Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her planned timeline is for the implementation of steps to transition toward restorative justice is; and what the key milestones toward this will be.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Restorative justice can, when delivered in the right circumstances, improve victim satisfaction and reduce reoffending. This not only benefits the victims and the offender but also their community.
That is why, under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (‘the Victims’ Code’), all adult victims must be told about the option of restorative justice and how to access it. We also provide Police and Crime Commissioners with grant funding for victim support services, including restorative justice services. They are best placed to assess local need and commission services based on the needs of the population in the local area.
Restorative justice can also already be used as part of out of court resolutions, depending on the circumstances of the case.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to publish an action plan for imprisonment for public protection sentences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
I am pleased to announce that on 15 November, the Lord Chancellor laid the first IPP Annual Report and a newly updated IPP Action Plan before Parliament. The Report and Plan can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmpps-annual-report-on-the-ipp-sentence-2023-to-24.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the updated Plan drives effective frontline delivery in our prisons, to ensure that those serving IPP sentences are given every chance to make further progress in reducing their risk and eventually obtaining a release direction from the Parole Board in a way that prioritises public protection.
We are also committed to ensuring that the Plan improves the support for IPP offenders to comply with licence in the community, so that they can see the eventual termination of the licence and a definitive end to their sentence.
We will review the IPP Action Plan annually and will continue thoroughly to scrutinise the progress made.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential feasibility of extending free prescriptions to care leavers aged 18 to 25.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to make an assessment of the feasibility of extending free prescriptions to care leavers aged 18 to 25 years old.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to reduce the cost to local authorities of home-to-school transport.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport. Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the route is unsafe. There are extended rights to free home-to-school travel for children from low-income families, aimed at helping them exercise school choice.
The department knows that local authorities’ spending on home-to-school travel has increased sharply in recent years, particularly for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This is largely due to increases in the number of children with education, health and care plans and the number of those children who have to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs.
The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so fewer children need to travel long distances to a school that can meet their needs. This will reduce home-to-school travel costs for local authorities over time.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) social and (b) council housebuilding projects in Southampton are not delayed due to financial infeasibility.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 10272 on 28 October 2024.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will implement a national breast cancer screening awareness campaign to encourage people to attend appointments.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Breast Screening Programme has high levels of activity, however NHS England has advised that some women are simply not coming forward for screening. To address this, NHS England is carrying out research into the best approaches to target specific groups that are not coming forward for screening. Evidence suggests approaches such as personalised appointments from a general practitioner (GP), fixed appointment with a date and time, and text messaging reminders are the best ways to engage underserved communities.
In addition, The Help Us Help You national campaign helps to raise awareness of early diagnosis of cancer and encourages people to see their GP sooner. The campaign activity is designed to increase earlier diagnosis of cancer by reducing barriers to seeking earlier help, and by increasing body vigilance and knowledge of key red flag symptoms.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) support families of young people who die by suicide after taking illegal substances bought online and (b) raise awareness in schools and communities of this risk.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
I am grateful for the Hon. Gentleman for raising this important issue, and highlighting the dangers posed by the availability of illegal substances in online marketplaces, and the tragic consequences that can result from their purchase and consumption, both for young people at risk from that threat, and for their families. I would be happy to meet the Hon. Gentlemen to discuss how best we can address these complex issues, and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our young people is protected.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle the (a) availability of illegal substances for sale via online platforms and (b) purchase of those substances by young people who subsequently die by suicide.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
I am grateful for the Hon. Gentleman for raising this important issue, and highlighting the dangers posed by the availability of illegal substances in online marketplaces, and the tragic consequences that can result from their purchase and consumption, both for young people at risk from that threat, and for their families. I would be happy to meet the Hon. Gentlemen to discuss how best we can address these complex issues, and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our young people is protected.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of (a) social and (b) council housebuilding projects in Southampton which are delayed due to financial infeasibility.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
On 30 July we announced a number of changes in planning policy designed to support the delivery of affordable homes and also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts.
At this week’s Budget, the Chancellor will set out details of an immediate one year cash injection of £500 million to top up the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. This comes ahead of the multi-year Spending Review next spring, where the Government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme.
The Chancellor will also confirm that councils will be able to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales. In addition, the Government will consult on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement to provide the sector with the certainty it needs to invest in new social housing.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for visa applications.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are seeking to ensure visa applications are processed as quickly as possible. Customer service standards exist for all types of visa applications, however the time taken to process a visa application may take longer under certain circumstances such as if the information provided is not accurate or further evidence is required.
If there is a delay, the applicant will be notified of this within the current processing times.
Data relating to the performance against visa service standards for all types of applications are produced as part of the Migration Transparency publication.
These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration (opens in a new tab).