Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the steps it is taking to prevent the (a) sale and (b) marketing of vape liquids containing (i) Class A substances and (ii) spice on social media platforms.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act (OSA) places duties on services to reduce the risk that they are used to facilitate illegal sales of controlled drugs. DSIT has regular discussions with Ofcom regarding the implementation of the OSA’s duties. Where providers fail to comply with these duties, Ofcom can issue fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue or £18m, whichever is higher. The Act establishes that the Secretary of State must review the functioning of the Act within 2-5 years of the regime taking effect. This will include reviewing the adequacy of Ofcom's enforcement powers.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Ofcom’s enforcement powers to tackle the online sale of illegal drugs in vape liquids.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act (OSA) places duties on services to reduce the risk that they are used to facilitate illegal sales of controlled drugs. DSIT has regular discussions with Ofcom regarding the implementation of the OSA’s duties. Where providers fail to comply with these duties, Ofcom can issue fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue or £18m, whichever is higher. The Act establishes that the Secretary of State must review the functioning of the Act within 2-5 years of the regime taking effect. This will include reviewing the adequacy of Ofcom's enforcement powers.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on tackling sales of THC liquids containing spice to young people.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling the supply of illegal drugs, including online, and the harms associated with their misuse.
Home Office Ministers and officials work closely with Ofcom, as well as social media platforms, on the issue of illegal online content.
We have strengthened the regulatory framework to address online harms and the unlawful sale of controlled drugs online is a priority offence under the illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act 2023. In-scope providers are legally required to implement measures to protect their users and to remove illegal content from their platforms, including that related to the sale of THC liquids containing spice. Ofcom, as the independent regulator of the Act, is monitoring compliance with the regime.
The National Crime Agency also works with partners in the UK and internationally to identify offenders operating online, and to take down UK-based sites committing offences.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will allocate funding to support mental health services for police (a) officers and (b) staff in the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of all police officers and staff.
We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service, which helps forces identify mental health risks, build resilience, and provide timely support, including through initiatives such as the 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support Line. Through the Police Covenant, we are also improving mental health training and occupational health standards across policing.
It is for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to determine how best to use their funding, including how to support the wellbeing of their workforce, based on local needs and priorities.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it her policy to allocate additional funding to support the recruitment and retention of NHS dentists in the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The budget for Autumn 2025 has not yet been announced, however access to National Health Service dentistry and addressing the issue of under-served areas remains a priority for the Government.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate funding to help improve access to NHS dentistry in West Dorset constituency in the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The budget for Autumn 2025 has not yet been announced, however access to National Health Service dentistry and addressing the issue of under-served areas remains a priority for the Government.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to tackle delays in pension processing as a result of industrial action among MyCSP staff.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As MyCSP is a private company, the Cabinet Office cannot be directly involved in tackling any delays in the processing of pensions caused by industrial action.
However, we are encouraging both MyCSP and the PCS Trade Union to engage in dialogue to resolve this dispute as soon as possible. We continue to monitor the situation closely. There have been no reports of pension delays arising from the ongoing industrial action in MyCSP