Markets Authority on the adequacy of consumer protection in the private veterinary industry in cases of misdiagnosis.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra has not had discussions with the Competition and Markets Authority concerning consumer protection in cases of misdiagnosis. Any complaints about the conduct and fitness to practice of individual veterinary surgeons should be directed to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory regulator of the veterinary profession in the United Kingdom. The Competition and Markets Authority investigation into the veterinary services market is ongoing and closes by the end of October 2023.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent (a) harassment and (b) violence against (i) women and (ii) elderly people from the UK's Eritrean community.
Answered by Sarah Dines
Public sexual harassment is an appalling crime, and the Government has already taken significant action to tackle it. We have ensured that new guidance was published for police and prosecutors on existing offences, have provided £120 million through the Safer Streets and Safety of Women at Night Funds to make our streets safer, have created the new SafeStreet tool which allows people to pinpoint where they have felt unsafe and the police to take action.
The Government also supported the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023, which makes public sexual harassment a specific offence. The Act received Royal Assent on 18th September 2023.
Tackling violence against women and girls is a government priority. It is unacceptable and preventable, and an issue which blights the lives of millions. In July 2021, we published our cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere -- at home, online, at work and on the streets.
Older people and women from the Eritrean community who are victims and survivors of VAWG have access to a range of support provided through the Government’s Domestic Abuse Plan and VAWG Strategy. This support includes:
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of costs in the private veterinary industry.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Department has made no specific assessment of the implications on Defra policies of trends in costs in the private veterinary industry. However, policies are impact assessed in line with the Better Regulation Framework and such assessments consider costs in relation to relevant sectors, which may include the private veterinary sector.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of racism in the armed forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Armed Forces, and Defence as a whole, are committed to taking action to eradicate racism and have a zero-tolerance approach towards it. We are committed to solidifying racial equality as a fundamental principle in Defence, creating a more inclusive environment for all, enabling everyone, irrespective of background, to deliver our outputs, enhance our operational effectiveness and better represent the nation we serve. Our department-wide Diversity and Inclusion strategy, the Armed Forces Race Action Plan, and the Civil Service Race Action Plan clearly set out a challenging vision, goals, objectives, and commitments of where we want to see change.
We continue a wide programme of work to prevent and tackle unacceptable behaviour. All allegations of such behaviour are taken extremely seriously and investigated thoroughly. Service personnel have a number of routes to raise such issues, either with the military police, within the Chain of Command or independently with Diversity and Inclusion Advisers. Defence has mandated Active Bystander training so that personnel have the skills to challenge unacceptable behaviour effectively when it does occur.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle racism in the armed forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Armed Forces, and Defence as a whole, are committed to taking action to eradicate racism and have a zero-tolerance approach towards it. We are committed to solidifying racial equality as a fundamental principle in Defence, creating a more inclusive environment for all, enabling everyone, irrespective of background, to deliver our outputs, enhance our operational effectiveness and better represent the nation we serve. Our department-wide Diversity and Inclusion strategy, the Armed Forces Race Action Plan, and the Civil Service Race Action Plan clearly set out a challenging vision, goals, objectives, and commitments of where we want to see change.
We continue a wide programme of work to prevent and tackle unacceptable behaviour. All allegations of such behaviour are taken extremely seriously and investigated thoroughly. Service personnel have a number of routes to raise such issues, either with the military police, within the Chain of Command or independently with Diversity and Inclusion Advisers. Defence has mandated Active Bystander training so that personnel have the skills to challenge unacceptable behaviour effectively when it does occur.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has set targets for the recruitment of (a) women and (b) ethnic minorities to the armed forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Armed Forces are committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best talent from the broadest diversity of skills and background, to reflect the society we serve.
A Level of Ambition of 30% inflow of women by 2030 was approved by the then Secretary of State and announced in 2021, building on the content of the previously published Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2018-2030. This is both "stretching and challenging" and a clear statement that Defence wants to improve, recognises the mission critical value women bring and is creating conversations and driving improvement activities.
At this time no equivalent Level of Ambition has been published for the inflow of ethnic minority recruits. However, Defence is undertaking a wide range of activities to increase their recruitment into the Armed Forces, through better understanding and greater engagement with ethnic minority communities, reviewing recruitment processes and more targeted marketing and communications towards potential ethnic minority applicants.