Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on which date she wrote to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs setting out her reasons for rejecting the Council’s recommendations on nitrous oxide.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published their report on nitrous oxide on 6 March, which set out the available evidence and made recommendations for action. This report can be found at the following link: Nitrous oxide: updated harms assessment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Government carefully considered the ACMD’s advice when making the decision to control nitrous oxide under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. In their report the ACMD cite anecdotal reports of an increase in neurological harms. They also identify evidence in relation to health and social harms and provide references to those sources within their report. This includes harms such as drug driving and littering as well as identifying widespread availability for illegitimate use. In addition to the ACMD’s review, the Government has received representations from members of the public, from police officers and others highlighting serious concerns and providing further anecdotal evidence of the dangers of nitrous oxide.
The Government responded to the ACMD on 27 March. The Government’s response is available at the following link: Government response: ACMD nitrous oxide review (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral contribution of 27 March 2023, Official Report, column 674, on Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan, what emerging evidence on nitrous oxide she is referring to; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published their report on nitrous oxide on 6 March, which set out the available evidence and made recommendations for action. This report can be found at the following link: Nitrous oxide: updated harms assessment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Government carefully considered the ACMD’s advice when making the decision to control nitrous oxide under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. In their report the ACMD cite anecdotal reports of an increase in neurological harms. They also identify evidence in relation to health and social harms and provide references to those sources within their report. This includes harms such as drug driving and littering as well as identifying widespread availability for illegitimate use. In addition to the ACMD’s review, the Government has received representations from members of the public, from police officers and others highlighting serious concerns and providing further anecdotal evidence of the dangers of nitrous oxide.
The Government responded to the ACMD on 27 March. The Government’s response is available at the following link: Government response: ACMD nitrous oxide review (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to the House on 28 March on Afghan Resettlement Update, how much of the £1 million per day cost for hotel accommodation for the Afghan cohort is being charged to the development budget.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Given the complexity of factors involved in calculating ODA spend, the Home Office does not categorise data on ODA spend in a way that makes it possible to answer this question.
The Statistics on International Development (SID) National Statistics, published on GOV.UK, provides an overview of all UK spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to the House on 28 March on Afghan Resettlement Update, what proportion of the Local Authority Housing Fund expansion of £250 million will be charged to the development budget.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The £250 million of additional funding for the Local Authority Housing Fund in England is funded from DLUHC departmental budgets.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to the House on 28 March on Afghan Resettlement Update, what data her Department holds on the accommodation of those Afghan nationals who are part of the 24,500 who have relocated in the UK but who are not part of the around (a) 8,000 in bridging hotels and (b) 9,000 in settled homes.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Bridging accommodation is available to those who need it. A number of people have not needed to use it for a variety of reasons. For example, they may be the immediate family of a British national who owns a property in the UK, they have been able to stay with other family or friends or they have taken steps to secure their own private rented accommodation.
The published operational data on Afghanistan including information on temporary accommodation and settled accommodation is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Further data on accommodation may be included in future operational data releases. The next of which is on the 25 May 2023.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in Tunisia on (a) Said Ferjani and (b) other Parliamentarians who have been arrested and remain in custody since the suspension of the Tunisian Parliament.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for North Africa, raised the UK's Issue with the recent wave of arrests directly with Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February, underlining the importance of due legal process and respect for freedom of expression and association. His Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia also raised UK concerns regarding the arrests with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar on 23 February. Officials and Ministers have regular discussions with the Tunisian authorities to reiterate the UK's belief in the importance of space for legitimate political opposition, civil society, strengthening human rights and including all voices in building resilient and successful democracies. We will continue to engage the Tunisian authorities on these issues.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people with criminal records only have a conviction related to drug offences.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold any information on the proportion of people with criminal records who only have a conviction related to drug offences.
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for drug offences on a quarterly basis. The most recent publication is available here: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: September 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In year ending September 2022, there were 73,731 convictions for drug offences. However, no information is available on whether or not those convicted of these offences had a previous conviction (either for drug offences or for another type of offence).
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help (a) tackle transphobic bullying in schools.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated, and we are committed to supporting schools to tackle it.
The department provides advice for schools outlining schools’ responsibilities. The advice makes clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child's social, emotional, and mental health needs. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.
Between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, the department is providing over £2 million of funding to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups.
The department is also ensuring that all children in England learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of new mandatory relationships, sex and health education. These subjects are designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe, and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference.
All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to encourage good behaviour and prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils. The policy should set out the behaviour expected of pupils, the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, and rewards for good behaviour. This should be communicated to all pupils, school staff and parents. This is supported by Respectful School Communities, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This is available at: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/. This tool can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2023 to Question 125224 on Armed Forces: Homosexuality, whether his Department is aware of earlier destruction of relevant records.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Almost all police investigative records concerning gay and lesbian personnel before 2000 have been destroyed. Service Police investigative records are routinely and lawfully destroyed, in line with data protection legislation and Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy prescribing retention periods based on category of offence. Once records no longer have an investigative value there is no basis for retaining them, particularly as they contain sensitive personal information.
Our research into this topic indicates that relevant records were generally managed and retained in the same way as records of other offences, in line with data protection legislation and MOD policy at the time. Archived communications suggest the exceptions to this are:
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the finding in research by NFU Mutual, published on 7 February 2023, that 39 per cent of dog owners surveyed stated that their dog does not always respond to their command to return; if she will take steps to increase the number of dogs receiving training to prevent sheep worrying; and whether her Department has conducted research on the potential impact of such training on the number of dog attacks on sheep.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In December 2021, Defra published research in collaboration with Middlesex University investigating measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership. In response to this research, we have established a Responsible Dog Ownership working group involving police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations which is considering the report’s recommendations, including those relating to dog training. This research did not specifically address the impact of training on the number of dog attacks on sheep.
Currently it is an offence for a person to allow their dog to chase or attack livestock on any agricultural land – that includes where a dog is at large in a field or enclosure in which there are sheep.
The Government maintains that it is best practice to keep a dog on a lead around livestock. The Countryside Code advises dog walkers to always check local signs as there are situations where this is already a legal requirement for all or part of the year.